Should Game Consoles Make Breakfast, Too?

Ryan writes "Is the idea of 'convergence' (the notion that a single digital appliance will handle multiple tasks) in gaming consoles even worth it? CNET News has an article discussing the issues of convergence related to gaming - it seems like a lot of consumers aren't worried about the bells and whistles, yet they keep throwing them at us." The article mentions the "underwhelming" response to Sony's PSX console/DVR combo, whose "arrival in North America--originally slated to happen in time for the 2004 holiday shopping season--is now set for an unspecified date in 2005."

Comments

Why Converge?

[ronfar]

The thing about convergance is that it has never been pushed or pursued by the average consumer. Think of the wildly successful (note sarcasm) 3DO or SegaCD, two early experiments in digital convergance.

So why has it been pursued? Simple, because it is believed that the first company to create a "digital hub" that is widely accepted by most consumers will have tremendous leverage. Sony entered the video game industry with the specific dream of creating this "digital hub," a device that would handle all entertainment and information needs.

Microsoft entered the videogame business because they feared Sony might succeed, and might create an information appliance that would replace the personal computer for the average user.

Imagine if 90% of DVD Players, "WebTVs", DVRs, and CD Players and game machines were represented by a single device, call it the Sony Playstation X (you also need to imagine that the most popular way to do common tasks currently done on PC were done on this device). Well, all the manufacturers of DVDs and CDs, and all the producers of content for the Web and TV would be beholden to Sony. We all know the way Microsoft in the past has added things to their OS to wreak havoc with their competition, and because they were a semi-monopoly, all anyone could do was complain and try litigation. It's because Microsoft understands this so well that they decided to pour money into the XBOX, and why there will be an XBOX II even though XBOX hasn't been a big success.

Look at Sony, they are great believers in locking out content if they don't want it on their systems. They've learned quite a bit from dealing with mod chipping and have had great success getting their Digital Millenium Copyright Act enacted into US Federal Law. If they succeed, they will have unprecedented power over information.