[mireaux7]

Video game consoles, I love them just as much as the next person. But lately the price is getting steeper and steeper due to the demand for increasingly higher technology to be incorporated in them.

While its true that over time, the price of gaming consoles are usually slashed as they become cheaper to mass-produce, it seems that the waiting time for these markdowns has gotten longer and longer.

Video game consoles have been around well over 25 years now, and of course, when you factor in such things like market influctutation, etc. ...many would say gaming consoles are priced about the same now as they were back years ago.

Maybe Im a stickler,..Im one of the ones who vies for a system to reach that favorable $99.99 price point. This is fading farther and farther away from happening to many systems as the components that make up each system get more expensive and more complex.

In 2001, The XBOX debuted in the late fall, and had a sticker price of $399.99. Today, the original XBOX is no longer packaged as brand new on retail store shelves. Microsoft took a different route from other traditional game manufacturers like Nintendo, Sega, and Sony, as they never let the XBOX hit the $99.99 price point. Microsoft also never introduced a slimmer, cheaper, or redesigned model of the XBOX either. Nintendo redesigned the NES, and SNES into slimmer models. Sega did the same by bringing out Genesis 2,..then later 3. Sony had PSOne, and the PS2 notebook model.

Sony's last effort below the $99.99 price point was the PSONE at $49.99... This was in the early part of the new millenium. Nintendo's last effort was the N64 at $99.99, and now the Gamecube at $99.99.. (it seems like I recall the N64 even being cheaper than that...anyone care to verify it for me?). As far as I know, (and not including handheld models..such as Gameboy advance, etc) This was the last time any home video game console was priced at or below $99.99.

If you want a Ps2 new...its priced now at $129.99. Its possible Sony may slash the price by $30.00 to bring it down to $99.99. But that hasnt happened yet. Microsoft never plunged that low with the Xbox. It seems that the Xbox's lowest price point was a matching $129.99...then Xbox disappeared..only to be found at places like Gamestop for $109.99,..and sometimes $99.99.

So Ive covered a great deal on consoles and their correlating prices. Now, lets talk about how much technology is really needed to play a game.

When you look at the graphic resolution of video game consoles over their extensive history,.its a lot like looking thru the lens of a camera and focusing it. You start out with consoles like Intellivision and Atari, and the resolution is very blurred. All you can see is heavy pixelization,.you can see shapes but cant really make out too much of what things are supposed to be, without occasionally referring back to the game's manual.

You adjust the focus a little bit,.now enter into the realm of 8-bit systems. This is brought on by Nintendo's NES console.and then challenged by the Sega Master system. The resolution still isnt all too great, but you can kinda make out what things are now.

You adjust the focus some more..and things are beginning to look much sharper...enter now are Super NES, Sega Genesis,.and Turbo grafx. Basically, the more you adjust,..the better the focus improves. But is it really just great graphics that draws us to invest in new gaming machines every time?.....

.....NO. Its the increased artificial intelligence as well. Games are ever being designed with higher levels of artificial intelligence. Going out the door are yesteryear's predictable enemy patterns, and attack waves. Many games now can "learn" from your moves, and then challenge you to your best.

With the increased visual capabilities of modern games, it has provided insight to game developers to incorporate CGI film sequences into the games. While this is a good idea, some games have taken this to overkill, as the game becomes more movie than game, robbing the gamer of challenge and alienating them sometimes making them feel less like they are an integral part of the game.

Peripherals are always interesting. They have been around forever, designed to experiment with games in non-traditional ways. Everything from the Power glove, to the power pad, to the DDR dance pad and Nintendo's Wii controller. These intuitive devices explore many possibilities of challenging the gamer.

But with every aforementioned being considered, its dawned upon me as I ask, how much technology do I really need to play most games?

I'll take one of my favorite games for example: Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance. Its out for Xbox and Ps2. Ive always wondered how well a translation of the game would work on different systems. Is it possible that this game could be ported to the Super NES? I know it wont look the same or feel the same...but most of the game's mechanics would be there..making for somewhat of a similiar experience. Now youre laughing at this..but Im not the only who thinks like this,.take a kid named Brian Provinciano who decided on his own to make an 8-bit version of Grand Theft Auto and call it GrandTheftendo. He had a website called www.grandtheftendo.com that featured his progress of the game development, but it seems to be down currently.

this was one of the few sites i found that has screenshots from the actual game he is developing: http://forevergeek.c...o_8_bit_nes.php

I think the point Brian is making, is the similiar one I am making. How much technology does a game console need to make a certain said game enjoyable? I wont lie...The GTA series shines brilliantly on the Ps2/Xbox compared to the Psone,.or even brian's port. But Brian is utilizing the 8-bit system to its fullest, incorporating all of the basic game mechanics of GTA into his 8-bit salvo.

What really gets me is when a certain game is released across many consoles, and one of the consoles is much superior to the other consoles. This was the case for Tony Hawk's Project 8, as it was released for XBOX, PS2, PS3, and XBOX 360. Other than graphic resolution, are there are other major differences that would compell me to shell out money to buy this game on say,.PS3,..when I know I can get it for less money on the Ps2? After all, the PS2 is pretty high tech,..or it was when it was released. I remember there was much hoopla about the ps2's capabilities,.some saying it could launch missles, etc. No,.I really did hear about this,..not making it up.

If the ps2 can launch missles,.what can a ps3 do? Im scared to ask.

I would like to see more fan-created ports of current games onto previous consoles. I wonder how well Halo would fare on the Sega Genesis. I wonder if a Metal Gear Solid title could be somehow possible to be ported on the Atari 2600. Yeah, I know that is way damn crazy,..but it would be interesting to see. Believe it or not,.The Atari 2600 even had a Double Dragon and Mario Bros. game made for it before it died out.

atari 2600 double dragon screenshot:

http://www.atariage....wareLabelID=152

atari 2600 mario bros. screenshot:

http://www.atariage....wareLabelID=286

theres something to me about seeing how much a video game console can be "pushed-to-the-edge" before its demise ( and even after its demise)

I personally think that some of the best video games ever made are at the tenure of a console's life. This is especially true with the Super Nes, which released Donkey Kong Country, Killer Instinct, and Contra III:The Alien Wars ( I know, 2 of those were RARE titles)

Its like, when a new console is released, there is always a ton of hype about it. "Oh wow,.the system has the coolest graphics" "It can do this and that" "it supports 4-player and.." "The launch titles look so awesome, I have to buy this!"

So, you have these extremely long lines that are built up. Some of the lines are actual physical lines comprised of people waiting in line for many hours,..sometimes even camping out the night before at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc,..waiting to buy the next greatest console. Others, who are a bit wiser have placed their pre-orders many months in advance to places like Gamestop, etc.

And these people acquire their much-hyped systems, become fanboys of it, rave about a certain game for it, and finally after many years, their love of the system slowly dies. Then along comes a group of kickass developers that totally reignite and infuse new outstanding life into the console by working tidiously on the development of a new game that destroys previous thinking and judgments of what people had previously thought their system was capable of. This was the case on many times for the Super Nintendo, as Nintendo was looking to retain much of their gamer base as possible, and not lose it to competing consoles, until the N64 was released.

But speaking of game developers,.is that what really makes a console shine? Some would say so,.and if thats the case, it would be interesting to see what the world's best game developers and programmers could come up with as "fan-made creations" of today's games on outdated systems. I would love to see them port over some of todays games onto older consoles. "Kingdom Hearts" for SNES. "Manhunt" for Sega Genesis. "SOCOM" for Atari 2600. To see them really push a system to its absolute edge is so cool. i know there are many games that already do this..I wish there was many more that did this. It would give less compelling reasons for everyone to invest in the next generation of console systems,.until some truly major technological change came about, and not just a few minor tweaks to A.I. and graphic capability.

This post has been edited by mireaux7: 25 April 2007 - 04:54 PM

[looktothesky]

I think MGS2 would do really well if it were to be ported to the SNES. Just look at MG - Ghost Babel for the Gameboy Colour. It's graphics were very simplified, but the gameplay and story was great -- it was all you'd expect from a Metal Gear title. It wasn't from Kojima exactly, but it is one of my favourite MG games.

Personally, I could really care less about graphics. 3D is nice and all, but I could live without realistic shading, or whatever processes XBOX360 and PS3 have. That's what makes the Wii so interesting - the graphics aren't anything new. But the gameplay? Great.

The things that make video games great in my mind is how it involves the gamer, not how it looks. This is why the DS is selling so well, too. The games are cheap, the graphics are decent (but not revolutionary, compared to the PSP). but the gameplay and gaming experience is excellent.

I think this is also why the GBA is STILL selling so well. The graphics are SNES quality, sure, but the gameplay delivers.

[Gobbler]

I like great graphics for wide sceneries and action titles, like The Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion, and also titles with an epic and very emotional story, like Final Fantasy, as long as they don't hinder the gameplay.

I don't really have any problem at all with the tech requirements of nowadays games, since my computer itself is like a small power plant and can easily handle almost everything as of now.

[optimus_prime]

Personally, I could really care less about graphics. 3D is nice and all, but I could live without realistic shading, or whatever processes XBOX360 and PS3 have. That's what makes the Wii so interesting - the graphics aren't anything new. But the gameplay? Great.

The things that make video games great in my mind is how it involves the gamer, not how it looks. This is why the DS is selling so well, too. The games are cheap, the graphics are decent (but not revolutionary, compared to the PSP). but the gameplay and gaming experience is excellent.

I think this is also why the GBA is STILL selling so well. The graphics are SNES quality, sure, but the gameplay delivers.

You really have to applaude Nintendo. After having their fair share of no-so-great systems such as the N64 and Virtual Gameboy, they have really made a forceful return with Wii and the DS Lite, and with the way the Wii is selling,.Nintendo just may have a shot of getting back their coveted #1 position they lost somewhere in the early 1990's.

with as much time and research that went into the development of Sony's PSP, you would think Sony would have thought of a clamshell design to protect the PSP's screen...but this apparently never came up in their executive board meetings Im guessing.

This post has been edited by optimus_prime: 26 April 2007 - 12:11 PM

[Spoon Poetic]

I didn't realize the N64 was considered not-so-great. Most of my friends had an N64, as did I, and we loved them. Playstation was only okay.

[looktothesky]

with as much time and research that went into the development of Sony's PSP, you would think Sony would have thought of a clamshell design to protect the PSP's screen...but this apparently never came up in their executive board meetings Im guessing.

Yeah, I know. The titles are really lacking for that console, too. Japan's been getting quite a few nice titles and genres on that handheld, but over here it's getting next to nothing -- everyone's using it for homebrew now. If they got great titles over here for that system, and if they fixed it up a bit, yeah, it'd do much better.

I didn't realize the N64 was considered not-so-great. Most of my friends had an N64, as did I, and we loved them. Playstation was only okay.

Yeah, me neither. The N64 was great though, you could play 4-Player games! And the controls were so easy, anyone could pick up and play. I loved playing it with my friends and family back in the day. lol.

[Gobbler]

The people in my course are still playing Mario Tennis on the N64, but that's nothin' for me, for the frikkin' controller is as anti-ergonomic as it can get.

[optimus_prime]

my comment about the n64 being no so great, referred to the system not being as cleverly thought out as it should have been. all said, it was indeed a great system, albeit the staggering prices of many of the cartridge-based titles. (Donkey Kong 64 was around $70.00), and it also being more difficult for programmers to design games for in comparison with other systems at that time.

[Slade]

People complain about some of Nintendo's controllers being non-ergonomic, but I thought the N64 controller had a relatively good design for the majority of its games. The d-pad thing was retarded, of course. I also have always felt that the N64 was FAR superior in every way but third party support to the PS2. No other game for any system, especially the Play Station, has ever come even remotely close to the hours I clocked again and again with Perfect Dark and Smash Bros.

I like the 'Cube controller for the most part. Sensitive L and R is kinda wonky, and the z button is in a stupid place (I get cramps when I use it for Soul Calibur 2), but they really have the best analog stick going.

I don't care much about the technology of a game, and I only get new consoles because that's how to get new games. I would be happy still playing NES/SNES games.

And I would totally port a new game to an old system in rom form or something if I knew how to write a game for NES/SNES!

[Otal Nimrodi]

XD

I loved my N64. Natty's still got one. I don't like the cube controllers, but not because they're uncomfortable (they're marvelous) but because the ones I had all jammed up and felt clammy. As a result, I was completely unable to enjoy many wonderful games. I'm hoping to get back into Nintendo with the Wii, though. Weird controller thingy, but what I have played of it's been fun.

[blueoceans]

No other game for any system, especially the Play Station, has ever come even remotely close to the hours I clocked again and again with Perfect Dark and Smash Bros.

Perfect Dark is awesome..especially the multi-player games. with that being said, perfect dark stales in comparison to the multi-player games found in conker's bad fur day.