Mad Dragon Games » Blog Archive » Why All-in-One Systems Are Bad for Gamers

Posted by The Mad Dragon on November 5, 2008

Why All-in-One Systems Are Bad for Gamers

For those of you that read this, just remember that this is an opinion. I don’t necessarily hate All-In-One systems, because I love my Xbox 360, but it’s more just a point of view. I would be just fine if my 360 only focused on gaming.

Welcome to the Next Gen of Gaming

The new age of entertainment is upon us, and game companies are trying to cash in on all they can.

Consoles in this new generation can not only play games, but let you watch movies, listen to music, and even download all of the above.

The problem with this is that games now have to share the lime light with other entertainment and do not have the 100 percent focus of the console. Game companies need to stop trying to please everybody and focus on what made them famous in the first place. If game companies don’t change their focus, the games could become just another form of entertainment to them instead of their dedicated focus.

Where the Problem Lies

Problem #1: One problem that I see in the gaming world today, is that consoles are trying to be like everything else.

Let’s take the Xbox 360 for example - you can not only play video games on it, but you can also download arcade games, demos, videos, music videos, movies, movie trailers, gamer pictures and themes, and old school Xbox games. You can also use the 360 to watch DVD’s, play music CD’s, stream video and pictures, plus get an attachment to watch HD movies. What I see that is wrong with this is that the 360, along with the PS3, and even the Nintendo Wii are starting to focus on more than one aspect of entertainment.

Problem #2: Another problem I see with this is financial problems for the entire industry of entertainment.

What people have to do now is decide between getting a console that does everything, or buying individual systems of entertainment. This sort of thing will effect the sales of DVD players, and even PC’s. Andrew, on Gaming Today, says, “it might be better to throw more money and marketing into the games rather than try to sway people by trying to see a video game system as more than it actually is (Andrew 8).”

Altersitz, from Games are Fun, says that consoles that focus on making their consoles multi-entertainment systems are actually more expensive to produce. This is because of licensing fees for movies and music (Altersitz 4).

According to Stanton, from About.com, he shows that the average price of a Nintendo Game Cube is around a hundred dollars. When looking at the average price of an Xbox and a Playstation 2, you can see that their average price is a hundred and eighty dollars (Stanton 5).

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my Xbox 360 I just feel that game companies need to focus on games. In ways, I guess that is a good thing that they are branching out, but think of all the power and potential games could have if game companies and consoles just dedicated themselves to making games a richer experience (Andrew 11).

One of the evident places where the focus is off is with the PS3. The PS3’s focus when they first started marketing their system was on the fact that their console was a multi-entertainment system, instead of a gaming console with extra features. Fahey from Games Industry says this is a real risk for Sony and that they could find themselves trapped between a rock and a hard place (Fahey 15). Because of this type of sales push, the PS3 has been losing in sales to the Xbox 360, and Wii in the next generation console wars.

Problem #3: Another problem with a system that does too much is that, what if it is the only system you have in your house (Altersitz 5). Who will do what?

What happens when you entice someone into buying your multi-system is that people will argue over who gets to do what. Someone will want to watch a movie, someone will want to play a game, and someone will want to listen to music. You could say that they could just buy more systems, but not everyone can afford more than one system.

On the flip side of this, there is a positive to having an all-in-one system, being that you only have to pay for one device that does it all and you don’t have to worry about having a single system for everything. This in turn gives you more space, less wires, and convenience.

For people that are less technically inclined, then this is definitely the way to go. I feel though that the convenience of an entertainment system like this, though, really detracts from what the system really should be. There are so many different kinds of systems out there, why does a game console have go with the flow, dive into the limelight, be like everyone else?

And Here is the Answer

The solution for this problem can actually have many answers. Though, there is one straight forward focus to all the answers and that is games.

Game companies need to keep focus on what got them to where they are today.

The potential for gaming is still huge and growing, and if companies will just stick to games, then I think that we will have more inventive and exciting games.

Game companies simply need to make consoles that focus on gaming and all the potential that games can bring to entertainment. The companies need to make games better, make the online gaming only for games and not movies and music.

The arcade games, and old school games are definitely a good choice for downloadable content. Anything that doesn’t have to do with gaming should be put on the shelf, because they are just taking memory, space, and power away from what could have been focused on gaming.

Most gamers want a dedicated gaming system. A dedicated system is cheaper than a multi-entertainment system. Gamers really don’t want a CD player, or a DVD player, they just want what they need: a gaming system. Simple dedicated systems would be better for the industry, and for families. Dedicated systems work better and more efficient since having a multi-system gives more causes for error and breakdowns. Simply put, gamers want better games on their consoles, not more gadgets to choose from.

Bibliography:

Andrew. “Editorial: Can Video Game Consoles Just Play Games?” Gaming Today. 2007-8-27.13 June 2008. <http://news.filefront.com/editorial-can-video-game-consoles-just-play-games/>.

Altersitz, Sam. “Editorial: Game Console vs. All-in-One.” Games Are Fun. 2003-10-30.13 June 2008. <http://www.gamesarefun.com/gamesdb/editorial.php?editorialid=2>.

Fahey, Rob. “The Confusion.” Game Industry. 2007-08-24. 13 June 2008. <http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/the-confusion-a>.

Thurrott, Paul. “Choosing a Video Game System.” Connected Home. 2007-03-20.13 June 2008.

<http://www.connectedhomemag.com/HomeTheater/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=95514>.

Stanton, Aaron. “A Comprehensive, One-Stop Guide to the Game Cube, Xbox, and PS2.” About.com. 2008.13 June 2008.<http://nintendo.about.com/od/editorials/a/systemcompare.htm>.