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The government has stated that it wants to strive to have a PC in every home by the year something or other, about 3 years anyway.
They aren't far off.
in about three years, we'll see a lot of changes across the industry. PC parts will continue to become much cheaper, affordability being the issue stopping many households from acquiring a PC. But also, PCs will find their way into homes via much more subtle methods.
The PS2 and XBOX have very solid "Online plans", and even Nintendo are outlining something for the future. All well and good, but the internet brings with it a whole host of interesting points. For a start, some online games can only really function with the use of a harddrive. In this respect, the XBOX has an early lead, coming equipped with one. The PS2 has one available, and I don't think the GC version is too far off the marketplace. On this point, Hard drives open up a huge variety of possibilities. For example "patching" of games. Slight updates, new additions, bug fixes etc, downloadable from the internet, or available from relevant magazines and publications can be stored on the hard drive, enhancing the gaming experience.
Also, for an internet ready console, I imagine browsing the internet is going to be right there as a possibility. So, you'll want a browser, browser updates etc etc. Next on the list is e-mail apps and so on.
Many console owners are probably loving all the possibilities open to them via console internet readiness, and more than likely enjoying being able to equal PCs in many capacities.
But to be honest, the joke is on them. So many things can be achieved once you open a console to the internet, and make available all the necessary hardware and peripherals, that eventually, you're going to want a decent operating system to help you manage it all. And this is Bill Gate's master stroke, since after all, who makes the world's most popular operating systems (in terms of sales figures at least...)? You guessed it, the man who brought you the internet ready XBOX, Bill Gates and MicroSoft. It really is only a matter of time once XBOX live really hits it off that "Windows XB 2004" will hit the shelves, a combination of manageable operating system combined with "fun" applications all relevant to the console owner. Music management, video management, internet wizards, disk cleanup agents, firewalls, browsers, e-mail apps etc etc etc.
The PS2 can hardly afford to lag behind, since, essentially, it intends to have more people online than Microsoft's XBOX. These gamers will want to match XBOX owners stride for stride, but when it comes to putting together operating systems, Sony have nowhere near the amount of experience that Microsoft do. It's entirely likely that Microsoft will release a PS2 operating system, since not everyone out there is going to be comfortable with Linux or some such thing. Either way, both the XBOX and PS2 will have operating systems, most likely keyboards too, leading the way, inevitably to printers, scanners etc. By now the only two major differences between consoles and PCs is that PCs are completely customisable, and are played using a monitor rather than a television set.
The first part is easilly overcome, as XBOX 2 or whatever it will be named will be fully customisable. You can change the hard drive, sound card, graphics card etc etc. Of course, it will be recommended that you only replace parts of the XBOX with Microsoft licensed products, lest you invalidate your warrantee. This protects the companies developing games for the console, while also expanding the lifespan of the console. PS2 will more than likely have their hand forced into playing the game in a similar manner.
But again, both companies will have completely internet ready consoles, with all the mod cons available for a price; keyboard, operating system, microsoft office or equivalent, licensed printers and other peripherals and of course, upgraded hardware. Released as and when each company decides it's time to enhance the console, and not before.
So, any household that has either a "games" console or a PC can then be classed as having a PC in it, since the only difference is the type of screen it utilises, and how available new parts are.
From that perspective, however radical it may seem to those who resist change, it can be seen that the government is well within reach of it's target. Although it shouls also be noted that the days of the conventional games console are numbered, perhaps less than a thousand of them left.
PCs are taking over, because the Bill wills it so. The man is a genius.
Thanks for reading my version of the future.
IB
They aren't far off.
in about three years, we'll see a lot of changes across the industry. PC parts will continue to become much cheaper, affordability being the issue stopping many households from acquiring a PC. But also, PCs will find their way into homes via much more subtle methods.
The PS2 and XBOX have very solid "Online plans", and even Nintendo are outlining something for the future. All well and good, but the internet brings with it a whole host of interesting points. For a start, some online games can only really function with the use of a harddrive. In this respect, the XBOX has an early lead, coming equipped with one. The PS2 has one available, and I don't think the GC version is too far off the marketplace. On this point, Hard drives open up a huge variety of possibilities. For example "patching" of games. Slight updates, new additions, bug fixes etc, downloadable from the internet, or available from relevant magazines and publications can be stored on the hard drive, enhancing the gaming experience.
Also, for an internet ready console, I imagine browsing the internet is going to be right there as a possibility. So, you'll want a browser, browser updates etc etc. Next on the list is e-mail apps and so on.
Many console owners are probably loving all the possibilities open to them via console internet readiness, and more than likely enjoying being able to equal PCs in many capacities.
But to be honest, the joke is on them. So many things can be achieved once you open a console to the internet, and make available all the necessary hardware and peripherals, that eventually, you're going to want a decent operating system to help you manage it all. And this is Bill Gate's master stroke, since after all, who makes the world's most popular operating systems (in terms of sales figures at least...)? You guessed it, the man who brought you the internet ready XBOX, Bill Gates and MicroSoft. It really is only a matter of time once XBOX live really hits it off that "Windows XB 2004" will hit the shelves, a combination of manageable operating system combined with "fun" applications all relevant to the console owner. Music management, video management, internet wizards, disk cleanup agents, firewalls, browsers, e-mail apps etc etc etc.
The PS2 can hardly afford to lag behind, since, essentially, it intends to have more people online than Microsoft's XBOX. These gamers will want to match XBOX owners stride for stride, but when it comes to putting together operating systems, Sony have nowhere near the amount of experience that Microsoft do. It's entirely likely that Microsoft will release a PS2 operating system, since not everyone out there is going to be comfortable with Linux or some such thing. Either way, both the XBOX and PS2 will have operating systems, most likely keyboards too, leading the way, inevitably to printers, scanners etc. By now the only two major differences between consoles and PCs is that PCs are completely customisable, and are played using a monitor rather than a television set.
The first part is easilly overcome, as XBOX 2 or whatever it will be named will be fully customisable. You can change the hard drive, sound card, graphics card etc etc. Of course, it will be recommended that you only replace parts of the XBOX with Microsoft licensed products, lest you invalidate your warrantee. This protects the companies developing games for the console, while also expanding the lifespan of the console. PS2 will more than likely have their hand forced into playing the game in a similar manner.
But again, both companies will have completely internet ready consoles, with all the mod cons available for a price; keyboard, operating system, microsoft office or equivalent, licensed printers and other peripherals and of course, upgraded hardware. Released as and when each company decides it's time to enhance the console, and not before.
So, any household that has either a "games" console or a PC can then be classed as having a PC in it, since the only difference is the type of screen it utilises, and how available new parts are.
From that perspective, however radical it may seem to those who resist change, it can be seen that the government is well within reach of it's target. Although it shouls also be noted that the days of the conventional games console are numbered, perhaps less than a thousand of them left.
PCs are taking over, because the Bill wills it so. The man is a genius.
Thanks for reading my version of the future.
IB
I see your point, and cetainly parallells can be drawn, but to me it's a natural evolution.
Why can't the next generation of consoles have a printer and a scanner? Even the original Gameboy had a printer at one point, and it's not hard to imagine companies like Sony adding in several expansion ports to their next machine "on the off chance" that it might evolve to the point where they can fit something into it.
And the point about operating systems is that they go hand in hand with the storage capacity of a hard drive, which soon enough all the consoles will have available to them. The current console fad of "memory card" file management is horribly redundant when a 10GB hard drive can hold tens of thousands of save games or other such files. Again, a natural step forward to manage the amount of data that can now be held.
Once you have a console with a managable operating system and enough expansion ports for whatever peripheral takes your fancy, the console can be whatever you make it, or whatever the makers intend. Basically giving you a games console that doubles up as a budget PC. Comparisons again to racing cars and family saloons perhaps.
Personally, I see it all as a good thing. It makes office applications available to a wider audience, albeit via a machine not originally concepted with the idea in mind. But I can't see consoles going more than another two generations at most without making some of these steps.
Why can't the next generation of consoles have a printer and a scanner? Even the original Gameboy had a printer at one point, and it's not hard to imagine companies like Sony adding in several expansion ports to their next machine "on the off chance" that it might evolve to the point where they can fit something into it.
And the point about operating systems is that they go hand in hand with the storage capacity of a hard drive, which soon enough all the consoles will have available to them. The current console fad of "memory card" file management is horribly redundant when a 10GB hard drive can hold tens of thousands of save games or other such files. Again, a natural step forward to manage the amount of data that can now be held.
Once you have a console with a managable operating system and enough expansion ports for whatever peripheral takes your fancy, the console can be whatever you make it, or whatever the makers intend. Basically giving you a games console that doubles up as a budget PC. Comparisons again to racing cars and family saloons perhaps.
Personally, I see it all as a good thing. It makes office applications available to a wider audience, albeit via a machine not originally concepted with the idea in mind. But I can't see consoles going more than another two generations at most without making some of these steps.
Funnily enough I've never used my Xbox for word processing or DTP. The government wants Computers in every home (when they say 'pc' they mean Personal Computer, meaning either Mac or PC) because they want people to have the IT skills necessary to run the country and to make us look 'good' against other, less skilled countries.
This does not include playing games, that comes under a seperate idea; giving everyone in the country internet access, but even this wasn't the original idea.
Despite the advances of games consoles, with hard drives and modems, they will never be computers because they are not designed to be. By borrowing technology from PCs, consoles aren't trying to become them, merely increasing their abilities to play games in different ways. There would be no point in selling a console as a computer.
It's similar to cars and sports (racing) cars, makers of road cars use technology developed for racing cars to improve performance, suspension and other parts of the road driving experience, yet they are not designed to race. Even road cars used for racing have to be re-arranged and new parts added in order for them to race properly. Consoles are like this, they use PC technology to improve the gaming experience, not to become a PC.
This does not include playing games, that comes under a seperate idea; giving everyone in the country internet access, but even this wasn't the original idea.
Despite the advances of games consoles, with hard drives and modems, they will never be computers because they are not designed to be. By borrowing technology from PCs, consoles aren't trying to become them, merely increasing their abilities to play games in different ways. There would be no point in selling a console as a computer.
It's similar to cars and sports (racing) cars, makers of road cars use technology developed for racing cars to improve performance, suspension and other parts of the road driving experience, yet they are not designed to race. Even road cars used for racing have to be re-arranged and new parts added in order for them to race properly. Consoles are like this, they use PC technology to improve the gaming experience, not to become a PC.
The government has stated that it wants to strive to have a PC in every home by the year something or other, about 3 years anyway.
They aren't far off.
in about three years, we'll see a lot of changes across the industry. PC parts will continue to become much cheaper, affordability being the issue stopping many households from acquiring a PC. But also, PCs will find their way into homes via much more subtle methods.
The PS2 and XBOX have very solid "Online plans", and even Nintendo are outlining something for the future. All well and good, but the internet brings with it a whole host of interesting points. For a start, some online games can only really function with the use of a harddrive. In this respect, the XBOX has an early lead, coming equipped with one. The PS2 has one available, and I don't think the GC version is too far off the marketplace. On this point, Hard drives open up a huge variety of possibilities. For example "patching" of games. Slight updates, new additions, bug fixes etc, downloadable from the internet, or available from relevant magazines and publications can be stored on the hard drive, enhancing the gaming experience.
Also, for an internet ready console, I imagine browsing the internet is going to be right there as a possibility. So, you'll want a browser, browser updates etc etc. Next on the list is e-mail apps and so on.
Many console owners are probably loving all the possibilities open to them via console internet readiness, and more than likely enjoying being able to equal PCs in many capacities.
But to be honest, the joke is on them. So many things can be achieved once you open a console to the internet, and make available all the necessary hardware and peripherals, that eventually, you're going to want a decent operating system to help you manage it all. And this is Bill Gate's master stroke, since after all, who makes the world's most popular operating systems (in terms of sales figures at least...)? You guessed it, the man who brought you the internet ready XBOX, Bill Gates and MicroSoft. It really is only a matter of time once XBOX live really hits it off that "Windows XB 2004" will hit the shelves, a combination of manageable operating system combined with "fun" applications all relevant to the console owner. Music management, video management, internet wizards, disk cleanup agents, firewalls, browsers, e-mail apps etc etc etc.
The PS2 can hardly afford to lag behind, since, essentially, it intends to have more people online than Microsoft's XBOX. These gamers will want to match XBOX owners stride for stride, but when it comes to putting together operating systems, Sony have nowhere near the amount of experience that Microsoft do. It's entirely likely that Microsoft will release a PS2 operating system, since not everyone out there is going to be comfortable with Linux or some such thing. Either way, both the XBOX and PS2 will have operating systems, most likely keyboards too, leading the way, inevitably to printers, scanners etc. By now the only two major differences between consoles and PCs is that PCs are completely customisable, and are played using a monitor rather than a television set.
The first part is easilly overcome, as XBOX 2 or whatever it will be named will be fully customisable. You can change the hard drive, sound card, graphics card etc etc. Of course, it will be recommended that you only replace parts of the XBOX with Microsoft licensed products, lest you invalidate your warrantee. This protects the companies developing games for the console, while also expanding the lifespan of the console. PS2 will more than likely have their hand forced into playing the game in a similar manner.
But again, both companies will have completely internet ready consoles, with all the mod cons available for a price; keyboard, operating system, microsoft office or equivalent, licensed printers and other peripherals and of course, upgraded hardware. Released as and when each company decides it's time to enhance the console, and not before.
So, any household that has either a "games" console or a PC can then be classed as having a PC in it, since the only difference is the type of screen it utilises, and how available new parts are.
From that perspective, however radical it may seem to those who resist change, it can be seen that the government is well within reach of it's target. Although it shouls also be noted that the days of the conventional games console are numbered, perhaps less than a thousand of them left.
PCs are taking over, because the Bill wills it so. The man is a genius.
Thanks for reading my version of the future.
IB
They aren't far off.
in about three years, we'll see a lot of changes across the industry. PC parts will continue to become much cheaper, affordability being the issue stopping many households from acquiring a PC. But also, PCs will find their way into homes via much more subtle methods.
The PS2 and XBOX have very solid "Online plans", and even Nintendo are outlining something for the future. All well and good, but the internet brings with it a whole host of interesting points. For a start, some online games can only really function with the use of a harddrive. In this respect, the XBOX has an early lead, coming equipped with one. The PS2 has one available, and I don't think the GC version is too far off the marketplace. On this point, Hard drives open up a huge variety of possibilities. For example "patching" of games. Slight updates, new additions, bug fixes etc, downloadable from the internet, or available from relevant magazines and publications can be stored on the hard drive, enhancing the gaming experience.
Also, for an internet ready console, I imagine browsing the internet is going to be right there as a possibility. So, you'll want a browser, browser updates etc etc. Next on the list is e-mail apps and so on.
Many console owners are probably loving all the possibilities open to them via console internet readiness, and more than likely enjoying being able to equal PCs in many capacities.
But to be honest, the joke is on them. So many things can be achieved once you open a console to the internet, and make available all the necessary hardware and peripherals, that eventually, you're going to want a decent operating system to help you manage it all. And this is Bill Gate's master stroke, since after all, who makes the world's most popular operating systems (in terms of sales figures at least...)? You guessed it, the man who brought you the internet ready XBOX, Bill Gates and MicroSoft. It really is only a matter of time once XBOX live really hits it off that "Windows XB 2004" will hit the shelves, a combination of manageable operating system combined with "fun" applications all relevant to the console owner. Music management, video management, internet wizards, disk cleanup agents, firewalls, browsers, e-mail apps etc etc etc.
The PS2 can hardly afford to lag behind, since, essentially, it intends to have more people online than Microsoft's XBOX. These gamers will want to match XBOX owners stride for stride, but when it comes to putting together operating systems, Sony have nowhere near the amount of experience that Microsoft do. It's entirely likely that Microsoft will release a PS2 operating system, since not everyone out there is going to be comfortable with Linux or some such thing. Either way, both the XBOX and PS2 will have operating systems, most likely keyboards too, leading the way, inevitably to printers, scanners etc. By now the only two major differences between consoles and PCs is that PCs are completely customisable, and are played using a monitor rather than a television set.
The first part is easilly overcome, as XBOX 2 or whatever it will be named will be fully customisable. You can change the hard drive, sound card, graphics card etc etc. Of course, it will be recommended that you only replace parts of the XBOX with Microsoft licensed products, lest you invalidate your warrantee. This protects the companies developing games for the console, while also expanding the lifespan of the console. PS2 will more than likely have their hand forced into playing the game in a similar manner.
But again, both companies will have completely internet ready consoles, with all the mod cons available for a price; keyboard, operating system, microsoft office or equivalent, licensed printers and other peripherals and of course, upgraded hardware. Released as and when each company decides it's time to enhance the console, and not before.
So, any household that has either a "games" console or a PC can then be classed as having a PC in it, since the only difference is the type of screen it utilises, and how available new parts are.
From that perspective, however radical it may seem to those who resist change, it can be seen that the government is well within reach of it's target. Although it shouls also be noted that the days of the conventional games console are numbered, perhaps less than a thousand of them left.
PCs are taking over, because the Bill wills it so. The man is a genius.
Thanks for reading my version of the future.
IB