@welshbloke, totally agree. One thing that puzzles me though: people talk a lot about long lifespans... but even though that makes financial (initial losses) and user sense (great not to have to upgrade yet have great running games) it's puzzling to me how with so much proliferation of technology this can be okay with consoles. Eg. when i first heard that the ps3 had just a total of 512mb i was scratchign my head in huge confusion. With PCs heading towards 4gb with 2gb becoming quite common I was expecting a need of at least 1 gb in the next two years. I know consoles are a completelly different thing than PCs and I think ps2 has only like 32 and works great... still, a console going on 8 years, not even going with sony's 10 year, ... that's a long time in technology terms. Then again technology is awesome when it's a means to an end (content,artwork ...)and with internet connectivity i think ps3 will be more and more in a good position: in 2-3 years it could be a very solid device, with okay potential but more importantly with the posibility of living long, strong install and the ability to deliver from games to movies to internet... Even if then it would be packaged with a keyboard/mouse, considering widespread HDtv and internet it could become a cheap internet terminal... Also i read stuff about a "unified console"... i think that's just wishful thinking. if the industry needs it it will happen, but not via consensus i believe, but simply because consumers choose it (with their wallets). Like you said i believe there's mroe than enough consumer space for different system for different purpaces. I'd theorise that the space is for 2, max 3 players in the nonportable market: one system to live longer, and another to constantly provide cutting edge every say 4-5 years, with a third being cheaper and more casual oriented or movie/music oriented. However a more probable long term solution i believe would be two long living consoles but each launching when the other one is towards the end of it's lifecycle. That way those who constanlty want to have and are wiling to pay for a system with new and exciting features can get what they want, while in the meanwhile those who buy in cheaper have longer lasting systems.
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totally agree.
One thing that puzzles me though: people talk a lot about long lifespans... but even though that makes financial (initial losses) and user sense (great not to have to upgrade yet have great running games) it's puzzling to me how with so much proliferation of technology this can be okay with consoles. Eg. when i first heard that the ps3 had just a total of 512mb i was scratchign my head in huge confusion. With PCs heading towards 4gb with 2gb becoming quite common I was expecting a need of at least 1 gb in the next two years. I know consoles are a completelly different thing than PCs and I think ps2 has only like 32 and works great... still, a console going on 8 years, not even going with sony's 10 year, ... that's a long time in technology terms. Then again technology is awesome when it's a means to an end (content,artwork ...)and with internet connectivity i think ps3 will be more and more in a good position: in 2-3 years it could be a very solid device, with okay potential but more importantly with the posibility of living long, strong install and the ability to deliver from games to movies to internet...
Even if then it would be packaged with a keyboard/mouse, considering widespread HDtv and internet it could become a cheap internet terminal...
Also i read stuff about a "unified console"... i think that's just wishful thinking. if the industry needs it it will happen, but not via consensus i believe, but simply because consumers choose it (with their wallets). Like you said i believe there's mroe than enough consumer space for different system for different purpaces. I'd theorise that the space is for 2, max 3 players in the nonportable market: one system to live longer, and another to constantly provide cutting edge every say 4-5 years, with a third being cheaper and more casual oriented or movie/music oriented. However a more probable long term solution i believe would be two long living consoles but each launching when the other one is towards the end of it's lifecycle. That way those who constanlty want to have and are wiling to pay for a system with new and exciting features can get what they want, while in the meanwhile those who buy in cheaper have longer lasting systems.