Ever since consoles started using CD-roms companies like Sony have started to put lots of focus on delivering other entertainment than just games via our consoles.
The PS1 could play CDs, the PS2 could play CDs and DVDs and the PS3 is supposed to cover pretty much everything associated with entertainment.
Other companies have followed with Microsoft taking the lead with its 360 which is able to connect to a PC with Windows Media Center, and soon, Windows Vista.
Nintendo has chosen a different path keeping their focus strictly on games.

Now, I have always wondered, are the extra media capabilities needed or apprecitated? Are they necessary? This is, of course, a matter of preference but I would like to know what you all think. What kind of console do you prefer?
How often have you used the kinds of entertainment other than games on consoles and how well do you think the console performed compared to regular devices such as DVD players, mp3 players etc?
Do you want a pure gaming console OR a loaded entertainment system?

Here are the bad vs good things as I see it:
One bad thing with media capabilities is that it often raises the price of the console. A perfect example is the Gamecube VS the PS2/Xbox where the lack of a DVD drive simply lowered the Gamecubes price. And if we look into the future we can see the PS3 getting very expensive, probably because of the integration of Blu-ray.
Another bad thing is that when you' ve bought your new console you probably already have other devices in your home that can handle the different ways of entertainment. Sometimes better than the console.
Also, as we' ve seen with the PS2 and Xbox the media capabilities of the consoles can be of very low quality. In this case I' m talking about the DVD playback which I' m sure many of you have experienced on the PS2/Xbox.
If you have a PSP you know that it will cost you extra to use the extra features since you have to have a high capacity memory card to use them. That drives up the price even more.
Many people didn' t buy the Gamecube simply because of the lack of a DVD drive. But seriously, how many of you are actually watching DVDs on your consoles?
A PC loaded with features easily outperforms your console when it comes to entertainment other than games.
Companies like Microsoft and Sony can charge you extra. Sony will without a doubt lure PS3 owners into buying movies and other media via their new online service. Media that people probably wouldn' t have bought if it weren' t integrated with the console.

The good thing with extra media capabilities in consoles would be if you didn' t have devices earlier that features what the console features.
And if you feel you simply have to have a console AND a DVD-player then it would be worth the money to buy a PS2 since buying a console and a DVD player separately would be more expensive.
Extra media capabilities often lead to enhanced games. The larger disc space allowed developers to put extras on DVDs for PS2/Xbox. The Xbox harddrive lets you use your own music in some games and you can get updates and other goodies.

In short, I prefer home consoles that are made strictly for gaming, such as the Gamecube or the future Revolution.
There' s one exception though, which is the PSP. I guess it' s different when it comes to portables but I just love watching movies on the go. I would have loved to see the Nintendo DS featuring video playback with the video on one screen and information on the other. But at least it came cheap.

Revolution will play DVD' s and CD' s, but watching movies on Revolution will be much cooler than on say, ...PS3...

There' s an awful lot planned for 360 too, specifically the long planned DirecTV blade, but also an increase in the amount and types of stuff downloadable. Expect lots of Xbox Live/Marketplace announcements at E3.

PS3 will play Blu-Ray (as well as everything else barr HD-DVD), Blu-Ray will suck and the medium will ultimately fail, ...just like every other medium Sony has produced.

Media capabilities?! Well, it' s not so much the media capabilities that matter, but a robust online system. Everybody has a DVD player, a webcam, can download mucics tracks/video' s etc... so that kind of functionality really isn' t needed, but it' s nice to have.

Saying that though, ...PS2 had shit DVD playback but it definately helped DVD find it' s legs. I guess that was because at the time DVD players were far more expensive than a PS2...

...it' s not really necessary is it?...

...and most probably IS an excuse to not only inflate the price of their consoles, but also to bamboozle users into buying their extraneous products *coughwindowvistacoughcough*.....

...but these big corporations thrive on f*cking over hopelessly retarded herbivores (aka consumers) .... ..so what' s new? .....expect more crap in the future.... ..even from your precious Nintendo, after they decide to improve on whatever success they may achieve a few years from now, through a merger/takeover of Sanyo/Saumsung/moneygrabbingmultinationl/HSBC/etc...

...

....As you said, we already have dedicated devices in or homes which can do a far greater job at music/movie playback....

....cheap@$$ mofo' s love that sort of bundled crap though....

.....make consoles media functionality and playback abilities equal/better than top tier dedicated devices.....

...and they' ll be worthwhile and relevant...

My PS2 runs DVDs fine, and I' ve been using it solely for years. I don' t see how you could say the quality' s bad, as DVD playback on my PS2 is flawless. I haven' t used a DVD player that much, but all I can say is that " Blu-Ray will fail!" is fanboy crap. You all know sony always wins, and what' s more is that you' ll all be sorry this holiday when you' re stuck with your SD DVDs on your old 360' s and can' t afford a Blu-Ray player. You' ll be looking at a $400 PS3 next to a $1000 Blu-Ray player and you' ll be blinded by your fanboy garbage. You know that PS3 will win, and you' re so blinded by your zelda crap you won' t realize it. Zelda may be good, but the revolution is not. The Revolution will bomb worse than the sega genesis, and you don' t have to do research to figure that out. If I buy a revolution, I doubt my dad will play it, he' ll probably say " Get the fuck away, I don' t want to listen to your video game bs I' m trying to listen to my Frank Zappa CDs, I' m trying to concentrate on not eating because I' ve already had about 14 beers and some red wine. I' m making dinner tonight and I don' t want to hear you bitching like a female about that dumb stop using tobbaco or don' t drink so much bullshit." That happens about every night unless I stay the hell away from my father.

While media capabilities aren' t necessary, I do love having them. The PS2 still serves as my main DVD Player. Heck, if it wasn' t for the DVD playing feature I sure as hell wouldn' t have purchased a PS2 when I did.. There were two things selling me on the PS2 at the time: Gradius IV and DVD Movies.

It' s very convenient having a jack of all trades, master of none type unit, hehe... The PSP falls under that category, and I' ve made good use of the majority of its features at one point or another.. As far as playing CDs go, the only console I enjoyed playing audio discs in was the Sega Saturn -- it had by far the best interface, plus you could alter the sounds a bit. I also liked the Turbografx-16 CD-Rom add-on cause the drive itself was detachable and could serve as a standalone CD player.

My PS2 runs DVDs fine, and I' ve been using it solely for years. I don' t see how you could say the quality' s bad, as DVD playback on my PS2 is flawless

The first PS2' s had software based DVD playback you fucking idiot. It took Sony AGES to change to a hardware based solution and even then it was still far from perfect.

I, unlike you (obviously) got a PS2 at launch and was FAR from impressed with the playback quality. I even got a PStwo, ...and the DVD playback STILL isn' t as good as Xbox' s.

You' re an idiot!

You all know sony always wins

Really?!

Ok, ...Beta Max, Mini Disc, THEN Sony' s MultiMedia Compact Disc (their candidate for DVD) that they had to abandon, leaving Toshiba' s Super Density Disc (SD) to become the DVD standard. Oh, and NOW UMD isn' t selling and Hollywood are stopping putting titles out on it.

Fuckin kid, ...you REALLY are dumb!

You' ll be looking at a $400 PS3

You fuckin wish!

The Revolution will bomb worse than the sega genesis

Genesis bombed?!

Sorry, i missed that. I though it was Saturn that bombed...

All segas bombed. Especially the genesis. The saturn may have been crap and nobody liked it, but it still had no chance.

What you means is that they were before your time.

Genesis was fuckin great and was huge in Europe. Just because it lagged behind Nintendo' s conole in North America and Japan, that doesn' t make it a failure.

Saturn was also a cool console with some great games, but it ended up bombing.

You are a fucking plank!

Genesis, I have played. The lost vikings was the only good game ever made by blizzard, and it still sucked. Much like me. **cough fag cough**