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[justsomeguy]

Thought this was worthy of a discussion, given today's announcements... I've seen everything from "Microsoft consoles are dead", "Microsoft is leaving the console industry" to people who just think this is a potential massive shake up in the normal console business and MS doubling down on it.

Quoting myself from the other thread:

To me a console is:
- Fixed hardware platform
- Designed to play games as its primary purpose
- Plug in and play - i.e. no visibility or need to care about drivers, configuration, etc. (patches and updates are permissible!)
- Designed in a "living room friendly" form factor
- UI that is centred around the gaming experience (and, more recently, media and entertainment apps)
- Can be relied on to play any game released in the next, say, 5 years, at an acceptable level of performance

If you take that definition then the Microsoft console generational release lifecycle as we know it may well be going away, but Microsoft consoles aren't IMO.

Anyone have a vastly different opinion of what it means for a device to be "a console"?

 

[NoctisVsStar]

Plug in and play.

 

[Archie]

A miserable pile of hardware.

 

[Funyarinpa]

A MISERABLE PILE OF EXCLUSIVES!

edit: God dammit Archie

 

[FuturusX]

A miserable pile of.....


EDIT:lol

 

[Shuggananas]

Hardware made to sell games. PC should be considered as a console.

 

[Mac the KNife]

A miserable little pile of circuits.

 

[Big Nikus]

A miserable fixed pile of hardware.

edit: we so clever

 

[justsomeguy]

Hmm I'm obviously missing a meme here. I feel miserable.

 

[LiK]

Plug in and play.

one and done

 

[Rajang]

Plug in and play.

This.

 

[metareferential]

A miserable pile of esram?

EDIT: of course, lol.

 

[Funyarinpa]

Hmm I'm obviously missing a meme here. I feel miserable.

As far as I know, it's from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

 

[Hot Coldman]

Hmm I'm obviously missing a meme here. I feel miserable.

play Symphony of the Night dude

 

[Zojirushi]

Plug in and play.

So PS2/Xbox/GC were the last consoles?

 

[DeathoftheEndless]

A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber.

 

[CadetMahoney]

A console is installations and gigs of day one patches to download.

 

[ATOMICJORGE]

Put a game and play, never worry about resolution, fps, particles, AA etc
only about new official updates for the game

 

[Soulflarz]

play Symphony of the Night dude

I haven't played SotN and I know it.

 

[InsaneTiger]

A miserable pile of hardware.

A MISERABLE PILE OF EXCLUSIVES!

edit: God dammit Archie

A miserable pile of.....


EDIT:lol

A miserable little pile of circuits.

A miserable fixed pile of hardware.

edit: we so clever

A miserable pile of esram?

EDIT: of course, lol.

That was fast. My first thought exactly. Thank you guys.

 

[Shuggananas]

So PS2/Xbox/GC were the last consoles?

This. People saying today's consoles are plug n play are hypocrits.

 

[Seth Balmore]

A miserable pile of hardware.

Thank you.

 

[TheMoon]

A miserable pile of hardware.

DAMNIT

 

[Chris23]

A PC with a lot of restrictions and missing features.

 

[Psyrgery ES]

Baby don't hurt me

 

[GHG]

A ps4.

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

What is semantics?

 

[Crayon]

A miserable little pile of circuits.

This was my favorite for the eye rhyme.

 

[Zareka]

I knew exactly what was gonna happen with that title. GAF delivered.

 

[metareferential]

Baby don't hurt me

This is much better xD

 

[justsomeguy]

Baby don't hurt me

Haha, I came in to post exactly this. Beaten.

 

[etta]

It is the definition of simplicity.
Your points are good, as for how this will play out? I hope this approach of theirs will yield one, max two upgrades per "generation".

 

[Crayon]

A PC with a lot of restrictions and missing features.

Ouch.

 

[deletethis123]

A miserable pile of hardware.

I came here for this.

 

[KillerMan91]

This. People saying today's consoles are plug n play are hypocrits.

Pretty sure you can still just plug in and play with current gen consoles if you don't have internet connection.

 

[goldenpp72]

In the past, I would base the definition of a console as a defined set of specifications that would ensure game compatibility for a duration of 5 years (ish) with a low entry point of cost in comparison to a PC. As well, that a console is generally simple and plug and play, avoiding patches, updates, etc. Unfortunately, that distinction isn't so accurate these days, it's quite jarring to go play any system pre 360 and have it just turn on and go, and meanwhile I have to update the rest pretty constantly often times taking a half hour or more. I know the systems allow for somewhat 'always on' function, but I'm not wasting my hardwares lifespan and electricity just to make up for those short comings.

Also, game installs are about the worst thing to grace a console, and I hope at least the Nintendo side continues to avoid this issue. Gaming is often a spontaneous moment, it shouldn't be ruined by turning it on and having to wait for a bunch of updates. In the event consoles can somehow do all their updates and such WHILE the software is running in the background, and not require installs that eat up my space and time, then that would be a nice happy medium.

 

[Mohasus]

- Can be relied on to play any game released in the next, say, 5 years, at an acceptable level of performance

The Wii U and the Dreamcast wouldn't be consoles by this definition.

 

[Angel_DvA]

PS4 and Xbox One are consoles, the next MS Hardware won't be.

 

[mrklaw]

A PC with a lot of restrictions and missing features.

its a PC with a lot of the overhead and bloat removed.




OP, I think your definition is sound.

I'd like to see another thread in OT asking what a PC is? Because increasingly its an ipad or smartphone rather than a box with a monitor and keyboard mouse? That is your 'personal computer'.

 

[justsomeguy]

The Wii U and the Dreamcast wouldn't be consoles by this definition.

Two gorgeous consoles. Neither deserved their fate.

 

[kennyamr]

As I said in another thread, about Xbox going Valve,

This is the best thing that could ever happen to Nintendo.

 

[Cheeseman Battitude]

Nintendo will tell us what consoles are in 2016.

 

[justsomeguy]

Also, game installs are about the worst thing to grace a console... Gaming is often a spontaneous moment, it shouldn't be ruined by turning it on and having to wait for a bunch of updates.

Agree, need a seamless background update. That said, it doesn't get much more spontaneous than sitting on my couch, saying "Xbox, On. Xbox, go to rocket league" and I'm playing within 5 or 10 seconds because of instant-on and state being saved from my last session.

 

[NinjamicWZ]

It's when you're feeling bad about something and someone tries to make you feel better.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Plug in and play.

So, steam box is a console? Ok gotcha!

 

[Thud]

Everything that goes well with kacho on.

 

[Nemesis121]

Plug in and play.

anything before the HDD and updates, today consoles are just hybrid PC's design to take full advantage of the PC base hardware..

 

[Crayon]

It's when you're feeling bad about something and someone tries to make you feel better.

Oh holy shit.

Fist Bump.

 

[Lightning Count]

We've got a lot of very bitter people in here.

 

[Disxo]

Cheap pcs with exclusives and not a plug and play feature haha. (We need to update the system and the games now)
Edit:
I have consoles, I am not trolling