To spur discussion of Game history.

[SyncroScales]

Anyone have any comments or ideas? I posted something on the Sony PS3 forum and thought it might be better here.

A rep mentioned the PS4 is a Playstation comuter system.

So I take it that Sony is getting into the computer market...Or it's obvious the video game systems are getting more like computers. ASUS took the plunge. It's no longer 2 companies. But what is "under the hood"?


Strange how computers were so propriatery before. They were for nerds only. Then they beceome mainstream. Not there is somewhat of a reversal to the propriatery...But I shouldn't say that since companies like ATI and I assume nVidia are involved with the gaming consoles.


Systems like the Playstation 1, Nintento 64 and Sega Dreamcast made Arcade games obsolete since they looked similar, the same or better. The gaming consoles would have died without online multi-player support and certain features accessable with the internet, etc the list goes on. What's next?


I gotta go. I'll add more later.

 

[casualcolors]

Well the future for consoles needs to include a way to incorporate the mod community. Of course, for this to be the case they do also need some inherent compatibility with mouse and keyboard. That dances on a precipice that consoles aren't eager to go over. Mouse and Keyboard is without any question the best way to play FPS games (and some other genres such as RTS which are not widespread on console for this reason) but if you incorporate native mouse and keyboard functionality into a game system, that opens the door for people to play the games that they would prefer to use a mouse and KB with, to do so. Then you have the implied inequity between controller users and Mouse+KB users that is no longer separated by platform, and now only by purchase.

That is the choice that I think is going to be interesting to see pan out in next-gen console creation, personally.

 

[SyncroScales]

Good points.

I like the controllers and joysticks, but mouse and keyboard are something different and can give more.

When I had access to a computer at a younger age and found out about mod's and extra files, levels, etc: I started to download them and try them out. I learned a lot about computers and started to look at consoles as very limited and weak. I like both though.

PC's and the internet really helped out a lot of people who were living somewhere remote, had difficult schedules to meet a community or had difficulties making friends. Consoles had that missing before.

 

[SyncroScales]

Best answer selected by SyncroScales.