On Game Consoles As Multimedia Devices

Thanks to GamesAreFun for their editorial discussing whether the next generation of consoles should have multimedia capabilities, such as DVD playing and TiVo-like functionality, or whether the manufacturers should stick with "a console that just plays games." The author argues that these extra features "...add to the overall cost in the end [through licensing and production costs], to both the manufacturers and to consumers (especially at the launch of the consoles)", suggests that there's "more to worry about insofar as breaking down of moving parts", and concludes, definitively: "Personally, all I want is a dedicated gaming machine."

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According to them they are

[Alcimedes]

From this interview:

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This perceived financial advantage over Microsoft--based on the belief that it will never make a profit on Xbox--seems to be the reason Nintendo is so confident that its conservative and efficient business model will keep it alive in the never-ending console war. "We're very well run that way," Kaplan explains. "We're always making a profit on our hardware; we don't just live to make profit on the software.