🚀 go-pugleaf

> Except for the hard drive, you've just described the Sega Dreamcast and it's
> accessories.  They didn't help it very much. ^_^

The microphone in AFO was fun.  Although the AFO's gameplay didn't really
require the mic, imagine an online Final Fantasy Tactics with microphone chat
for 8 players (or 16 or 32 or 64, since it would require so little bandwidth)!



> The CD-ROM took off because it offered both publishers and consumers something
> they wanted.  Publishers wanted a cheaper media than cartridges, and consumers
> wanted bigger games with more features.  It was a win-win situation.

Yes, but before CD-ROM had proven itself, people were just as skeptical.  They
thought that CD-ROM drives would be too expensive, that CD games would be too
easy to scratch, and that they'd only be cartrige games with CD music, bad FMV
and horrible load times.  Those were typical flaws of Turboduo, Sega CD and 3DO.
Yet, PlayStation proved all of CD-ROM's potential benefits (and gamers learned
to handle their CD-ROMs carefully).  I think a 2005-2010 generation console will
prove all of online gaming's potential benefits.



> I don't see anything similar with on-line console gaming.
>
> If the game goes totally (or near-totally) server-side, then the publishers
> will really LOVE that, as their distribution and publishing costs go WAY
> down and there's no chance of getting stuck with tons of unsold copies.
> But, the consumer won't be at all happy with that arrangement because he's
> used to paying money and getting something in his hands, not stored off on
> some server somewhere he can't even see.

Consumers are used to paying money for cable TV channels which are even less
tangible (interactive) than online access.  And people certainly like
downloading things, as their usage of Napster proves, though there has not yet
been any comparable legal service.



> If the game stays mostly client-side, then there's really not much of a
> difference for publishers to make online game features worth their while,
> as their costs are higher but they can't get more money out of the consumer
> for it.  The consumers may like it, but the publishers won't net any profit.

I think online games will eventually move 100% server side, because that's the
best chance developers have of updating content, managing expectations and
preventing bugs, cheats and piracy.