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To me, consoles have only been around for about 10 years or so. I was late onto the scene buying a Sega Megadrive a year after release. However, since then, I’ve had a keen interest in following new and improved consoles to the frontiers they offer. Everything from graphical improvements to link play options with two playstations seemed interesting prospects, and having tried and tested many of these features, I now know that they have been worth looking in to. Each step has been fairly small though, sometimes as trivial as adapting to the new “J-Cart” that allowed 4 players on Micro Machines Turbo Tournament by plugging in two extra controllers directly into the cartridge itself. Other small steps have been the transition to CDs, and of course peripherals such as memory cards.
With the arrival of next generation consoles, consumers have always matched the evolutionary pace. However I am uncertain that this trend will be maintained with the arrival of online gaming on consoles. The ability to take part in an online game is already available on PCs. Numerous times I have heard friends telling me how amazing it is to play Unreal Tournament against a group of people you do not know, and will probably never meet. The question is, “Will this work on consoles?”
It has been quite interesting to watch each of the new consoles and how they look at online gaming. Nintendo and Sony have taken different views, unsurprisingly, each one convinced it is going in the right direction. Sony long ago decided that online gaming was the way to go, and have been heading in this direction from the start. Whilst they may not yet have released all the online equipment for us to get started, their plans are well underway to getting the Sony world online. In complete contrast, Nintendo have decided to keep going in the traditional console direction. Their new Gamecube is a gaming machine, for games, and games alone. They intend to provide the best choice for pure and simple gaming fun. Whilst perhaps this makes Nintendo seem afraid of progress, at least it shows that like Sony, they are willing to put forward a point of view and stick with it.
The weakest of the group seems to be Microsoft. With not a single original thought in their heads, it seems the console is destined to follow in the footsteps of any of the other consoles it can keep up with. This slightly unfair method has actually given them strength though. Wherever they decide they should follow, they always ensure that when they do, they do it with a lot more money. Wherever there is a promising footprint left by Sony or Nintendo, Microsoft find a bigger boot and step on the original print, claiming it as their own. Despite being the last console to announce its online decisions, it is suggesting it is the first console to go online. By releasing the console fully equipped from the box, Microsoft managed to claim they were the first online. However, how many reports have you heard about Microsoft’s online success? I haven’t heard a single thing, suggesting perhaps they got stuck in a little early.
This will seem like a biased view towards Sony, but I truly believe they have taken the most sensible approach. Personally I am unsure about online plans, and it seems Sony take into account that most average gamers are like myself – interested in progress, but a little cautious at first. Rather than dismissing online plans before they have begun like Nintendo, or alternatively hurling themselves at it simply to be there first like Microsoft, Sony have allowed time to let people think about the idea. The Playstation 2 has a compartment in the back that we all know means it can be upgraded. The modem add-ons are at an extra cost, approximately £30, but this is simply so that it can be left as an option, rather than a decision fixed by the manufacturers. It’s a nice gentle way of letting us become accustomed to the idea.
As a Playstation 2 owner, it is perhaps obvious that I would agree with Sony’s tactics, however, as I am uncertain about the future, I am happy to wait until we know more. When (and if) the time comes, I will be happy to switch my consoles status to online, but until then, some serious research needs to be done.
With the arrival of next generation consoles, consumers have always matched the evolutionary pace. However I am uncertain that this trend will be maintained with the arrival of online gaming on consoles. The ability to take part in an online game is already available on PCs. Numerous times I have heard friends telling me how amazing it is to play Unreal Tournament against a group of people you do not know, and will probably never meet. The question is, “Will this work on consoles?”
It has been quite interesting to watch each of the new consoles and how they look at online gaming. Nintendo and Sony have taken different views, unsurprisingly, each one convinced it is going in the right direction. Sony long ago decided that online gaming was the way to go, and have been heading in this direction from the start. Whilst they may not yet have released all the online equipment for us to get started, their plans are well underway to getting the Sony world online. In complete contrast, Nintendo have decided to keep going in the traditional console direction. Their new Gamecube is a gaming machine, for games, and games alone. They intend to provide the best choice for pure and simple gaming fun. Whilst perhaps this makes Nintendo seem afraid of progress, at least it shows that like Sony, they are willing to put forward a point of view and stick with it.
The weakest of the group seems to be Microsoft. With not a single original thought in their heads, it seems the console is destined to follow in the footsteps of any of the other consoles it can keep up with. This slightly unfair method has actually given them strength though. Wherever they decide they should follow, they always ensure that when they do, they do it with a lot more money. Wherever there is a promising footprint left by Sony or Nintendo, Microsoft find a bigger boot and step on the original print, claiming it as their own. Despite being the last console to announce its online decisions, it is suggesting it is the first console to go online. By releasing the console fully equipped from the box, Microsoft managed to claim they were the first online. However, how many reports have you heard about Microsoft’s online success? I haven’t heard a single thing, suggesting perhaps they got stuck in a little early.
This will seem like a biased view towards Sony, but I truly believe they have taken the most sensible approach. Personally I am unsure about online plans, and it seems Sony take into account that most average gamers are like myself – interested in progress, but a little cautious at first. Rather than dismissing online plans before they have begun like Nintendo, or alternatively hurling themselves at it simply to be there first like Microsoft, Sony have allowed time to let people think about the idea. The Playstation 2 has a compartment in the back that we all know means it can be upgraded. The modem add-ons are at an extra cost, approximately £30, but this is simply so that it can be left as an option, rather than a decision fixed by the manufacturers. It’s a nice gentle way of letting us become accustomed to the idea.
As a Playstation 2 owner, it is perhaps obvious that I would agree with Sony’s tactics, however, as I am uncertain about the future, I am happy to wait until we know more. When (and if) the time comes, I will be happy to switch my consoles status to online, but until then, some serious research needs to be done.
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I brought my PC as a PC, nbot a games console and i got my PS2 as a games console/DVD player but i wouldnt have spent the launch price on it - only the price it has been but down to
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£500 on a console, Naah I'd rather get all 3 next gen consoles as there are some games that would appear exclusively on each of them.
Plus if you have an X box and a Ps2 you wont have to spend on the HDD add on as you are already benefiting from a similar feature with games that are utilising it even more than what FFX is using of the HDD.
A mate of mine has a Playstation, Dreamcast, Playstation 2 and is getting an X box and a Gamecube, so when the corporations are battling it out he is benefitting very much from that.
Plus if you have an X box and a Ps2 you wont have to spend on the HDD add on as you are already benefiting from a similar feature with games that are utilising it even more than what FFX is using of the HDD.
A mate of mine has a Playstation, Dreamcast, Playstation 2 and is getting an X box and a Gamecube, so when the corporations are battling it out he is benefitting very much from that.
i would spend that much on a PC but not a console.
Interesting. I think I might be willing to spend £500 on a console... once I`d saved up enough, but only if it was really worth it. I wouldn`t spend it on something that was only going to be slightly better than existing consoles.
I agree with Wookiee's comments in principle, and personally I could afford a £500 console. And I could seriously contemplate getting a GameCube and an X-Box on top of my beloved PS2. But I don't think I could justify getting them both, or a £500 games console 3 or 4 years down the line (And I definitely couldn't justify it to my better half!). As much as I love gaming, for that sort of money, there's more important things in life to buy. Also I think setting a new PS at £500 at launch could seriously hinder sales, as there wouldn't be a big enough take up of the machine initially. More people would sit and wait for a price drop, and then compare the machine against the competition. When the PS2 came out in the UK, it was already obvious that the Dreamcast was ailing, and the only serious competition were PC games. And unless you wanted to spend over a £1000 on a PC for games and applications, the PS2 was the choice at the time. Perhaps if Sony included some user accessible OS in the PS3, to give it some computer like functionality as well, £500 wouldn't be so bad. Almost like what Commodore did with the Amiga all those years ago.
PS2 will be the console to have for the next year definitely, but beyond that it's a grey area. It won't stop being a great machine, but other platforms will be hitting their second generation of games, and showing what they really can do. At the moment I'm looking into getting either a GameCube or an X-Box. Both will have slightly different styles of games to the PS2, but there will be a lot of overlap. What I'm trying to determine is can you really justify a new console for those few great games only available on the different platforms? I get the feeling the wise thing may be to suck it and see what the state of the console market is in 12 months time, when they have had a price drop, and are into their second generation of games. The decision will probably be a lot easier to make. And after all, why get a new console, when the PS2 is still nowhere near it's prime?
PS2 will be the console to have for the next year definitely, but beyond that it's a grey area. It won't stop being a great machine, but other platforms will be hitting their second generation of games, and showing what they really can do. At the moment I'm looking into getting either a GameCube or an X-Box. Both will have slightly different styles of games to the PS2, but there will be a lot of overlap. What I'm trying to determine is can you really justify a new console for those few great games only available on the different platforms? I get the feeling the wise thing may be to suck it and see what the state of the console market is in 12 months time, when they have had a price drop, and are into their second generation of games. The decision will probably be a lot easier to make. And after all, why get a new console, when the PS2 is still nowhere near it's prime?
WòókieeMøn§†€® wrote:
Still, the current specs being touted for PS3 are further in
> advance of current technology than PS2 was when it was announced,
This also helps to show that PS3 is unlikely to be released in the near future, despite what many Nintendo fans would like to believe.
>it shouldn't be 'current' or 'out of date' by the time it's released. Sony will
> hopefully push the boat right out with PS3; they certainly must not rest on past
> successes, as there is more competition now.
I think the launch of PS2 may have taught them that. For PS2, its got through the hardest times, and can now build on it, but with PS3, they`ll be given the chance to get it right from the very first move.
That actually makes me think that perhaps its unfair to say that Nintendo and Microsoft are better at launching consoles without hitches. Really all they`ve done is watched Sony brave it first, and then found out what works and what doesn`t from that.
Still, the current specs being touted for PS3 are further in
> advance of current technology than PS2 was when it was announced,
This also helps to show that PS3 is unlikely to be released in the near future, despite what many Nintendo fans would like to believe.
>it shouldn't be 'current' or 'out of date' by the time it's released. Sony will
> hopefully push the boat right out with PS3; they certainly must not rest on past
> successes, as there is more competition now.
I think the launch of PS2 may have taught them that. For PS2, its got through the hardest times, and can now build on it, but with PS3, they`ll be given the chance to get it right from the very first move.
That actually makes me think that perhaps its unfair to say that Nintendo and Microsoft are better at launching consoles without hitches. Really all they`ve done is watched Sony brave it first, and then found out what works and what doesn`t from that.
On the backwards compatibility thing, I agree that the option to use PSone games has turned out to be only a short-lived novelty, but other things have lived on nicely.
Even now, I still use a PSone controller as an extra controller for PS2. If broadband adaptors and controllers can continue to be used later on then it could certainly help.
Even now, I still use a PSone controller as an extra controller for PS2. If broadband adaptors and controllers can continue to be used later on then it could certainly help.
Or†ega wrote:
> Also, X-box 2 should be fierce competitor to
> sony's throne by then. Hopefully bringing the price down.
I think Xbox will be reasonably successful - whether it'll compete with Sony is yet to be seen - but who knows.
Still, the current specs being touted for PS3 are further in advance of current technology than PS2 was when it was announced, so it shouldn't be 'current' or 'out of date' by the time it's released. Sony will hopefully push the boat right out with PS3; they certainly must not rest on past successes, as there is more competition now.
> SONy were originally selling the PS2 below cost, and i'm sure the
> x-box is worth more than £300.
Almost certainly. And Nintendo are also losing money on the Gamecube - http//www.omni-gamer.com - currently the second article, entitled "GameCube Manufacturing Cost"
> Also, X-box 2 should be fierce competitor to
> sony's throne by then. Hopefully bringing the price down.
I think Xbox will be reasonably successful - whether it'll compete with Sony is yet to be seen - but who knows.
Still, the current specs being touted for PS3 are further in advance of current technology than PS2 was when it was announced, so it shouldn't be 'current' or 'out of date' by the time it's released. Sony will hopefully push the boat right out with PS3; they certainly must not rest on past successes, as there is more competition now.
> SONy were originally selling the PS2 below cost, and i'm sure the
> x-box is worth more than £300.
Almost certainly. And Nintendo are also losing money on the Gamecube - http//www.omni-gamer.com - currently the second article, entitled "GameCube Manufacturing Cost"
Or†ega wrote:
> Yes, but if online gaming is to take off then surely we are gonna have PC like
> operating systems on our Consoles.
I wouldn't have thought so. It's likely that any browser software could simply come on a CD/DVD which you put in as and when you want 'normal' net access; games will simply have the necessary sotware built in and supplied on their own disc, as with THPS3.
> Yes, but if online gaming is to take off then surely we are gonna have PC like
> operating systems on our Consoles.
I wouldn't have thought so. It's likely that any browser software could simply come on a CD/DVD which you put in as and when you want 'normal' net access; games will simply have the necessary sotware built in and supplied on their own disc, as with THPS3.
Or†ega wrote:
> I dont think many people would pay £499 for a console Wookiee...
Maybe not, but I did say that I was speaking for myself! :-)
> Future of online console gaming in the UK will depend
> upon how long it takes for broadband to become more
> widespread. At the moment it is very expensive here, and the UK is behind many
> countries in coverage.
In coverage, yes the UK is lagging behind; I'd disagree on the cost, though - £24.99 a month seems reasonable enough to me; any lower will be a real bargain!
> I dont think many people would pay £499 for a console Wookiee...
Maybe not, but I did say that I was speaking for myself! :-)
> Future of online console gaming in the UK will depend
> upon how long it takes for broadband to become more
> widespread. At the moment it is very expensive here, and the UK is behind many
> countries in coverage.
In coverage, yes the UK is lagging behind; I'd disagree on the cost, though - £24.99 a month seems reasonable enough to me; any lower will be a real bargain!
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