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Original Message posted by Sibs on 10/11/2001 at 11.19PM on the vic20 server, but again, no-one is there so I thought I'd come to this server to post it too.
Many gamers will agree that consoles are becoming more and more like PCs. Microsofts entry into the console market is really a custom built PC for video games (and flight sims :D). It is disguised as a console with its control pad as opposed to a keyboard, though I'm sure a keyboard and mouse will be available on or very close to the Xbox release.
But the Playstation2 and Gamecube will both have online features in the future, and the Dreamcast has SegaNet, so will we soon be getting Word procesing and Spreadsheet packages for our consoles too? With Sonys PS2 no longer a console but 'home entertainment system' (or something like that), it already has DVD playback and will play CDs, how long before we are buying printers and typing up our letters on it or working out our tax payments you may think? Indeed the most successful console ever (the gameboy) already has a printer and a camera, and it had internet connection long before the Dreamcast came along (well, it did in Japan anyway).
Well by now you are probably considering selling up your PC to buy the latest 'Multimedia entertainment system'. But is the PC really dead (or will it die)? I don't think so. Consoles games are made on PCs, so they can be easily ported over to the PC, and the PC market for video games is very different to consoles. Have you noticed that while consoles are using all their power to wow the gamer with awesome visuals, the PC capable of just as good graphics, has developers still making essentially 2D games. Take the recent Red Alert 2 and its expansion. They are essentially 2D games. The huge success that is Baldurs Gate. The PS2 version "Dark Alliance" has been made in 3D while the rest of the series on PC was essentially an isometric 2D game. Commandos and the recent Commandos 2 is the same. Very much 2D isometric. The same platform which brought us the visual delights of Half-Life and led the 3D revolution still refuses to give up 2D roots, while consoles which were the home of 2D games throughout their past have now seemingly all but abondonned their 2D roots.
Why is this? Well consoles nowadays have to appeal to the casual gamers*. It's likely that these casual gamers are going to be influenced in their decision of which game to buy, by the graphics more than experienced gamers would. This means companies making games for a console need to appeal to casual gamers and therefore must have (as the blurb on the box will probably read) 'Incredible three dimensional environments' and 'Amazing, realistic lighting and shadowing effects'. Now I'm not saying no casual gamers buy PC games, but developers for consoles must pay the console manufacturer (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) a fee, so they need to know their product is going to do well, especially if the fee is high. Casual gamers are also more likely (I think) to buy a console to play a game rather than go through all the hassle of checking their PC for its specs and then checking the game will run on it, and then installing it before they can play the game. They will more likely buy a console and just put in the game and off they go. Consoles will also be favoured by casual gamers (In particular PSX and PS2) because they have become 'cool' because of Sony sponsoring footie matches and the like.
So I don't believe that the PC will end and Consoles will become "Multimedia entertainment systems". PCs will always be the things which you can play games on, at the risk of them crashing and you losing your top score, but if you get bored with their games you can make a spreadsheet instead :D. Consoles will probably become more and more like PCs in terms of having keyboards and mice (not the animals), access to the net, features like DVD and CD playback, and upgradable expansion ports. But consoles will (hopefully) remain concentrated on the games. The best console shouldn't be the one with most extra features, or best DVD quality, but the console with the best games. This is one reason I like Nintendos GameCube. It is not being marketted as a multimedia all-in-one home entertainment system. It plays games. And essentially that is what a console should do.
*For more information on 'Casual Gamers' see my topic in FOG (chat) called: "Casual gamers- a necessary evil"
Many gamers will agree that consoles are becoming more and more like PCs. Microsofts entry into the console market is really a custom built PC for video games (and flight sims :D). It is disguised as a console with its control pad as opposed to a keyboard, though I'm sure a keyboard and mouse will be available on or very close to the Xbox release.
But the Playstation2 and Gamecube will both have online features in the future, and the Dreamcast has SegaNet, so will we soon be getting Word procesing and Spreadsheet packages for our consoles too? With Sonys PS2 no longer a console but 'home entertainment system' (or something like that), it already has DVD playback and will play CDs, how long before we are buying printers and typing up our letters on it or working out our tax payments you may think? Indeed the most successful console ever (the gameboy) already has a printer and a camera, and it had internet connection long before the Dreamcast came along (well, it did in Japan anyway).
Well by now you are probably considering selling up your PC to buy the latest 'Multimedia entertainment system'. But is the PC really dead (or will it die)? I don't think so. Consoles games are made on PCs, so they can be easily ported over to the PC, and the PC market for video games is very different to consoles. Have you noticed that while consoles are using all their power to wow the gamer with awesome visuals, the PC capable of just as good graphics, has developers still making essentially 2D games. Take the recent Red Alert 2 and its expansion. They are essentially 2D games. The huge success that is Baldurs Gate. The PS2 version "Dark Alliance" has been made in 3D while the rest of the series on PC was essentially an isometric 2D game. Commandos and the recent Commandos 2 is the same. Very much 2D isometric. The same platform which brought us the visual delights of Half-Life and led the 3D revolution still refuses to give up 2D roots, while consoles which were the home of 2D games throughout their past have now seemingly all but abondonned their 2D roots.
Why is this? Well consoles nowadays have to appeal to the casual gamers*. It's likely that these casual gamers are going to be influenced in their decision of which game to buy, by the graphics more than experienced gamers would. This means companies making games for a console need to appeal to casual gamers and therefore must have (as the blurb on the box will probably read) 'Incredible three dimensional environments' and 'Amazing, realistic lighting and shadowing effects'. Now I'm not saying no casual gamers buy PC games, but developers for consoles must pay the console manufacturer (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) a fee, so they need to know their product is going to do well, especially if the fee is high. Casual gamers are also more likely (I think) to buy a console to play a game rather than go through all the hassle of checking their PC for its specs and then checking the game will run on it, and then installing it before they can play the game. They will more likely buy a console and just put in the game and off they go. Consoles will also be favoured by casual gamers (In particular PSX and PS2) because they have become 'cool' because of Sony sponsoring footie matches and the like.
So I don't believe that the PC will end and Consoles will become "Multimedia entertainment systems". PCs will always be the things which you can play games on, at the risk of them crashing and you losing your top score, but if you get bored with their games you can make a spreadsheet instead :D. Consoles will probably become more and more like PCs in terms of having keyboards and mice (not the animals), access to the net, features like DVD and CD playback, and upgradable expansion ports. But consoles will (hopefully) remain concentrated on the games. The best console shouldn't be the one with most extra features, or best DVD quality, but the console with the best games. This is one reason I like Nintendos GameCube. It is not being marketted as a multimedia all-in-one home entertainment system. It plays games. And essentially that is what a console should do.
*For more information on 'Casual Gamers' see my topic in FOG (chat) called: "Casual gamers- a necessary evil"
Just a thought...
How long would the mighty Half-Life on the PC have lasted without the endless add-ons, mods, and new levels made for it by the amatuer designers (myself included, though my efforts were very modest). This was only possible (realistically) because it was on the PC, not a console. The PS2 version may have internet games, but won't have the same following of people making and playing through others' levels etc.
PS please reply... pretty please?
How long would the mighty Half-Life on the PC have lasted without the endless add-ons, mods, and new levels made for it by the amatuer designers (myself included, though my efforts were very modest). This was only possible (realistically) because it was on the PC, not a console. The PS2 version may have internet games, but won't have the same following of people making and playing through others' levels etc.
PS please reply... pretty please?
Original Message posted by Sibs on 10/11/2001 at 11.19PM on the vic20 server, but again, no-one is there so I thought I'd come to this server to post it too.
Many gamers will agree that consoles are becoming more and more like PCs. Microsofts entry into the console market is really a custom built PC for video games (and flight sims :D). It is disguised as a console with its control pad as opposed to a keyboard, though I'm sure a keyboard and mouse will be available on or very close to the Xbox release.
But the Playstation2 and Gamecube will both have online features in the future, and the Dreamcast has SegaNet, so will we soon be getting Word procesing and Spreadsheet packages for our consoles too? With Sonys PS2 no longer a console but 'home entertainment system' (or something like that), it already has DVD playback and will play CDs, how long before we are buying printers and typing up our letters on it or working out our tax payments you may think? Indeed the most successful console ever (the gameboy) already has a printer and a camera, and it had internet connection long before the Dreamcast came along (well, it did in Japan anyway).
Well by now you are probably considering selling up your PC to buy the latest 'Multimedia entertainment system'. But is the PC really dead (or will it die)? I don't think so. Consoles games are made on PCs, so they can be easily ported over to the PC, and the PC market for video games is very different to consoles. Have you noticed that while consoles are using all their power to wow the gamer with awesome visuals, the PC capable of just as good graphics, has developers still making essentially 2D games. Take the recent Red Alert 2 and its expansion. They are essentially 2D games. The huge success that is Baldurs Gate. The PS2 version "Dark Alliance" has been made in 3D while the rest of the series on PC was essentially an isometric 2D game. Commandos and the recent Commandos 2 is the same. Very much 2D isometric. The same platform which brought us the visual delights of Half-Life and led the 3D revolution still refuses to give up 2D roots, while consoles which were the home of 2D games throughout their past have now seemingly all but abondonned their 2D roots.
Why is this? Well consoles nowadays have to appeal to the casual gamers*. It's likely that these casual gamers are going to be influenced in their decision of which game to buy, by the graphics more than experienced gamers would. This means companies making games for a console need to appeal to casual gamers and therefore must have (as the blurb on the box will probably read) 'Incredible three dimensional environments' and 'Amazing, realistic lighting and shadowing effects'. Now I'm not saying no casual gamers buy PC games, but developers for consoles must pay the console manufacturer (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) a fee, so they need to know their product is going to do well, especially if the fee is high. Casual gamers are also more likely (I think) to buy a console to play a game rather than go through all the hassle of checking their PC for its specs and then checking the game will run on it, and then installing it before they can play the game. They will more likely buy a console and just put in the game and off they go. Consoles will also be favoured by casual gamers (In particular PSX and PS2) because they have become 'cool' because of Sony sponsoring footie matches and the like.
So I don't believe that the PC will end and Consoles will become "Multimedia entertainment systems". PCs will always be the things which you can play games on, at the risk of them crashing and you losing your top score, but if you get bored with their games you can make a spreadsheet instead :D. Consoles will probably become more and more like PCs in terms of having keyboards and mice (not the animals), access to the net, features like DVD and CD playback, and upgradable expansion ports. But consoles will (hopefully) remain concentrated on the games. The best console shouldn't be the one with most extra features, or best DVD quality, but the console with the best games. This is one reason I like Nintendos GameCube. It is not being marketted as a multimedia all-in-one home entertainment system. It plays games. And essentially that is what a console should do.
*For more information on 'Casual Gamers' see my topic in FOG (chat) called: "Casual gamers- a necessary evil"
Many gamers will agree that consoles are becoming more and more like PCs. Microsofts entry into the console market is really a custom built PC for video games (and flight sims :D). It is disguised as a console with its control pad as opposed to a keyboard, though I'm sure a keyboard and mouse will be available on or very close to the Xbox release.
But the Playstation2 and Gamecube will both have online features in the future, and the Dreamcast has SegaNet, so will we soon be getting Word procesing and Spreadsheet packages for our consoles too? With Sonys PS2 no longer a console but 'home entertainment system' (or something like that), it already has DVD playback and will play CDs, how long before we are buying printers and typing up our letters on it or working out our tax payments you may think? Indeed the most successful console ever (the gameboy) already has a printer and a camera, and it had internet connection long before the Dreamcast came along (well, it did in Japan anyway).
Well by now you are probably considering selling up your PC to buy the latest 'Multimedia entertainment system'. But is the PC really dead (or will it die)? I don't think so. Consoles games are made on PCs, so they can be easily ported over to the PC, and the PC market for video games is very different to consoles. Have you noticed that while consoles are using all their power to wow the gamer with awesome visuals, the PC capable of just as good graphics, has developers still making essentially 2D games. Take the recent Red Alert 2 and its expansion. They are essentially 2D games. The huge success that is Baldurs Gate. The PS2 version "Dark Alliance" has been made in 3D while the rest of the series on PC was essentially an isometric 2D game. Commandos and the recent Commandos 2 is the same. Very much 2D isometric. The same platform which brought us the visual delights of Half-Life and led the 3D revolution still refuses to give up 2D roots, while consoles which were the home of 2D games throughout their past have now seemingly all but abondonned their 2D roots.
Why is this? Well consoles nowadays have to appeal to the casual gamers*. It's likely that these casual gamers are going to be influenced in their decision of which game to buy, by the graphics more than experienced gamers would. This means companies making games for a console need to appeal to casual gamers and therefore must have (as the blurb on the box will probably read) 'Incredible three dimensional environments' and 'Amazing, realistic lighting and shadowing effects'. Now I'm not saying no casual gamers buy PC games, but developers for consoles must pay the console manufacturer (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) a fee, so they need to know their product is going to do well, especially if the fee is high. Casual gamers are also more likely (I think) to buy a console to play a game rather than go through all the hassle of checking their PC for its specs and then checking the game will run on it, and then installing it before they can play the game. They will more likely buy a console and just put in the game and off they go. Consoles will also be favoured by casual gamers (In particular PSX and PS2) because they have become 'cool' because of Sony sponsoring footie matches and the like.
So I don't believe that the PC will end and Consoles will become "Multimedia entertainment systems". PCs will always be the things which you can play games on, at the risk of them crashing and you losing your top score, but if you get bored with their games you can make a spreadsheet instead :D. Consoles will probably become more and more like PCs in terms of having keyboards and mice (not the animals), access to the net, features like DVD and CD playback, and upgradable expansion ports. But consoles will (hopefully) remain concentrated on the games. The best console shouldn't be the one with most extra features, or best DVD quality, but the console with the best games. This is one reason I like Nintendos GameCube. It is not being marketted as a multimedia all-in-one home entertainment system. It plays games. And essentially that is what a console should do.
*For more information on 'Casual Gamers' see my topic in FOG (chat) called: "Casual gamers- a necessary evil"