This appeals to several groups of people and it will have at _least_limited success. These groups being:
FOSS advocates (N.B. How Sony encourages Linux) Indie / Aspiring Developers Modder types Hardware manufacturers
The real benefit to the average consumer here is competition. Don't see much of that on the Xbox now do you. Do you get to choose another Live provider? Do you get to choose to have a Blu-Ray drive? No. MS sets the standards, hardware, prices and systems. If you don't like it...well... tough!
Now what happens in an open world? Anyone can make a PC to their unique specifications. Power, memory, shape, size, colour etc. Providing, of course, it conforms to the open standard. With a choice of components to build a compatible system, suddenly the consumer has more choice and more reasonable prices.
An open console is a no risk buy for the consumer. If the platform flops, you've still got a reasonably priced PC that can any run any traditional OS. Not so easy to do that with your Xbox is it. Prepare to be branded a security circumventing criminal (hacker) if you try and install Linux...though I doubt you'll do the time :)
Funnily enough I already had a discussion on an "open console". The real argument there was due to people believing no hardware producer would step up to the open standard challenge. Well here's the first, so congratulations Acer. I wish you the best of luck and I for one will be ready with my wallet when they're ready for sale.
Will it make the mass breakthrough beyond the aforementioned groups? ...maybe. If nobody tries, nobody knows. I for one am confident some form of open console will break through.
2
FOSS advocates (N.B. How Sony encourages Linux)
Indie / Aspiring Developers
Modder types
Hardware manufacturers
The real benefit to the average consumer here is competition. Don't see much of that on the Xbox now do you. Do you get to choose another Live provider? Do you get to choose to have a Blu-Ray drive? No. MS sets the standards, hardware, prices and systems. If you don't like it...well... tough!
Now what happens in an open world? Anyone can make a PC to their unique specifications. Power, memory, shape, size, colour etc. Providing, of course, it conforms to the open standard. With a choice of components to build a compatible system, suddenly the consumer has more choice and more reasonable prices.
An open console is a no risk buy for the consumer. If the platform flops, you've still got a reasonably priced PC that can any run any traditional OS. Not so easy to do that with your Xbox is it. Prepare to be branded a security circumventing criminal (hacker) if you try and install Linux...though I doubt you'll do the time :)
Funnily enough I already had a discussion on an "open console". The real argument there was due to people believing no hardware producer would step up to the open standard challenge. Well here's the first, so congratulations Acer. I wish you the best of luck and I for one will be ready with my wallet when they're ready for sale.
Will it make the mass breakthrough beyond the aforementioned groups? ...maybe. If nobody tries, nobody knows. I for one am confident some form of open console will break through.