XBox 360 Redefining the Console?

Game Girl Advance has up an editorial arguing that, in effect, Microsoft has already won the next round in the console wars by shifting the battlefield. Looking at Gamasutra's rundown on the 360's multimedia and Live components, its easy to see why jane says that the 360 isn't really a console anymore. From the article: "Xbox 360 does not compete with Sony or Nintendo. It is not a gaming console. It is a powerful device to deliver content online and over WiFi. Microsoft's real competition is Apple, Yahoo, and Google. Apple's movie-download service. Yahoo's retail channels. Google's - well, everything. Heck, throw Comcast and TiVo in there for good measure. The games are merely a means to an end - an 'instant-on revenue to support an exponential expansion into the living room,' as Eric put it over an IM chat we had."

Comments

Wasn't this said about the PSP?

[ReKleSS]

The PSP has movie playing capabilities, wifi, and a bunch of other non-gaming features as well... but wasn't that held against it, instead of being thought of as revolutionary? Time will tell, I guess...
-ReK

Re:Wasn't this said about the PSP?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's been said about every console since the 3DO.

Even the original Nintendo was originally marketed as a Robot-controlling "entertainment system" rather than as a video game system.

Looks great

[aCapitalist]

I'm sure I'll be getting one. Besides the very impressive hardware specs (is this where we get real-time Toy Story?), I like the builtin Wifi. It should've been done in the original Xbox. I don't know about you guys, but I don't have Cat5 running through my house, and I'm not going to setting up my Xbox next to my router. Wireless controllers are nice too.

I like the idea of my gaming box being part of a whole multimedia system. I'd be worried if I was Sony and Nintendo, but at the end of the day Microsoft has to get the games out. I still wish I had gotten a PS2 just for the sheer number of games on it.

Oh, and is this thing going to be backward-compatible with Xbox1?

Jeff Minter's a happy bunny

[philj]

He's got his project, Neon in the firmware.

Re:No they havn't

[Anonymous Coward]

Heh. Tell that to someone who has a poorly concieved 50" TV nook over the gas fireplace. The xbox360 appears as if it will solve quite a few problems for me.

And game wise, Madden 2006, Halo.

The other thing that's enticing is the ability to goto a friends house, or invite a bunch of friends over to yours, hookup xboxes with TVs/computer monitors in other rooms, and have a pretty big force on force party.

Next year would be the time to live in a dorm. I thought our local DooM, RoTT, and Quake matches were fun back in the day. But to have a whole floor going at it, doors open, raucous laugher.

Re:Once more, that's a big fat no.

[DeadScreenSky]

DoA 4 looks exactly the same as DoAU on the current box,

How do you sell videogames while being blind? :D

(Ignoring the fact the pics apparently aren't DOA4 anyway, the clothing alone is light-years beyond what DOAU offered. The character lighting is too - they self-shadow, for example.)