Uncompressed.org - A weekly podcast dedicated to geek life!

Welcome to edition one of “The Codec”.

Edition 1: Console Innovation

By: Tony Nilles

Each week Thom and I keep a log of things that we think might be interesting to talk about on “Uncompressed” - whether it be movies, video games, technology, or what we did last Tuesday night, we strive to find things we can talk about so that our listeners will be entertained. With the exception of a few rogue topics brought out through the course of discussion we know roughly what issues we want to touch on, and what we want to say about them – that brings me to the point of this (hopefully) weekly article. Thom and I are listeners of our own show; each week there are things that are said during the program that provoke a bit more thought than we can afford the time to dwell on during the actual program - and that’s what this article aims to tackle. Now, that’s not to say that I want this to fill in as “part” of the show as if something were “missing” from the podcast - quite the contrary I want this to be something that stands on its own, yet relates back to one or more topics on the previous episode of “Uncompressed”.

It seems that the last few weeks we have been spending a lot of time discussing video games; of course the main reason for this is that Thom and I are both avid video game players, but in the tech world video games are big news. Video games are a multi-billion dollar industry (that’s right kids, billion with a “b”). We know that a lot of our listeners play video games, and gaming seems to have an overall impact on the “geek lifestyle” not only in playing the games themselves, but also in movie tie-ins, innovations in computer hardware, and even social dynamics as shown by MMORPG’s. The big hype behind the Xbox 360 is that it is the first next-gen console to market - and it made it there before the all important holiday buying season. But is it really innovative? Does it offer something so compelling that every gamer needs to run out and buy one at the first opportunity? Well, the answer to the second question would be high-end graphics and unprecedented levels of online playability (for consoles). It seems that the industry is constantly driven by graphical improvements, but to touch back on the first question I posed, is that innovation? The answer is maybe. If you talk to any gamer that has been around since the days of “Burgertime” or “Space Invaders” they will tell you that graphics do not a fun game make - but arguably, graphics play a large role with regards to a players ability to become immersed into the game they are playing. From that standpoint, graphics could easily be considered an innovative technology as developers constantly design, and refine, ways for players to get sucked into the virtual world they are traversing. But in my opinion, the true innovation comes from companies like Nintendo, which offer new ways to play.

Nintendo was the first company to offer tactile feedback, on a console, with use of their rumble-pack (which originally came bundled with Star Fox 64). They introduced the Gameboy, which was the first portable that you could swap games in and out on - allowing gamers to take one device with them yet still play multiple titles. Stereoscopic 3D? Yup, big “N” again with the “Virtual Boy”. Throw in a couple other innovations that aren’t quite as well known such as R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy), or the 64DD (first drive based storage on a console system) and you have a company that was constantly pushing the envelope – developing many technologies that are still present on current systems of all makes and models.

Based upon all of this, it would seem that Nintendo should be at the top of the heap, and in sheer profits, you would be right. But faced by an ever shrinking market share, and gamer backlash stating all their new games are targeted at a younger audience, Nintendo doesn’t command the respect that they used to in the industry. So if Nintendo keeps putting out the cool, new, tech, why the shrinking market share? Well, it appears that innovation might be a double edged sword - while they focus on innovating new technologies, Nintendo has slipped a bit behind the curve on graphics and their ability to appeal to older gamers by putting our more mature themed titles. On paper, the upcoming Revolution gets soundly trumped by the pure horsepower of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. While this isn’t such a big deal in Japan, here in the US where graphics are king, it has a pretty significant impact on gamer perception. What you see in this is a stratification of the gaming industry as Japanese gamers buy Nintendo for the innovation, and American gamers clamor for Xbox’s due to their graphical prowess. The winner in all this is Sony, whose Playstation and Playstation 2 have been the only consoles to straddle the Pacific and capture the fascination of gamers on both sides of the world.

But right now the point is somewhat moot, as the Xbox 360 is the only next-gen system currently in the retail channel - and despite lackluster sales in Japan, still has at the very least six months up on the competition. In my ideal world, Nintendo will release their Revolution console and the gaming world will again realize that innovation and the ability to have fun while playing a game should reign supreme over the newest whiz-bang graphics solution.

What do you think about the next generation of video game consoles? Do you prefer high end graphics, or a simpler game with heavy innovation? Write in and tell me what you think!

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 17th, 2005 at 9:35 pm and is filed under the codec. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.