Next-gen consoles as computers

[Shifty Geezer]

Any chance we'll be able to use next-gen consoles as computers? I mean, XB360 has some powerful hardware at a wonderfully low price. Totally ecclipses my Athlon 2500+, Ti4200 machine in all but RAM. There would be ought to be no hardware confolicts as software targetted directly at that machine would be written knowing exactly what hardware devices was on what IRQ etc.

What's the likelihood of this happening? Could this be why MS went with IBM, as Windows apps won't be portable to the platform as readily as if they used Intel or AMD?

 

[London Geezer]

Seeing how MS have been pushing their Media Center PCs and they have now touted the X360 as a "media hub", I think it's safe to predict that MS wants their Media Center and X360 as the same thing. And i kinda like the idea. No word processing, no keyboard or mouse, all media goes through one box, in my living room, and if i need to work on my PC, i'll use my PC.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Seems daft to have two collections of silicon capable of doing the same tasks but limited to only a select few though. Daft from a user's point of view. Good from a business perspective of course.

 

[London Geezer]

Seems daft to have two collections of silicon capable of doing the same tasks but limited to only a select few though. Daft from a user's point of view. Good from a business perspective of course.

They might be similar silicon layouts, but the purpose is different.
We have many "similarly constructed" things in our houses, but use them for different purposes, this is no different.

They need people to keep buying PCs AND X360s, so differentiating their purpose is paramount.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I know, I know. I guess I was just being selfish . I shouldn't think about myself and what I want and not wanting to spend hundreds on a console and a PC when one would suffice, especially when there's all those poor, unheard shareholders and company executives of those multinational megacompanies needing to scrape a living

 

[ndoogoo]

I would love to have a computer version of the X-box 360. It will be like the old Amiga days. A closed system computer with a SDK for the hobbiest coder.

The PC has to much bloatware, legacy hardware/software and infinate combination of software/hardware to worry about.

Give me an x-box2 computer with 1GB ram, 200GB HDD and a good SDK and tools.

 

[Megadrive1988]

I REALLY wanted that Xbox Next PC / Xbox 360 PC.

 

[London Geezer]

I know, I know. I guess I was just being selfish . I shouldn't think about myself and what I want and not wanting to spend hundreds on a console and a PC when one would suffice, especially when there's all those poor, unheard shareholders and company executives of those multinational megacompanies needing to scrape a living

Yep.
Just like Sony will need people to keep buying PS3's and their next-gen-DVD-format-thing players.
Or Toshiba needs people to keep... God they're so intricately coupled these ones that it's hard to separate their markets (HDDVD, PS3, Cell TVs, everything)
Same for IBM, though these guys are going to make money whatever happens.

What i'm worried about is ATI and NVIDIA. Their high-end market will be temporarily useless, when the new consoles come out having more graphics power than the PC parts, or at least more usable power (if you know what i mean). Also PC gaming will temporarily take a step back, with consoles that can easily pull out much better graphics for a fraction of the price it takes to put together a high-end PC.

 

[hey69]

do not underestimate the power of the pc players..

i had already a few guys telling me their current highend pc is suposedly more powerfull then the next xbox360

ow about that pc version of xbox360

reminds me of my amiga back in the days (or atari for the atari fans )

 

[rabidrabbit]

Was you able to use the xbox as a PC, even though it essentially was a PC componetwise.
Will you be able to use xbox360 as a PC, no.

I don't need or want PC wordprocessing spreadsheets database etc. in my livingroom.
I want games, movies, personal video recording, music, photographs, internet acces (websurfing, instant messaging, webcam) maybe even simple photo and movie edioting in my livingroom.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I meant buy one console for the living room, and one as a PC to replace your 'outdated' spec and do all your wordprocessing, photo-touchup and print, etc. for a lot less than a similarly spec'd PC and, if it had custom software, a lot less problems.

Yes, it would be a return to the Amiga, ST, Acorn, 8 bitters Days, of single spec computers. I loved those times and their lack of computer troubleshooting!

 

[rabidrabbit]

Sounds like you need a mac mini

More than adequate for the needs you describe.

You won't be doing much gaming, and it'll cost a bit more, but at least you get a very good OS to do those things with ease.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

Mac Mini is quite expensive considering what you get. And you have to buy more ram for it run proberly.

 

[Druga Runda]

but wouldn't'/couldn't Sony want to do all that with their PS£ and Linux?

They sure could have a machine for gaming that will do e-mail, word etc... no problems and they are not competing with themselves in that arena, cell should be fast enough for that.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Yes, I'm wondering the same of Sony and Nintendo. For competing against MS on the console front, nicking some of their OS share would be backdoor competing! Seeing as the Linux kit was available for PS2 I wouldn't be too surprised actually...

I also thought about a Mac Mini. I've never liked Macs, and they're overpriced. But all the grief I get day to day working with PCs is geting too much!

I..I just wish...I wish Amiga were still going

 

[Tsmit42]

I'm with shifty here. If YOU don't want to use it as a word processor, internet browser, etc. then don't, but to deny it to others is stupid. I would buy one without even thinking about it if that was the case. Imagine being able to get rid of your 4-5 year old computer and replace it with an xbox 360, and you can do what most people do with a computer but much faster. It would be a big plus for a college student like me, with limited space and money.

 

[ndoogoo]

Was you able to use the xbox as a PC, even though it essentially was a PC componetwise.
Will you be able to use xbox360 as a PC, no.

I don't need or want PC wordprocessing spreadsheets database etc. in my livingroom.
I want games, movies, personal video recording, music, photographs, internet acces (websurfing, instant messaging, webcam) maybe even simple photo and movie edioting in my livingroom.

Not everything revolves around office applications. There is more interesting and fun things to do and create. Especially for the hobbyist

 

[Npl]

Yes, I'm wondering the same of Sony and Nintendo. For competing against MS on the console front, nicking some of their OS share would be backdoor competing! Seeing as the Linux kit was available for PS2 I wouldn't be too surprised actually...

If PS3 (*insert any other console here if you wish*) was a Computer with an fully acessible Consumer-OS, theres no chance Sony will get revenue on every software sold for it during the consoles lifetime. Even more - why pay Sony licensing fees if you just could release it for the OS instead?

Further it would simplify playing pirated Games, since you *just* have to find a way to patch the backups for running within the OS. Not easy, but quite easier to find a hole in an documented OS or emulate the Protection than fixing hardware directly...

It much more feasible that Sony will release a PS3-compatible Cell-Desktop way back in the PS3` Lifetime, when those Desktops can be sold at attractive prices WITHOUT getting a loss.