Should Game Consoles Make Breakfast, Too? 292
Ryan writes "Is the idea of 'convergence' (the notion that a single digital appliance will handle multiple tasks) in gaming consoles even worth it? CNET News has an article discussing the issues of convergence related to gaming - it seems like a lot of consumers aren't worried about the bells and whistles, yet they keep throwing them at us." The article mentions the "underwhelming" response to Sony's PSX console/DVR combo, whose "arrival in North America--originally slated to happen in time for the 2004 holiday shopping season--is now set for an unspecified date in 2005."
"underwhelming response" (Score:5, Informative)
Tivo = $99.
PS2 = $150.
Tivo + PS2 = $900?
what kind of math is that?
Re:All I have to say is (Score:3, Informative)
Nintendo. It's a cereal, wow!
Re:Yes, convergence is good (Score:4, Informative)
The sad thing is, you can already do all of those things with a modded xbox. [xbox-scene.com] And what's even sadder is, it'll cost you under 200 bucks.
Re:The cell phone guys should take note of this. (Score:3, Informative)
Has it occured to you that just because you're not aware of a problem doesn't mean it doesn't exist? Some of us have actually noticed the difference in battery life with new phones. Some of us notice that features have been packed on without improving call quality. Some of us still get dropped calls in major metro areas.
"There are a lot of people..." does NOT mean everyone!
Re:Kinda obvious (Score:3, Informative)
PS/2 is an old IBM computer, and since then, a port type for plugging in keyboards and mice.
"PS2" is already annoyingly close to "PS/2", no need to go adding the slash too.
Re:Only Nintendo really "gets it". (Score:3, Informative)
Go buy a football (American) game for the Gamecube.
I'll bet $100 you come home with Madden.
Why? Because nobody else makes a football game for the Gamecube anymore.
The rest of the public is not 'blind' because they don't want to be pigeonholed into Nintendo-esque games...maybe a lot of people just don't buy into the whole premise of Mario-this and Pokemon-that. Personally, I like to play games online. Can't really do that on a Gamecube.
Not everyone will agree that Nintendo makes the best consoles, or the best games. In fact, for me- they are a distant 3rd...
Re:The cell phone guys should take note of this. (Score:3, Informative)
Thanks to some of the general-purposeness of cell phones, you can do that. The Nokia 3650 allows you to record phone convos and save them to a file.
"This is so much more silly because I already have a digital camera that takes better pictures than the phone."
How come nobody understands the point of putting a camera in a phone? It's been well over a year since these started appearing, and nobody still fricken gets it. A low quality camera is much better than no camera at all. I happen to know for a fact that you do not carry your digital camera around every single moment of the day that you have your phone on you. I apologize for sounding frustrated here, it's not at you specifically. I just can't believe that nobody understands the value of having a basic camera around at all times. I've got some great photos of my nephew being silly while we went out to eat. Yeah, they're 640 by 480, and they're a lil blurry, but I would not have gotten them AT ALL with my multi mega pixel utterly superior digital camera that's sitting in its case back at home.
Re:Only Nintendo really "gets it". (Score:2, Informative)
No, actually, I don't believe they ever made that claim. What they did say though, was that they never wanted a "loading" screen like Playstation is renown for, with a cartridge, the access times are thousands of times faster. While they compromise with the gamecube, they made their own format and kept it tight, so loading is always ultra-minimal in their titles while still having enough multimedia room for todays games.
"So the console will require a system capable of reading DVD-ROM's. If you provide that, then you end up providing a CD-player/DVD-player for free."
Again, no. And this is what most people here are missing. To include DVD playing capabilities, means that the microsoft/sony have to pay a license fee to do so. Microsoft was nice enough to externalize the cost, by putting the license fee on the DVD remote/CSS key plugin. Sony on the other hand, forced the cost upon the consumer. Meaning your spending another 10-20 dollars for something you didn't ask for.
Nintendo dodged it altogether to keep the price down. However, like Microsoft they did have a cube capable of playing DVDs that panasonic did, which unfortunately didn't sell very well or even in North America, because most people, given the choice just want to play games.
"If you opt for the broadband choice, then you need TCP/IP. That means you can then provide online gaming/Internet terminal as free extras."
This may surprise you, but most of the world does NOT have broadband and will not for the forseeable future. Even in US/Canada, your looking at ~30%. Nor do most people give a damn about online play. Being a hardcore gamer myself, even I get tired of little 12 yr olds calling me a "sh@tfaced c**kmaster" and leaving a game once they start loosing. Console online play has one major difference from the PC, it makes it easier for IDIOTS to get online, which helps ruin the experience.
"A console system has to have an entertainment experience better than that of a PC, so you end up with a superset of PC features. One of the most popular accessories for the PS2 has been the "PS2 Eye Toy". That requires a USB port for the web-cam."
It does? See, here I thought not everyone can spend thousands just to play video games, so they buy cheaper consoles instead, which still give them the gaming experience. The only out-of-the-box-has-everything system is the xbox, with it's nuclear featureset. Which, honestly, we'll only ever see in this generation as microsoft makes a grab for marketshare. They'll have to follow suit with Sony's "buy more add-ons! give us $$$" technique. However doing so will end up with a splintered market as Sony currently has.
i.e. Do you have broadband? Do you have a broadband adapter? Do you have a harddrive? Do you have a copy of XXX game? Did you buy the eyetoy? Congrats! If your one of the 2-3% of our gaming market that does, you can experience this!
Which, BTW, developers don't make money off of because the market is that small. If Sony's harddrive kick-off title wasn't Final Fantasy, it would have been a complete flop, much in the same way the N64 only made it thanks to Mario 64. Honestly, you'll probably only ever see one other major title come out that requires the harddrive, before the PS3 comes out. It's a total money-grab.
I won't even comment on the Tivo as PVRs can be covered regarding the above add-on Sony units.
In fact, looking into the future, it's obvious Nintendo is going to make a comeback in a big way. Sony's PS3 and PSP systems are both nothing more than the PS2. Crank the speed and try to make it look cool. No real changes to speak of, just make more generic titles and sequels and watch the 15yr olds and the non-gamer population eat it up like dogs. Xbox will most likely cut back on their next system to save on cost, though using XNA and backwards compatibility they should at the least keep their current
Re:Only Nintendo really "gets it". (Score:3, Informative)
Yeah, if you are 12 years old and like bright colourful platformers.
If you you want adult games, dealing with adult themes, with adult levels of difficulty, look elsewhere.