TheMacJedi

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.

I really thought Sony was going to make up for their mistakes on the PS2 but apparently they were only getting started.

The Sony Hype Machine is more powerful than any PS3 will ever be. Come on people, they’re lying about stuff that a child could figure out. The latest is that they have been working on a motion sensing controller for 2 years and weren’t able to include rumble, total BS. It’s no coincidence that they introduce this feature only after Nintendo. Remember how they added a hard drive and ethernet to the PS2 after Microsoft said it would be built in to every Xbox? Even a PS3 game developer said they had been working with PS3 dev kits that included rumble.

They say that they can’t get the rumble in the controller and motion sensing. This has more to do with their disagreements with Immersion than any real problem.

In this article from Engadget you’ll see that the Wii controller has motion sensor and rumble.

Below is a video that really puts the screws to Sony and makes everything they’ve said sound ridiculous.

Sony has started hyping features of the PS3. Sony is using the “Time heals all wounds” philosophy. Their PS2 was a huge let down, mostly because of the claims they made about it’s power, that power was sorely lacking in the finished product. The Sony Hype Machine was used on the PS2 and it killed the Sega Dreamcast. Which was a real shame.

I would love to believe them, but they haven’t really come through for me. I was there, camping the night the PS2 came out, I sold it less than a year later to fund getting an Xbox. I was very happy with my Xbox. Then I got the PSP, cool for a while but no games and $15-$20 Movie prices were crazy. I sold it less than a year later to fund getting my Xbox 360.

It’s funny me being a Mac guy and all that when it comes to Consoles MS is getting a lot right. I will spend money for the better product.

I’m being cautious about the Sony Hype Machine because I don’t think it has ever delivered. I can’t say that I’m not hopeful, because I am.