I just miss the days of offline split screen with bots, or offline co-op.

 It has been fixed, you now join games within seconds and there have been far less lag problems (my connection still sucks)

One Word: No. Only a few nerds are really into online gaming.

The masses want a good single-player game and don't give a pence about online gaming for their latest shooter or racer. MMO are an other thing.

It depends on the game. Some games the online is more important than others. Starcraft, although ok single player, it just wouldn't be the continuing hit it is without online. Online is also key to most FPS. Other games, it's not important.

For me it is a big meh. I like party games with my friends and I like the escapism of playing by myself. I haven't found any value in playing random badasses online.

I used to think that the masses couldn't care less but that was before the hundereds of hours my wife has spent on the Check Mii Out channel. Online really needs to mature and diversify. FPS online campaigns were fine when you want to serve the PC fanbase that has migrated to XBox, but for the 200 million other gamers online will have to do something different.

Additional content is fairly popular like Rockband and Guitar Hero 3 but both of those games will get blown out when someone realeases a game where you can make your own tracks from MP3s you upload. And frankly people would be jsut as content picking up a cd/flashcard of more music for hose games anyway.

The internet is growing at it's rapid pace due to content creation and sharing by individuals. Little Big Planet seems to be in the right vein of this(who know is the masses will find it). Also the social networking aspect in gaming needs to move beyond having to listen to biggots and flamers screaming over Live. Once again Sony seems to have the right idea with Home but we will see if it gets trendy.

Sony is still a wait and see.

Nintendo needs to get their head out of the sand. The type of online expierience availabe right now might not be theri cup of tea but if they don't start sometime they wont have anythign t oinnovate off off into the next big thing. Frankly the type of WiFi DS expierience is proving to be the most interesting. Why is it that my Connect 24 Wii internet functions pale in comparison to a portable's offereings?

And Microsoft still needs to bridge a gap from thier base audience. There are only so many PC gamers they can convert.

Lastly it is about money. The masses do not want to pay $50 a year for the priveledge of playing thier $60 games on their $400 machine or the chance to spend more money. If I have to pay a monthly fee than the game system should be free. I would like to see that one.

 You couldn't be anymore right, I've been making that very same arguement about today's "hardcore" gamers being more casual than they realise for a long time now. The ones who look for violence and noob pwnage in their games to be hardcore, they're casual in that thats all they'll ever play, with no mindset to look outside the box and discover the variey of games.

Anyway sorry for the tangent, but he's right, online is important, but it will NEVER EVER beat the feeling of having three close friends around the TV, with a controller each, some food and some drinks and the whole night ahead of you. THAT is social multiplayer gaming at it's best and that will never be beaten by any online game, ever.

 Online gaming is great, I love it, but it loses a hell of alot of the sociality that comes with original multiplayer gamin.

Honestly, in most games online play is poorly executed and just an excuse for the sticker price. In games where it's done properly it's fine but I never focus fully on it.

I consider myself hardcore given my buying habits but online gaming doesn't phase me it doesn't sway my purchases and I refuse to pay for it except in few isolated incidents(FFXI)

^^^^

I agree. Some of these so called hard core gamers would never be able to finish Super Mario Bros. 1, but because they play a FPS, memorized the map, and can aim a reticule, they figure they're hardcore. Play a Zelda game, a Silent Hill, a Final Fantasy, a Mass Effect, a Geometry Wars, or a Ratchet and Clank. Play a game that requires some thinking. Play a game with some intelligent level design, and then I can respect how "hardcore" you are. But I digress.