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OK, some of you may remember my brief post about how ugly the XBox looked (based on intial pictures), and if you didn't manage to read it, then I will allow you all to reap the benefit of my all seeing eye.
Now, I make purchasing decisions based on what the product on offer is capable of, what value is represented by this product, and in the case of a games console - what special features it has, and how good/bad the games are for it.
However there is one crucial ingredient, that will, at the end of the day (before 5pm or the shops will be closed) sway my money spending decisions, at that is how good the product looks. It's all about aesthetics, and I believe sony hit the jackpot wit the redesigned Playstation - the PSone. It's small, light, compact, ergonomically sound, and will make people saw 'aw - it's so cute'. The packaging is also superb - the new PS logo - the control pad buttons, and so people were obviously going to chose this console at Christmas!
I have a Dreamcast, a PC and a game boy (not colour) and they all look as though they were designed by robots - sharp edges, horrible, horrible colours and yet they are all superb. But the PS is superb also, so couple this with the facts that it has the most amount of games in the world available for it, and that it looks so 'sweet' and tiny, and you've got a winner!
So, how can we expect the future consoles to look like? Well, Sony obviously forgot the importance of aesthetics, the PS2 is almost as intrusive as my 1970's radiator (yes I have one - a radiator - not a PS2), and the N64 and Playstation looked like machines made by evil pixies! I just think Apple macintosh should design everything as the Imac is just so 'yeah' - smooth, stylish and somewhat and oh so designer lable!
Looking back at the Xbox pictures all I can see is a Box - unlike the ugly Sega Saturn, or the Cassete deck inspired Panasonic 3DO.
It's ugly, the future is ugly, so maybe we'll all have to wear special glasses or something when we buy one.
Oh well!
Now, I make purchasing decisions based on what the product on offer is capable of, what value is represented by this product, and in the case of a games console - what special features it has, and how good/bad the games are for it.
However there is one crucial ingredient, that will, at the end of the day (before 5pm or the shops will be closed) sway my money spending decisions, at that is how good the product looks. It's all about aesthetics, and I believe sony hit the jackpot wit the redesigned Playstation - the PSone. It's small, light, compact, ergonomically sound, and will make people saw 'aw - it's so cute'. The packaging is also superb - the new PS logo - the control pad buttons, and so people were obviously going to chose this console at Christmas!
I have a Dreamcast, a PC and a game boy (not colour) and they all look as though they were designed by robots - sharp edges, horrible, horrible colours and yet they are all superb. But the PS is superb also, so couple this with the facts that it has the most amount of games in the world available for it, and that it looks so 'sweet' and tiny, and you've got a winner!
So, how can we expect the future consoles to look like? Well, Sony obviously forgot the importance of aesthetics, the PS2 is almost as intrusive as my 1970's radiator (yes I have one - a radiator - not a PS2), and the N64 and Playstation looked like machines made by evil pixies! I just think Apple macintosh should design everything as the Imac is just so 'yeah' - smooth, stylish and somewhat and oh so designer lable!
Looking back at the Xbox pictures all I can see is a Box - unlike the ugly Sega Saturn, or the Cassete deck inspired Panasonic 3DO.
It's ugly, the future is ugly, so maybe we'll all have to wear special glasses or something when we buy one.
Oh well!
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In my view
If you can stick a telly on top of it then all the better.
If you can plug a monitor into it then even better.
If it doesn't fly off the table when some three year old yanks the controller then even better still.
But, if it forces you to use ONE isp to connect to the internet, then it's a dead duck. And if it does not give monitor-resolution then I'm not interested. I'll stick to my N64 instead.
I don't care what it looks like.
If you can stick a telly on top of it then all the better.
If you can plug a monitor into it then even better.
If it doesn't fly off the table when some three year old yanks the controller then even better still.
But, if it forces you to use ONE isp to connect to the internet, then it's a dead duck. And if it does not give monitor-resolution then I'm not interested. I'll stick to my N64 instead.
I don't care what it looks like.
I think that Sony had the future in mind when designing the PS2. It has that spaceship console kinda look, so in many years it will still look up to date, whereas the other consoles may start to look dated. I think they did this deliberately because they are not planning to bring another console out for the next 5 years. They should be applauded for taking this kind of risk.
Sega on the other hand, just seem to stick with the shoebox design, which is neither innovative nor futuristic, they keep playing catchup in every area of gaming. They took a risk with the 128-bit design, and only now, because of the PS2 supply problems, are they starting to reap the benefit.
The advent of the X-Box will kill them off altogether, everyone knows it. I hope they start to dig their grave early in preparation.
Sega on the other hand, just seem to stick with the shoebox design, which is neither innovative nor futuristic, they keep playing catchup in every area of gaming. They took a risk with the 128-bit design, and only now, because of the PS2 supply problems, are they starting to reap the benefit.
The advent of the X-Box will kill them off altogether, everyone knows it. I hope they start to dig their grave early in preparation.
I think that the X-Box was designed in the best possible taste. It's chunky, looks solid, would have a substantial presence, and doesn't look like a radiator. It looks like a box. So it lives up to its name in that respect.
I like it.
I like it.
I hate the controller especially of the X-box... and I think people are misjudging the GCN too.
OK, some of you may remember my brief post about how ugly the XBox looked (based on intial pictures), and if you didn't manage to read it, then I will allow you all to reap the benefit of my all seeing eye.
Now, I make purchasing decisions based on what the product on offer is capable of, what value is represented by this product, and in the case of a games console - what special features it has, and how good/bad the games are for it.
However there is one crucial ingredient, that will, at the end of the day (before 5pm or the shops will be closed) sway my money spending decisions, at that is how good the product looks. It's all about aesthetics, and I believe sony hit the jackpot wit the redesigned Playstation - the PSone. It's small, light, compact, ergonomically sound, and will make people saw 'aw - it's so cute'. The packaging is also superb - the new PS logo - the control pad buttons, and so people were obviously going to chose this console at Christmas!
I have a Dreamcast, a PC and a game boy (not colour) and they all look as though they were designed by robots - sharp edges, horrible, horrible colours and yet they are all superb. But the PS is superb also, so couple this with the facts that it has the most amount of games in the world available for it, and that it looks so 'sweet' and tiny, and you've got a winner!
So, how can we expect the future consoles to look like? Well, Sony obviously forgot the importance of aesthetics, the PS2 is almost as intrusive as my 1970's radiator (yes I have one - a radiator - not a PS2), and the N64 and Playstation looked like machines made by evil pixies! I just think Apple macintosh should design everything as the Imac is just so 'yeah' - smooth, stylish and somewhat and oh so designer lable!
Looking back at the Xbox pictures all I can see is a Box - unlike the ugly Sega Saturn, or the Cassete deck inspired Panasonic 3DO.
It's ugly, the future is ugly, so maybe we'll all have to wear special glasses or something when we buy one.
Oh well!
Now, I make purchasing decisions based on what the product on offer is capable of, what value is represented by this product, and in the case of a games console - what special features it has, and how good/bad the games are for it.
However there is one crucial ingredient, that will, at the end of the day (before 5pm or the shops will be closed) sway my money spending decisions, at that is how good the product looks. It's all about aesthetics, and I believe sony hit the jackpot wit the redesigned Playstation - the PSone. It's small, light, compact, ergonomically sound, and will make people saw 'aw - it's so cute'. The packaging is also superb - the new PS logo - the control pad buttons, and so people were obviously going to chose this console at Christmas!
I have a Dreamcast, a PC and a game boy (not colour) and they all look as though they were designed by robots - sharp edges, horrible, horrible colours and yet they are all superb. But the PS is superb also, so couple this with the facts that it has the most amount of games in the world available for it, and that it looks so 'sweet' and tiny, and you've got a winner!
So, how can we expect the future consoles to look like? Well, Sony obviously forgot the importance of aesthetics, the PS2 is almost as intrusive as my 1970's radiator (yes I have one - a radiator - not a PS2), and the N64 and Playstation looked like machines made by evil pixies! I just think Apple macintosh should design everything as the Imac is just so 'yeah' - smooth, stylish and somewhat and oh so designer lable!
Looking back at the Xbox pictures all I can see is a Box - unlike the ugly Sega Saturn, or the Cassete deck inspired Panasonic 3DO.
It's ugly, the future is ugly, so maybe we'll all have to wear special glasses or something when we buy one.
Oh well!
Page: