Very soon, I'll own the 3 major home consoles: The Wii, the XBOX 360, and the PS3. The circle will be complete. Still, as I a grateful to have the potential to play the very best, part of me is still not satisfied. As each system and it's features was announced, my immagination ran wild. So much potential! If creative developers used half of the stuff I was daydreaming about, then these exciting times would've been downright magical. Don't get me wrong. This year alone has enough awesomeness for me to consider it the best year ever. But what about the tools that have been there, unused all along? What about....... The Nintendo Wii. Unused potential: DS Connectivity. At this point in the Gamecube's life, connectivty with the GBA was a big deal. Both the Wii and DS are Wi-Fi compatable. Why aren't they playing together yet. I had one GBA. I have FOUR DS's. Use that trojan horse, Nintendo. It's the #1 console, this generation! Online: Wi-Fi right out of the box. The console was designed with online in mind. Why is the implementation so bad (although it's slowly getting better)? Motion Controls: The system's selling point. When I played Wario Ware, and Wii Sports, I was amazed. Then, I learned that acting out a punch, or standing and hula-hooping got the exact same results as shaking the controller like a crying baby (don't shake babies.). The concept is great, but the tech isn't there yet. The Virtual Arcade: Before the first Wii game was shown, Nintendo told us how we'd be able to download games from every previous Nintendo console. We can, but damn. I've been out of space for months. The console has a DRM system in place. It's SD Card compatible. Why is storage space such an issue at this point? The Wii-Remote Speaker: Awesome, and under utilized. When do I get a game where my partners drop hints via the remote? Sound effects every now and then are cool, but it could do so much more. That's it for the Wii. Next stop, 360 country!

The XBOX 360. I didn't own an original XBOX. That's why i'm surprised that the 360 is my favorite console, so far this gen. Still, there's plenty of untapped promise, and room for improvement. For example:

The Web Browser: There isn't one. The console prides itself on it's online ability. It can't even browse the internet. I buy my consoles for games, but not having a browser this gen is akin to not having a DVD player last gen. It's crazy. I have a PC. Right now, I'm on my Wii. The online option is appreciated. I know the 360 can do it. Give me a reason to buy that QWERTY Controller attachment.

Monetary System: I used to download games all the time. Now I don't. I got tired of always being short on money. The conversion rate sucks. When 15ms points=$15, I'll be back.

The Live Vision Camera: Not ideal for every game, but please! Let me use it for SOMETHING! Uno was a blast. Now it needs a new "killer app". What good is the technology if no games use it?

Themes: I probably own more than 30 themes. In the past month, I've seen ONE. It's no big deal, but a "Random Theme" setting would be greatly appreciated. Let me see some of those themes I spent my hard earned money on.

Anyway, 360 isn't too bad. Next stop, the PS3!

Hmmm....how about a game on the Wii that's essentially like DQ8. Only, instead of pushing 'up' to walk, you utilize the WiiFit balance board to move throughout the game, and, of course, the Wiimote for sword swings and such. The board could also detect when you crouched in real life, and the character onscreen would follow suit to dodge attacks, (Wii)Fit into tight spaces and other things(like looking up virtual maiden's virtual skirts j/k.) So, in essence, you could burn calories and save the kingdom at the same time!
The potential for the most immersive gaming experience is HUGE.

PS: if anyone from Square and/or Nintendo(Zelda would be awesome, too) read this: make it happen.

I don't own a PS3. I will by the end of this week. There's a reason I've waited so long. Nothing really stands out from the 360. Like the other systems, the potential is there. It's always been there. When is Sony going to utilize........

Their Awesome Exclusives: Twisted Metal, Ico, Jak, Dark Cloud, etc.... The PS2 had an identity. I know third party exclusives are rare, but Sony has enough 1st party ammo. When the heck are they going to use it. I wanted a PS3 for months, now. All I needed to buy one, was a reason.

Motion Controls: I don't own a PS3 yet. From what I've heard, the motion controls are sub-par. Hopefully, some future software is going to change opinions about this. Perhaps, Sony should've had an idea about what to do with this tech, before using trading rumble for motion controls.

Blu-Ray: I've watched a Blu-Ray movie a few months back. It was beautiful. I've seen Blu-Ray games. They look......as good as 360 games. MGS4 is supposed to show why Blu-Ray was a must have. I hope it does. Right now, I don't see any advantages over the 360's DVD format.

Cell: The PS3 is allegedly the most powerful console on the market. Show me. Make me a believer!

Anyhoo, I don't own a PS3 yet. That's all I got.

Soooo, when are the PS3, 360, and Wii going to start using their untapped potential? Are there games that already fulfill what I'm griping about? Should I just STFU, and just enjoy the best year of gaming ever? Tell me!

Yes, I agree.

Wii/DS connectivity is very slip-shod.

The highest selling console and the highest selling handheld have no sort of connection. There is serious untapped potential here.

I know you can download demos on the DS, but had the DS had some sort of on-board memory, downloading VC games on the DS (much like PS1 classics on PSP), would be full of win, seeing as that Nintendo actually gives users Legacy games, while sony gives 1-2 games per month if you're lucky.

Imagine being able to play a VC game on your Wii, transfer it to the DS, then back to the Wii, all while keeping your progress... That'd be awesome.

Good read.

This generation seems to starting more slow than before. Even if the X360 has being in the market for much time, it haven't showed his truly potential. The wii has the biggest user base but companies don't know what to do now. The PS3 has more and more games being cancelled.

I wonder what will happen next.

Not really a big deal, but I think the Wii should have included an ethernet port. I don't have a wireless router at my house so we couldn't take my friend's Wii online and at my apartment, my room mate had a wireless router with a password so long, he couldn't even remember it and trying to get all of that done just to play online was annoying.

Honestly, it was way too much fuss to get on the internet when all I should have to do is simply plug in an ethernet cable and be done with it. I know that Nintendo offers the USB adapter to use a wired internet connection, but I think that it's something that should have been built in and not be a $20 adapter (kind of like the PS3's $15 memory card adapter to transfer PS1 and PS2 saves to and from the PS3's hard drive).

I guess it's a similar thing for the 360, doesn't it still not have built in wireless?

I believe No More Hero's has dialog through the Wii-mote speaker when the main character answers his phone.

lol, I only saw the game being played for like 30 minutes and my room mate and I play with the Wii-mote speaker and rumble turned off so we were like "What the heck" when the game suddenly went silent while the guy was talking on the phone. 

 Good read, indeed.

By the way, d21lewis, you have by far, without a doubt, the best avatar on these forums.