The real winner of the gaming generation

[Final-Fan]

naznatips said:

Final-Fan said:
All I can say against that is that the PC has for several years now experienced an explosion of potential due to the Internet going broadband and that I'm not at all convinced that gaming will fail to find a way to exploit that as well or find some other way to keep up. Probably not in the exact same way, due to factors you mentioned among others, but personally I'm just as happy happier having physical stuff. On the other hand, If the next Wii decides to do online distribution, can even Wal-mart tell them not to do it? I doubt it.

I have to say though that "no disc changing" is a real dinosaur. I mean, we all remember Final Fantasy VII/VIII/IX but surely the pain has faded by now!

Well, unless console pricing takes an entirely new direction, Wal-mart can and will. Last I heard the retail profit on each console sale is literally a few bucks. Retailers sell consoles to sell peripherals and games. Not because they make profits on the consoles themselves. As far as the disc changing complaint:

I currently have 14 games on Steam. I can launch any of them at any time. I can also join a friend playing a game right from my instant message with them. In fact, I can join their server directly with just one click. No new discs, no launching and navigating menus, nothing. Surely you won't deny this convenience.

As a side note: A console focusing on digital distribution wouldn't have anywhere near Wii success. To the contrary, the Wii's success is based on the offline multiplayer. Not the online.

I didn't mean entirely digital distribution.

Speaking of DD, how much space do those games take up? How long does it take to put another game on it if you want to play one you don't have on the PC anymore? I have only used Steam a few times so I really don't know. How do you know they will always be available? Does the publisher have the ability to "recall" a game?

I must admit I did misunderstand what you meant by disc changing.

The online gaming stuff is definitely superior; I can only hope that consoles will catch up in the next great leap. Their capacity for incremental advances is understandably limited.

And I stand by my central assertion in the quoted material.