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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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x-box uses a Geforce 4 Nvidia chip which isn't avalible as a pc card yet but when it is exspect it to be about £300-£350 like geforce 3.
and sorry about my miss reading it was late. i get what you said now you ment as long as you can remember consoles have been around for 10 years.
i sarted playing on the old sinclair QL which wasn't really a games machine but my dad used to program them in basic which was cool. almost all my cousins had an NES so i played on that first then i got my own Snes which i still have.
i didn't get tony hawk out today didn't get time but i will. anyway i'm gunna use a Diamond supra max USB modem on it as thats what a mag i read used (don't think it's listed in the manual but it works)
and sorry about my miss reading it was late. i get what you said now you ment as long as you can remember consoles have been around for 10 years.
i sarted playing on the old sinclair QL which wasn't really a games machine but my dad used to program them in basic which was cool. almost all my cousins had an NES so i played on that first then i got my own Snes which i still have.
i didn't get tony hawk out today didn't get time but i will. anyway i'm gunna use a Diamond supra max USB modem on it as thats what a mag i read used (don't think it's listed in the manual but it works)
Or†ega wrote:
>and i'm sure the x-box is worth more than £300.
I read somewhere the graphics card (can't remember make NVidia something) is worth more than that if you buy it for your PC!
One of the suppliers (MS or NVidia) are definitely taking a hit here or are making a rather large profit on the public buying other products.
MS make the vast majority out of their money from the licensing & upgrade policy fiasco so I think they can afford to make a loss, as for NVidia well I can't really comment on them but I'm sure someone else will.
>and i'm sure the x-box is worth more than £300.
I read somewhere the graphics card (can't remember make NVidia something) is worth more than that if you buy it for your PC!
One of the suppliers (MS or NVidia) are definitely taking a hit here or are making a rather large profit on the public buying other products.
MS make the vast majority out of their money from the licensing & upgrade policy fiasco so I think they can afford to make a loss, as for NVidia well I can't really comment on them but I'm sure someone else will.
That's all well and good for you earning £20,000+ a year but what about us teenagers who earn about £20 a month and has to wait until xmas/B-days for our consoles?
Maybe If I started saving now, but i just aint got that type of money to be spending on consoles anyway.
Also, X-box 2 should be fierce competitor to sony's throne by then. Hopefully bringing the price down.
I cant see £500 being a realistic price for a console. THey sell thier consoles below cost anyway. SONy were originally selling the PS2 below cost, and i'm sure the x-box is worth more than £300.
Also, X-box 2 should be fierce competitor to sony's throne by then. Hopefully bringing the price down.
I cant see £500 being a realistic price for a console. THey sell thier consoles below cost anyway. SONy were originally selling the PS2 below cost, and i'm sure the x-box is worth more than £300.
Or†ega wrote:
> okay then...
PS3 + extra controller + 3 games = £640.
Fine by me, thats 2 or 3 years away yet and by that time my wages will be higher than they are today so no probs.
It's all relative....maybe add another couple of hundred quid on there and I'd still buy one.
> okay then...
PS3 + extra controller + 3 games = £640.
Fine by me, thats 2 or 3 years away yet and by that time my wages will be higher than they are today so no probs.
It's all relative....maybe add another couple of hundred quid on there and I'd still buy one.
okay then...
PS3 + extra controller + 3 games = £640.
PS3 + extra controller + 3 games = £640.
Or†ega wrote:
>then surely we are gonna have PC like operating systems on our Consoles.
Let's hope not, I'd like to be able to play online but without the crashes :-)
As for spending £500 on a console, well launch day of PS2. Purchase PS2 + memory card + extra controller + 3 games @ £40+ each = somewhere in the region of £470. Not far off your £500 so what's the worry.
Oh and yes I will be going out and getting the hard-drive and modem once they're available and there are some decent games that have online capability. Sorry to all you THPS3 players but this game is not my cup o tea.
>then surely we are gonna have PC like operating systems on our Consoles.
Let's hope not, I'd like to be able to play online but without the crashes :-)
As for spending £500 on a console, well launch day of PS2. Purchase PS2 + memory card + extra controller + 3 games @ £40+ each = somewhere in the region of £470. Not far off your £500 so what's the worry.
Oh and yes I will be going out and getting the hard-drive and modem once they're available and there are some decent games that have online capability. Sorry to all you THPS3 players but this game is not my cup o tea.
Yes, but if online gaming is to take off then surely we are gonna have PC like operating systems on our Consoles.
The main difference between consoles and P.C's is that the latter can run multiple programs at once, unlike consoles which are mainly developed for games. If Microsoft choose to make MS Word 2002 on the XBOX the gap will almost be too unrecognisible notice. And with my last post, it looks like the XBOX already has a microwave in it looking at it's size!
Hmmm...It it came with a modem...hard-drive etc...yes it would tempt me. But aint we just getting a PC then? The gap gets smaller and smaller.
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