Comments on: Playing the convergence game

Sony and Microsoft confront consumer apathy as they attempt to turn game consoles into multipurpose entertainment gadgets.

[jacomo]

Microsoft Wants your IP Address

Everything is lining up nicely for Microsoft-They want to Own you and they will by getting access to your Personal Information an IP Address.
They bet on the PC (IP Based Networking)day one with the intro of the PC based XBOX. They created a proprietary Games Network (ZOne) where one can SIGN UP (give up their Identity) and play their XBox games. They own Explorer and MSN plus all the bells and whistles coming with the new XP, Outlook and Media software.
It is only a matter of time that all you PC and XBox users will give up your life to them, so get on board and enjoy the MicroSoft Home coming your way.

Jacomo
Advid MultiPlayer Gamer waiting until Microsoft allows me to play my PC based HALO against XBox HALO players

[bradleyland]

Say what?

And how exactly does MS benefit from having my IP address? Would you like my IP address? Do you realize that everytime you visit a website, connect to AIM, get on a file trading network, or even plug your computer into a network, your IP address is available to anyone and everone on that network? Your IP address is simply a numeric identifier that allows other computers on the network to send packets of information (such as webpages) to your computer. Without it there would be no way to reach your computer.

There's no reason to be afraid of MS having your IP address.

[David Arbogast]

LoL

Paranoia rules the ignorant.

I give more information to the local media company who delivers my newspaper than to Microsoft.

I give more information to the store that delivers my groceries than I give to Microsoft.

I could go on....

One Device to Rule them All

Well, you want a game system, PVR, audio and video media center, and other goodies. It would be nice for it to be upgradable to add more features as technology comes out. Gosh, what do I have that fits the bill -- a COMPUTER!

We have rackmount computers and notebooks -- so we know we can pack some major power in small cases, so why not build a audio component sized computer and place it in the home theatre rack. In fact, you would prabably replace most components now with the all-in-one box (computer) since it will play CDs, MP3s (or any audio format), etc. Just need to address some interferance and quality issues, but for the average joe -- a good high-end computer with wireless keyboard/mouse/remote will work fine.

I might even be willing to pay $1000 for such a device.

[bradleyland]

Now THAT is a good idea!

Now days you can pick up an Athlon Mobile 2500 processor for $70. The motherboards aren't that much more. The mobile processor runs cool enough to live in your home theater rack, and the cost isn't prohibitive, so why aren't these devices available. Why must a media center PC cost $3000?

Convergence is here -

PSX is the typical corporate response to a perceived need. Once again, Open Source has created a vastly superior alternative.

XBMC - the Xbox Media Center - takes the first prize. While you need a "modded" XBOX, ie one which allows you to override the restrictions built into the xbox by Microsoft, the XBMC software turns the XBOX into a fully featured convergence box.

A few features:
- fully compatible with your existing library of XBox games
- view pictures saved either locally or on your home pc
- view movies (in just about any format) either saved as above or you can stream from stations around the world. Now integrated with the IMDB movie database for reviews, summaries, etc.
- listen to music, either your mp3 collection, or iTunes playlists (including Smart Playlists), or Shoutcast radio stations

I'm not a gamer (much), but this makes the XBox a worthwhile investment for any home theater. Convergence is now - it just takes a bit of work.

[emc2]

centralization makes more sense for media

Build WiFi into Xbox.
Build WiFi into PC with TV-tuner/cable-modem.

Throw away silly plastics disks that you never put away in the case, lose, and scratch.

Throw away DVD players and steros clutter in every room.

Throw away rat nests of cables and junky home entertainment consoles.

End of story.

[David Arbogast]

Nice Idea but.....

WiFi doesn't have the bandwidth to support audio/video streaming the way people will want to use it. I know. I've tried it in my MediaCenter PC.

[bradleyland]

Where's the social proof

Convergence doesn't work because people buy based on price, and they perceive more features as more to go wrong. It's the same reason audio/videophiles turn their noses up at televisions with DVD players built in. They believe that a dedicated component can do the job better.

Gamers are finicky. They demand top performance. If I want to play games, and you ask me whether I'd prefer a console that has better graphics, sound, and faster load times, or a console that is slightly inferior, but can play MP3's and DVD's, which do you think I will choose? I want superior gaming performance. So you're left with only one choice. You have to build in superior gaming performance aaaaand all the other capabilities. What happens to the price point then? Tada! $1000 PSX. No thanks, I've already got a DVD player and a PC connected to my television. Give me a $300 console that turns on instantly and has networking built in. Focus on the GAMING for crying out loud, that's why they call it a gaming console.

[Tex Murphy PI]

It's all in the market segmentation

You have to remember that Americans are extremely price-conscious. Other countries (like Japan, parts of Europe and Asia) are willing to pay a premium for a well-thought out, tightly integrated product.

Integrated devices are usually cheaper - because of the integration, but are usually of a lesser quality. They also suffer from the "one breaks - everything breaks" problem.

However, there is no reason why integrated electronics must suck in the first place. It's just a matter of an electronics maker wanting to make more $$ by selling separate comonents and making even more $$ by doing so - technology is not the limiter here.

With regards to obsolescence, don't most video/audiophiles switch out most of their components at roughly the same time when they upgrade their systems to take advantage of the new interfaces and technologies?

Price isn't as big an issue for a video/audiophile, but that market is much smaller than your teenage Xbox gamer with less $$ to spend - so the problem of volume runs comes into play...

which is what this article states is the main problem. It just didn't delve deeply into WHY it might be so low.

[nzamparello]

3D0

I'm sure we all remember the last video game experiment with convergence... The 3D0!!! Boy, and look how well that survived! :-)