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Consoles are getting progressively smaller and more powerful. Extrapolating this situation into the future generates a multitude of possibilities. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to carry your N64 to your mates house in your pocket? The only real constraint dissuading you from doing so would be the prodigious volume of wires. Now supposing infra red technology were more widely implelented - which is on the cards already, judging by GC's wireless pads - then this would no longer be a problem.
So, what interesting eventualities spring from the marriage of miniaturisation and infra red technology?
Conceivably, the merging of hand held and standard consoles. The current differences between the two are..
1) Hand helds have the controller 'built in'
2) Hand helds have the screen 'built in'
3) Hand helds are smaller and less powerful.
Assuming that continued miniaturisation makes the effect of the third point negligable, there's little reason why you couldn't do one or more of the others either. Supposing you have a hand held which can display an image on your telly. That's not so hard to implement. Now supposing you hand held could also have control pads connected to it (via infra red) then you've got a 'normal' console, too.
So, you could use it as a regular hand held with link up possibilities and suchlike, or play it on a telly - maybe using a separate controller if you wish, or with several people present you'd all grab a pad (or your hand held console) and play onto a projected image on the telly.
Just imagine the versatility provided by such a device....
..a revolution in gaming as we know it!
So, does this idea seem stupid or not? More importantly, how far away is the technology required? All the basic features are already implemented in some device or another.
The future is smaller...
So, what interesting eventualities spring from the marriage of miniaturisation and infra red technology?
Conceivably, the merging of hand held and standard consoles. The current differences between the two are..
1) Hand helds have the controller 'built in'
2) Hand helds have the screen 'built in'
3) Hand helds are smaller and less powerful.
Assuming that continued miniaturisation makes the effect of the third point negligable, there's little reason why you couldn't do one or more of the others either. Supposing you have a hand held which can display an image on your telly. That's not so hard to implement. Now supposing you hand held could also have control pads connected to it (via infra red) then you've got a 'normal' console, too.
So, you could use it as a regular hand held with link up possibilities and suchlike, or play it on a telly - maybe using a separate controller if you wish, or with several people present you'd all grab a pad (or your hand held console) and play onto a projected image on the telly.
Just imagine the versatility provided by such a device....
..a revolution in gaming as we know it!
So, does this idea seem stupid or not? More importantly, how far away is the technology required? All the basic features are already implemented in some device or another.
The future is smaller...
The Gamecube wireless controller uses a radio frequency... A much better system. The only problem with wireless is that it can only send, not recieve information, so no force feedback.
I don't particulaly like rumble paks that much anyway... Good for a while... but irritating after.
I don't particulaly like rumble paks that much anyway... Good for a while... but irritating after.
I think that Sega got the idea about miniaturisation a bit backwards. Weren't they meant to make the consoles smaller and not the company?
Having small devices is all well and good but think about it, what do you do with small things other than say "look how small this small thing is!" You lose them!!! People want decent sized consoles, this is not massive like the steak dinners in New York but then again it is not microscopic either. I personally feel that the Dreamcast is the perfect size for a console, Hey! I am a Nintendo fan I am just giving my opinion. I really do. It is built fairly solidly in the right proportions, it is a nice weight and it doesn't take up too much room!
I think that if all these microchips and oven chips get any smaller then it will mean the consoles wil be smaller and that isn't good, Gameboys are supposed to be small, not consoles, if you want to be able to fit a computer game in your mouth then buy a GBA but some of us like to be able to see our games, and we don't want to have to pick them up with tweezers and surgically insert them into a console!
I thik the Gamecubes 80MM dicsc would be much more accepted if it had more of a car CD player device rather than a 1995 stereo system! I for one will buy a Gamecube, not for the looks for the games, but there comes a point in everyones opinions that will decide on whether they buy the console or not. Size DOES matter, in the computer gaming industry anyway...You all must have heard the rumors about the X-Box being 'too big for Japanese living rooms'. This was serious and I don't know what ole MS have done about it but the moral of the story is this...
"Size DOES Matter"
Small stuff can be good but not in console sizes.
I think that if all these microchips and oven chips get any smaller then it will mean the consoles wil be smaller and that isn't good, Gameboys are supposed to be small, not consoles, if you want to be able to fit a computer game in your mouth then buy a GBA but some of us like to be able to see our games, and we don't want to have to pick them up with tweezers and surgically insert them into a console!
I thik the Gamecubes 80MM dicsc would be much more accepted if it had more of a car CD player device rather than a 1995 stereo system! I for one will buy a Gamecube, not for the looks for the games, but there comes a point in everyones opinions that will decide on whether they buy the console or not. Size DOES matter, in the computer gaming industry anyway...You all must have heard the rumors about the X-Box being 'too big for Japanese living rooms'. This was serious and I don't know what ole MS have done about it but the moral of the story is this...
"Size DOES Matter"
Small stuff can be good but not in console sizes.
Consoles are getting progressively smaller and more powerful. Extrapolating this situation into the future generates a multitude of possibilities. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to carry your N64 to your mates house in your pocket? The only real constraint dissuading you from doing so would be the prodigious volume of wires. Now supposing infra red technology were more widely implelented - which is on the cards already, judging by GC's wireless pads - then this would no longer be a problem.
So, what interesting eventualities spring from the marriage of miniaturisation and infra red technology?
Conceivably, the merging of hand held and standard consoles. The current differences between the two are..
1) Hand helds have the controller 'built in'
2) Hand helds have the screen 'built in'
3) Hand helds are smaller and less powerful.
Assuming that continued miniaturisation makes the effect of the third point negligable, there's little reason why you couldn't do one or more of the others either. Supposing you have a hand held which can display an image on your telly. That's not so hard to implement. Now supposing you hand held could also have control pads connected to it (via infra red) then you've got a 'normal' console, too.
So, you could use it as a regular hand held with link up possibilities and suchlike, or play it on a telly - maybe using a separate controller if you wish, or with several people present you'd all grab a pad (or your hand held console) and play onto a projected image on the telly.
Just imagine the versatility provided by such a device....
..a revolution in gaming as we know it!
So, does this idea seem stupid or not? More importantly, how far away is the technology required? All the basic features are already implemented in some device or another.
The future is smaller...
So, what interesting eventualities spring from the marriage of miniaturisation and infra red technology?
Conceivably, the merging of hand held and standard consoles. The current differences between the two are..
1) Hand helds have the controller 'built in'
2) Hand helds have the screen 'built in'
3) Hand helds are smaller and less powerful.
Assuming that continued miniaturisation makes the effect of the third point negligable, there's little reason why you couldn't do one or more of the others either. Supposing you have a hand held which can display an image on your telly. That's not so hard to implement. Now supposing you hand held could also have control pads connected to it (via infra red) then you've got a 'normal' console, too.
So, you could use it as a regular hand held with link up possibilities and suchlike, or play it on a telly - maybe using a separate controller if you wish, or with several people present you'd all grab a pad (or your hand held console) and play onto a projected image on the telly.
Just imagine the versatility provided by such a device....
..a revolution in gaming as we know it!
So, does this idea seem stupid or not? More importantly, how far away is the technology required? All the basic features are already implemented in some device or another.
The future is smaller...