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For many years now the PC has been strong - loads of games - but the best ones all having mouse support - i.e. the games are not really meant to be multiplayer unless you play online. So, why is it that I think the PC will be the future? Well - it is so much more than a games macine - and so much better. I think that the shear number of consoles entering the market - DReamcast, Game Cube, Playstation2, XBox - as well as all the current offerings - PSone and N64 etc. There will not be any space for all these consoles - so which willl fail? All of them.
The PC WILL evolve - the apple Mac./ IMAC are prime examples of stylish PCs - just throw in Windows and other PC favorites and you're there. Of course - there will have to be a better range of innovtive control pads - that actually target the mass market. The fabulous Microsoft Force feedback steering Wheel is a prime example of this. It may well be 100% better - i.e actually feel good - and respond well - unlike the pathetic Dreamcast and PS steering wheels - this is a much better quality - it doesn't however target the mass market - the vast majority of gamers don't play games on PCs - racing games that is, and so this wheel won't be too successful.
The PC is, however, the KING of RPGs and adventure/platform games - and will always have strong graphical capabilities.
So what would I like for my ideal Games and Utilities machine? Well - a Console and Moniter combined - like the IMAC - but a little less dull looking - more flair to it. The ability to upgrade - easily and cheaply - and Free Internet access - and any game I want to play - to be able to work on it.
This WILL be the future. Colaberation is....the key.
The PC WILL evolve - the apple Mac./ IMAC are prime examples of stylish PCs - just throw in Windows and other PC favorites and you're there. Of course - there will have to be a better range of innovtive control pads - that actually target the mass market. The fabulous Microsoft Force feedback steering Wheel is a prime example of this. It may well be 100% better - i.e actually feel good - and respond well - unlike the pathetic Dreamcast and PS steering wheels - this is a much better quality - it doesn't however target the mass market - the vast majority of gamers don't play games on PCs - racing games that is, and so this wheel won't be too successful.
The PC is, however, the KING of RPGs and adventure/platform games - and will always have strong graphical capabilities.
So what would I like for my ideal Games and Utilities machine? Well - a Console and Moniter combined - like the IMAC - but a little less dull looking - more flair to it. The ability to upgrade - easily and cheaply - and Free Internet access - and any game I want to play - to be able to work on it.
This WILL be the future. Colaberation is....the key.
And why does my brain talk to me?
(Who else would tell you to type otherwise?)
(Who else would tell you to type otherwise?)
Let's face it - the PC has some cracking games (just finished Deus Ex a couple of weeks ago), but the core hardware has been out of date for years.
Companies like Intel keep producing bigger engines, others keep making bigger spoilers, and yet others keep touching up the paint job with prettier go-faster stripes, but the core architecture is archaic. It doesn't even multi-task properly, which the Mac's do.
The biggest crippling factor is, of course, Windows. When you think the old Amiga did more or less the same on a 512K ROM-based OS, 512K RAM, and without a HD, AND managed to be fully multi-tasking, the amount of space and power that Windows uses is quite obscene.
Companies like Intel keep producing bigger engines, others keep making bigger spoilers, and yet others keep touching up the paint job with prettier go-faster stripes, but the core architecture is archaic. It doesn't even multi-task properly, which the Mac's do.
The biggest crippling factor is, of course, Windows. When you think the old Amiga did more or less the same on a 512K ROM-based OS, 512K RAM, and without a HD, AND managed to be fully multi-tasking, the amount of space and power that Windows uses is quite obscene.
So you're looking for the next big thing? The L.E.S.???
Look no further...
Fujitsu-Siemens are on the virge of launching their Home Entertainment System known as "The MultiTainer"...
Proclaimed to be a fully customizable, upgradeable
PC, Games Console, Mp3 Player, Internet Box, Picture Publishing, Home Theater & Telecommunications System, it should be available sometime next year...
Launched with a wireless keyboard and remote control and utilizing a gui that allows ease-of-use on any tv or pc monitor.
Only problem is... It's launched at about £2000 and consists mainly of a Celeron Processor, 64Mb RAM, 13 Gb Hard Drive, and an 56K modem. Though using Win98, it's actually a real lousy machine, and I'd never buy one...
Look no further...
Fujitsu-Siemens are on the virge of launching their Home Entertainment System known as "The MultiTainer"...
Proclaimed to be a fully customizable, upgradeable
PC, Games Console, Mp3 Player, Internet Box, Picture Publishing, Home Theater & Telecommunications System, it should be available sometime next year...
Launched with a wireless keyboard and remote control and utilizing a gui that allows ease-of-use on any tv or pc monitor.
Only problem is... It's launched at about £2000 and consists mainly of a Celeron Processor, 64Mb RAM, 13 Gb Hard Drive, and an 56K modem. Though using Win98, it's actually a real lousy machine, and I'd never buy one...
It's not the technology that I was concerned about, but the way PC firms see their product. No one is going to back a lame horse, if manufacturers think a PC with a games console in is going to sell then they will make one, or a PC that is purely for games and has no fiddly parts. At the moment the 'hassle-free' PCs that have been created are far from that. They are smaller, so upgrading would be useless, they still have to run Windows, so they crash, and they still get the problem with the hard drive being full when installing only a handful of games.
As you say, time moves fast in the computing world, but this only means that upgrading and new system software are more likely. PCs are versitile, but because of this they are also prone to be difficult to work with. The only option I see is a set format that won't change for years, made to one specification. This last happened with the Atari ST and Amiga, machines made by one company that had set chips and took a lot longer than PCs to become obsolete.
As you say, time moves fast in the computing world, but this only means that upgrading and new system software are more likely. PCs are versitile, but because of this they are also prone to be difficult to work with. The only option I see is a set format that won't change for years, made to one specification. This last happened with the Atari ST and Amiga, machines made by one company that had set chips and took a lot longer than PCs to become obsolete.
mmm, yes, that would be nice. But will we ever see one in our lifetime? Probably not! The nearest we ever got to having a console and computer together was that awful Amstrad games PC with a megadrive thrown in and squashed up so that the cartridge slot was in a hard drive bay. Problem was that it turned the PC off when you slid the cover over to play the megadrive. Oh dear!
Several points there old chum, (did I really say that)
The PC has lots of games in it's back catalogue, fair enough, but how many of them play comfortably on today's hardware without the game being too fast or needing 3 hours to configure DOS (not available in Windows ME folks!)
Mouse games are great, granted, but they don't replace all those fun joypad games, only add another genre. Yes, I know you can play joypad games on a PC, but to link 4 or more players you need a huge monitor and sidewinder pads. It just doesn't have the same feel as switching on a console and having a quick blast for a few minutes, or getting all your mates around a big TV and playing a multiplayer game.
Granted, the internet is a lot better for games on the PC and always will be, but PC games are mostly solo, long term games that require a lot of thought and effort. There is nothing wrong in this, but some people prefer to choose between a quick blast on an arcade game or a more long term adventure and, while the PC covers this, it just doesn't have the same feel as powering up your console and blasting off into space or down the highway.
On your second note, Emulators work well for older (and some new) consoles, so technically you have your console in a PC idea already set up and ready to roll, USB allows you to upgrade some aspects without even opening your PC and Free internet access will appear again, just wait.
The PC has lots of games in it's back catalogue, fair enough, but how many of them play comfortably on today's hardware without the game being too fast or needing 3 hours to configure DOS (not available in Windows ME folks!)
Mouse games are great, granted, but they don't replace all those fun joypad games, only add another genre. Yes, I know you can play joypad games on a PC, but to link 4 or more players you need a huge monitor and sidewinder pads. It just doesn't have the same feel as switching on a console and having a quick blast for a few minutes, or getting all your mates around a big TV and playing a multiplayer game.
Granted, the internet is a lot better for games on the PC and always will be, but PC games are mostly solo, long term games that require a lot of thought and effort. There is nothing wrong in this, but some people prefer to choose between a quick blast on an arcade game or a more long term adventure and, while the PC covers this, it just doesn't have the same feel as powering up your console and blasting off into space or down the highway.
On your second note, Emulators work well for older (and some new) consoles, so technically you have your console in a PC idea already set up and ready to roll, USB allows you to upgrade some aspects without even opening your PC and Free internet access will appear again, just wait.
For many years now the PC has been strong - loads of games - but the best ones all having mouse support - i.e. the games are not really meant to be multiplayer unless you play online. So, why is it that I think the PC will be the future? Well - it is so much more than a games macine - and so much better. I think that the shear number of consoles entering the market - DReamcast, Game Cube, Playstation2, XBox - as well as all the current offerings - PSone and N64 etc. There will not be any space for all these consoles - so which willl fail? All of them.
The PC WILL evolve - the apple Mac./ IMAC are prime examples of stylish PCs - just throw in Windows and other PC favorites and you're there. Of course - there will have to be a better range of innovtive control pads - that actually target the mass market. The fabulous Microsoft Force feedback steering Wheel is a prime example of this. It may well be 100% better - i.e actually feel good - and respond well - unlike the pathetic Dreamcast and PS steering wheels - this is a much better quality - it doesn't however target the mass market - the vast majority of gamers don't play games on PCs - racing games that is, and so this wheel won't be too successful.
The PC is, however, the KING of RPGs and adventure/platform games - and will always have strong graphical capabilities.
So what would I like for my ideal Games and Utilities machine? Well - a Console and Moniter combined - like the IMAC - but a little less dull looking - more flair to it. The ability to upgrade - easily and cheaply - and Free Internet access - and any game I want to play - to be able to work on it.
This WILL be the future. Colaberation is....the key.
The PC WILL evolve - the apple Mac./ IMAC are prime examples of stylish PCs - just throw in Windows and other PC favorites and you're there. Of course - there will have to be a better range of innovtive control pads - that actually target the mass market. The fabulous Microsoft Force feedback steering Wheel is a prime example of this. It may well be 100% better - i.e actually feel good - and respond well - unlike the pathetic Dreamcast and PS steering wheels - this is a much better quality - it doesn't however target the mass market - the vast majority of gamers don't play games on PCs - racing games that is, and so this wheel won't be too successful.
The PC is, however, the KING of RPGs and adventure/platform games - and will always have strong graphical capabilities.
So what would I like for my ideal Games and Utilities machine? Well - a Console and Moniter combined - like the IMAC - but a little less dull looking - more flair to it. The ability to upgrade - easily and cheaply - and Free Internet access - and any game I want to play - to be able to work on it.
This WILL be the future. Colaberation is....the key.