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Add one more vote to the “we’d be better off with a single video game console than with multiple ones.” Colin Campbell over at Next-Gen.biz (and who also hosts a video game podcast that treats its audience like adults… that’s rare) used up several column inches to defend the idea that a single, open video game platform would be better for everyone than the competing ones we have now. Everyone but Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, who all have designs on your living room. The theory here is that third-party publishers have to devote unnecessary resources to develop the same game on multiple platforms. Wouldn’t the game itself be better served if the devs were to devote their resources to developing one definitive version of the game? Retailers have to split shelf space for PS3/360/Wii when they could use that space for something better, like a better, wider variety of software? (How long do games stay on the shelves these days?)
This is all done with a nod to competition. Yes, we’re here today with th3 PS3/360/Wii because hardware manufacturers have continued to innovate. But if someone could could up with a system that’s sufficiently open and sufficiently upgradable, either via software or hardware, you’d be able to evolve with technology.
… which sounds a lot like the PC, which, I read every day, is dying a slow death.
If nothing else, a single console would do away with needless fanboyism.
EDITOR’S VIEW: The Single Platform Cometh [Next Gen]
lol, shouldn’t this article start with “the unreasonable stance”? at least it’s comforting to know your vote doesn’t count. why not focus on something actually worthwhile for your audience like “one wire”, “the battery”, “coding standards“. now that would be rare…
In Communist Russia, game system plays you!
Yeah, MSX and 3DO were such powerhouses of innovation that their success was guaranteed.
It could work if the companies tackled the issue a bit like the PC Gaming Industry… Wait a minute??? Wouldn’t that mean we have to update our consoles every month to keep them up to par?
Naah, I believe that the best way to deal with the Console Gaming Industry is to forget about exclusivities (See, if flOw can be played via Flash, why is it only available on the PS3/PSP?). Remember the great days where porting was all the hype? (Yes, i know it’s an irony). In any case, we should be focusing on asking them for better games!
That is unless you want that Devil may Cry 4 vs Halo 3 vs Super Mario Galaxy cross over to finally happen…