Everything save for the terrible online isn't really a problem for the wii, or any consoles really. All these problems are mostly because of publishers and developers not the consoles themselves. Consoles are a standardized platform making it easier to reach and manipulate. If outside forces stopped trying to fuck them over it wouldn't be a problem.Scrumpmonkey said:Well the Wii is an odd case, it managed to retain the advantages of a last generation console by basically just standing still. I hate to be the "The Wii was essentially a last gen console" guy but... oh to hell with it; The Wii was basically a Gamecube with a fancy waving stick, right down to the almost non-existant online integration. When they did try something it was painful and functioned not just like a PC but like a PC from 1996. (Friend-codes, Wii Speak etc etc) it was just embarrassing.him over there said:Thanks for the rerail. However I'm going to bring up the wii. Yes less powerful, full of gimmicks, has no games etc. but it's the only console that has maintained the plug in and play mentality. I put in a disc click on the start button and then I'm playing. Considering there's news of the 720 being upgrade-able like the pc its only bringing more problems. Nintendo may not make the most powerful consoles but they're the only people making consoles.Scrumpmonkey said:Well this thread is the gift that keeps on going. C'mon folks, lets keep the fail-pinion train moving! I bet we can make it to over 1000 ill-informed replies.
On topic i think many are losing sight of what Jim is talking about; the experience of playing (or at least trying to play) a game. The "Plug in and play" ability of the consoles is all but dead. Gone. Kaput. When it comes to user experience consoles are getting all the disadvantages of the PC with none of the open platform benefits. He's not saying PCs are cheaper, all he's saying is the experience is so similar in terms of technical bullshit that the advantages a PC provides no longer has the same gap in terms of user friendliness.
The PC hasn't really got any easier to deal with (and is still a bit of a headache) BUT the publishers and console makers have shit all over the console gamer so much as to make it almost intolerable to deal with.
Thing is; there is no reason for 1/2 the bullshit on the HD consoles to exist. Online passes; Needless bullshit. All DLC scandals; Needless bullshit. 40 minute patches; Lazy, overreaching needless bullshit. The HD consoles need to learn to streamline and live within their graphical means. All the overly long installs and patches are down to using online content delivery as a crutch.
Many PC games need to patch because of unforeseen hardware combination conflicts. Consoles don't have this problem. Lock it down. make it run. Ship it. You don't need to spend 18 months making the bloom a bit more shiny if the game is going to need a 10GB install and run at 25FPS. Consoles are good because they are standardized but have the disadvantage of constraints. Learn to work within those restraints.
In conclusion; If console makers tried to make their online integration user friendly... it would be user friendly. They are trying to have their cake and eat it. The Wii just doesn't try to have a cake so it can't fail.
AS for the wii I see your point. It can't really fall prey to that because it wasn't very serious in the first place. However I hope that the plug in and play mentality sticks for the upcoming Wii U. In my 4 years of owning the wii I have hadv1 patch, 3 updates that went very quickly and intuitively and zero online passes or dlc. The wii failed because it was a last gen console but that brought the hidden benefit of the last gen consoles.