Xbox Co-Creator Says Consoles Have Won
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
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"Oh look I'm getting publicity" - is what I got from this article...Jebus a console is a system made specifically for playing games and nothing else.If anything consoles died because they became home entertainment systems and simple computers.Where they weren't phones filled the gap.Especially as there are talks that the new xbox will support windows all traces of what the console was are disappearing...
So let me get this straight. He thinks because he calls something a console its a console and therefore consoles have won? What about the fact that, at its core, every console is a PC (or MAC if we include iPads and the like)? Doesn't that, in turn, mean that PCs win?
Oh, burn! Oh wait. I mean the opposite of that. Chill?Mikko Laurinen said:He never compared consoles to PCs. Learn 2 read b4 commenting.Steve Butts said:
Blakely says the highest goal for any digital device is and should be playing games. He points to the growth of that thinking among emerging tech platforms as evidence that the console model has triumphed, but he CLEARLY misses the point that the democratic, unrestricted nature of PC software development proved the viability and potential of this model years ago, and that's what the console manufacturers have been chasing for the last twenty years. Server side storage, dynamic user-driven content, and social connectivity are the key forces driving this extension of gaming into the mainstream platforms and it's all stuff that the consoles drew from the PC market.
The emerging iOS and Facebook markets are the antithesis of the console way of thinking. For Blakely to tie that growth to the particular qualities of the console market is misguided. It would have been better, as others have already suggested, had he said that GAMING has won. What would we make of a gamer who ten years ago, in the face of the consoles' integration of previously PC-exclusive features, declared that the console's increasing market share proved that the PC was, in fact, triumphant?
Again, he never said a thing about PCs. This was never in any way about Console vs PC. As I stated in my post before the one you quoted, his argument IS in fact about gaming vs lack of relevancy and your PC-related points, while very much valid, thus miss the point of what it's about.Steve Butts said:Oh, burn! Oh wait. I mean the opposite of that. Chill?Mikko Laurinen said:He never compared consoles to PCs. Learn 2 read b4 commenting.Steve Butts said:
Blakely says the highest goal for any digital device is and should be playing games. He points to the growth of that thinking among emerging tech platforms as evidence that the console model has triumphed, but he CLEARLY misses the point that the democratic, unrestricted nature of PC software development proved the viability and potential of this model years ago, and that's what the console manufacturers have been chasing for the last twenty years. Server side storage, dynamic user-driven content, and social connectivity are the key forces driving this extension of gaming into the mainstream platforms and it's all stuff that the consoles drew from the PC market.
The emerging iOS and Facebook markets are the antithesis of the console way of thinking. For Blakely to tie that growth to the particular qualities of the console market is misguided. It would have been better, as others have already suggested, had he said that GAMING has won. What would we make of a gamer who ten years ago, in the face of the consoles' integration of previously PC-exclusive features, declared that the console's increasing market share proved that the PC was, in fact, triumphant?
When consoles become region free and support custom home-brew app's then they have won. Also i want to play some damn visual novels on the 360 or Ps3 with-out having to import or learn a second language or do the other methods... that aside is he serious???
I wonder why the co-creator of one of the most popular consoles would hold such an opinion.
Also, he's pretty right for the time being. Specific-purpose devices and software are dominating right now. Consoles have far outstripped PC sales and the app model for software has gained significant traction. People like things that are self-contained and relatively simple to understand and it's hard to blame them.
Consoles are a lot easier to deal with than PCs: if it's a 360 game it will run on a 360. You don't need to worry about system requirements, about updating, about messing with settings. Similarly, if you want to install an app on your iPad, you download the app and boom, done. No need to fuss with installations, conflicts, etc.
At the same time, devices that are already relatively unobtrusive are becoming more and more integrated. I know relatively few people who have separate phones and MP3 players anymore for instance. I think that that trend will far outstrip the trend toward more simple self-contained devices within our lifetime. Essentially, I'd bet that this current trend toward simplification will effectively succeed, at which point we'll move back toward integrating all of the newly simplified systems.
And this is probably a good thing - as it stands most new technology is sort of strapped onto existing technology. Computers are used for a multitude of things, but each new thing has to be added to a system that wasn't necessarily designed for it. A redesign is sort of in order. Once that's done, I think we'll see another big push for device integration that will spell the end of the console. Once you don't need to worry about system requirements, tweaking settings, conflicts, and an unwieldy number of competing proprietary formats, there's absolutely no reason why someone would want a single-purpose console over something like a PC.
Also, he's pretty right for the time being. Specific-purpose devices and software are dominating right now. Consoles have far outstripped PC sales and the app model for software has gained significant traction. People like things that are self-contained and relatively simple to understand and it's hard to blame them.
Consoles are a lot easier to deal with than PCs: if it's a 360 game it will run on a 360. You don't need to worry about system requirements, about updating, about messing with settings. Similarly, if you want to install an app on your iPad, you download the app and boom, done. No need to fuss with installations, conflicts, etc.
At the same time, devices that are already relatively unobtrusive are becoming more and more integrated. I know relatively few people who have separate phones and MP3 players anymore for instance. I think that that trend will far outstrip the trend toward more simple self-contained devices within our lifetime. Essentially, I'd bet that this current trend toward simplification will effectively succeed, at which point we'll move back toward integrating all of the newly simplified systems.
And this is probably a good thing - as it stands most new technology is sort of strapped onto existing technology. Computers are used for a multitude of things, but each new thing has to be added to a system that wasn't necessarily designed for it. A redesign is sort of in order. Once that's done, I think we'll see another big push for device integration that will spell the end of the console. Once you don't need to worry about system requirements, tweaking settings, conflicts, and an unwieldy number of competing proprietary formats, there's absolutely no reason why someone would want a single-purpose console over something like a PC.
You made Blackley's point for him, probably without knowing it.Marudas said:
To begin with, your definition of the term "console" is entirely too limited. For instance, by your definition, the Ninendo DS and Sony PSP don't qualify as "consoles." Then, you contradicted yourself, by giving a seperate comment about gaming, which is actually a much better definition of "console," in regards to gaming. Gaming has always been about the method of distribution, and the console has always been the platform by which that distributed material is enjoyed. Hard box consoles were simply easier at the infancy of gaming, and people have kept that thought in mind.
However, a machine is what you do with it. For instance, if you were to gut your old tv, make it watertight, and keep your goldfish in there, would that still be a television? No, it would be a fishtank. I have an iPod Touch. I haven't had access to iTunes since I bought the thing, so I use it for watching Netflix, Facebook, and Youtube, mainly. Is my iPod Touch, that has no music on it, still a music player? Or, is it, through my usage, a platform for watching movies, and keeping in touch with friends?
A Jeep isn't an all terrain vehicle if it's never driven off of the road. A Pagani Zonda isn't a high performance car if it's never taken above 50 mph. Similarly, if a person owns a computer primarily for gaming, that is a gaming platform, regardless of what other functions it can perform.
But, then, there's Steam. What is Steam? No, seriously, I want you to think about that for a second. Steam is, at its core, a service for computers that acts as a platform upon which video games are played. In every way, except for the grey box sitting on my bookcase, Steam IS a video game console.
I know. I know. "No, it's not. Steam uses downloads. That's not like consoles." Does that mean if a person only buys Wii games from the Virtual Console that his Wii is any less of a gaming platform? Or, if someone only uses PSN to get their PS3 games? How about X-Box Live Arcade?
The point I'm trying to make is that a "gaming console" is simply the software that allows for the game to be played. But, people like you are argueing that gaming must inherantly be confined to a single box, otherwise it's not authentic. And, the problem with your arguement is that evolutions happens, especially in technology. To stagnate is to die. We've reached the tipping point, at which the difference between gaming platforms are nearly non-existant. Case in point: If I were so inclined, I could plug a X-Box 360 controller into my PC, and use that to control my character in Team Fortress 2. Or, using a converter, I can use a keyboard and mouse to play games on my PS3.
Blackley's right. Console gaming has won, because everything that can play a game is a gaming console.
No no no, you missed the point, everything is now a console, therefor consoles win!The Virgo said:
I really do wonder if they hire people straight from the looney bin... well I guess not having to pay them in real money has it's upsides.
