Gaming on a Universal Platform? 99
Riffing off of David Jaffe's earlier comments, an article up on the Next Generation site theorizes about a single unified gaming platform, ala the music and movie businesses. He proposes a 'videogame standards commission', which could look out for the future of the industry as a whole. They might, he says, not even agree with his conclusion that a global platform would be a good idea. The point, he says, would be to maintain "a detailed yet flexible long-term plan for progressive development of the medium. The board would assay in accordance with a constitution of irrefutable primary standards and ideals ... From what I can see the only way such a body could conceivably be formed is by appealing to the idealism of visionary designers and executives across the spectrum - your Satoru Iwatas and Ken Kutaragis, and Will Wrights and David Jaffes. The Game Developers Conference and other gatherings already embody some of the spirit of this proposal." Curmudgeon Gamer has extensive commentary on Eric-Jon Rossel Waugh's piece.
Already there! (Score:2, Funny)
Exactly (Score:2)
That's exactly what I thought. It's already been done. It's the 3DO. It doesn't work.
Nintendo wants its quirky features like a novel controller, backwards compatibility back to the NES, a way to play GBA games on it, a way to plug GC controllers in and a shopping channel. Sony wants Bluray and backwards compatibility back to the PS and proprietary memory sticks and compatibility with its proprietary Sony media sharing tech, and anyway, only 3D games without nudity are allowed, and the thing needs a huge di
Plus MSX (Score:2)
Having USPs (unique seeling points) lets the consumer choose based on other factors than just price. MSX vendors used this to add their variants on the platform, e.g. Sony's was more geared toward music etc. This is why people like me choose the PS3 instead of
Bad idea. (Score:3, Insightful)
Case in point: SNES and Genesis. You knew which one was in use simply by looking at the screen.
Same goes for Xbox and PS2. And Dreamcast. And Gamecube.
And every other system (with the possible exception of modern PC games) Every system has it's own very unique look, and even many cross platform games look quite different. I find this uniqueness refreshing, and enjoy having a choice of gaming platforms. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses.
As a former auto-tech, one of my favorite mottos: The right tool for the right job.
(Another favorite is "the guy with the biggest hammer fixes the most stuff", but that's another conversation...)
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I think your argument is deeply flawed. Different gaming platforms is not done in the name of competition it is very much anti-competitive, a method the various companies use to exhibit total control over their platform.
The only way your argument would make sense is if the designs were opened up so anyone could create an XBox or Playstation. While this could be a revolutionary event (in the same way that the cloning of IBM PCs is seen as
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I don't think you understand what GP means by competition. Console developers want to control their platform perhaps, but they have to be competitive to lure somebody over to them. That's why they have exclusives, different controllers, different price points, etc.
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Would we have the Wii? Innovation vs. standards. (Score:1)
And ultimately, where does some monolithic "standard" leave the possibility of innovation in hardware? Would Nintendo have been able to produce a small, inexpensive, and innovative console like the Wii by adhering to some standard? I sort of doubt it. It's fine to have standards for CD or DVD playback. But for games,
Re:Would we have the Wii? Innovation vs. standards (Score:2)
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But having PLATFORM competition actually screws over the customer more than benefiting him, due to exclusive titles - meaning we need to purchase multiple platforms or play a restricted set of games - with no real increase in game quality. So a universal platform is beneficial to us, but not to platform sellers.
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well... (Score:5, Insightful)
You think?
Seriously though, there's already a near-universal gaming platform. It's called the PC.
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As someone who likes video games AND Linux I'd say even within the "PC" market there is no universal platform.
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The PC's library of games (genre-wise, not size-wise naturally) isn't more complete than that of consoles... and PCs compete with consoles for gamers' entertainment dollars just the same, so I think the PC is really on the same level as, say, any given console.
I can only really see having a "universal" gaming platform when there are no meaningful (yeah, possibly
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I've played Smash Bros on a PC. It's called an emulator. Console games do eventually end up on PC, it's just that it takes years and isn't always legal - although some services like Gametap do let you play emulated console games legally. The PC is an open, universal (in the universal Turing machine sense, at least) platform so these kinds of things exist, unlike consoles.
And, of course, the lines between console and PC aren't exactly clear. You can
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USB controller [dabs.com].
What's the "universal" PC? (Score:2)
I think you've missed the point of "universal" and the comparison with DVDs and CDs.
Right now I have to now my processor type and speed; the amount of memory I have; the type of graphics card and its memory; how much spare hard-drive space I have; my sound setup; my controllers... my PC is not a universal platform.
What they want is a commodity platform. As a CD is a CD is a CD, they want a game to be a game to be a game which can just go in any "game machine".
It's an admiral goal, shame it's such an unfe
Where's Bomberman? (Score:2)
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Serious Sam and Shadowgrounds?
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Because it still works just fine (as opposed to older console Bomberman titles which wouldn't work on the newer consoles new BM titles get released for) and Bomberman isn't exactly the kind of game that needs much updating?
Bomberman was an example (Score:1)
My point is the following: Why do so few publishers consider releasing titles with a 4-player mode designed for set-top PCs or for PCs with 24" monitors? Smart-asses who reply to this question like to claim that "Atomic Bomberman from a decade ago and M-rated Serious Sam should be enough for anyone."
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You think?
Clearly there needs to be a standards body pushing forth the advancement of video game hardware, as over the past 10 years we've seen little more than....
Oh. Nevermind.
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You also can't optimize your game nearly as much for PCs as you can with a pa
Universal? (Score:2, Interesting)
There are *very few* games coming out now that aren't ported to all three systems + PC.
I wish they'd decide on one platform so I don't have to get pissed when I find out Guitar Hero comes out a few months later on the other platform with MORE content.
Either pick a platform and marry it, or just release it to ALL of them.
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I know in the *past* there have been MANY exclusive releases. But this "next-generation" group has more crossovers than exclusives. Wii is somewhat unique, mainly due to the interface differences, but I still see stuff coming to it (not so many games leaving that platform however).
It just feels to me that the exclusivity has gone towards zero recently while in the past it was the norm. (sliding scale style). On *average* it is
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You're forgetting the actual large companies. Other than EA companies like Activision, Ubisoft, Sega, THQ, SCi/Eidos, LucasArts, Atari, Midway, and Vivendi Universal (not just Blizzard) all produce a majority of their stuff cross-platform. So yes, the majority of large gaming companies do make games that are cross platform. Huge blockbuster titles with exclusivity are usually ported around a year later anyway (Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, GTA).
Think about all Microsoft's first/second party games
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Other than EA companies like Activision, Ubisoft, Sega, THQ, SCi/Eidos, LucasArts, Atari, Midway, and Vivendi Universal (not just Blizzard) all produce a majority of their stuff cross-platform
Then why don't the single-screen multiplayer features make it into the PC versions? If I have a set-top PC and four USB controllers, I want to make full use of them, not have to buy three more PCs and three more monitors in game designs that don't require a separate view for each player. Why hasn't PC Bomberman been updated in more than a decade?
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Sorry, you must mean "all three systems + Windows." As a Mac and Linux user, I can assure you that most games do not come out for the "PC!"
The Java 3d API? (Score:3, Funny)
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No Joke (Score:1)
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That's why I love MUDs (Score:1)
What colour will the console be? Pinko? (Score:2, Interesting)
There's
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The actu
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I think you mean "By themselves, faster processors don't make better games". Is there really anyone here who believes that Pong is a better game than Quake? (If you're "that guy", just stay seated please. I don't need statistical aberrations raising their hands. You are insignificant.)
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Pong didn't have a processor.
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Of course not! However, one could argue that Tetris or (2D) Mario might be...
Let's see here... (Score:4, Insightful)
* 3DO
* Apple Pippin
With successes like these, who could doubt the wisdom of a universal game platform?
[...]
(That was sarcasm for those who didn't catch it.)
The idea itself is sound, but it completely ignores the technological advancements that keep the industry afloat. Consoles don't just sit still with the same graphics designs, the same media, the same processors, and the same controllers. They branch out from each other, each trying out new concepts to bring fresh new possibilities to gaming. You cannot standardize a thing like this.
The closest thing the industry has ever had to a true standard was the PS1 and PS2. They provided a fairly generic but powerful platform upon which a variety of games could be developed. With the success of the PS2 as a DVD player, it almost became as standard in the home as DVD players themselves. But that may be over now. Technology is moving on again, with a new batch of multiprocessing, motion sensing, and graphically interesting game consoles. Leave the "standard" console concept in the grave where it belongs.
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In other words, it fit the bill of a standardized platform perfectly.
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There was also the Commodore 64, the Atari 8-bits, Amigas, the Spectrums, and a whole bunch of other systems that were "Standard" or semi-standard across models. The key is that these were computers, not game consoles. The need to look at the minimum specs of a game made these more specialized platforms than those of the console market. A specialization that the PC platform fills today.
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If by powerful you didn't mean technical power (Both the PS1, and PS2 had much more powerful consoles competing with them), but 'critical mass of adoption' then yes. The NES, Original Gameboy, and GBA would also be considered as the 'Defacto Standard' since they were market dominant in their respective eras.
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By "powerful" I mean "powerful enough to be useful for their time". Many of the early CD consoles were underpowered for the emerging 3D market. They simply couldn't keep up with even the simplest games. The 3DO wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly great either. The Playstation was less powerful than the N64, but it was also launched a full year earlier. (The console was actually older, but
Say what? (Score:2)
But ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Seriously, this is a great way to completely kill all innovation in gaming hardware. Standards are fine for industries that have matured to the point that the product is a commodity. At that point everyone can build to the standard and compete on price (or perhaps service). Fortunately, the game industry isn't close to that point. Do you want super-powered graphics, integration with high-def video content, internet based multi-player support, novel control schemes. You (the market) decides and the winners go onto to the next round.
This is Next Generation. (Score:3, Insightful)
Companies avoid this kind of thing (Score:2)
It's called a PC. (Score:2)
Have you learned nothing from the MP/RIAA and their behavior? For heaven's sake, let the market take care of it.
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I don't think that's what GP said. The RIAA is the publisher, not the hardware manufacturer. If the music publishers had to get their music licensed by the hardware manufacturer, they would have less power. No crappy broken CDs with spyware, for example.
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The videogame industry has enough problems already. Do you really propose we 'solve' any of those problems by adding in a large bureaucracy of lawyers and reducing competition in the process?
Not Likely (Score:1)
Also: (Score:3, Informative)
GREAT IDEA! (Score:2)
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No, the cat does not "got my tongue." (Score:1)
Three months later
Sony, or MS, or Atari, or someone: Here's a better one, and a bunch of games?
Now what?
Comission: We legally put you out of business. Stop it or go to jail.
Is this the world you want? Not me, pal.
Fix the link, por favor (Score:2)
Correct link [curmudgeongamer.com]
Let me, let me, let me... JAVA! (Score:2)
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If you're getting 16+ ms timing errors in your game, you're doing something horrendously wrong. Not that I'm surprised. Timing in Java has been solved for years, yet every other day some moron posts his code with the most ridiculous attempt at code timing that I've ever seen.
Use the right tool for the right job. Which sometimes means replacing the tool behind the keyboard...
(Sorry if I seem cross. Your post just rubs me the wrong way.)
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Sarcasm? (Score:2)
If so, where can I find resources on this? I want to be convinced, one way or the other, about Java as a game development platform.
We have a open and Universal Platform (Score:2)
This is a really, really terrible idea. (Score:1)
What would be the result of implementing a standardized games format but to slow development to a crawl?
Movies and music CDs are standardized because their content isn't driven by the capabilities of their players - just the opposite. But game content is much more influenced by what your hardware is capable of. And since game content can either make or break your ROI, having to develop to some artificial committee-designed standard is a lo
I have a universal platform for gaming (Score:1)
I use it for everything now.
Which makes it universal.
Live Game Distro SDK (Score:2)
The user interface would be simple. Put CD/DVD in drive, reboot. The live distro would boot, install the game to a partition (on a first run), and start the game. Variations that enable the use of USB drives for game and client data as well as multi disc games could be engineered.
This has many benefits. It enables gaming across a wide range of available hardware. Problems due to driver variations disappear. Hell, system performance suddenly goes t
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Most stupid solution ever. Sorry, but I don't want to reboot to play a game, ever. The whole point of having a proper multitasking operating system is so that we *don't* have to reboot for each an every application. You know, I like to being able to have some chat software running, look-up a walkthrough and whatever while the game is running in the background, I also like to be able to install MODs and stuff and I also like to have games th
They want Nintendo games (Score:1)
Inevitable (Score:1)
Unified (Score:2)
What does he mean with unified? Music and movies? Oh right, ehm, how exactly do I fold my Star Wars laserdisc to fit in a VHS or a BETAMAX or a DVD or a BluRay or a HD-DVD or a UMD or a V2000 or a 8/16/35mm projector?
Music? Oh fuck it I am to lazy to list the tape spool format, the minidisc, the 8track, the minitape, the digital tapes, music on video tape experiments, the cd, the enhanced cd's etc etc etc. Not even to mention the obvious incompatibilities of the various digitals formats.
But that is pendan
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Of course there are worse examples, like Battelfield 2 EXPLICITLY not supporting one family of cards: nVidia's Geforce 4 series. Got the older GeForce 3 or newer cards like the 6800? No problems. Got 4? Won't work.
Be wary... (Score:2)
.gp3 (Score:1)
But then the GIAA will come after me.
Unified gaming platform? Uh, that's been done... (Score:2)
Re:Unified gaming platform? Uh, that's been done.. (Score:1)
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That was probably a big part of it, but why would a more modern version not fail for the same reasons?
Standardizing the hardware segregates the hardware manufacturers from the game and accessory licensing. By doing this hardware manufacturers have NO CHOICE but to sell a the console at a profit. No other guaranteed source of income means they can't afford to sell the console at a loss. the Xbox 360 might have cost as much as a 3D0 when it came