-edited-

it made no sense.

What Makes A Console?

1. Circuits, microchips, CPUs, Controller ports, Cartridge Slots (DVD WHAT?? CD WHAT??) ;)


Now what makes a great console.

1. Circuits, Microchips, CPUs, Controller ports, Cartridge and Disc slot (Sega Saturn), Amazing 2D Capabilities and more than capable 3D capabilities, as well as a console made by companies named Sega and Nintendo :)

Im sure im not alone when I say that the gaming industry as a whole has taken a downward spin over the last few generations. Why cant we get a game console that is upgradable?

Because they fail. . . Sega CD. 32X. Saturn' s ram cart. The hard drive for the N64 (or whatever it was called). As history goes, adding something to a console to allow it to continue to play games usually end in failure. There' s simply no incentive for console makers to make their systems upgradeable. And like almost every gamer out there, I wouldn' t want them to. If I wanted to upgrade my system every couple months I would start upgrading my PC. At least I know my upgrades will have games to support them. Console gamers can' t say that nor should they. When you start to get into upgrading this and upgrading that, it sure as hell ain' t free, and with today' s consoles, won' t be easy. If I ever had to send my X-Box away to get a new graphic chip put inside, or put one inside myself, I' m done with my X-Box. Upgrading a system for any reason is stupid on just about all account.

Why does it have to have a DVD player and have a 10 gigs of hdd space?

You want a console that' s upgradeable, but don' t support a system that can play DVD' s and has a hard drive? Isn' t that a contradiction in itself?

Yes I play DVDs on my console, but only because I dont have a dvd player. I dont play CDs in it..because I DO have a home stereo.

And people who don' t have a DVD player/console can now get both in one purchase. Big deal. I don' t have a stereo (broke), but I' m in no rush to buy one either. Why? Because I can play CD' s in my DVD player.

Truth be told, the Xbox is not a very reliable DVD player when its hot. Another design flaw is that you cant expect the Xbox to sit on the carpet and watch a 2 hour DVD...its going to overheat. Period.

Well, if you have your X-Box on the floor, then you get what you deserve. I wouldn' t sit any console on the floor and play it for hours. Plus you' re forgetting that the X-Box still has a better DVD player than the PS2, and the GC doesn' t have one at all.

I also miss having a VMU. I think that Sega' s VMU controller was probably the most innovative idea ever implimented in a gaming console. yea a hdd and dvd player are great...but the vmu is something you dont just see everyday. First it made playing sports games fun, and second it had unlimited potential.

I don' t. The VMU was a gimmick, pure and simple. It gave DC owner' s something to brag about, but what besides hiding your play calling was it ever used for? You can use it to unlock items in games, but games had unlockable items long before the VMU came along. Even on games where I could use the VMU I still didn' t use it. If I wanted to play crappy 2D games, I would get a Gameboy. The VMU was inventive, but accomplished nothing to warrant it' s place in history. Alone it doesn' t, but as a complement to the Dreamcast it would.

If the next console war included a competitor with a smart physical design, a small but efficient built in data storage system, built in ethernet, a vmu type controller, backwards compatibility to some extent, and a real plan for upgrading...then we would really have something to play games on, that rivals a PC!

I don' t want something to rival my PC. I have a PC. I want a videogame system. Something that plugs into the wall, plugs into my TV, and plays. Upgrades have failed. The VMU was not supported, and why would I want backward compatibility to some extent? Your average gamer today aren' t going to want to deal with half the stuff you just listed, and it will fail.

All im asking for is a console that incorperates smart ideas that work. Not overblown promises and ridiculously stupid extras!

A system with a smart physical design, a small but efficient built in data storage system, built in ethernet, a vmu type controller, backwards compatibility to some extent, and a real plan for upgrading isn' t an overblown promise?

You ask why does a system need 10 gigs of hard drive? Well, I sure as hell don' t see developers/gamers complaining. The hard drive on the X-Box has been wonderful, one of the best additions to videogames in years. Gamers can rip their own music, have plenty of room for downloadable content, save with no memory cards. Developers are making big and better games for the system. Games that couldn' t even be done on the other systems (Fable, Blinx, even Halo to cache the levels). IMO, THAT is what is important to me in a videogame. The GAMES getting better because the hardware is better. But I don' t need half the stuff you just listed. The X-Box shouldn' t be upgraded (failure). We don' t need VMU' s (failure). And backwards compatibility isn' t going to wow me into buying a system. Consoles are fine just the way they are. I have no desire to start playing a PC (including all the problems with using a PC) on my TV.

hmm..it was late when I wrote this...dont ask me what I was saying...I have no rebuttal!:)

If a VMU was as great as you make it sound it could have saved the DC (I will always miss the good ol' DC, it beat the hell out of my 64 and ran rings around my PS). I dont want to buy an upgrade for my xbox (unless i need it for Halo 2) I sure as hell dont need more than 10 GB HD space so y upgrade. And I sure as hell dont miss my old VMU, just the DC itself.

Upgradable systems just aren' t feasible. People want the product they buy to be complete from the start. It ticks people off when they have to keep buying parts to make it better than before. That is what frustrates many computer owners. They get so annoyed at the constant upgrades they just buy a whole new computer every year or two because upgrading every time there is an advancement in technology is too expensive and time consuming. I like my consoles to be complete from the start. I also want them to have a long life. I personally believe game consoles should last 5-7 years. If they don' t they are kind of a waste. It also annoys me when companies pull a " Gameboy SP" or " PSX" . It irratates people to have bought a console and then find out it is obsolete because an upgrade of what they just got came out a year or two after they bought it.

It doesn' t matter if your post was mental drool.
I still like the question.

I often think, " If I designed a console, what would define it?"
I could go on with that but lets answer your topical question.

Q: What makes a console?
A: In regards to gaming it' s a fixed/standardly stepped hardware configuration.

It is my opinion that upgrades can and do work in the console market.
The key is that the upgrade does not replace a function.
Instead that it should add or preferably enhance an existing function.

Example: Sega 32X cartridge expansion slot, Dreamcast VMU, N64 4MB memory expansion, N64 Rumblepak, PS2 Eyetoy, PS2 Network Adapter, etc.

Depending on what you consider an upgrade this list will grow or change.

AND

Yes, it is inconventient to purchase extras.
Especially when they fullfill an expected need like memory cards. (Bless Xbox for having an HDD.)