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Why… I ask myself… Why hasn’t Online Console Gaming taken off? It started badly on the Dreamcast, with many gamers getting excited about it but never really hit off with lack of online games. I admit, there was ChuChuRocket but that’s just one… And if lack of online games was bad enough the Internet connection was just too epxensive. Most things that you could class as enjoyable cost these days, so people buy consoles to enjoy themselves, without spending a dime (If you exclude the game price and console price). Being priced at about 4p a minute on-peak (I can’t remember exactly as I try and forget the price) your pocket just keeps getting deeper
As Spring 2001 hit us we were gifted with some great games for the Dreamcast. Phantasy Star Online was just one, I bought my copy straight away like many other DC owners and by the title; you’ve probably noticed that the game was mainly based online. Trying to trick BT (The company that gave the DC the internet connection) by plugging my Internet line into my free Internet plug by NTL, I played the game non-stop online. Getting truly addicted I soon was in great trouble with my parents as the dreaded phone-line arrived…
Still, this great game didn’t spark off online-console-gaming.
Now the PS2 has come upon us I expected Sony would have taken full advantage with the online technology, but no. With no in-built modem and no modems for the PS2 being sold in the UK online gaming for the PS2 doesn’t look to bright, and is a thing of the future.
With the X-Box and Gcube on their way they too seem to be makeing the same mistake (though I’m not to sure about X-Box as I haven’t been keeping up with the latest news on it.)
Tips to any new next generation console, get into Online-console gaming. Get a good business deal going with an Internet company like NTL for a flat rate service. Then advertise the whole online-gaming idea. Advertising is, (unfortunately to say) the key to getting a console to sell. Compare the PS2 and DC. Sega did adverts for DC before anyone had heard of Dreamcast… but they soon stopped, PS2 is still doing advert for PS2 a year since launch.
None of the big companies have seen to notice the massive craze of online gaming on PCs, why cant they turn it around and make it a craze for consoles?
As Spring 2001 hit us we were gifted with some great games for the Dreamcast. Phantasy Star Online was just one, I bought my copy straight away like many other DC owners and by the title; you’ve probably noticed that the game was mainly based online. Trying to trick BT (The company that gave the DC the internet connection) by plugging my Internet line into my free Internet plug by NTL, I played the game non-stop online. Getting truly addicted I soon was in great trouble with my parents as the dreaded phone-line arrived…
Still, this great game didn’t spark off online-console-gaming.
Now the PS2 has come upon us I expected Sony would have taken full advantage with the online technology, but no. With no in-built modem and no modems for the PS2 being sold in the UK online gaming for the PS2 doesn’t look to bright, and is a thing of the future.
With the X-Box and Gcube on their way they too seem to be makeing the same mistake (though I’m not to sure about X-Box as I haven’t been keeping up with the latest news on it.)
Tips to any new next generation console, get into Online-console gaming. Get a good business deal going with an Internet company like NTL for a flat rate service. Then advertise the whole online-gaming idea. Advertising is, (unfortunately to say) the key to getting a console to sell. Compare the PS2 and DC. Sega did adverts for DC before anyone had heard of Dreamcast… but they soon stopped, PS2 is still doing advert for PS2 a year since launch.
None of the big companies have seen to notice the massive craze of online gaming on PCs, why cant they turn it around and make it a craze for consoles?
Online gaming.
Its all about the online gaming they say... who are they? They are the people who want online gaming to work.
Personally I can wait, wait at least five years, going into online already when the format is noway near perfect or good on the PC is ludicrus. There needs to be a 9/10 way of playing a game on the internet that will suffer from the biggest factor which is lag.
Online gaming lag is what is killing it at the moment, whether it is the server or just the slow connection.
ADSL prices are falling by the month now, I feel this is a big factor in whether people wil ever play a game online. I would be happy to play any online game on a cable line, but with a standard modem I really don't see much point?
And what do we have so far? ChuChuRocket... excuse me, if this is the future of gaming then please pass me the ticket to CloudCookooLand...
Then I have to stop looking through my tunnel vision, and take in the big picture. Which is oneday we will all have to have a connection to play our games, whether it be the bonus features or new music and add-ons to download. Its the truth, I am ready for it to hit me, but I don't want it to be too soon.
Moving on I can talk about one more thing. Prices, I look at myself playing LegendofMir which I now pay six pounds a month to play for and I think.. is it worth it? Why are the charging me to play a game which suffers from so many glitches, bugs and lag problems which are directly to do with the server they have running the game. It sickens me! I have paid for something that doesn't actually work.
These are problems I can see effecting all the companies who make online games in a year or two time. I am positive oneday most of these problems will be fixed and corrected, until then and until the majority of gamers have parents willing to stick a greasy console into a hole in the wall online gaming will have a problem.
It won't take off, because at the moment at least, we are not allowing it to. Lets just wait, don't count the chickens etc...
..simply there is no point.
Its all about the online gaming they say... who are they? They are the people who want online gaming to work.
Personally I can wait, wait at least five years, going into online already when the format is noway near perfect or good on the PC is ludicrus. There needs to be a 9/10 way of playing a game on the internet that will suffer from the biggest factor which is lag.
Online gaming lag is what is killing it at the moment, whether it is the server or just the slow connection.
ADSL prices are falling by the month now, I feel this is a big factor in whether people wil ever play a game online. I would be happy to play any online game on a cable line, but with a standard modem I really don't see much point?
And what do we have so far? ChuChuRocket... excuse me, if this is the future of gaming then please pass me the ticket to CloudCookooLand...
Then I have to stop looking through my tunnel vision, and take in the big picture. Which is oneday we will all have to have a connection to play our games, whether it be the bonus features or new music and add-ons to download. Its the truth, I am ready for it to hit me, but I don't want it to be too soon.
Moving on I can talk about one more thing. Prices, I look at myself playing LegendofMir which I now pay six pounds a month to play for and I think.. is it worth it? Why are the charging me to play a game which suffers from so many glitches, bugs and lag problems which are directly to do with the server they have running the game. It sickens me! I have paid for something that doesn't actually work.
These are problems I can see effecting all the companies who make online games in a year or two time. I am positive oneday most of these problems will be fixed and corrected, until then and until the majority of gamers have parents willing to stick a greasy console into a hole in the wall online gaming will have a problem.
It won't take off, because at the moment at least, we are not allowing it to. Lets just wait, don't count the chickens etc...
..simply there is no point.
* er-no looks at topic title and ponders*
*after several minutes of pondering he opens window*
*one by one he throws out each console he has ever owned*
None of them took off.
*he realises what he has done*
oh f...
*after several minutes of pondering he opens window*
*one by one he throws out each console he has ever owned*
None of them took off.
*he realises what he has done*
oh f...
Ok I got bored and found this post and decided why not. Time to post my views.
On-line gaming hasn't taken off but it will Oh yes it will. There are a number of difficulties with on-line gaming, first setting up a network that allows people to log on and play against people from all over the world. Secondly making the network and modems quick enough to allow gaming at a high speed with no slow down or graphics problems. Thirdly developers making the games need to include options within the games to allow this mode of play to be used. Finally would be the cost, how much would it be to set up, how much to charge people and what future possibilities are available from it.
It is still early on, the PS2, X-Box and GameCube are just starting to become popular consoles. The latter two still not released over here, once they have been around for a while and developers are used to creating games then they can work on new features such as on-line play. Also the console war will heat up then and more pressure will be on to succeed and the option of on-line gaming may well appeal to a lot of gamers.
The hardware problems could be big, modems will need to be fast enough to allow a high standard of play, also servers and networks to allow the consoles to communicate and look for opponents would need to be set up and tested before the public can use it.
All this will cost money but should be worth it in the long run. As to developers making money of it then I am sure they will find ways of advertising and increasing the cost of on-line play. But there may be benefits to this. The internet has taken off in a big big way, almost everyone I know uses it in some way. Technology for use on the net and gaming networks will improve and may allow the use of things such as downloading full versions of games at discounted prices, downloading updates such as extra levels and characters.
There is a problem though, what is the difference between on-line gaming and normal multiplayer? To make this a worthwhile thing then the two need to be different. There is no point paying all this money (which could be better spent) if it is just going to be the same as playing against friends except it costs you a lot more to do and you probably encounter more problems with the on-line version.
I think this is just one of these things that we just need to sit back and wait and see what comes of it. If it is good and different then it will probably attract a lot of people but if it fails then It could have serious effects on the gaming industry.
On-line gaming hasn't taken off but it will Oh yes it will. There are a number of difficulties with on-line gaming, first setting up a network that allows people to log on and play against people from all over the world. Secondly making the network and modems quick enough to allow gaming at a high speed with no slow down or graphics problems. Thirdly developers making the games need to include options within the games to allow this mode of play to be used. Finally would be the cost, how much would it be to set up, how much to charge people and what future possibilities are available from it.
It is still early on, the PS2, X-Box and GameCube are just starting to become popular consoles. The latter two still not released over here, once they have been around for a while and developers are used to creating games then they can work on new features such as on-line play. Also the console war will heat up then and more pressure will be on to succeed and the option of on-line gaming may well appeal to a lot of gamers.
The hardware problems could be big, modems will need to be fast enough to allow a high standard of play, also servers and networks to allow the consoles to communicate and look for opponents would need to be set up and tested before the public can use it.
All this will cost money but should be worth it in the long run. As to developers making money of it then I am sure they will find ways of advertising and increasing the cost of on-line play. But there may be benefits to this. The internet has taken off in a big big way, almost everyone I know uses it in some way. Technology for use on the net and gaming networks will improve and may allow the use of things such as downloading full versions of games at discounted prices, downloading updates such as extra levels and characters.
There is a problem though, what is the difference between on-line gaming and normal multiplayer? To make this a worthwhile thing then the two need to be different. There is no point paying all this money (which could be better spent) if it is just going to be the same as playing against friends except it costs you a lot more to do and you probably encounter more problems with the on-line version.
I think this is just one of these things that we just need to sit back and wait and see what comes of it. If it is good and different then it will probably attract a lot of people but if it fails then It could have serious effects on the gaming industry.
I'm sorry about the lil' mistake I made on my topic title, you know what i mean anyway...
Internet gaming is actually not really a business, it's just an added extra appeal to a game. When you buy a PC game, you expect some form of multiplayer and it has to be online but no-one ever wants to pay for it. So that's exactly what you'll get from most games, some single player and multiplayer with free online capabilities. For example, people don't pay to play Quake 3 online and it is hugely popular as an online game. A lot of people do play it online but I seriously doubt they would think it was worth it if they had to pay a monthly cost. Though to be honest the cost is usually only about £10 a month people aren't willing to pay this for just one game every month especially if they only want the occasional game.
I suppose the biggest reason is that when you pay £30 for a game you expect quite a lot (for the PC at least, they overcharge you for your console games). For £30 you could get a game like Baldur's Gate 2, that's about 200 (or more) hours gaming assuming you only play it once. Then you can pick it up at any time and play all you like. When you want to play an online game you want value for money, so that's the equivalent of a totally new game every three months (assuming £10 a month). Then there's the problem that you can't just pick the game up and play any time, if you stopped paying your subscription a month ago for example, you would have to sign up again to get started. Then there's the problem of getting onto the internet, especially with a slow connection. The internet is unreliable at best and it's quite likely (especially on popular games) that you wont be able to get on at any time you like. Then there's the fact that the game is more likely to slow down, pause for lag or crash altogether when it's being played online. So to most people it's not worth paying the extra £10 pounds a month when you could get a totally new game every three months rather than having to play the same one and suffer it's limitations.
Then there's the problem that online only games face, namely games with free online services. Since there are plenty of First Person Shooters, Real Time Strategies, Role Playing Games and pretty much any type of game you can think of that provide free online play it may seem a little stupid to think you can get away with charging a monthly fee on top of the cost of the game for online play of your game. Okay maybe the gamer gets constant upgrades and developments if they sign on for an online gaming world but this isn't really a temptation since the game itself isn't going to change any more than a First Person Game will change online. The free online games have vast communities of people who enjoy developing mods (new ways to play) and levels for games but online gaming worlds only have the team that they provide to develop new things. So there really is no advantage to paying a monthly fee to play one game online when you can play other games online for free and get more extras to boot. Some people might say that the communities created by online gaming worlds and the feeling that you are part of something larger are well worth the monthly subscription but most online games have some way to chat to other gamers both outside and inside the game. Both types of online games can have clans for people to group together with friends from online so that they are assured a fun game with people who wont try to spoil the game, the only difference is that one group pay to play their game and the other get to play for free. I expect that most gamers will not want to have to pay for their online gaming and so there has to be another way to pay for these online worlds (and they do cost money to keep running).
Well there are some possibilities. One such possibility is that the online game worlds could give free access but have adverts somewhere in the game. They could have them when the person signs on, they could put them in the game itself (for example as billboards in an online gaming world) or they could put them in some other way. Some people think that advertising could take a lot out of an online gaming world, for example, if the adverts are in the game it could take away some authenticity but I'm sure most people would agree that it is worth having adverts here and there if it means they don't have to pay a monthly fee. Unfortunately though, adverts may not cover all the costs of keeping the game world running and so charging gamers seems to be the only option. Infact this is the problem because it really is the only option and whether it be by selling the game at a high price (which may not work in the long run), charging monthly or charging for time used (no-one does this and it's not a great choice, but it is a possibility) the gamer will have to pay. So until someone thinks up a good solution to replace the charges online gaming worlds will not be as popular as they would hope.
As for consoles going online (ah you thought I'd forgotten) there are more problems to be faced. First, of course, is the most obvious problem of charging for access. This can of course be solved with flat rate but that's not the only problem for consoles. Consoles are more likely to have lower rates than PC connections and so there seems to be little point in using a console for internet access when you can get faster and cheaper access with a PC. Also consoles will have to build up a base of games with online playability, whereas there are plenty of games both out and on the way for the PC already. Perhaps the biggest problem consoles will face when it comes to connecting to the internet is that they lack the multi-purpose abilities of the PC. The PC can be used to download anything from movies to sounds to pictures (not that kind, well yes that kind but they aren't all that kind...) but consoles will really only be able to take advantage of the ability to play games online and possibly with the increase in hard drives the ability to download upgrades. With the ability to download upgrades you could finally be able to keep your wrestlers up to date in wrestling games, get new levels for games and take advantage of various features that never made it to the release of the game. Of course the ability to download upgrades for games comes at a hefty price, that you may actually have to download upgrades. For example, many PC games have bugs in them and they are usually cured with a patch but console developers cannot afford bugs since they have no way to deliver patches to unhappy gamers. Then there's the problem of playing a game on a console against PC users of the same game. For one thing the console gamers are more likely to have slower access and so will have very little chance against lucky broadband users on the PC. Then there's the problem that a PC has far more utilities than consoles. For all consoles you only get a controller and yes they are getting fancier and fancier but with a PC you can use anything from a keyboard (providing more functions than a standard controller) to a joystick (which these days you do get on a controller) to a mouse (which consoles really can't stand up to, especially the mouse look in FPSs) and even some other utilities (that special strategy mouse thing for example). In the end there will be little point in paying for your console to be online, even if it is flat rate, when all you'll get is a far inferior service to that which you can get on a PC.
I expect that some people may be willing to pay to have their console online, especially people who don't have a PC anyway, but I doubt that consoles will ever be as popular online as the PC until they become PCs themselves. Still, at least consoles will always have their multiplayer on one machine capabilities which the PC has never done very well. After all, isn't that why we buy consoles?
I suppose the biggest reason is that when you pay £30 for a game you expect quite a lot (for the PC at least, they overcharge you for your console games). For £30 you could get a game like Baldur's Gate 2, that's about 200 (or more) hours gaming assuming you only play it once. Then you can pick it up at any time and play all you like. When you want to play an online game you want value for money, so that's the equivalent of a totally new game every three months (assuming £10 a month). Then there's the problem that you can't just pick the game up and play any time, if you stopped paying your subscription a month ago for example, you would have to sign up again to get started. Then there's the problem of getting onto the internet, especially with a slow connection. The internet is unreliable at best and it's quite likely (especially on popular games) that you wont be able to get on at any time you like. Then there's the fact that the game is more likely to slow down, pause for lag or crash altogether when it's being played online. So to most people it's not worth paying the extra £10 pounds a month when you could get a totally new game every three months rather than having to play the same one and suffer it's limitations.
Then there's the problem that online only games face, namely games with free online services. Since there are plenty of First Person Shooters, Real Time Strategies, Role Playing Games and pretty much any type of game you can think of that provide free online play it may seem a little stupid to think you can get away with charging a monthly fee on top of the cost of the game for online play of your game. Okay maybe the gamer gets constant upgrades and developments if they sign on for an online gaming world but this isn't really a temptation since the game itself isn't going to change any more than a First Person Game will change online. The free online games have vast communities of people who enjoy developing mods (new ways to play) and levels for games but online gaming worlds only have the team that they provide to develop new things. So there really is no advantage to paying a monthly fee to play one game online when you can play other games online for free and get more extras to boot. Some people might say that the communities created by online gaming worlds and the feeling that you are part of something larger are well worth the monthly subscription but most online games have some way to chat to other gamers both outside and inside the game. Both types of online games can have clans for people to group together with friends from online so that they are assured a fun game with people who wont try to spoil the game, the only difference is that one group pay to play their game and the other get to play for free. I expect that most gamers will not want to have to pay for their online gaming and so there has to be another way to pay for these online worlds (and they do cost money to keep running).
Well there are some possibilities. One such possibility is that the online game worlds could give free access but have adverts somewhere in the game. They could have them when the person signs on, they could put them in the game itself (for example as billboards in an online gaming world) or they could put them in some other way. Some people think that advertising could take a lot out of an online gaming world, for example, if the adverts are in the game it could take away some authenticity but I'm sure most people would agree that it is worth having adverts here and there if it means they don't have to pay a monthly fee. Unfortunately though, adverts may not cover all the costs of keeping the game world running and so charging gamers seems to be the only option. Infact this is the problem because it really is the only option and whether it be by selling the game at a high price (which may not work in the long run), charging monthly or charging for time used (no-one does this and it's not a great choice, but it is a possibility) the gamer will have to pay. So until someone thinks up a good solution to replace the charges online gaming worlds will not be as popular as they would hope.
As for consoles going online (ah you thought I'd forgotten) there are more problems to be faced. First, of course, is the most obvious problem of charging for access. This can of course be solved with flat rate but that's not the only problem for consoles. Consoles are more likely to have lower rates than PC connections and so there seems to be little point in using a console for internet access when you can get faster and cheaper access with a PC. Also consoles will have to build up a base of games with online playability, whereas there are plenty of games both out and on the way for the PC already. Perhaps the biggest problem consoles will face when it comes to connecting to the internet is that they lack the multi-purpose abilities of the PC. The PC can be used to download anything from movies to sounds to pictures (not that kind, well yes that kind but they aren't all that kind...) but consoles will really only be able to take advantage of the ability to play games online and possibly with the increase in hard drives the ability to download upgrades. With the ability to download upgrades you could finally be able to keep your wrestlers up to date in wrestling games, get new levels for games and take advantage of various features that never made it to the release of the game. Of course the ability to download upgrades for games comes at a hefty price, that you may actually have to download upgrades. For example, many PC games have bugs in them and they are usually cured with a patch but console developers cannot afford bugs since they have no way to deliver patches to unhappy gamers. Then there's the problem of playing a game on a console against PC users of the same game. For one thing the console gamers are more likely to have slower access and so will have very little chance against lucky broadband users on the PC. Then there's the problem that a PC has far more utilities than consoles. For all consoles you only get a controller and yes they are getting fancier and fancier but with a PC you can use anything from a keyboard (providing more functions than a standard controller) to a joystick (which these days you do get on a controller) to a mouse (which consoles really can't stand up to, especially the mouse look in FPSs) and even some other utilities (that special strategy mouse thing for example). In the end there will be little point in paying for your console to be online, even if it is flat rate, when all you'll get is a far inferior service to that which you can get on a PC.
I expect that some people may be willing to pay to have their console online, especially people who don't have a PC anyway, but I doubt that consoles will ever be as popular online as the PC until they become PCs themselves. Still, at least consoles will always have their multiplayer on one machine capabilities which the PC has never done very well. After all, isn't that why we buy consoles?
All this is very good but there's one small probelm... The Infrastructure... It's allright hassling NTHell for a decent rate, but they have to have the availability there too and NTHell only serves about 40% of the UK on broadband..
Thene theres BT... you have to live X feet away from an exchange to get BB, and anoyone else offering the service has to pay BT exstortioate amounts putting the price up even further!!
Until the UK sorts out is futile BB connection strategy there's not much point in pushin for online gaming in the UK.
It works in Japan as they have invested billions in making sure the connections are there for every home, in the US, BB is slowly catching up but has still along way to go as for the UK, only 5% of users have BB... that's no where near enough to warrant companies like Sony etc spending a fortune on online gaming when the infrastructure isn't there!!
So the XBOX will arrive with a BB adapter as standard... there's a wste of good money, and it has yet to be confirmed the the UK GCN will arrive with the BB/Modem option as for the PS2, the option will be there but it won;t be adopted by many untill cost and connection is addressed first...
BTW... Sony signed a deal to bring its online gaming strategy together with AOL, Cable and Wireless and Macromedia... they are working on it, but is expensive and long drawn...
Thene theres BT... you have to live X feet away from an exchange to get BB, and anoyone else offering the service has to pay BT exstortioate amounts putting the price up even further!!
Until the UK sorts out is futile BB connection strategy there's not much point in pushin for online gaming in the UK.
It works in Japan as they have invested billions in making sure the connections are there for every home, in the US, BB is slowly catching up but has still along way to go as for the UK, only 5% of users have BB... that's no where near enough to warrant companies like Sony etc spending a fortune on online gaming when the infrastructure isn't there!!
So the XBOX will arrive with a BB adapter as standard... there's a wste of good money, and it has yet to be confirmed the the UK GCN will arrive with the BB/Modem option as for the PS2, the option will be there but it won;t be adopted by many untill cost and connection is addressed first...
BTW... Sony signed a deal to bring its online gaming strategy together with AOL, Cable and Wireless and Macromedia... they are working on it, but is expensive and long drawn...
Online Gaming:
Mr A: Hy there's this new beta of an online game available.
Mr B: Is it free?
Mr A: Yes, at the moment, here's the URL, go download it.
Mr B: Wow, this is great!
(1 month later)
Mr A: So, you still playing that game I recommended?
Mr B: Yes, it's great!
Mr A: So you'll be signing up for the full version then?
Mr B: No way, it costs £10 per month!
Mr A: No, me neither!
See, no money in online gaming.
Mr A: Hy there's this new beta of an online game available.
Mr B: Is it free?
Mr A: Yes, at the moment, here's the URL, go download it.
Mr B: Wow, this is great!
(1 month later)
Mr A: So, you still playing that game I recommended?
Mr B: Yes, it's great!
Mr A: So you'll be signing up for the full version then?
Mr B: No way, it costs £10 per month!
Mr A: No, me neither!
See, no money in online gaming.
It's because the DC stuffed it up. They put a feeble modem in their console, and did not have the capability to handle all the users that wanted to go online.
They have learned from this, and the next shot at it will be better.
They have learned from this, and the next shot at it will be better.
JaCeeUK wrote:
> Why… I ask myself… Why hasn’t Online Console Gaming taken off? It started badly
> on the Dreamcast, with many gamers getting excited about it but never really hit
> off with lack of online games. I admit, there was ChuChuRocket but that’s just
> one… And if lack of online games was bad enough the Internet connection was just
> too epxensive. Most things that you could class as enjoyable cost these days, so
> people buy consoles to enjoy themselves, without spending a dime (If you exclude
> the game price and console price). Being priced at about 4p a minute on-peak (I
> can’t remember exactly as I try and forget the price) your pocket just keeps
> getting deeper
As Spring 2001 hit us we were gifted with some great games for
> the Dreamcast. Phantasy Star Online was just one, I bought my copy straight away
> like many other DC owners and by the title; you’ve probably noticed that the
> game was mainly based online. Trying to trick BT (The company that gave the DC
> the internet connection) by plugging my Internet line into my free Internet plug
> by NTL, I played the game non-stop online. Getting truly addicted I soon was in
> great trouble with my parents as the dreaded phone-line arrived…
Still, this
> great game didn’t spark off online-console-gaming.
- it did in my household
Now the PS2 has come upon
> us I expected Sony would have taken full advantage with the online technology,
> but no. With no in-built modem and no modems for the PS2 being sold in the UK
> online gaming for the PS2 doesn’t look to bright, and is a thing of the
> future.
- It has broadband capabilities if you can import the stuff from abroard but yeah - i'd aggree with ya
With the X-Box and Gcube on their way they too seem to be makeing the
> same mistake (though I’m not to sure about X-Box as I haven’t been keeping up
> with the latest news on it.)
- T
hHe Xbox and the Gamecube are going to be the next big hing about online gameing. Its what can keep good games being good after you complete them. One word says it all, Interation!
Jcsuperstar: The Saviour of Souls
> Why… I ask myself… Why hasn’t Online Console Gaming taken off? It started badly
> on the Dreamcast, with many gamers getting excited about it but never really hit
> off with lack of online games. I admit, there was ChuChuRocket but that’s just
> one… And if lack of online games was bad enough the Internet connection was just
> too epxensive. Most things that you could class as enjoyable cost these days, so
> people buy consoles to enjoy themselves, without spending a dime (If you exclude
> the game price and console price). Being priced at about 4p a minute on-peak (I
> can’t remember exactly as I try and forget the price) your pocket just keeps
> getting deeper
As Spring 2001 hit us we were gifted with some great games for
> the Dreamcast. Phantasy Star Online was just one, I bought my copy straight away
> like many other DC owners and by the title; you’ve probably noticed that the
> game was mainly based online. Trying to trick BT (The company that gave the DC
> the internet connection) by plugging my Internet line into my free Internet plug
> by NTL, I played the game non-stop online. Getting truly addicted I soon was in
> great trouble with my parents as the dreaded phone-line arrived…
Still, this
> great game didn’t spark off online-console-gaming.
- it did in my household
Now the PS2 has come upon
> us I expected Sony would have taken full advantage with the online technology,
> but no. With no in-built modem and no modems for the PS2 being sold in the UK
> online gaming for the PS2 doesn’t look to bright, and is a thing of the
> future.
- It has broadband capabilities if you can import the stuff from abroard but yeah - i'd aggree with ya
With the X-Box and Gcube on their way they too seem to be makeing the
> same mistake (though I’m not to sure about X-Box as I haven’t been keeping up
> with the latest news on it.)
- T
hHe Xbox and the Gamecube are going to be the next big hing about online gameing. Its what can keep good games being good after you complete them. One word says it all, Interation!
Jcsuperstar: The Saviour of Souls
Why… I ask myself… Why hasn’t Online Console Gaming taken off? It started badly on the Dreamcast, with many gamers getting excited about it but never really hit off with lack of online games. I admit, there was ChuChuRocket but that’s just one… And if lack of online games was bad enough the Internet connection was just too epxensive. Most things that you could class as enjoyable cost these days, so people buy consoles to enjoy themselves, without spending a dime (If you exclude the game price and console price). Being priced at about 4p a minute on-peak (I can’t remember exactly as I try and forget the price) your pocket just keeps getting deeper
As Spring 2001 hit us we were gifted with some great games for the Dreamcast. Phantasy Star Online was just one, I bought my copy straight away like many other DC owners and by the title; you’ve probably noticed that the game was mainly based online. Trying to trick BT (The company that gave the DC the internet connection) by plugging my Internet line into my free Internet plug by NTL, I played the game non-stop online. Getting truly addicted I soon was in great trouble with my parents as the dreaded phone-line arrived…
Still, this great game didn’t spark off online-console-gaming.
Now the PS2 has come upon us I expected Sony would have taken full advantage with the online technology, but no. With no in-built modem and no modems for the PS2 being sold in the UK online gaming for the PS2 doesn’t look to bright, and is a thing of the future.
With the X-Box and Gcube on their way they too seem to be makeing the same mistake (though I’m not to sure about X-Box as I haven’t been keeping up with the latest news on it.)
Tips to any new next generation console, get into Online-console gaming. Get a good business deal going with an Internet company like NTL for a flat rate service. Then advertise the whole online-gaming idea. Advertising is, (unfortunately to say) the key to getting a console to sell. Compare the PS2 and DC. Sega did adverts for DC before anyone had heard of Dreamcast… but they soon stopped, PS2 is still doing advert for PS2 a year since launch.
None of the big companies have seen to notice the massive craze of online gaming on PCs, why cant they turn it around and make it a craze for consoles?
As Spring 2001 hit us we were gifted with some great games for the Dreamcast. Phantasy Star Online was just one, I bought my copy straight away like many other DC owners and by the title; you’ve probably noticed that the game was mainly based online. Trying to trick BT (The company that gave the DC the internet connection) by plugging my Internet line into my free Internet plug by NTL, I played the game non-stop online. Getting truly addicted I soon was in great trouble with my parents as the dreaded phone-line arrived…
Still, this great game didn’t spark off online-console-gaming.
Now the PS2 has come upon us I expected Sony would have taken full advantage with the online technology, but no. With no in-built modem and no modems for the PS2 being sold in the UK online gaming for the PS2 doesn’t look to bright, and is a thing of the future.
With the X-Box and Gcube on their way they too seem to be makeing the same mistake (though I’m not to sure about X-Box as I haven’t been keeping up with the latest news on it.)
Tips to any new next generation console, get into Online-console gaming. Get a good business deal going with an Internet company like NTL for a flat rate service. Then advertise the whole online-gaming idea. Advertising is, (unfortunately to say) the key to getting a console to sell. Compare the PS2 and DC. Sega did adverts for DC before anyone had heard of Dreamcast… but they soon stopped, PS2 is still doing advert for PS2 a year since launch.
None of the big companies have seen to notice the massive craze of online gaming on PCs, why cant they turn it around and make it a craze for consoles?