When does a console stop being a console...

I think we're moving out of the "console" phase and developers going the "Media player" route. though I think the Wii is the last true gaming console.
 
codec said:
hmm tbh the 360 hardware is so old most computers have surpassed it. having a purpose built operating system? yes please! have the option to install the game or have it run off disk like a console - which ever is quicker but having the option is cool for ssd users ;)

I'm liking this idea tbh!
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Well, a 3.2GHz Multithreading Triple Core, 512MB GDDR3 and an ATI Xenos or a 1.6GHz Dual Core, 2GB DDR2 and an 8400GS... i know which is better for gaming. The ever-evolving PC is a great idea, just most people don't have the money for it. A console is a great alternative that costs a lot less, will have a longer lifespan and is easy to use with your television. While PCs can be used with certain TVs it's still not easy for people without a bit of technological knowhow and even then you have to deal with having a geet big box next to it all the time.

I think it would be good to see a range of gaming-orientated Operating Systems, that could be used on a range of platforms but retain most of the advantages of having a console.
 
KNiVES said:
No it's not a moot point because he's right, the hardware configuration is guaranteed to be the same. They know they can do this certain graphical effect because the amount of shader pipelines are fixed (as an example). When a developer makes a PS3 or a 360 game, they know exactly what they can and can't do, which affects their overall vision and ambition for the project.
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Maybe Im not reading it how you intended so appologies if thats the case , but surely this CANT be the case otherwise there surely wouldnt be such increase in quality of the gameplay and visuals over the lifespan of most (if not all) consoles?

Admittedly I havent read developer style articles for a long while - but I used to continually hear them talking about how they went further than intended in certain respects because they found new/better ways of doing the same thing?

Totally agree about your comments re PC programmers though :)

mame said:
I think that we will get 2 more generations of console. The PS4 and new Xbox in 2012 and then the final generation in about 2018. By the time that generation becomes end of life in about 2025, we will just play games via a TV (sky/virgin?) box by downloading them. The box itself will not be anyones focus, the focus will just be on the games.

In some ways, I think each increment of technology is less important than the last.
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I sincerely hope you are very wrong, as has been said in other ways, the more centralised (or generalised) the hardware gets the worse the games will get (as games become less and less of a priority for the manufacturer - ie sky/virgin)

In general I dont think Sony (who have a better reason than MS due to their tv/electronics division) or MS will ever fit tv tuners into their "console" boxes, as this (certainly used to, and I believe still does) imposes a much higher tax on each unit and therefore it gets more tricky for the manufacturer to make it worthwhile for the public to buy.

As Sony have done with Play TV (maybe ms have too, Im just not as up to date on all xbox hardware) making an add-on available probably is the best of both worlds (majority of users dont want the extra expense of a tuner in the console, so dont pay for it or the additional tax - those that do require it pay a fractional increase on the tax on a cheap add on which makes little difference)

I think its also about brand awareness - if you have the Sony (or MS) logo shining at you while you are gaming, psychologically it works in their favour (in theory at least) when you are buying a tv or hifi (or general software /hardware from MS's point of view), I just cant see Sony or MS wanting to give that over to Sky/virgin (and Im not sure gaming hardware, even on a cheap scale - would be something that Virgin/Sky would want to manage in the 1st place (1st level support would have to be thiers I would have thought - and this would increase gigantically imo)

There will always be "lifelike 3d withouth glasses" or VR gaming (not that old chestnut lol) just around the corner for new consoles to be sold on the back of (like DVD , BR and whatever else)

They will be much more generalised media players (without tuners lol) Im sure you are correct - and they amy well be joined by Sky /Virgin at that point but I stil think MS and Sony will be selling their own hardware platforms
 
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Superewza said:
I think it would be good to see a range of gaming-orientated Operating Systems, that could be used on a range of platforms but retain most of the advantages of having a console.
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it will never happen as one of the things developers like about the consoles is that they are locked down.

Hack your xbox and microsoft will ban it forcing you to buy another. And sony is taking a very strong response to the new PS3 hack too.

Operating systems are there for people to tinker with to their hearts content, which is exactly what the game developers DONT want.

One of the key criticisms of developers about the PC is how widespread piracy is, another "gaming specific" OS wont fix that. Nor will it fix how hard it is to code for the PC because you've got to ensure the game works on anything from entry level cards to top end SLI rigs, and everything in between. This OS idea wont fix that either.
 
For me consoles stoped being a console after the PS1 when an internet connection became avalible (Cant remember if ps1 was internet/ethernet enabled dont hold that agaisnt the convo)

No net connection. Youve saved ya pocket money to ge the new demo disk via pc zone mag or other mags happy days!

N64 epic 4 player multi with friends (goldeneye) in the same room , not over the internet
 
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Mp4 said:
For me consoles stoped being a console after the PS1 when an internet connection became avalible (Cant remember if ps1 was internet/ethernet enabled dont hold that agaisnt the convo)

No net connection. Youve saved ya pocket money to ge the new demo disk via pc zone mag or other mags happy days!

N64 epic 4 player multi with friends (goldeneye) in the same room , not over the internet
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Got to say 4 way goldeneye has got to be the best gaming experience i've ever had. They were the good old days of gaming.
 
JPNUFC said:
As above comment states a console is what it is no changes in hardware from one to the next, the day they do this is the day the lines become blurred!
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This pretty much.

A console has predetermined hardware from beginning to the end of its lifespan and every game runs on it. Whether the hardware is changed for energy, heat and aethetic reasons is moot as the games run across all models.
 
I think that what you are comparing is an appliance over a PC, which would I rather have ?
9 / 10 I'll choose the appliance. Generally I like my technology to just work. I like my OS to be hard-coded into the hardware. I like to push a button, and my device to just work (a bit of a ronseal fan). Consoles deliver that functionality and reliability at a given price point and over a defined lifespan. The ability to tinker with the OS adds another layer of complexity and hence reduced reliability....OMG I sound like Seve Jobs !!!

With this in mind, as far as computer gaming goes, I would say the console will be around for a very long time yet. XBOX360 and PS3 sales are up 50% on last year, an indication that this market is in anything but decline.

Do I want to see a unified gaming OS... NO WAY. Competition is healthy, it generates stimulus and means that in general the consumer is getting the best bang for their buck and a choice. I like the fact that PS3 and 360 are different (and the wii) it has generated innovation and kept prices relatively low. It has also forced game developers to be more creative and eek out every bit of processing power out of their respective hardwares. My question is, with PC capabilities (allegedly) so far in advance of consoles, why have we not seen games that are reciprically more advanced, in graphics, gameplay and innovation? and why was MW2 the best selling game of all time (on any platform), yet the PC version is almost identical to the console version....
 
FlukeRogi said:
So the problem is patched in the drivers...
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Well, sort of, yeah. Drivers provide the layer between the game and the actual hardware on a PC. Game sends generic commands to drivers, drivers reinterpret the commands to the particular card you have. It's one of the layers that makes PCs 'slower' than their equivalent spec consoles.

On the rare occasion there's an actual issue for a game on a very specific piece of hardware, it's probably the game asking something of the drivers that it doesn't realise a card can't do. Thus, the drivers need to be updated to realise this.

Not always the case though. Sometimes the game might be at fault, or there's a bug in its use of an engine, or all sorts. Which is what normal patches are for.
 
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