4 ms·

the nintendo wii is the farthest thing from winning the actual living room. It created a new segment of gaming/consoles/etc and opened it up to the mainstream,

the nintendo wii is the farthest thing from winning the actual living room. It created a new segment of gaming/consoles/etc and opened it up to the mainstream, which is awesome. I actually had a Wii. I even waited in line to get it. I returned it within 24 hours. I wanted something more. The ability to rent movies, stream media, download new games, multiplayer over xbox live,etc. I'm not even a hardcore gamer. I only own the Halo franchise of games. The wii is best described as a very very advanced toy, rather than a gaming console. I don't think that's a bad thing either.

axod 17y ago
I don't want any of that. I don't want to watch movies on a games console :/ Rent movies? On a games console? Why??? Games consoles are the most locked down unexpandable things imaginable (For reasonably good reasons). Why would I want to use one to do things like that. It won the living room, in that it's the console in most living rooms. You can happily play multiplayer on the wii against people in other countries (xbox live like I guess). It does what it's designed to do - entertain. The idea that one device will "win" the living room and provide everything, I think is an unrealistic pipe dream. And certainly not a device that isn't expandable or user modifiable in an easy way like a games console. The Mac mini is actually an awesome 'living room' device. If they marketed it right they could really capture some market there. Frontrow movie previews, playing backed up dvds, music, etc. It does well for a small cheapish box.
- jasonlbaptiste 17y ago
  Okay, then we just have different views on what the gaming console should do ie- just games or do the other stuff. The closed systems of gaming consoles certainly makes it hard to provide everything. The mac mini and the concept of the HTPC is one that I think will certainly flourish over the next decade. There were 141 million LCD HDTVs sold in 2009 alone. $599 gives you a very very powerful machine for its purpose. Most importantly, it always comes down to apps. The killer app for living room PCs is entertainment+content. It's all there. Right now I can instantly access anything I want (movies via netflix, itunes, hulu,etc. or games via steam) within seconds and on-demand. That was NOT possible a short while ago on the hardware or software end at a reasonable price point ($599 or less).

axod 17y ago

I don't want any of that. I don't want to watch movies on a games console :/ Rent movies? On a games console? Why??? Games consoles are the most locked down unexpandable things imaginable (For reasonably good reasons). Why would I want to use one to do things like that. It won the living room, in that it's the console in most living rooms. You can happily play multiplayer on the wii against people in other countries (xbox live like I guess). It does what it's designed to do - entertain. The idea that one device will "win" the living room and provide everything, I think is an unrealistic pipe dream. And certainly not a device that isn't expandable or user modifiable in an easy way like a games console. The Mac mini is actually an awesome 'living room' device. If they marketed it right they could really capture some market there. Frontrow movie previews, playing backed up dvds, music, etc. It does well for a small cheapish box.

jasonlbaptiste 17y ago
Okay, then we just have different views on what the gaming console should do ie- just games or do the other stuff. The closed systems of gaming consoles certainly makes it hard to provide everything. The mac mini and the concept of the HTPC is one that I think will certainly flourish over the next decade. There were 141 million LCD HDTVs sold in 2009 alone. $599 gives you a very very powerful machine for its purpose. Most importantly, it always comes down to apps. The killer app for living room PCs is entertainment+content. It's all there. Right now I can instantly access anything I want (movies via netflix, itunes, hulu,etc. or games via steam) within seconds and on-demand. That was NOT possible a short while ago on the hardware or software end at a reasonable price point ($599 or less).