Australian Financial News quote Microsoft master Gates as saying the new Xbox will make gaming more convivial. It’s not a word you hear everyday. Honestly, I’m not familiar with it so I looked it up. Mirriam Webster said it means this:
So I did some thinking. Conviviality. I’m fond of eating, drinking, and good company. I don’t know that I’m overly occupied with them but I’m certainly fond of them so I guess I’m convivial. But how does eating and drinking and good company relate to my game console?
I guess I could go on line and get my butt kicked at Madden. My brother-in-law is pretty good. I’m not fond of getting pounded though. I suppose it might make me want to drink. Listening to music can be fun though. That would fit into that convivial category though. But I could listen to music on my PC, stereo, my satellite, my PS2 or my PS1. The Xbox certainly doesn’t have the market cornered on that. We could watch movies but then there are as many venues for that as there are for music.
So we game. Folks hookup online for gaming. There are tons of games to play online. It could be the Sims or Madden or one of a host of other games of all types for all kinds of players. It’s going to be in HD. I can appreciate that. Especially with the new Samsung HDTV designed for game consoles and was announced in collaboration with Microsoft.
The new Xbox360 will get its first appearance on MTV later this month. It will offer have an interface similar to the Windows Media Center.
“If you’re used to that menu, when you use this Xenon you’ll see a menu a lot like that that lets you get photos, TV, music and all those different things,” Gates said at his big WinHEC last week.
Mr. Bill also said that the new Xbox will beat the Sony PS3 due at the end of this year or first part of the next. I know Sony is going to try and put their blue laser DVD into the PS3. I wonder if Mr. Bill will get ahold of that right away. I suppose Toshiba could sell him theirs but that introduces some other competitive problems.
He called this thing an entertainment hub. It’s been suggested it will rival the PC in some ways. But all in all, I don’t see what the Xbox offers over the PS3 or heckeven a PC. I guess Bill wins on the PC front though as the all use Windows in one form or another.
Maybe I’m missing the boat or the video game in this case but an entertainment hub? The centerpiece in home entertainment? I suppose its possible. I just don’t see what the Xbox can offer me compared to the other things that are out there. I’m sure the games are ok but are they better? I’m sure the interface is good, but it is it better? I need a reason to switch. I don’t see it. As an entertainment piece, most don’t have a house full of people solely to play in the Xbox. I don’t see mom and dad sitting there with kids kicking away at the new Tekken.
But waitwhat about if a bunch of guys come over, order pizzas, have a few cases of Old Milwaukee, surf porn and then play Madden. Well I can see it. It doesn’t get any better than that.
John Stith is a staff writer for murdok covering technology and business.
