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It seems to me that consoles are becoming more and more powerful and are becoming more and more like PCs. Take for example the Dreamcast, it was the first console to be able to hook up to the internet for online gaming and web surfing. The dreamcast even had a keyboard, jsut like PC do. Is that what console producers are aiming for? Are the aiming to produce a console that can do everything a PC can do, and the only difference being is that the console wont have an operating system as such. The console will only work when a game is put is as it will have no operating system.
Anyway my point is if companies are working toward this as this begining to look like, then why are they doing it in this way. Why not jump a load of steps and make a console that has the power of a PC, instead of going up in steps like 64bit, 128bit and so on. The technology is available to make a home entertainmet systems that are capable of running far more powerful games. The tecnology is available to make consoles with far higher specifications. Ok when the console first comes out the software companies might not be able to make games that can push the console to is limits or even make full use of half of the power it is capable of, but the software companies will eventually find ways to use this power. The companies could make the graphics crisper or more life like, they could make the games twice as long i.e. by giving them more levels.
If a console was built that had all the best specifications around and all of the best pieces of tecnology available to man used in it then of course the cost of the console will be a fair bit greater. But ask yourself this would you rather pay out the extra money now for a console that is going to be around for years to come, or would you rather stay with the old routine of going up step by step and paying out money every 4 years for the newest console that has just come out.
Of course as soon as the super powerful console was released the components in it will become out of date simply because components like processors are constantly being updated. That doesn't mean that the console will become out of date instantly because if all of todays best components were used to create the most powerful console possible, it would take sofware companies many many years to be able to produce software that was totally capable of using all of the consoles power. The reason i say this is because a s i was reading through the nintenod website earlier today i saw the following paragraph.
The Nintendo 64 was a highly advanced piece of hardware. However, because it had such superior capabilities, developers probably felt as if it was a "challenge" for them to produce for it. Because of this, along with complicating software development, N64 gained a reputation of being a difficult system on which to develop games.
That suggest to me that software companies didn't fully understand or use all of the N64's power. The same thing would happen if a super powerful console was to be released like the one i'm talking about. The only difference is that this time the software companies would have the best harware known to man to produce their games for. This would mean that the software companies wildest dreams could become reality if they just stick at it and keep producing games to the best of thier ability. Obviously the first games to come out on the console might be able to run on a playstation 2, but then as the software companies want to make bigger, better looking games they will have that freedom as the super console would be able to support their needs.
What do you think? Do you think that it would be better if the console companies keep producing console step by step and keep goin up in the patter of 128bit, 256bit and so on?
Or do you think that it would be better if the console companies took full advantage of the hardware available to them today and missed all the other steps to produce a super powerful console? I think that it is possible to create a super powerful console, but would it be successful?
Anyway my point is if companies are working toward this as this begining to look like, then why are they doing it in this way. Why not jump a load of steps and make a console that has the power of a PC, instead of going up in steps like 64bit, 128bit and so on. The technology is available to make a home entertainmet systems that are capable of running far more powerful games. The tecnology is available to make consoles with far higher specifications. Ok when the console first comes out the software companies might not be able to make games that can push the console to is limits or even make full use of half of the power it is capable of, but the software companies will eventually find ways to use this power. The companies could make the graphics crisper or more life like, they could make the games twice as long i.e. by giving them more levels.
If a console was built that had all the best specifications around and all of the best pieces of tecnology available to man used in it then of course the cost of the console will be a fair bit greater. But ask yourself this would you rather pay out the extra money now for a console that is going to be around for years to come, or would you rather stay with the old routine of going up step by step and paying out money every 4 years for the newest console that has just come out.
Of course as soon as the super powerful console was released the components in it will become out of date simply because components like processors are constantly being updated. That doesn't mean that the console will become out of date instantly because if all of todays best components were used to create the most powerful console possible, it would take sofware companies many many years to be able to produce software that was totally capable of using all of the consoles power. The reason i say this is because a s i was reading through the nintenod website earlier today i saw the following paragraph.
The Nintendo 64 was a highly advanced piece of hardware. However, because it had such superior capabilities, developers probably felt as if it was a "challenge" for them to produce for it. Because of this, along with complicating software development, N64 gained a reputation of being a difficult system on which to develop games.
That suggest to me that software companies didn't fully understand or use all of the N64's power. The same thing would happen if a super powerful console was to be released like the one i'm talking about. The only difference is that this time the software companies would have the best harware known to man to produce their games for. This would mean that the software companies wildest dreams could become reality if they just stick at it and keep producing games to the best of thier ability. Obviously the first games to come out on the console might be able to run on a playstation 2, but then as the software companies want to make bigger, better looking games they will have that freedom as the super console would be able to support their needs.
What do you think? Do you think that it would be better if the console companies keep producing console step by step and keep goin up in the patter of 128bit, 256bit and so on?
Or do you think that it would be better if the console companies took full advantage of the hardware available to them today and missed all the other steps to produce a super powerful console? I think that it is possible to create a super powerful console, but would it be successful?
Bewarethetoadsoffate wrote:
> Cool post, Stick. This power of 2 thing bugs me as well. I'm sure
> there is a good reason why they have to go up like this which I am
> unaware of, but as you say they could still skip a few steps and
> come out with a 1024 bit or even 2048 bit console and rule the
> market for years!
Yeah this is one of my sensible posts. : )
> Cool post, Stick. This power of 2 thing bugs me as well. I'm sure
> there is a good reason why they have to go up like this which I am
> unaware of, but as you say they could still skip a few steps and
> come out with a 1024 bit or even 2048 bit console and rule the
> market for years!
Yeah this is one of my sensible posts. : )
PS2: Greatness
GameCuboid: Trash can
Ex-box: The eternal fires of hell
Just kidding! :-D
GameCuboid: Trash can
Ex-box: The eternal fires of hell
Just kidding! :-D
It seems to me that consoles are becoming more and more powerful and are becoming more and more like PCs. Take for example the Dreamcast, it was the first console to be able to hook up to the internet for online gaming and web surfing. The dreamcast even had a keyboard, jsut like PC do. Is that what console producers are aiming for? Are the aiming to produce a console that can do everything a PC can do, and the only difference being is that the console wont have an operating system as such. The console will only work when a game is put is as it will have no operating system.
Anyway my point is if companies are working toward this as this begining to look like, then why are they doing it in this way. Why not jump a load of steps and make a console that has the power of a PC, instead of going up in steps like 64bit, 128bit and so on. The technology is available to make a home entertainmet systems that are capable of running far more powerful games. The tecnology is available to make consoles with far higher specifications. Ok when the console first comes out the software companies might not be able to make games that can push the console to is limits or even make full use of half of the power it is capable of, but the software companies will eventually find ways to use this power. The companies could make the graphics crisper or more life like, they could make the games twice as long i.e. by giving them more levels.
If a console was built that had all the best specifications around and all of the best pieces of tecnology available to man used in it then of course the cost of the console will be a fair bit greater. But ask yourself this would you rather pay out the extra money now for a console that is going to be around for years to come, or would you rather stay with the old routine of going up step by step and paying out money every 4 years for the newest console that has just come out.
Of course as soon as the super powerful console was released the components in it will become out of date simply because components like processors are constantly being updated. That doesn't mean that the console will become out of date instantly because if all of todays best components were used to create the most powerful console possible, it would take sofware companies many many years to be able to produce software that was totally capable of using all of the consoles power. The reason i say this is because a s i was reading through the nintenod website earlier today i saw the following paragraph.
The Nintendo 64 was a highly advanced piece of hardware. However, because it had such superior capabilities, developers probably felt as if it was a "challenge" for them to produce for it. Because of this, along with complicating software development, N64 gained a reputation of being a difficult system on which to develop games.
That suggest to me that software companies didn't fully understand or use all of the N64's power. The same thing would happen if a super powerful console was to be released like the one i'm talking about. The only difference is that this time the software companies would have the best harware known to man to produce their games for. This would mean that the software companies wildest dreams could become reality if they just stick at it and keep producing games to the best of thier ability. Obviously the first games to come out on the console might be able to run on a playstation 2, but then as the software companies want to make bigger, better looking games they will have that freedom as the super console would be able to support their needs.
What do you think? Do you think that it would be better if the console companies keep producing console step by step and keep goin up in the patter of 128bit, 256bit and so on?
Or do you think that it would be better if the console companies took full advantage of the hardware available to them today and missed all the other steps to produce a super powerful console? I think that it is possible to create a super powerful console, but would it be successful?
Anyway my point is if companies are working toward this as this begining to look like, then why are they doing it in this way. Why not jump a load of steps and make a console that has the power of a PC, instead of going up in steps like 64bit, 128bit and so on. The technology is available to make a home entertainmet systems that are capable of running far more powerful games. The tecnology is available to make consoles with far higher specifications. Ok when the console first comes out the software companies might not be able to make games that can push the console to is limits or even make full use of half of the power it is capable of, but the software companies will eventually find ways to use this power. The companies could make the graphics crisper or more life like, they could make the games twice as long i.e. by giving them more levels.
If a console was built that had all the best specifications around and all of the best pieces of tecnology available to man used in it then of course the cost of the console will be a fair bit greater. But ask yourself this would you rather pay out the extra money now for a console that is going to be around for years to come, or would you rather stay with the old routine of going up step by step and paying out money every 4 years for the newest console that has just come out.
Of course as soon as the super powerful console was released the components in it will become out of date simply because components like processors are constantly being updated. That doesn't mean that the console will become out of date instantly because if all of todays best components were used to create the most powerful console possible, it would take sofware companies many many years to be able to produce software that was totally capable of using all of the consoles power. The reason i say this is because a s i was reading through the nintenod website earlier today i saw the following paragraph.
The Nintendo 64 was a highly advanced piece of hardware. However, because it had such superior capabilities, developers probably felt as if it was a "challenge" for them to produce for it. Because of this, along with complicating software development, N64 gained a reputation of being a difficult system on which to develop games.
That suggest to me that software companies didn't fully understand or use all of the N64's power. The same thing would happen if a super powerful console was to be released like the one i'm talking about. The only difference is that this time the software companies would have the best harware known to man to produce their games for. This would mean that the software companies wildest dreams could become reality if they just stick at it and keep producing games to the best of thier ability. Obviously the first games to come out on the console might be able to run on a playstation 2, but then as the software companies want to make bigger, better looking games they will have that freedom as the super console would be able to support their needs.
What do you think? Do you think that it would be better if the console companies keep producing console step by step and keep goin up in the patter of 128bit, 256bit and so on?
Or do you think that it would be better if the console companies took full advantage of the hardware available to them today and missed all the other steps to produce a super powerful console? I think that it is possible to create a super powerful console, but would it be successful?