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Of becoming PC’s?
In the not so distant future will consoles simply become PC’s? It seems as though that’s the way the console world is heading, with online surfing, better graphics through upgradable components all things that a PC does only at a fraction of the cost. Keyboards are available for the Dreamcast already to allow online browsing to be less of a pain, Nintendo too have a keyboard in the works, will word packages be released next? What about printers and scanners?
Let’s look at the facts.
We have online gaming, okay that’s fine online gaming through our consoles is a good thing I just don’t want to loose sight of the point of a console here which is to plug in and play games however, is the risk of taking gaming online through our consoles and competing with the superior PC’s too high?
On the online gaming field Nintendo seem to be playing things safe, they have proposed plans for online gaming but nothing wide area it's more of a play that kid you know down the street kind of affair. (LAN) This is in many ways a good move, Nintendo don't take the online gaming risk to much but still have Segas servers up and ready for launch so any wide area online gaming fun is still at your fingertips. So that's there if you want it.
The thing about consoles is people buy them for their simplicity, being able to plug in a game and play it is the whole point of consoles, some people (lets say younger children who compile the bulk of the gaming world) don't particularly care much for playing online and would much rather have the real interactivness of mulitplayer by inviting a few friends round. Of course there’s the cost and as soon as more money is mentioned most people would just switch off and I think Nintendo know this.
Online gaming is a risk for consoles, usually people who want to go online or who care enough to bother to want to go online would purchase a PC to get all the benefits so whereas undoubtedly online gaming on consoles will take off it's never going to be as successful or better then online gaming through a PC. At least for the time being anyway. Our consoles are becoming PC's as time goes on anyway with upgradable components like the N64’s expansion pack and upgradable modems becoming readily available, this ,may be good for now granted but if things continue to follow this trend were going to be purchasing dumb downed PC’s in a matter of time, not to mention emptying our pockets.
Sega took the risk and proved that it can work however I do feel Microsoft will spend a lot of time and money focusing on the online gaming aspect rather than the actual console gaming element, not everyone will want to go online, this could be their downfall and they will have to bog of back to dominating the PC world, although saying that around the web and in magazines I have read that the majority of people who intend on purchasing themselves an X-Box are already PC fanatics so I just don’t know.
Sony will play things more carefully but still invest a lot of time into online play and if this pulls off their profit margins should be high enough for it to be worth the gamble. Sony could cash in on their popularity, if enough people buy their console (A hell of a lot of people already have) then their online advantages could become even better, more people = more money = more fun, supposedly.
Competing against the PC’s Internet abilities, consoles need to put everything they have into the gaming side of going online to be successful in such a huge market.
The thing is online gaming is definently the way to go and if they don't do it now they will fall behind. Now is the time to do it but it just needs doing right, the problem is that it needs to be made as simple as possible (which it will be for the consoles) and have a decent server that isn't a chat room so people can just log in click the game they want to play choose a room and play, online gaming is what we were promised, online gaming is what we want.
No need for keyboards that just turns it into a PC, if people want to search the web they will most likely to own a PC for all the extra benefits, downloads etc. As simple connect and play policy would suit me and most friends I’ve asked (and my brother who is sitting behind me quietly while I type this) nicely.
Give it a few years and consoles will more or less be mini PC’s, hopefully they won’t lets keep the plug and play aspect going eh? Ever seen the Dreamcast searching the web, not very good is it, this proves my point it’s not a scratch on a PC.
What would you rather do, surf the Internet through a console without all the extra frills if you like or through the much easier, more advanced PC?
Give me Mario Kart, a few friends, a few drinks and day.
Oh and tell them to bring their pads ;0)
Thanks for reading
Starlight
In the not so distant future will consoles simply become PC’s? It seems as though that’s the way the console world is heading, with online surfing, better graphics through upgradable components all things that a PC does only at a fraction of the cost. Keyboards are available for the Dreamcast already to allow online browsing to be less of a pain, Nintendo too have a keyboard in the works, will word packages be released next? What about printers and scanners?
Let’s look at the facts.
We have online gaming, okay that’s fine online gaming through our consoles is a good thing I just don’t want to loose sight of the point of a console here which is to plug in and play games however, is the risk of taking gaming online through our consoles and competing with the superior PC’s too high?
On the online gaming field Nintendo seem to be playing things safe, they have proposed plans for online gaming but nothing wide area it's more of a play that kid you know down the street kind of affair. (LAN) This is in many ways a good move, Nintendo don't take the online gaming risk to much but still have Segas servers up and ready for launch so any wide area online gaming fun is still at your fingertips. So that's there if you want it.
The thing about consoles is people buy them for their simplicity, being able to plug in a game and play it is the whole point of consoles, some people (lets say younger children who compile the bulk of the gaming world) don't particularly care much for playing online and would much rather have the real interactivness of mulitplayer by inviting a few friends round. Of course there’s the cost and as soon as more money is mentioned most people would just switch off and I think Nintendo know this.
Online gaming is a risk for consoles, usually people who want to go online or who care enough to bother to want to go online would purchase a PC to get all the benefits so whereas undoubtedly online gaming on consoles will take off it's never going to be as successful or better then online gaming through a PC. At least for the time being anyway. Our consoles are becoming PC's as time goes on anyway with upgradable components like the N64’s expansion pack and upgradable modems becoming readily available, this ,may be good for now granted but if things continue to follow this trend were going to be purchasing dumb downed PC’s in a matter of time, not to mention emptying our pockets.
Sega took the risk and proved that it can work however I do feel Microsoft will spend a lot of time and money focusing on the online gaming aspect rather than the actual console gaming element, not everyone will want to go online, this could be their downfall and they will have to bog of back to dominating the PC world, although saying that around the web and in magazines I have read that the majority of people who intend on purchasing themselves an X-Box are already PC fanatics so I just don’t know.
Sony will play things more carefully but still invest a lot of time into online play and if this pulls off their profit margins should be high enough for it to be worth the gamble. Sony could cash in on their popularity, if enough people buy their console (A hell of a lot of people already have) then their online advantages could become even better, more people = more money = more fun, supposedly.
Competing against the PC’s Internet abilities, consoles need to put everything they have into the gaming side of going online to be successful in such a huge market.
The thing is online gaming is definently the way to go and if they don't do it now they will fall behind. Now is the time to do it but it just needs doing right, the problem is that it needs to be made as simple as possible (which it will be for the consoles) and have a decent server that isn't a chat room so people can just log in click the game they want to play choose a room and play, online gaming is what we were promised, online gaming is what we want.
No need for keyboards that just turns it into a PC, if people want to search the web they will most likely to own a PC for all the extra benefits, downloads etc. As simple connect and play policy would suit me and most friends I’ve asked (and my brother who is sitting behind me quietly while I type this) nicely.
Give it a few years and consoles will more or less be mini PC’s, hopefully they won’t lets keep the plug and play aspect going eh? Ever seen the Dreamcast searching the web, not very good is it, this proves my point it’s not a scratch on a PC.
What would you rather do, surf the Internet through a console without all the extra frills if you like or through the much easier, more advanced PC?
Give me Mario Kart, a few friends, a few drinks and day.
Oh and tell them to bring their pads ;0)
Thanks for reading
Starlight
Wow- I wrote a topic that touches on this issue 2 days ago, but didn't think it good enough to post yet. I'll put it up in here instead.... it kinda says the oposite of what you say!
Standardisation- the key to the success of consoles. Gamers don’t have to buy upgrade to the console every few years and never have compatibility issues. Once you buy a console that’s it- all the games you ever buy for it will work.
The same is true for why consoles have become more popular for developers. Rather than having to predict the power of computers when the game will be released- possibly some years down the line- you have a set standard specification for the console you’re developing for.
However, this begs a question- will console gaming ever be completely standardised- such that there are no new console releases every 5 years? Is there an upper limit to what consoles will achieve?
My answer to this would have to be “yes”… and it’ll come in the form of photo-realistic gaming. What could a new console possibly offer over that of one able to produce photo-realistic games?
Thus in a few decades time we may have the situation where, like films, books and television, consoles have also got a set standard to which they perform. Like DVD players there would be different models of consoles- some would have features like playing audio CDs or being capable of 3D-surround sound, and others would just play games. However, at the heart of all these consoles would be a similar processing unit and operating system that would play any game on the market.
So, what do you think? Will photo-realism ever happen? Even if it did, is there more that games could achieve once sound and input were perfected?
Sonic
Standardisation- the key to the success of consoles. Gamers don’t have to buy upgrade to the console every few years and never have compatibility issues. Once you buy a console that’s it- all the games you ever buy for it will work.
The same is true for why consoles have become more popular for developers. Rather than having to predict the power of computers when the game will be released- possibly some years down the line- you have a set standard specification for the console you’re developing for.
However, this begs a question- will console gaming ever be completely standardised- such that there are no new console releases every 5 years? Is there an upper limit to what consoles will achieve?
My answer to this would have to be “yes”… and it’ll come in the form of photo-realistic gaming. What could a new console possibly offer over that of one able to produce photo-realistic games?
Thus in a few decades time we may have the situation where, like films, books and television, consoles have also got a set standard to which they perform. Like DVD players there would be different models of consoles- some would have features like playing audio CDs or being capable of 3D-surround sound, and others would just play games. However, at the heart of all these consoles would be a similar processing unit and operating system that would play any game on the market.
So, what do you think? Will photo-realism ever happen? Even if it did, is there more that games could achieve once sound and input were perfected?
Sonic
Exactly.
Want a PC, buy a PC, keep consoles the way they are sure add one or two new features but don't turn our little box's of glory into strimmed down PC's.
Want a PC, buy a PC, keep consoles the way they are sure add one or two new features but don't turn our little box's of glory into strimmed down PC's.
I think it is just consoles going with the times. All the features like DVD playback and on-line capabilities don't effect the way it handles games. To be honest I never considered the idea of consoles becoming more like PC's just because I don't see it ever happening, it would be a bad thing if it did.
Consoles are like high spec PC's with limited features and it should continue that way. Sure the main architecture of the XBox is very similar to a PC and the PS2 is not too far off but there is a danger of consoles becoming more like PC's. It would put the cost up a lot and also games would suffer a little as the operating system has to cope with multiple tasks and processes instead of concentrating solely on the game.
In other words, heading towards the PC way is a bad thing. If you want a PC buy a PC. A console should be for gaming and thats all.
Consoles are like high spec PC's with limited features and it should continue that way. Sure the main architecture of the XBox is very similar to a PC and the PS2 is not too far off but there is a danger of consoles becoming more like PC's. It would put the cost up a lot and also games would suffer a little as the operating system has to cope with multiple tasks and processes instead of concentrating solely on the game.
In other words, heading towards the PC way is a bad thing. If you want a PC buy a PC. A console should be for gaming and thats all.
It would seem Nintendo are the company trying to keep the true console plug and play element going the most but looks like they too need to jump on the bandwagon of PC like home entertainment.
Yes/No?
Yes/No?
In 10 days time we will find out...
Of becoming PC’s?
In the not so distant future will consoles simply become PC’s? It seems as though that’s the way the console world is heading, with online surfing, better graphics through upgradable components all things that a PC does only at a fraction of the cost. Keyboards are available for the Dreamcast already to allow online browsing to be less of a pain, Nintendo too have a keyboard in the works, will word packages be released next? What about printers and scanners?
Let’s look at the facts.
We have online gaming, okay that’s fine online gaming through our consoles is a good thing I just don’t want to loose sight of the point of a console here which is to plug in and play games however, is the risk of taking gaming online through our consoles and competing with the superior PC’s too high?
On the online gaming field Nintendo seem to be playing things safe, they have proposed plans for online gaming but nothing wide area it's more of a play that kid you know down the street kind of affair. (LAN) This is in many ways a good move, Nintendo don't take the online gaming risk to much but still have Segas servers up and ready for launch so any wide area online gaming fun is still at your fingertips. So that's there if you want it.
The thing about consoles is people buy them for their simplicity, being able to plug in a game and play it is the whole point of consoles, some people (lets say younger children who compile the bulk of the gaming world) don't particularly care much for playing online and would much rather have the real interactivness of mulitplayer by inviting a few friends round. Of course there’s the cost and as soon as more money is mentioned most people would just switch off and I think Nintendo know this.
Online gaming is a risk for consoles, usually people who want to go online or who care enough to bother to want to go online would purchase a PC to get all the benefits so whereas undoubtedly online gaming on consoles will take off it's never going to be as successful or better then online gaming through a PC. At least for the time being anyway. Our consoles are becoming PC's as time goes on anyway with upgradable components like the N64’s expansion pack and upgradable modems becoming readily available, this ,may be good for now granted but if things continue to follow this trend were going to be purchasing dumb downed PC’s in a matter of time, not to mention emptying our pockets.
Sega took the risk and proved that it can work however I do feel Microsoft will spend a lot of time and money focusing on the online gaming aspect rather than the actual console gaming element, not everyone will want to go online, this could be their downfall and they will have to bog of back to dominating the PC world, although saying that around the web and in magazines I have read that the majority of people who intend on purchasing themselves an X-Box are already PC fanatics so I just don’t know.
Sony will play things more carefully but still invest a lot of time into online play and if this pulls off their profit margins should be high enough for it to be worth the gamble. Sony could cash in on their popularity, if enough people buy their console (A hell of a lot of people already have) then their online advantages could become even better, more people = more money = more fun, supposedly.
Competing against the PC’s Internet abilities, consoles need to put everything they have into the gaming side of going online to be successful in such a huge market.
The thing is online gaming is definently the way to go and if they don't do it now they will fall behind. Now is the time to do it but it just needs doing right, the problem is that it needs to be made as simple as possible (which it will be for the consoles) and have a decent server that isn't a chat room so people can just log in click the game they want to play choose a room and play, online gaming is what we were promised, online gaming is what we want.
No need for keyboards that just turns it into a PC, if people want to search the web they will most likely to own a PC for all the extra benefits, downloads etc. As simple connect and play policy would suit me and most friends I’ve asked (and my brother who is sitting behind me quietly while I type this) nicely.
Give it a few years and consoles will more or less be mini PC’s, hopefully they won’t lets keep the plug and play aspect going eh? Ever seen the Dreamcast searching the web, not very good is it, this proves my point it’s not a scratch on a PC.
What would you rather do, surf the Internet through a console without all the extra frills if you like or through the much easier, more advanced PC?
Give me Mario Kart, a few friends, a few drinks and day.
Oh and tell them to bring their pads ;0)
Thanks for reading
Starlight
In the not so distant future will consoles simply become PC’s? It seems as though that’s the way the console world is heading, with online surfing, better graphics through upgradable components all things that a PC does only at a fraction of the cost. Keyboards are available for the Dreamcast already to allow online browsing to be less of a pain, Nintendo too have a keyboard in the works, will word packages be released next? What about printers and scanners?
Let’s look at the facts.
We have online gaming, okay that’s fine online gaming through our consoles is a good thing I just don’t want to loose sight of the point of a console here which is to plug in and play games however, is the risk of taking gaming online through our consoles and competing with the superior PC’s too high?
On the online gaming field Nintendo seem to be playing things safe, they have proposed plans for online gaming but nothing wide area it's more of a play that kid you know down the street kind of affair. (LAN) This is in many ways a good move, Nintendo don't take the online gaming risk to much but still have Segas servers up and ready for launch so any wide area online gaming fun is still at your fingertips. So that's there if you want it.
The thing about consoles is people buy them for their simplicity, being able to plug in a game and play it is the whole point of consoles, some people (lets say younger children who compile the bulk of the gaming world) don't particularly care much for playing online and would much rather have the real interactivness of mulitplayer by inviting a few friends round. Of course there’s the cost and as soon as more money is mentioned most people would just switch off and I think Nintendo know this.
Online gaming is a risk for consoles, usually people who want to go online or who care enough to bother to want to go online would purchase a PC to get all the benefits so whereas undoubtedly online gaming on consoles will take off it's never going to be as successful or better then online gaming through a PC. At least for the time being anyway. Our consoles are becoming PC's as time goes on anyway with upgradable components like the N64’s expansion pack and upgradable modems becoming readily available, this ,may be good for now granted but if things continue to follow this trend were going to be purchasing dumb downed PC’s in a matter of time, not to mention emptying our pockets.
Sega took the risk and proved that it can work however I do feel Microsoft will spend a lot of time and money focusing on the online gaming aspect rather than the actual console gaming element, not everyone will want to go online, this could be their downfall and they will have to bog of back to dominating the PC world, although saying that around the web and in magazines I have read that the majority of people who intend on purchasing themselves an X-Box are already PC fanatics so I just don’t know.
Sony will play things more carefully but still invest a lot of time into online play and if this pulls off their profit margins should be high enough for it to be worth the gamble. Sony could cash in on their popularity, if enough people buy their console (A hell of a lot of people already have) then their online advantages could become even better, more people = more money = more fun, supposedly.
Competing against the PC’s Internet abilities, consoles need to put everything they have into the gaming side of going online to be successful in such a huge market.
The thing is online gaming is definently the way to go and if they don't do it now they will fall behind. Now is the time to do it but it just needs doing right, the problem is that it needs to be made as simple as possible (which it will be for the consoles) and have a decent server that isn't a chat room so people can just log in click the game they want to play choose a room and play, online gaming is what we were promised, online gaming is what we want.
No need for keyboards that just turns it into a PC, if people want to search the web they will most likely to own a PC for all the extra benefits, downloads etc. As simple connect and play policy would suit me and most friends I’ve asked (and my brother who is sitting behind me quietly while I type this) nicely.
Give it a few years and consoles will more or less be mini PC’s, hopefully they won’t lets keep the plug and play aspect going eh? Ever seen the Dreamcast searching the web, not very good is it, this proves my point it’s not a scratch on a PC.
What would you rather do, surf the Internet through a console without all the extra frills if you like or through the much easier, more advanced PC?
Give me Mario Kart, a few friends, a few drinks and day.
Oh and tell them to bring their pads ;0)
Thanks for reading
Starlight