Are consoles becoming less about games?

Bad, which is much of the reason that a PS3 isn't on my shelf. I have a philosophical disagreement with the path Sony chose for their hardware that hasn't yet been overcome by its awesome and copious software library. I want to want one, but don't yet. I've been tempted to buy a standalone Blu-Ray player more than I've been tempted to get a PS3, since I like the dedicated device approach more than the "everything in one box" approach.gmsnpr

Pretty much my view too. Even though everything in one box is convenient, space-spacing and money-saving, it just doesn't really appeal to me. What if that one box breaks? Call me old-fashioned, but I like to have consoles just for games, I like to have stand-alone DVD players, I like that my stereo is an expensive set of separates.

I'd much sooner buy a stand-alone BR player than a PS3, like with gmsnpr the PS3 software library so far fails to impress me... and I'd rather have a smaller, nicer-looking and by-now cheaper BR player than the monstrosity that is the PS3.

I guess that this view is in the minority. People nowadays always seem to want all-singing, all-dancing equipment that does so many things that even the manufacturers can't remember them all.

Does anybody remeber back in the old days when consoles were JUST for games, consoles like the SNES, N64 etc. And now with consoles like the PS3, Xbox360 there becoming less and less about games and more about internet, music, films etc. Do you think thats a good ting or bad thing?FredGoon

That's what I've been trying to say for the past 2 years, consoles are trying to become less and less gaming systems and more...multimedia device's, I mean I hate the fact that I can't just go and buy memory cards when I don't have enough space on my memory card, now we have to worry about hardware, I don't know...It's getting complicating this generation, I don't what I'm going to do next generation

I actually like all the innovation that this latest generation of gaming systems offers. I like the fact that if my Xbox 360 breaks again (which it will), I can still play dvds on my PS3. I also like all the online components and I love the fact that both systems have hard drives so that I can store all my game demos and trailers..

I am concerned about publishers making games that don't work out of the box though. I got UT3 for the PS3 and it wouldn't play because it required a 143 mb update. The update wouldn't load because there was a software bug somewhere else in in the bowels of the PS3. Essentially, this meant that I couldn't play the game that I just paid for. This is the WRONG APPROACH to gaming consoles. Sony should have made darn sure that the game would play and that all bugs were ironed out of their system so that this couldn't happen. I ended up having to research fixes on the internet. If they can't eliminate this kind of problem, then they can't be trusted and then I agree more with everyone who has written that a gaming machine should only play games.

With the Wii selling weight scales, The PS3 selling BluRay and the 360 providing media server features and selling digital distribution of movies/ TV etc... yeah, it's happened. It started of course with the disc based-systems like Saturn and PS1 playing music CD's, and remember the PS2 sold well in Japan initially becuase it was the cheapest DVD player on the market.

It's not a negative to me though, I can ignore all those other features. I know people who have bought gaming systems because they wanted a DVD player and figured they could buy a game here and there, and that helps us all (as opposed to them never buying a game).

I bet you could count the number of people who buy a 360 for it's media server / download ability and not for the games in about 4 minutes, but that'll change in the next iteration, which again, is a smart move on MS's part and they are to be congratulated for pulling off what everyone has been trying to do for the last 20 years (make a one-stop set-top box).

Well, you can always delete stuff just like you did on the over-priced memory cards.

Personally, I really enjoy the 360's media functions. Before, I'd have to hook up my laptop using a s-video cable to watch stuff but now I just use my network to watch HD videos.

Well, you can always delete stuffSins-of-Mosin

But thats the thing, nobody wants to do that! Atleast with Memrys cards you can go buy a new memory card,. I mean what you supposed to do on PS3's and 360's go buy new hardware?

[QUOTE="Sins-of-Mosin"]

Well, you can always delete stuffFredGoon

But thats the thing, nobody wants to do that! Atleast with Memrys cards you can go buy a new memory card,. I mean what you supposed to do on PS3's and 360's go buy new hardware?

Actually, yeah. PS3 supports copying game saves to an USB storage device (external hard drive or jumpdrive) and the 360 has memory card slots on all models, including the 120GB Elite. It's the same model, only now you have more options. Personally, I'm glad memory cards are dying out. Too restrictive & too expensive. Seperating game saves from the game itself was a good step. Giving you more options to store your save data is a good thing.

Personally I don't see what's the big deal with multifunctionality. Just because a console can do more than play games doesn't make it any less of a gaming device. You may as well extend the same argument for cell phones as well. I don't need all that useless fluff...all I want to do is use it to call people. :P

Even if you don't approve of where the trend is going, you'd better get used to it, cuz everybody is embracing it, including Nintendo.

Yes but dont you think like 50 years from now, the consoles won't be made for games any more, they will be used for multimedia devices first and games second.FredGoon

Eh, I doubt it. As long as the interface is specifically tailored for gaming, then that will be its primary function.

Personally I don't see what's the big deal with multifunctionality. Just because a console can do more than play games doesn't make it any less of a gaming device. You may as well extend the same argument for cell phones as well. I don't need all that useless fluff...all I want to do is use it to call people. :P

Even if you don't approve of where the trend is going, you'd better get used to it, cuz everybody is embracing it, including Nintendo.BladesOfAthena

Tacking features onto gaming consoles has been going on for more than 25 years, actually. I have a cartridge for the Bally Astrocade that was designed to let you program in BASIC, so I've been getting used to it for a while. Though it isn't compulsory to use the extra functionality, it still takes away focus from the main purpose of a gaming rig, and that's what I don't like.

My cell is pretty simple, come to think of it...:)

Tacking features onto gaming consoles has been going on for more than 25 years, actually. I have a cartridge for the Bally Astrocade that was designed to let you program in BASIC, so I've been getting used to it for a while. Though it isn't compulsory to use the extra functionality, it still takes away focus from the main purpose of a gaming rig, and that's what I don't like.

My cell is pretty simple, come to think of it...:)

gmsnpr

But that begs the question though; how is this taking focus away from gaming? I mean, the X360's multimedia functions didn't stop it from having a highly rich and varied library.

Yes but dont you think like 50 years from now, the consoles won't be made for games any more, they will be used for multimedia devices first and games second.FredGoon

*cough*N-Gage*cough*