The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
So what do we want? Many different boxes sat by our TV's to accomplish many different tasks, such as a VCR, DVD player, web-browser, games console and cable/satellite TV box, or would we want one simple box sat there, that did all of these things for you?
With consoles from Sony and Microsoft promising to become "Home Entertainment Units" (HEU) will we be forced to buy things we don't want, just to get those we do?
I can't see anyone incorporating a VCR player into their HEU, the taped and mechanism is rather chunky, and would make the HUE's rather large, and ugly, and that would not be what the majority of people wanted, it would have to look very compact, and nice.
So what could it do? Well it would play games, movies and music, the PS2 can do that now, so what more could it include?
Why not make it web-accessible, so you can also surf the web from the comfort of your sofa.
Hang on, isn't the PS2 going to be capable of that?
So what else could a HEU include?
How about going into competition, or partnership, with the likes of Sky or ntl, and deliver a range of TV channels, pay per view movies and the like. If you've got a broadband connection to browse the web and play games with it could easily carry TV pictures.
When I see the mess in the corner of my living room, I can certainly see the advantage of a HEU. I've got my TV, and underneath it is the VCR. On the next shelf down in the N64 and DVD player. Behind the TV is a mess of wires. I've also got my CD player sat on the side nearby, and soon enough all of this stuff is to be stuffed on a corner unit of some description, in order to tie in the CD speakers with the surround sound that came with the DVD player! Honestly, the amount of power points, and cables I have running around my living room is ridiculous, especially when you consider that the PC also sits in the opposite corner of the same room.
I can certainly see the appeal of integrating the whole lot, having one machine to play games, watch movies, play music, surf the web, all hooked up to surround sound, and plugged into one socket in the wall for power, and one for the broadband connection.
But then there's the opposite arguement. What about little Timmy, little Timmy doesn't have much cash, and begrudges shelling out more cash for a machine that does many things, as he only wants to play games. Is he going to be put off getting the HEU because of all he doesn't want? Depends on the price, doesn't it?
Maybe he wouldn't be allowed a DVD player in his room, because his parents want to censor the movies he watches, but feel they can't in his room.
Maybe little Timmy really like music, and likes to be able to stick 5 CD's in his CD playerat once, an HEU wouldn't allow him to do this, so he probably wouldn't use it for music.
The arguements against the HEU are pretty weak though really. I'd love to be able to play everything on one machine, make it completely simple, but the more it does, the more there is to go wrong, and as I've now got a really nice DVD player, and CD player I don't want to make them redundant.
Oh well, I guess I'll just have to get a few cable ties, put everything neatly in it's place, and hide the wires as best as possible!
With consoles from Sony and Microsoft promising to become "Home Entertainment Units" (HEU) will we be forced to buy things we don't want, just to get those we do?
I can't see anyone incorporating a VCR player into their HEU, the taped and mechanism is rather chunky, and would make the HUE's rather large, and ugly, and that would not be what the majority of people wanted, it would have to look very compact, and nice.
So what could it do? Well it would play games, movies and music, the PS2 can do that now, so what more could it include?
Why not make it web-accessible, so you can also surf the web from the comfort of your sofa.
Hang on, isn't the PS2 going to be capable of that?
So what else could a HEU include?
How about going into competition, or partnership, with the likes of Sky or ntl, and deliver a range of TV channels, pay per view movies and the like. If you've got a broadband connection to browse the web and play games with it could easily carry TV pictures.
When I see the mess in the corner of my living room, I can certainly see the advantage of a HEU. I've got my TV, and underneath it is the VCR. On the next shelf down in the N64 and DVD player. Behind the TV is a mess of wires. I've also got my CD player sat on the side nearby, and soon enough all of this stuff is to be stuffed on a corner unit of some description, in order to tie in the CD speakers with the surround sound that came with the DVD player! Honestly, the amount of power points, and cables I have running around my living room is ridiculous, especially when you consider that the PC also sits in the opposite corner of the same room.
I can certainly see the appeal of integrating the whole lot, having one machine to play games, watch movies, play music, surf the web, all hooked up to surround sound, and plugged into one socket in the wall for power, and one for the broadband connection.
But then there's the opposite arguement. What about little Timmy, little Timmy doesn't have much cash, and begrudges shelling out more cash for a machine that does many things, as he only wants to play games. Is he going to be put off getting the HEU because of all he doesn't want? Depends on the price, doesn't it?
Maybe he wouldn't be allowed a DVD player in his room, because his parents want to censor the movies he watches, but feel they can't in his room.
Maybe little Timmy really like music, and likes to be able to stick 5 CD's in his CD playerat once, an HEU wouldn't allow him to do this, so he probably wouldn't use it for music.
The arguements against the HEU are pretty weak though really. I'd love to be able to play everything on one machine, make it completely simple, but the more it does, the more there is to go wrong, and as I've now got a really nice DVD player, and CD player I don't want to make them redundant.
Oh well, I guess I'll just have to get a few cable ties, put everything neatly in it's place, and hide the wires as best as possible!
Page:
I aint seen the PS2 logo on my machine :-)
He just asked me what it looks like on MSN, so he will know, but only because I told him.
It looks like er.. a black screen... and then the blue stuff goes down and makes the PS2 logo...
what does the PS2 start screen look like game? and ONLY GAME?
Bonus, you are an obegene!
If people want a HEU they can have the Panasonic Cooke... Gamecube! it does all the PS2 things and plays better games! It's cooler... faster, with better DVD facilities... and it's metal... not plastic!
That'll be about £300... quite right I think seeing as the games are twice as good as the PS2 ones... so it should be £400, but you know Nintendo... always up for a deal!
The PS2 may be the only option available now, but in time... it will be passed, by the greatness of Gamecube...
A monkey can add up... but for a Hybrid Gamecube and speakers etc'd probably pay about £500 in total... PS2 = Rip-Off!
My brother still wants one! Loser!
Anyway.... Bonus is wrong... because Game said so!
If people want a HEU they can have the Panasonic Cooke... Gamecube! it does all the PS2 things and plays better games! It's cooler... faster, with better DVD facilities... and it's metal... not plastic!
That'll be about £300... quite right I think seeing as the games are twice as good as the PS2 ones... so it should be £400, but you know Nintendo... always up for a deal!
The PS2 may be the only option available now, but in time... it will be passed, by the greatness of Gamecube...
A monkey can add up... but for a Hybrid Gamecube and speakers etc'd probably pay about £500 in total... PS2 = Rip-Off!
My brother still wants one! Loser!
Anyway.... Bonus is wrong... because Game said so!
I am the Tarrant wrote:
Funny really, 'cause it seems the post
> your complaing about (PS2 versus GC) was actually Bonus talking about building
> HEUs.
To be fair, it was Bonus talking about how the PS2 is already one. It deosn't incorporate TV because the monopolies and mergers commision would have a field day making more money from the government suing the backside off of Sony, but hey, that's life.
Funny really, 'cause it seems the post
> your complaing about (PS2 versus GC) was actually Bonus talking about building
> HEUs.
To be fair, it was Bonus talking about how the PS2 is already one. It deosn't incorporate TV because the monopolies and mergers commision would have a field day making more money from the government suing the backside off of Sony, but hey, that's life.
Meka_Dragon wrote:
> Always comes back to comparing consoles, doesn't it?
So, how about a biuld your own HUE?
You pick the console
> it emulates, whether it has a VCR slot, multiple CD loading, whethers it's
> capable of internet access, extra TV packages.
Sound
> interesting?
No?
Okay then, who will win, GAMECUBE, Playstation2 or
> Xbox.
Argue yourselves silly.
Funny really, 'cause it seems the post your complaing about (PS2 versus GC) was actually Bonus talking about building HEUs.
> Always comes back to comparing consoles, doesn't it?
So, how about a biuld your own HUE?
You pick the console
> it emulates, whether it has a VCR slot, multiple CD loading, whethers it's
> capable of internet access, extra TV packages.
Sound
> interesting?
No?
Okay then, who will win, GAMECUBE, Playstation2 or
> Xbox.
Argue yourselves silly.
Funny really, 'cause it seems the post your complaing about (PS2 versus GC) was actually Bonus talking about building HEUs.
Having an all in one Home Entertainment Unit would be great, particularly if there was some sort of standard for digital software (like the VHS or DVD standards for Videos!). A standard would help avoid a monopoly from one company and keep the price of games cheap.
The HEU would therefore be expensive initially but in the long run if standards were sorted it could encourage competition and result in cheaper games which wouldnt be bad at all.
The HEU would therefore be expensive initially but in the long run if standards were sorted it could encourage competition and result in cheaper games which wouldnt be bad at all.
But Meka, the PS2 is already an HEU. It plays my games, it plays my CDs, it plays my all region DVDs, it will soon connect to the internet and it has a funky blue light. Now you can ask people to describe their ideal system until the cows come home, but I have mine already. Granted it doesn't make toast, but it does everything else (except internet for now). So why isn't that an ideal HEU??
Insane Bartender wrote:
You get yourself a combined VCR/DVD/PC/PS2/refridgerator and the thing
> is going to be constantly going wrong.
Onem the HDD and the ethernet adaptor for the PS2 will be removable, if it goes faulty, then, shame really.
As for the PS2 DVD playback, the PS2 would have cost the same amount if it didn't play DVDs, the emotion engine has a built in MPEG2 decoder so that producers can incorporate MPEG2 compression into their games, hence the video footage on the GT3 menu screen. The DVD playback only needed a driver to be written to work, so it didn't cost any extra. It is also possibly all region, and it plays CDs too. If something does go wrong, Sony swap the thing on your doorstep, you aren't without the system at all, but obviously if it isn't working, then you are waiting on the carrier picking it up, but there isn't much Sony can do about that.
Another thing is that my PS2 is in my bedroom, I wouldn't have a DVD player in my room if it wasn't for my PS2, I do have a PC and stereo though, but my games console also allows me to watch my DVD collection, including my region 1 titles, in my room when my mum is watching Eastenders, I can't complain.
You get yourself a combined VCR/DVD/PC/PS2/refridgerator and the thing
> is going to be constantly going wrong.
Onem the HDD and the ethernet adaptor for the PS2 will be removable, if it goes faulty, then, shame really.
As for the PS2 DVD playback, the PS2 would have cost the same amount if it didn't play DVDs, the emotion engine has a built in MPEG2 decoder so that producers can incorporate MPEG2 compression into their games, hence the video footage on the GT3 menu screen. The DVD playback only needed a driver to be written to work, so it didn't cost any extra. It is also possibly all region, and it plays CDs too. If something does go wrong, Sony swap the thing on your doorstep, you aren't without the system at all, but obviously if it isn't working, then you are waiting on the carrier picking it up, but there isn't much Sony can do about that.
Another thing is that my PS2 is in my bedroom, I wouldn't have a DVD player in my room if it wasn't for my PS2, I do have a PC and stereo though, but my games console also allows me to watch my DVD collection, including my region 1 titles, in my room when my mum is watching Eastenders, I can't complain.
Page: