What is Digg?174 Comments
- Narrwald, on 07/23/2008, -3/+79Why does the title pick out Wii?
- MacSuxWindozSux, on 07/22/2008, -15/+82Consoles are incompatible with each other because of patents, royalties, and companies wanting to lock people into their platform.
If all your games are for XBox360 you're less inclined to get a PS3, since it wont play them. So called cool companies can't make common platforms because each company has patented key technology such as copy protection software.
Even things as simple as controllers are patented. It's likely that if you started your own business selling pc usb controllers of your own design a company like Microsoft or Logitech would sue you for patent violations, its that crowded. - santasing, on 07/22/2008, -15/+80Yea, let's just all drive one car, buy one tv and so on. Its called competition, I am perfectly happy with 3 consoles.
- dha07030, on 07/22/2008, -8/+60super long comment
- BlueSkyfish, on 07/23/2008, -1/+33To start a flamewar, of course.
- Gutommy, on 07/22/2008, -17/+43I think the current console system is pretty good.
The current system encourages competition and competition results in better quality products. This is the reason I hate EA's licensing of the NFL so much. I am probably going to play Madden over any other football game anyway, but with other NFL games available, EA is forced to make Madden better each year, which hasn't really happened in the past few years. Likewise, having three separate consoles makes for improved quality. Look at PSN which shined at E3 with some good looking titles. If not for the success of Xbox Live, Sony doesn't have to work so hard on providing a solid online. Also look at what Microsoft is doing this generation with getting tons of killer software, including former PS exclusives or timed exclusives like GTA and FF, which is a far cry from what software was like on the OXbox.
If there were a unified platform for gaming (which there is - PC) then I think quality and creativity would suffer. I am a PC gamer as well as a console gamer, but some things about PC gaming irk me. For instance, I have a decent computer. I play WoW just fine and I can play many new titles that come out. But UT3 doesn't run well on my system, even though I meet the minimum requirements. I know that minimum requirements mean you probably won't be able to play the game, but I can't justify the money to upgrade now when there are only a few titles that I can't play. I think unified console gaming would result in the same gradual upgrading that would end up not saving anyone any cash. Having the current generational format means that when a new generation comes out, I'm covered until the next gen, at least for the most part.
And lastly, in response to the title, I think the Wii is the one of the 3 that has the most reason to exist. Love it or hate it, it is different from the other two. The title should be do we really need both the 360 and PS3. I have a love/hate relationship with my Wii - love the community aspect as in having friends over and playing Wii Sports or WarioWare, but hate the online, lack of software, lack of "hardcore" titles, etc. Still Nintendo chose to do something different and it is affecting the other two companies (Avatars, Home, SIXAXIS *shudder* etc.) - T440, on 07/23/2008, -0/+21Quickest way to make it to Diggs home page.
- Dozernotz, on 07/23/2008, -1/+20Lack of unified standards is actually one of the well-known drawbacks to free market capitalism. It's the same reason why Europe and Asia are so far ahead when it comes to cell phone standards. And also why the PC gaming industry is considerably more developed than open source due to the wide platform offered by Microsoft's monopoly of the OS.
Of course everyone knows regulation and monopolies are unmitigated evil. Unfortunately it's just not always that black and white from a consumer standpoint. - inactive, on 07/23/2008, -6/+25The idea of a one console future is stupid. The Wii innovates, something that wouldn't have happened in a one console scenario. There may have been Wii-like peripherals but peripherals are a sure fire way to split your gaming base.
- kufu91, on 07/23/2008, -0/+15but you can drive the same roads as people with different cars.
- zelzin, on 07/23/2008, -3/+18Computer + Game Controller = Unified Console
If they brought the games they lock down to only consoles to the PC then all of our lives would be much simpler.
Oh, and for you "but I want it on the TV" guys. It's not hard to hook up a PC to a TV. - jsaya, on 07/23/2008, -3/+16Phail = FAIL
- Shaflugi, on 07/23/2008, -1/+13Not a great analogy. If you buy a TV, are you locked in to specific channels? Do you have to buy a different TV to get other channels?
- mmijatov, on 07/22/2008, -2/+14Personally I'd like to see a day when I can purchase a game, play it on my mobile device on the go, then play it on my PC, hell I'd like to play it on anything I damn well please . . . and pay one price.
- danjwray, on 07/23/2008, -5/+16Why are people digging you down? It's absolutely true.
- ShakeWell, on 07/23/2008, -0/+10Sure, point out the hardest way to get something done.
- AsSubtleAsABrik, on 07/23/2008, -1/+10It goes well with the picture.
- foolfoolz, on 07/23/2008, -2/+11Anyone else agree this article is whiny and a waste of time?
- Myonosken, on 07/23/2008, -0/+8Aren't videogames toys anyway....?
- CaptnHector, on 07/23/2008, -4/+12I can't believe your actually getting dugg down for an insightful comment. Digg sure is living up to its stereotype right now, full of mindless, pre-pubescent, idiots - hyperactive and sheeplike, anti-intellectual and rabidly (as they would say) fanboi-ish. Digg, you're liked that fenced in play-area in the neighborhood park, full of brightly colored plastic play structures and screaming toddlers. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch the homeless dudes play chess (that'd be /.)
- drape, on 07/23/2008, -2/+10Want to play realistic action-packed games, PC beats xbox or PS3 hands down. Nintendo got it right and shifted to 'real' entertainment.
- innocentsinner, on 07/23/2008, -1/+8I was going to say because it's underpowered and the 'odd man out', but really it's the PS3/360 that are damn near redundant.
- Doomsan, on 07/23/2008, -0/+7There's gotta be competition, that's what keep things going!
- jsaya, on 07/23/2008, -2/+9Brawl
- jbmcb, on 07/23/2008, -0/+6"It's the same reason why Europe and Asia are so far ahead when it comes to cell phone standards."
That isn't the greatest example. Everyone standardized on GSM - it took years for all the countries to set aside that RF spectrum, but they (mostly) got it done. So, out comes GSM 3G - Uh-oh! It's not backwards-compatible with GSM 2G, so it needs another frequency band. This is holding back 3G rollout in a bunch of countries - including the US which uses a different band than the EU.
Standards aren't always a good thing. If it makes sense, there will be one. I don't think a standard gaming console would necessarily make sense, at the very least it would hold back development as there wouldn't be much incentive to make radical changes to the existing platform. - Murdats, on 07/23/2008, -0/+6we have that hardware abstraction now, its called an operating system on a PC.
and your suggestion is exactly what MS is doing, the 360 directX API is very simiilar to the PC one, add XNA on to that where you can say compile for console or compile for PC and you now have a 360 and pc game. - crossmr, on 07/23/2008, -0/+6Hardest? that is easiest. I actually keep my PC in a shed in the backyard.
On the other side of an alligator pit.
filled with snipers
but no alligators... - jamesmcv, on 07/23/2008, -1/+7Product differentiation enhances market power.
- Myonosken, on 07/23/2008, -0/+5What the HELL did you just say?
- drfnord, on 07/22/2008, -2/+7Because making the hardware is where the money is at. Each publisher has to pay Nintendo/MS/Sony ~10 dollars per copy of a game sold. This is where all of the profit comes from. First party titles don't have to pay anything, making them even more profitable(which is where Nintendo makes its fortune).
If there was only one format, who would get the money? It wouldn't really work as a business model. - Darthyoshiboy, on 07/23/2008, -0/+5Yeah, cause what we want is an organization a la the MPAA screwing with our beloved video games. Keeping the market segmented and separate like it is keeps us from having to deal with a GPAA (Game Publishers Association of America) who can dictate all kinds of craziness and assault their customers unchecked like the RIAA and MPAA do now.
This article is crap. - plokij909, on 07/23/2008, -1/+6"I should point out that I’m no economics major" - that's why you're writing your useless articles on Cracked, dumbass.
Waste of time and bytes. Buried - Murdats, on 07/23/2008, -0/+5never heard of a laptop, wireless network and media hub, dedicated gaming PC next to the tv (wait, thats what consoles are arent they?), wireless tv transmitter, or just a longer cable
hmm you are right, your way is the only way. - spoogieking012, on 07/23/2008, -0/+5i have FOUR playstation 3s
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OiYq0v9IeVM - inactive, on 07/23/2008, -0/+4The Wii helps keep the fat off my wifes ass, those others dont.
- cgruber, on 07/23/2008, -0/+4Someone has to look at all that porn...
- Chewie67, on 07/23/2008, -1/+5This article also overlooks one major problem. Compatibility.
Console gamers may remember the debacle the PS2 HDD was. Great concept, but it was an optional feature, not a core part of the system. So, game developers couldn't be certain the player had one, and therefore never utilitzed it.
Now imagine 10 different companies selling 10 different variations of a game console. They will each want to make their variation different than what their competitors are selling. One might have a larger HDD than the rest. Another might have a web cam as part of the standard bundle. A third might include a steering wheel, and so on.
This leaves game developers in an awkward position. Does the console have a web cam? Maybe. Do we need to include one if we write a game that uses a web cam? Ummm.....perhaps.
It just causes more confusion. - nachowski, on 07/23/2008, -2/+5That's not what Stockholm Syndrome means.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm_syndrome - Darkangel754, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3Nintendo is rumored to make as much as $100 profit on each system sold.
- inactive, on 07/23/2008, -3/+6ESPN NFL 2K5 will STILL be the best football game, even when Madden 2018 hits the shelves.
- comedianX, on 07/23/2008, -7/+10You all have Stockholm Syndrome; the whole lot of you. The so-called Console War isn't good for gamers and isn't even good for game publishers. Competition is good, but unified standards are also good. You say one platform would stifle innovation? Look at the PC: lots of new and innovative games on singular platform.
- rolf, on 07/23/2008, -1/+43DO called, they want their idea back.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3DO_Interactive_Multi ...
When there are competing formats during the CD generation (Sony minidisc) - people don't hear too much difference between the 2 and pick solely on price of players or major features. Same with movies - on a standard definition TV, betamax or VHS looked pretty much the same to most people because a standard def TV is pretty damned limited. It became a price war on a commodity - the players to play the same the content.
Unlike movies or music, every video game experience can be completely affected by the video game system. Would you prefer the level of 3d graphics of the Wii or the PS3? Do you prefer the Wii's controller over the PS3? That's another consideration (most developers don't program for non-standard controllers make the system's default choice important).
Also, you have undoubtedly noticed that the CD format and DVD format have been stagnant since the day they came out, no? Would you still want to be playing the original NES?
Until systems have reach the limits of human perception visually, audio, taste, smell, and touch - expect competition. Once we have the holodeck, it can be standardized. - jbmcb, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3@ChildeRoland420 -
I think there is plenty of room for improvement in the console space. HD is available, but the consoles aren't doing full-quality 1080p yet, fully high definition graphics takes a LOT of horsepower (think Crysis at high quality settings @ 1920x1200)
Not to mention that consoles are just starting to do multiplayer decently. Eye and motion tracking are in their infancy. More HTPC features are also on their way.
I think, as far as a unified platform goes, a consortium might arise where games are run in a standardized, emulated environment. Simple games like puzzles, shooters, and platformers would be ideal for this and easily distributed over multiple platforms via downloading. - Namco, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3Because a standards group didn't develop the videogame media format. Duh!
- Murdats, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3can your car only drive on certain roads specific to that car? can you're tv display only as many channels as is made for that specific tv?
its called vendor lock in, and its always going to happen in the free market, initial choice arises from the free market, but after choosing your company you dont get many more choices after that. - rot13ubercrypto, on 07/23/2008, -1/+4It's easy -- it exists because it's the first platform to bring an innovative technology that can be used by "anyone" to the market, at a comparatively reasonable price and with a good selection of games. Remember, a successful entrepreneur is not the first person to do something, it's the first person to do something successfully.
My business school housemates bought a Wii for one guy's birthday; it was piss-easy for them to set up with a projector, and to start playing Wii golf, tennis, Mario Kart, whatever. Unlike me, these guys have no technical background whatsoever (the concept of me having a desktop system for PC games, not that I had time for them, or a FreeBSD fileserver, in my room was as alien to them as advanced brain surgery to me. These are people who absolutely marvel at someone who is able to remove a virus or undelete a file, or show them a new keyboard shortcut -- in short, managers.
We all worked an absolute *****-ton and didn't have much time to learn anything new; after a very long day, or during a party at our house, it was great for these guys to just be able to pick up a little white brick with as few buttons or wires as possible, and start moving it around intuitively. The whole thing didn't cost that much, and once we started playing, we wanted to buy more games. Online play? ***** that, too complex. Learning a bunch of commands? No thanks. Your brain is completely dead after an 18-hour day, and you don't want to bother with anything but slipping in a DVD and blowing things up, together with a bunch of your buddies who're at the same technical (non-)level as you.
And that is why the Wii exists. - Kanten, on 07/23/2008, -2/+5The Wii innovates, but only shovelware uses it.
- RoadDoggFL, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3"It’d remove the responsibility for manufacturing hardware from Microsoft’s sloped shoulders and birdlike arms - they’ve never really proven themselves adapt at the sort of heavy lifting that manufacturing requires."
Uhh, MS did a fine job with the Xbox... - LavaWarrior, on 07/23/2008, -0/+3It's the same thing as anything else. Why have more than one computer company? Why have AMD and Intel? Why have more than one search engine? Where there is money to be made, there will be companies there to get their hands on it.
- Gizzmo0411, on 07/23/2008, -1/+4Hardly a novel...sorry you brain can't hold as much as most people. Maybe finish high school first? I don't know what to tell you...
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