Xbox Co-Creator Says Consoles Have Won

[Asuka Soryu]

A more apt statement would be that gaming has won.

But who or what was gaming fighting to have won?

Soccer moms?

 

[harvz]

it would be more accurate to say that computers have won more than consoles.

these days, consoles (360, ps3 and wii) are just computers with restrictive os's. i mean, back when we had true "consoles", they were still computers with barely an os but they were restricted by physical hardware in terms of the cartridge, controller, etc. now they just use what the pc crowd are using.

so following that logic (which is the same as following this xbox co-creator's), pc has won because all consoles are computers and therefore their points go to both pc and consoles while all the pc gamers points will go solely to pc.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Reminds me of the old George Carlin bit:
"And now a message from the National Apple Institute:
'Fuck Pears!"

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.

This used to be the case with pretty much every console before this generation. The consoles are slowly becoming just as complicated as the PC. You don?t have to worry too much about system requirements but if you get a game for the 360, you have to figure out if you need to install it. And if you do, how much space you?ll need. If you?re not connected to the internet with it, you have to figure out if there are any updates that are needed.
Hell, getting Fallout New Vegas working on the PC was a lot less complicated than trying to get it to work on the ps3. If there are texture issues on your PC version, you can fix it or even get a mod to get rid of the error box. But if it?s on your console, you have to completely uninstall everything and re-install ? including any dlc (what was causing that issue) which limits you to the downloads you can make.
The big draw for the consoles used to be that you just throw in your game, turn on the machine and you?re good to go. Unfortunately I think those days are behind us. Between that and the prices of the consoles, I probably wont even bother getting one when the next gen rolls around.

I've had far fewer issues with console games and I think the ease of purchasing a console and keeping it up to date still far oustrips the ease of buying a PC and keeping it up to date, even when everything runs smoothly with no conflicts.

But I think you're right that they're taking on more and more of the issues of PCs, which is yet another reason that I'm skeptical of claims that they'll continue to dominate the market. The only reason to have a dedicated device is excellence at the job it has to do when compared to general-purpose devices. I'm betting that as graphics processing needs start to plateau (we're already nearing that point in some ways with hardware fast approaching the limit of detail an artist can reasonably put in), the consoles will start dying out.

I guess the big difference for me is that a PC problem I can either fix myself or if it?s really bad, one of my technically proficient friends can fix it; I?m talking about hardware and software problems. When it happens with a console, you?re at the mercy of the (hardware & software) developers.
It just seems like while all these systems are being put into place to make PC gaming easier, the console and software developers are all trying to make console gaming more complicated and annoying. My brother in law doesn?t have his console hooked up online at all and finds that far too many console releases now need online just to get patches. Some games (like the aforementioned New Vegas which needed several patches over the course of six months after launch) are a complete mess out of the box.
Now, I?m not some luddite saying that game consoles should remain simple and never take on additional functions, though they were more affordable and seemed to work much better when they did. What I?m saying is that developers need to be more responsible with the changes: occasionally come out with a game that they?ve actually finished...like they used to. That?s a good start. Make sure that these data networks are as secure as can be. Making sure that the launch title has $60 worth of content available on the disc rather than $30 worth of content for $60 and the ?opportunity? to later buy $10 worth of content for $20 online.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

Making sure that the launch title has $60 worth of content available on the disc rather than $30 worth of content for $60 and the ?opportunity? to later buy $10 worth of content for $20 online.

A somewhat unrelated thing, but: Sir, I salute you. Someone who actually understands the real DLC problem. It's not that DLC is inherently bad, it's that it's bad when it's used to try to make up for not having enough content in the game (just like it's bad when games without DLC don't have enough content to justify the price). I wish more people got that.

 

[GonzoGamer]

Making sure that the launch title has $60 worth of content available on the disc rather than $30 worth of content for $60 and the ?opportunity? to later buy $10 worth of content for $20 online.

A somewhat unrelated thing, but: Sir, I salute you. Someone who actually understands the real DLC problem. It's not that DLC is inherently bad, it's that it's bad when it's used to try to make up for not having enough content in the game (just like it's bad when games without DLC don't have enough content to justify the price). I wish more people got that.

I got one word for you: Gamestop. I think a lot of gamers have just gotten used to getting ripped off. Besides retail, this generation has seen both hardware and software that was so broken that it should've been recalled yet they sold really well. So I get the bad feeling that it's all just going to get worse: more money for less quality.
Like what happened to the American auto industry.