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December 27, 2005
Seamless gaming
After spending some time playing researching the XBox 360 I must admit that I'm pretty impressed. Obviously games such as PGR3 rock and the whole gaming experience is so much further along than the last time I did any serious "gaming", which was - well - some time ago. But Microsoft has taken the whole thing so much further in the way they've integrated something which makes you go "duh, of course" when you experience it.
Seamless online connectivity.
Go back and read the first word again. Seamless.
That will be the real winner for consoles in the coming year. The ability for both the games and the box itself to seamlessly connect up to either other players or a commerce platform that provides value-add. For a fee.
On connecting up your XBox 360 via the Ethernet cable or Wireless adapter, your box immediately starts "living" on the Net. Sign-up to XBox Live for the free silver membership. And sure you'll take the trial-month free gold membership. Thank you.
So, now you're online - what's next.
If the console needs an update then it'll just suck it down the tube. New functionality for the XBox - again, just a download away. In PGR3, the game automatically downloads things that are going on on Live and displays race results in a ticker, even if you're not actually competing on Live. Of course, an online match is just a click away.
The cool thing about a game like PGR3 and the online connectivity is that you actually feel as though you are connecting up to a community as opposed to just "other players". Being able to watch other people racing has (to me at least) little value, but it shows just how seamless the whole thing is designed to be.
The XBox Live Marketplace, temple of temptation that it is, offers you free games to try out (again, just a download away). Microsoft also gets the "money" thing out of the way quickly. Just purchase some "points" for real money and after that spend points. Spending points is soooo much easier than if you saw that the games cost real $$$. Need add-ons for the games you have or full-fledged versions of the arcade games? Just spend some points and they're yours.
In short, I think Microsoft have got it spot on. And once the console is sitting in your house, connected up to the Net - well, who knows what the guys in Seattle have planned.
Meanwhile, they're not the only ones hard at work.
Technorati Tags: xbox360, xbox
Posted by Matthew at December 27, 2005 08:16 PM
Comments
Unfortunately hacks won't be useful for you, because they'll be seamlessly patched - online. Even for free, no points needed ;)
Posted by: Frank Koehntopp at December 28, 2005 09:21 AM
Matthew, I remember how utterly addictive the online gaming thing was; so much so, I had to take the XBox back before I lost my life to it.
You're right about it being like a community, not just the gamerati being hooked up. Talking to people as you race past them in PGR is excellent fun, particularly when they're physically on the other side of the city.
I always wondered if Microsoft would do some kind of phone-esque service that way...
Posted by: Martin Little at December 29, 2005 01:53 PM