I love the way today’s game consoles change.

In the past when you purchased a game console it worked exactly the same from the day you bought it to the day it died.

Starting with the PSP, Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii that all changed. I had a PSP from launch day and the cool thing about it was you were able to download updates that not only fixed problems but added new features. Some new features were minor in scope to others then there’s the major feature like a web browser. That’s a significant addition to a console that didn’t ship with a web browser.

I’ve had my Xbox 360 from launch day and it has certainly has changed in the 16 months I’ve had it. Twice a year they update the Dashboard. The Dashboard is the hub of the 360, it gives you access to different parts of the system and has since included web access for TV and Movie downloads. Things that were not available when the console shipped. I believe we will soon have a web browser on the Xbox as well.

The ability to update consoles in this way makes them more like a computer. I mean that in the way you can update a computer and do new things that you couldn’t do before. This is very exciting because it’s one of the ways that computers keep from getting boring in the way they evolve and take over the aspects of other devices.

Think about all of the devices computers can now emulate and replace. TV, DVD player, CD player, radio, board games, puzzles and card games, older game consoles, letters, video conference, etc. Now think about how many of these things an Xbox 360 can do. All but a few, we are still waiting for Podcasts (that ones for you Major Nelson) and IP TV.

The entertainment of a game console is no longer limited to the games themselves.