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We’ve had online gaming for a while now. The PC started the trend and consoles followed. Microsoft got it right first, but early signs are than the PS3 can cope well with online gaming (especially compared to the awful PS2 online system) and even the Wii is getting in to the act in the next few months.
But I think the next stage is not so much to do with games, but with interactivity. Yes, online chat exists in a basic form and mostly within games, but the console companies need to design a better system for interacting outside of the games and utilise all mediums to do it.
Looking at the PC again, the non-gaming community uses IM and other messaging services in vast numbers to talk, share files and generally keep in touch. Though consoles are primarily for gaming (though Sony might have you think otherwise) this same interactivity would be ideally suited to the living room console that is trying to fit in with the rest of your life.
The 360 and PS3 would be able to use this for gaming clans and also to swap files (obviously only allowed formats) such as pictures. With the aid of a camera, already seen in the 360 chat feature, and a far easier to use interface, an enhanced network of friends can be called at the touch of a button. The Wii would concentrate on the family friendly element, probably keeping it within your Mii friends list, and would probably consist of fun things to do, minigames and swapping of pictures from the photo channel as well as a google-earth style system for pin-pointing your friends.
Within games this can also be enhanced. Everyone got excited by the screens of PGR3 showing dashboard video, but so much more can be achieved with video (given the bandwidth). Gaming is pretty interactive, and is getting ever more so, but you need to spread the interactivity outside of the gaming world and in to the realms of the PC’s mainstay of communication and general use for it to really take off.
But I think the next stage is not so much to do with games, but with interactivity. Yes, online chat exists in a basic form and mostly within games, but the console companies need to design a better system for interacting outside of the games and utilise all mediums to do it.
Looking at the PC again, the non-gaming community uses IM and other messaging services in vast numbers to talk, share files and generally keep in touch. Though consoles are primarily for gaming (though Sony might have you think otherwise) this same interactivity would be ideally suited to the living room console that is trying to fit in with the rest of your life.
The 360 and PS3 would be able to use this for gaming clans and also to swap files (obviously only allowed formats) such as pictures. With the aid of a camera, already seen in the 360 chat feature, and a far easier to use interface, an enhanced network of friends can be called at the touch of a button. The Wii would concentrate on the family friendly element, probably keeping it within your Mii friends list, and would probably consist of fun things to do, minigames and swapping of pictures from the photo channel as well as a google-earth style system for pin-pointing your friends.
Within games this can also be enhanced. Everyone got excited by the screens of PGR3 showing dashboard video, but so much more can be achieved with video (given the bandwidth). Gaming is pretty interactive, and is getting ever more so, but you need to spread the interactivity outside of the gaming world and in to the realms of the PC’s mainstay of communication and general use for it to really take off.
I'll. Be. Waiting. :D
Actually I think it's about time I start talking more smack about how great at games I am before real online for wii comes out.
Pb's gonna get taken out when Smash Brothers comes out, oh and Mario Kart, Metroid and any other online game worth buying.
Pb's gonna get taken out when Smash Brothers comes out, oh and Mario Kart, Metroid and any other online game worth buying.
The spring dashboard update for the 360 due out next month will allow you to use an MSN account on the 360 to chat to friends via msn on their 360's or PC's - not sure if it will allow multiple people in the same conversations but it looks quite good from the screens I've seen - can also use it during games I believe.
Sure it is something that will get improved on, making use of the xbox vision cam to allow video conversations with multiple people in the room would be a good touch.
I'd like to see more features used within games - like with graw if the gamer has a vision cam then the small screen at the top for the cross com could show their video.
Would also be pretty cool if you could save replays of some games and send them to your mates via your 360.
I'd also like to see some sort of clan/team addition to the friends list feature. So you could join/create a clan and then set up rooms for only your clan or allow clan members to automatically join you in all games without an invite. Also allow users to have clan images etc with leaderboards for various games.
Sure it is something that will get improved on, making use of the xbox vision cam to allow video conversations with multiple people in the room would be a good touch.
I'd like to see more features used within games - like with graw if the gamer has a vision cam then the small screen at the top for the cross com could show their video.
Would also be pretty cool if you could save replays of some games and send them to your mates via your 360.
I'd also like to see some sort of clan/team addition to the friends list feature. So you could join/create a clan and then set up rooms for only your clan or allow clan members to automatically join you in all games without an invite. Also allow users to have clan images etc with leaderboards for various games.
We’ve had online gaming for a while now. The PC started the trend and consoles followed. Microsoft got it right first, but early signs are than the PS3 can cope well with online gaming (especially compared to the awful PS2 online system) and even the Wii is getting in to the act in the next few months.
But I think the next stage is not so much to do with games, but with interactivity. Yes, online chat exists in a basic form and mostly within games, but the console companies need to design a better system for interacting outside of the games and utilise all mediums to do it.
Looking at the PC again, the non-gaming community uses IM and other messaging services in vast numbers to talk, share files and generally keep in touch. Though consoles are primarily for gaming (though Sony might have you think otherwise) this same interactivity would be ideally suited to the living room console that is trying to fit in with the rest of your life.
The 360 and PS3 would be able to use this for gaming clans and also to swap files (obviously only allowed formats) such as pictures. With the aid of a camera, already seen in the 360 chat feature, and a far easier to use interface, an enhanced network of friends can be called at the touch of a button. The Wii would concentrate on the family friendly element, probably keeping it within your Mii friends list, and would probably consist of fun things to do, minigames and swapping of pictures from the photo channel as well as a google-earth style system for pin-pointing your friends.
Within games this can also be enhanced. Everyone got excited by the screens of PGR3 showing dashboard video, but so much more can be achieved with video (given the bandwidth). Gaming is pretty interactive, and is getting ever more so, but you need to spread the interactivity outside of the gaming world and in to the realms of the PC’s mainstay of communication and general use for it to really take off.
But I think the next stage is not so much to do with games, but with interactivity. Yes, online chat exists in a basic form and mostly within games, but the console companies need to design a better system for interacting outside of the games and utilise all mediums to do it.
Looking at the PC again, the non-gaming community uses IM and other messaging services in vast numbers to talk, share files and generally keep in touch. Though consoles are primarily for gaming (though Sony might have you think otherwise) this same interactivity would be ideally suited to the living room console that is trying to fit in with the rest of your life.
The 360 and PS3 would be able to use this for gaming clans and also to swap files (obviously only allowed formats) such as pictures. With the aid of a camera, already seen in the 360 chat feature, and a far easier to use interface, an enhanced network of friends can be called at the touch of a button. The Wii would concentrate on the family friendly element, probably keeping it within your Mii friends list, and would probably consist of fun things to do, minigames and swapping of pictures from the photo channel as well as a google-earth style system for pin-pointing your friends.
Within games this can also be enhanced. Everyone got excited by the screens of PGR3 showing dashboard video, but so much more can be achieved with video (given the bandwidth). Gaming is pretty interactive, and is getting ever more so, but you need to spread the interactivity outside of the gaming world and in to the realms of the PC’s mainstay of communication and general use for it to really take off.