Unified Console in 15 years

Dolby

Dolby

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Think this will ever happen ... a MS, Nintendo & Sony partnership?

Just reading an old NAG and some people say it'll definately happen in under 2 decades.
 
Not while there's a M$ around. They've been battling everyone since the mid-70s. Thats almost 35 years and no sign of giving in...
 
Not a chance. Anyone that thinks so

a. Doesn't understand the financial model of the console industry
b. Never heard of 3DO (been there done that, got the scars . . . )

In other words, consoles work because the hardware is subsidized by platform owner royalties on games. You remove the subsidies and you have a very expensive device (at launch the 360 was the equivalent of R10k worth of PC, PS3 even more!) And you also remove the quality checks on software - games may not actually run at all.


The closest I think we'd come to a "unified console" is a "universal design philosophy". In other words console manufacturers agree on things like, number and type of processors, shader capabilities etc etc, so that even though the games won't run on all platforms at least the developers only have to program one way and just recompile for the different platforms.

Oh wait, Microsoft just did that with the 360 and PC ;)
 
I think it will be wonderful - my wife and her hot sister and me will all then play console games in bed.
 
One things for sure. If it ever did happen it would be great for the consumer.

No more buying of sub-par consoles with useless features that cost an arm and a leg just so you can play your favourite exclusive title while you mourn not being able to play something else just as fun yet not available due to the opposing company paying for it to be kept exclusive. Battles will be won on hardware merits exclusively...

Ah, we can only dream ;)
 
You guy are funny. There already is a unified console that is the ultimate media centre, that any company can make games for. It's called a pc. :-)
 
Iwojima said:
One things for sure. If it ever did happen it would be great for the consumer.
Click to expand...

Yea - plus we wouldn't have platform fanboys!

I read in the same magazine that EA creates for 14 different platforms altogether. The games would be better quality and cheaper if they could focus on 3 or so. The hardware would probably be cheaper too since we'd have enormous economy of scale.
 
But then you'd have the wii effect. The games wouldn't be better quality because they are cheaper to make. The devs would keep the quality the same while the publishers keep the extra cash.
 
Well there wouldn't be porting from Xbox360 > Playstation 3 > Wii ... currently one console gets the quality (generally the Xbox360 ...) and then there are ports. Imagine a world with no ported games? :P
 
A world with no ported games would be heaven. The wii would lose half it's library though. :) But that's fine. The ps2 ports are crap anyway.
 
So in the end the desire is 'no competition'?

I enjoy the fact that there are so many players in the market. The net result is that Sony, MS & Nintendo are constantly pushing each other to be the best, and only the consumer benefits.

If they all become unified - that would be like we have now with Telkom, will it not?
 
lcbxx said:
So in the end the desire is 'no competition'?

I enjoy the fact that there are so many players in the market. The net result is that Sony, MS & Nintendo are constantly pushing each other to be the best, and only the consumer benefits.

If they all become unified - that would be like we have now with Telkom, will it not?
Click to expand...
No, competition would exist purely along hardware lines, (i.e. more like PC's are today).

Nobody is talking about a merge of companies. MS, Nintendo and Sony would still exist and continue to fight it out by trying to provide the best hardware, instead of by brokering deals for the best games.

To use your Telkom reference: Imagine if we had 3 major players in the telecoms game. Would you rather they all provide a different broadband solution (in terms of standards etc) or would you rather they fight it out over providing the best implementation of a solution (or solutions)
 
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How will MS, Sony etc. differentiate themselves (XBox Live etc.) ? Would you then need different Operating Systems ? Sounds like a PC that only plays games to me.
 
Mier said:
How will MS, Sony etc. differentiate themselves (XBox Live etc.) ? Would you then need different Operating Systems ? Sounds like a PC that only plays games to me.
Click to expand...
Well for one only the standards that apply to the console as a game player would need to fixed in stone. i.e. the architecture, OS (perhaps not), removable storage medium, etc.

As long as that is adhered to the individual companies can tack on multitudes of extras (e.g. wireless peripherals, media center capabilities, etc) as long as the ability to play games as the creators intended is maintained.

Sure, this will probably result in consoles changing from what they were originally intended for (easy, compact gaming) to something more PC-like, but I'll bet that at least one company will realise that they can appeal price wise to the hardcore gamer by not including too much on the extra features front.

It could work...but I don't think we'll see it happen ;)
 
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Lol. Nice one. Did anyone notice that was a wii reference?
 
Gentlemen, the problem that you're all missing is

IT's already been tried and failed!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3DO_Interactive_Multiplayer

Because the hardware isn't subsidized it'd be to expensive to bring to market - never mind $600, imagine the response to the PS3 if it had had no subsidy at all! $1000+ When a similar (or better) subsidized device is around $300-$400, and the games costs the same anyway?

It doesn't work.
 
doobiwan said:
Gentlemen, the problem that you're all missing is

IT's already been tried and failed!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3DO_Interactive_Multiplayer

Because the hardware isn't subsidized it'd be to expensive to bring to market - never mind $600, imagine the response to the PS3 if it had had no subsidy at all! $1000+ When a similar (or better) subsidized device is around $300-$400, and the games costs the same anyway?

It doesn't work.
Click to expand...

Reading the "Demise" section of the article it bares a resemblance to the PS3 in terms trying to be an overachiever when it comes to extra capabilities. :D
 
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