hehe, so far in this thread every other post has been chap repeating the same thing in each of his writings
Chap, one time is enough to post your opinion, we're not so thick headed that you'd have to repeat the same things in 4 posts from 8.
That's gnagging, not discussing or even arguing
Why the "home server" plans did not materialize for PS2?
Ther are many reasons, which of them were the most important reasons... hard to say, as it's a sum of many parts mostly.
1. PS2 hardware. Even though PS2 + HDD + NA would have been more than adequate for just a home
server, it would have had hard time to act as a server and a client or just a "media centre".
HDD + NA and needed software was not included in standard hardware, so the plan must have been just an "option", a "dream" mostly to attract media attention from the beginning. To show "what the device is capable to do" even though in reality it would "just" do them, but not very satisfyingly.
PS2 is not capable of such multitasking a media centre needs, you can only do one thing at one time. You would not have been able to for example use your PS2 as a pvr and play games at the same time etc...
And for pvr functions it would have needed even more additional hardware to be purchased.
PS2 was designed as a games console first and foremost.
Feature and accessorywise it would have made possible to use it for very simple "home server" purposes.
But really, these purposes had not much else potential than marketing potential.
Sony just left the road "open" in case the "home server" boom would explode exponentially in following years, in which case they might have brought maybe just simple cababilities of web browsing, photo and ATRAC music storing with the HDD +NA.
2. Broadband penetration.
3. Market readiness. The "Home server" and "Media centre" buzz is only just beginning. I think a couple of years ago the "mainstream" had little idea would they want, or need one.
4. Piracy fears. Because of Sony's stubborness to support other than proprietary formats in fear of piracy, the "home server" wouldn't anyway had supported MP3, DivX... so you could have only stored music in the HD in ATRAC format and in addition to that maybe your photos.
That would not have been enough for most users.
So, in my opinion. The home server ideas were mainly just marketing "hype" to gain media attention.
It was just presenting concept ideas for possible future uses of PS2. The official specs never announced these features to be available.
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But did Sony really say all that? Or was it just Ken Kutaragi in one or two of his pre-launch presentations, in which case everybody should have known they were just concepts
They may be too open with their "visions" for their devices, but I quess that's always been the way with Sony.
Many know they're just visions, but many take them as advertised features.
PSP's getting similar "visions". I don't believe the vision that was circulating a while ago, where you could play PS2 games, watch a DVD that's in your PS2, watch TV or listen to a CD with PSP via WiFi will ever materialize.
Where did that vision originated anyway?
