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GPCB: GamePlayCastBox.
In so many other industries, we have seen convergence to one standard plaform. In the VCR worl we had the war between betamax and VHS. VHS won even though betamax was superior in many ways.
In computing, companies like Apple and IBM were battling it out. IBm won, and this is now the standard (Remember the phrase "You must have an IBM compatable PC")
So, what about gaming? Well, we are about to have a war similar to those seen in other industries. To be honest, mnay developers would like to see one format... then there would be no need for conversions. Companies like Ninty would then have an edge not in hardware, but in making great games.
Your views?
Sonic
In so many other industries, we have seen convergence to one standard plaform. In the VCR worl we had the war between betamax and VHS. VHS won even though betamax was superior in many ways.
In computing, companies like Apple and IBM were battling it out. IBm won, and this is now the standard (Remember the phrase "You must have an IBM compatable PC")
So, what about gaming? Well, we are about to have a war similar to those seen in other industries. To be honest, mnay developers would like to see one format... then there would be no need for conversions. Companies like Ninty would then have an edge not in hardware, but in making great games.
Your views?
Sonic
Well said Meka!
The reason for the PSone's success was that developers were fed up with Ninty wanting huge royalties, and not giving them enough support. Therefore they flocked to Ninty, and this game then effectively "exclusive developers".
But now, Sony has realised that they really do have strong competition, some of whom have brillinat hardware. Sony's only card is by saying that they reduce their royalty fee if developers make games solely for their console... buit don't expect this to work for much longer!
Microsoft and Ninty's biggest coup has been getting excellent 2nd party developers. Ninty have Rare, and have given them excellent resources to lure the best programmers and artists. Microsoft have bought Bungie, already a hugely promising name in the PC community.
Sonic
The reason for the PSone's success was that developers were fed up with Ninty wanting huge royalties, and not giving them enough support. Therefore they flocked to Ninty, and this game then effectively "exclusive developers".
But now, Sony has realised that they really do have strong competition, some of whom have brillinat hardware. Sony's only card is by saying that they reduce their royalty fee if developers make games solely for their console... buit don't expect this to work for much longer!
Microsoft and Ninty's biggest coup has been getting excellent 2nd party developers. Ninty have Rare, and have given them excellent resources to lure the best programmers and artists. Microsoft have bought Bungie, already a hugely promising name in the PC community.
Sonic
It seems to me as though convergance is as now further away than ever before.
What seems to be getting through to gamers, is that games are what is important, not the look of there machine, as a result, the major players are trying to sell their consoles based not only on the games, but on the exclusive games.
Nintendo have a stake in Rare, so they can only provide games for them, they also bought a stake in Silicon Knights in order to stop Too Human being released for the Playstation. They have several other exclusive developers working for them too. This simply makes sure that the Gamecube will have games that won't be available anywhere else.
Microsoft do it too. They have a number of exclusive developers, or are insisting that certain features in the games developed for the Xbox, cannot be on other platforms.
It appears to me that Sony have the smallest number of exclusive developers. I think this comes back to the early days of the Playstation in which they had to be nice to developers to lure them away from Nintendo. They couldn't risk insisting on exclusivity, or they might have got nothing. As it turns out, they formed many strong relationships with developers, but they never got the large number of exclusives that maybe they could have done.
Whilst the battle is being fought on these grounds, convergance is highly unlikely.
What seems to be getting through to gamers, is that games are what is important, not the look of there machine, as a result, the major players are trying to sell their consoles based not only on the games, but on the exclusive games.
Nintendo have a stake in Rare, so they can only provide games for them, they also bought a stake in Silicon Knights in order to stop Too Human being released for the Playstation. They have several other exclusive developers working for them too. This simply makes sure that the Gamecube will have games that won't be available anywhere else.
Microsoft do it too. They have a number of exclusive developers, or are insisting that certain features in the games developed for the Xbox, cannot be on other platforms.
It appears to me that Sony have the smallest number of exclusive developers. I think this comes back to the early days of the Playstation in which they had to be nice to developers to lure them away from Nintendo. They couldn't risk insisting on exclusivity, or they might have got nothing. As it turns out, they formed many strong relationships with developers, but they never got the large number of exclusives that maybe they could have done.
Whilst the battle is being fought on these grounds, convergance is highly unlikely.
New Jimmy wrote:
IBM is responsible for Microsoft
> being where it is, idiots.
Actually, APPLE are! When IBM where chosing an OS to use, they decided that Apple's was the best by far. So they went to the house of the CEO (MR. Jobs), knocked on the door, and asked fro a meeting then and there. Jobs, habving the God-like IBM on the doorstep, informed god that they were having a party (they weree all drunk), and that IBM should come back later.
The rest is history
Sonic
IBM is responsible for Microsoft
> being where it is, idiots.
Actually, APPLE are! When IBM where chosing an OS to use, they decided that Apple's was the best by far. So they went to the house of the CEO (MR. Jobs), knocked on the door, and asked fro a meeting then and there. Jobs, habving the God-like IBM on the doorstep, informed god that they were having a party (they weree all drunk), and that IBM should come back later.
The rest is history
Sonic
One format would mean one manufacturer being able to set prices, i.e. for making games for that machine. This would increase the cost of Gaming. Of course if the major software houses funded a joint project to make a console, where there were no extra fees for that format that would be great, but it aint gonna happen.
IBM didnt win all the Third Party companies who now make IBM PC clones have won. Back in the early days IBM didnt envisage the PC being in every home, so they were very lax patenting their inventions...this lead to the IBM PC clone becoming very popular and on the back of that Microsoft.
IBM is responsible for Microsoft being where it is, idiots.
IBM is responsible for Microsoft being where it is, idiots.
GPCB: GamePlayCastBox.
In so many other industries, we have seen convergence to one standard plaform. In the VCR worl we had the war between betamax and VHS. VHS won even though betamax was superior in many ways.
In computing, companies like Apple and IBM were battling it out. IBm won, and this is now the standard (Remember the phrase "You must have an IBM compatable PC")
So, what about gaming? Well, we are about to have a war similar to those seen in other industries. To be honest, mnay developers would like to see one format... then there would be no need for conversions. Companies like Ninty would then have an edge not in hardware, but in making great games.
Your views?
Sonic
In so many other industries, we have seen convergence to one standard plaform. In the VCR worl we had the war between betamax and VHS. VHS won even though betamax was superior in many ways.
In computing, companies like Apple and IBM were battling it out. IBm won, and this is now the standard (Remember the phrase "You must have an IBM compatable PC")
So, what about gaming? Well, we are about to have a war similar to those seen in other industries. To be honest, mnay developers would like to see one format... then there would be no need for conversions. Companies like Ninty would then have an edge not in hardware, but in making great games.
Your views?
Sonic