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I think that the future of gaming will depend on three things: the console/computer manufacturers, the buying public and the software houses/publishers. Each of these is influenced by the other two.
When a new hardware platform is on the drawing board, a target audience must be identified. What age group(s) will it be aimed at, how much money have they got to spend, what level of technology will they expect to get for their money, and what sort of styling are they like to identify with. Once these questions have been answered they can turn their attention to the logistics of it all, how much money do they have for research and development, how much will it cost to manufacturer and will they be able to make a profit with the design currently under consideration.
Then comes the software houses. These can help to make or break a platform even before it hits the shelves. If a system is difficult to write for, the software houses may be less enthusiastic about creating software for it, especially if there's a comparable system which is easier to use. Thus, if lots of companies are clambering to get licences to write games for the new system, then the public knows that there should be plenty of games for it in the future. If only a handful sign up, then that sends out a warning to the public that if they buy this machine, they might find good games few and far between. The most powerful games machine in existence is useless if there's nothing to run on it.
Lastly, there's the public. Their previous buying habits influence what the hardware manufacturers make, and the genre of games the software houses write and the publishers make available. The public votes with its wallet and in some sense they vote in a similar fashion to political voters. Some will always buy Nintendo, others always Sega, and yet others Sony. There's nothing the manufacturers can do about these. Where the big money is to be made is persuading the majority who have no particular brand loyalty and, for growth in the industry, those who have never had a games console in their lives before.
In fact, this last group are the people Sony are trying to woo right now with the PS2. By making the playback of DVD movies an integral part of the system and moving the case design towards that of more conventional video and stand alone DVD players, it is hoped that the millions of movie buffs who aren't necessarily into games will adopt the system. After all, if the price is right which would you rather have, just an ordinary DVD player, or a DVD player that can also play games and that also promises the ability to download movies directly in the future?
Once a games console has been established, its lifespan is usually dictated by how long the software houses continue to develop for it. With the introduction of DVD, this may no longer be the case as a DVD in five years time should still work on any machine with DVD capability today. Although true to some extent today, a platform's lifespan will most likely be determined simply by the time it takes for a manufacturer to create a machine so much better than what's already available, that people will be willing to spend their hard-earned money all over again to replace the machine they have.
When a new hardware platform is on the drawing board, a target audience must be identified. What age group(s) will it be aimed at, how much money have they got to spend, what level of technology will they expect to get for their money, and what sort of styling are they like to identify with. Once these questions have been answered they can turn their attention to the logistics of it all, how much money do they have for research and development, how much will it cost to manufacturer and will they be able to make a profit with the design currently under consideration.
Then comes the software houses. These can help to make or break a platform even before it hits the shelves. If a system is difficult to write for, the software houses may be less enthusiastic about creating software for it, especially if there's a comparable system which is easier to use. Thus, if lots of companies are clambering to get licences to write games for the new system, then the public knows that there should be plenty of games for it in the future. If only a handful sign up, then that sends out a warning to the public that if they buy this machine, they might find good games few and far between. The most powerful games machine in existence is useless if there's nothing to run on it.
Lastly, there's the public. Their previous buying habits influence what the hardware manufacturers make, and the genre of games the software houses write and the publishers make available. The public votes with its wallet and in some sense they vote in a similar fashion to political voters. Some will always buy Nintendo, others always Sega, and yet others Sony. There's nothing the manufacturers can do about these. Where the big money is to be made is persuading the majority who have no particular brand loyalty and, for growth in the industry, those who have never had a games console in their lives before.
In fact, this last group are the people Sony are trying to woo right now with the PS2. By making the playback of DVD movies an integral part of the system and moving the case design towards that of more conventional video and stand alone DVD players, it is hoped that the millions of movie buffs who aren't necessarily into games will adopt the system. After all, if the price is right which would you rather have, just an ordinary DVD player, or a DVD player that can also play games and that also promises the ability to download movies directly in the future?
Once a games console has been established, its lifespan is usually dictated by how long the software houses continue to develop for it. With the introduction of DVD, this may no longer be the case as a DVD in five years time should still work on any machine with DVD capability today. Although true to some extent today, a platform's lifespan will most likely be determined simply by the time it takes for a manufacturer to create a machine so much better than what's already available, that people will be willing to spend their hard-earned money all over again to replace the machine they have.
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Mature Cheese wrote:
> I am a sausage.
WOW !!! A talking sausage !!! I didn't know sausages were computer literate ;-))
> I am a sausage.
WOW !!! A talking sausage !!! I didn't know sausages were computer literate ;-))
mmmm..old
this is a rather old post that is popped from a sausage!!
Reasons why were all glad Hale and Pace dont do comedy any more :)
WHY OH WHY OH
...spells yoyo.
(Copyright (C) Hale & Pace, sometime in the 90's)
...spells yoyo.
(Copyright (C) Hale & Pace, sometime in the 90's)
SonicRav wrote:
> WHY OH WHY are controllers still small lumps of plastic with
> coloured buttons on! Think of something better!
Depends what you want from your games doesn't it?
I think having to control whatever's on the screen, no matter how realistic it is, with something like a joypad helps keep a distance between gaming and reality. And it's very important to keep them separate.
Also, it's nice and easy. I don't want to have to physically move anything other than my fingers to make my on screen character do anything.
Gaming not realistic enough for you? Then why not make your life more interesting, so games as they are will come as welcome relief from it.
> WHY OH WHY are controllers still small lumps of plastic with
> coloured buttons on! Think of something better!
Depends what you want from your games doesn't it?
I think having to control whatever's on the screen, no matter how realistic it is, with something like a joypad helps keep a distance between gaming and reality. And it's very important to keep them separate.
Also, it's nice and easy. I don't want to have to physically move anything other than my fingers to make my on screen character do anything.
Gaming not realistic enough for you? Then why not make your life more interesting, so games as they are will come as welcome relief from it.
Why oh why are legs just skin, bone, muscles, nerves and other pap.... why cant the invent something better.... like Tank Traks or weels... like in Chorton and the Weelies!?!?!?
WHY OH WHY are controllers still small lumps of plastic with coloured buttons on! Think of something better!
SonicRav
SonicRav
How many Kempston 2's have I destroyed with Daley Thompsons Decathlon? :)
Very good post Bran, but think about it...the main factor about which console wins is the games, Playstation had loads of games and look, it won the last war, now, we have the PS2 and Dreamcast, Sega are pretty much out of it and If Nintendo and Microsoft haven't got the games to show off their fancy systems then I am afraid that Sony will run away with the trophy for a second time!
The Game
PS: Hmmmm...this topic...it looks....like Stephanie McMahon in another man's bedroom!
The Game
PS: Hmmmm...this topic...it looks....like Stephanie McMahon in another man's bedroom!
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