This is a cool idea to add to a console. I'm just happy for the chance to meet people on Xbox Live easier. I don't get enough free time to game alot over Live for long periods to meet good friends.... that and first-person shooters make it difficult to make friends since you're just blowing people's heads off (except maybe GRAW or Vegas). It will be fun to get to chat with other gamers, since doing it in-game is hard because you've got objectives to think about. However, I do worry it could become something as cheesy as myspace or textmessaging on cell phones, where people send stupid annoying, useless messages. Also, I hope this isn't one of many cool features that they make you buy an overpriced accessory for. Overall MS, this is a terrific idea to actually get people to have some real social interaction over Live. It's a different spin from Home for the PS3, and may lack some features of it, but it's quick and to the point. In fact, I'm very happy that Sony and MS are making social networking programs for gamers, not just idiot jocks trying to jack up their friend list, or random girls selling time on their webcams naked.
All the consoles have good things going for it. My big problem with all of them is the great games haven't come out yet. The Wii: Great launch with a few good titles, and zelda will keep you going for a while. However, after you beat those games, you don't have much incentive to buy anything new because they haven't perfected the Wii's unique controller. It makes me worry that if Nintendo doesn't deliver some good titles soon, that the controller scheme could be seen as a gimmick ( I don't think it is), so they need to make something great that doesn't just come from Nintendo. Other than downloading old classic games, not much out there yet. Xbox 360: It's sold alot of systems because it struck a year earlier with a fair price tag ($300-400), and developed some good games that show some impressive graphics. However, most of these great titles are shooters or sports titles. After playing a few, I hunger for more genres, especially RPGs. I worry what there will be after Blue Dragon and Mass Effect, will the 360 continue to get good titles. I've played Gears of War which was eyedroppingly gorgeous, but that is due to Epic Games always delivering exceptional visuals, but the game itself was shallow after completing the story, and the multiplayer is stagnent. I see no reason to buy another Tom Clancy game or any shooter until some better variety comes out. Also, bigger hard drive space, 60gb on the playstation is far more space that a pathetic 20gb to save all those shows, movies, demos and downloads. Also for lovers of Xbox Live, it isn't some revolutionary system Microsoft invented for consoles. Other consoles have done the online thing, maybe not as well, but Microsoft didn't start it, just made it more accessible and popular. Playstation 3: Terrific system with impressive multimedia features that I believe could one day be found as the hub for a family's home entertainment system. I believe that the system is advanced enough to the point that it was ahead of its time, and should've been delayed another year to get better launch games, and give more time to mass produce parts, and reduce the price to maybe 500 for the 60gb version, and 400 for the 20gb one. This goes to Sony's online system, which shows promise of being an equal to Xbox Live, and with "Home" perhaps make Microsoft copy off them. Sony doesn't have to 'copy' off Microsoft for making a standardized online system, because PCs have done this for a long time, and making a standardized system isn't original anymore. Playstation hasn't been great so far with a paultry launch, a lack of "complete" online system, but shows promise with future titles (final fantasy, devil may cry, metal gear solid, etc.) Also, I'm just proud that Playstation can actually have good multiplayer times (finally no multitap!!). My views may be scewed more in Sony's favor, but the article is about what they need to get better. All systems need to release title's to show us what the next generations of games. Also, great games only come from great companies, not just because of hardware. Titles like Gears of War don't look great because the 360 is somehow superior to all systems in hardware, just because the developer Epic Games is always known for great graphics.
You're right about Macs, they don't ever have as much viruses or spyware, because only media-lovers use it, not programmers who produce the viruses and spyware for windows. The only thing Vista ripped off Macs is making their graphic layout prettier, which Macs really didn't come up with first. Macs have problems, they crash and freeze like ever computer does at one point, and networking isn't any better. Macs are more user friendly because that's what they go for, people who are only newbie media-loving users. Plus Itunes is the worst crap software out there right now. Don't say I don't know, I've tried it and the Ipod, not impressed.
Vista isn't a drastic improvement like they made it out to be over XP. So far Vista looks like they bumped up the graphics, and added some organization, along with features users always wanted. Hopefully in the future the operating system will improve with updates, and it looks more friendly to gamers. The transparent and rolodex windows were also a nice touch. Higher system setting I know are required to run the OS, but since this is a game site (I'm assuming you're all gamers), having a powerful pc is needed to run most current games (especially online lag-free). Also, alot of good graphics cards and 2gb ram pcs are now becoming quite cheap, and will get cheaper as more models come out when Vista's been out for a year or two. Don't forget Direct X 10, which I think is a pretty big leap in detail, if anybody here has seen the trailers to Crysis. All in all, it is by far better than any MAC OS. To all MAC users who love to brag that their operating system doesn't get viruses or spyware. Why do you think that is, because Apple has amazing security. NO, it's because barely anyone uses the OS, so why bother developing viruses for it. Also, check any software section for MACs, and you'll see a few lackluster applications that are dwarfed by everything made for windows and linux. MAC users can't complain about the price to upgrade or buy a new PC to run Vista, when MAC computers cost enormous amounts of money, and you have to buy them from Apple only. Don't back a company that makes more money off their MP3 players than everything else they sell combined.
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