Squilliam on 04 December 2008
In the current generation of consoles the boundaries between consoles and computers are shrinking rapidly. Nintendo has brought as a user interface which makes a computer like operation on a console possible and they have expanded the very scope of market to include exercise type games (Wii Fit) and educational type games (Brain training). Microsoft and Sony have taken the media centre approach by placing a lot of emphasis on multimedia functionality with movies and music playing a big role in their unique selling propositions.
By combining both concepts from Nintendo and Microsoft/Sony and taking them to the next step of evolution, will we see consoles evolve from being merely games machines into a neccessary part of our lives? So instead being defined as a device for playing games, the consoles themselves could possibly challenge the role of the personal computer in the home and perhaps define a new role as the centre of our digital lives.
Between voice, motion and gesture recognition interfaces which will all probably be considered or discarded for the next generation of consoles the question of interface is likely to be solved. The hardware requirements were never a problematic question and the advent of HD televisions has solved the final problem of displaying text on the screen. All thats left is a final question, how far will the software take us for the next generation?
The prize which is on offer here may be much larger than simply winning a slice of the gaming pie. There is a really possibility of taking a slice of the large educational software, movie, music, exercise and even general computing markets. Consoles in a way have always acted as a hub of sorts, like an Amplifier acts as a hub for a home entertainment system. With devices becoming increasingly connected, will consoles become the hub which they all connect through? The stakes have never been higher, nor have the possibilities been so open to speculation.
By combining both concepts from Nintendo and Microsoft/Sony and taking them to the next step of evolution, will we see consoles evolve from being merely games machines into a neccessary part of our lives? So instead being defined as a device for playing games, the consoles themselves could possibly challenge the role of the personal computer in the home and perhaps define a new role as the centre of our digital lives.
Between voice, motion and gesture recognition interfaces which will all probably be considered or discarded for the next generation of consoles the question of interface is likely to be solved. The hardware requirements were never a problematic question and the advent of HD televisions has solved the final problem of displaying text on the screen. All thats left is a final question, how far will the software take us for the next generation?
The prize which is on offer here may be much larger than simply winning a slice of the gaming pie. There is a really possibility of taking a slice of the large educational software, movie, music, exercise and even general computing markets. Consoles in a way have always acted as a hub of sorts, like an Amplifier acts as a hub for a home entertainment system. With devices becoming increasingly connected, will consoles become the hub which they all connect through? The stakes have never been higher, nor have the possibilities been so open to speculation.
Tease.
