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Xbox360

Submitted by Tomas A. Limon on 1 December, 2005 - 1:28pm. Movies & Music Blog

According to Chris K. the Xbox 360 was not as impressive as he would have hoped. It is hard to change revolutionize the gaming world like the PS2 did.

The NES was probably the greatest leap in my opinion, but i do believe that one day video games will be virtual reality in the sense that the human eye will not be able to tell the difference between a video game character and a actual person, but until then Chris is either going to have to settle for these steps we are taking towards that or go outside and play basketball or football in actual reality. I personally think that the PS3 is going to be a much better investment. This is of course based on the success of the PS1 and PS2.

There are however very cool alternate functions that the Xbox 360 comes with. For instance the pop up menu which can be accessed during play is pretty neat. You can access your music or get online to check your mail or chat with friends. No matter what other gadgets and gizmos the creators turn to, in the end it's all about the graphics. How real can it get? It is this idea that drives Microsoft; that drives Sony to creating a system that takes the user to another world where he can throw a football 50+ yards or slice the head off of a samurai ninja. This illusion is what is sought and this illusion is what sells. The Xbox 360, though it falls short is still a step towards that goal and in being so will sell.

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Is Photorealism the Destination?

Submitted by lworthington on 6 December, 2005 - 2:34pm.

Criticisms of the next-gen consoles' capabilities lead me to ponder this question. Are photorealistic graphics the Holy Grail of the electronic entertainment industry? I sumbit that they are not. What makes a game a game is play, and what makes a game truly great is excellence of play. In my opinion this is what games have been, and always should be, about.

That being said high end graphical capabilities are completely welcome when immersion and realism is the goal of the title. One should not discount however, those games which are not trying to create realistic and immersive scenarios. I might cite the Super Monkey Ball series, a family of titles that features simple, adequate graphics, but is made great by a quirky and addictive element of play.

As we move forward into this era where the distinction between video game console and PC starts to blur, I think it's valuable to realize that blurring the distinction between reality and the game is not always desirable.

-L. Worthington

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Sights, Sound, and Smells

Submitted by Clive Thompson on 1 December, 2005 - 2:36pm.

It's no secret: the advance made between the PS1 and PS2 is remarkable and regarded by many as the greatest forward leap in console gaming. However, I would not necessarily say this early that the PS3 will be a better investment, at least when it comes to realism. What makes the new generation of gaming consoles different from their predecessors is the assimilation of computer technology. Add a processor and video component designed by leaders in the industry and voila! A state of the art gaming system. Not to discredit those who have spent countless hours constructing the new systems, but last I heard Microsoft had more trouble deciding which case to use and how to accessorize it rather than it did with making graphic improvements over the first generation-- something Sony is most likely concerned about as well. So until we have another huge technological breakthrough in graphics processing, looking for the same dramatic improvement with each generation of gaming console might leave you a bit unsatisfied. Unless the PS3 finds a way to emit odors which simulate the game environment, I'll keep my expectations lower for the sake of greater enjoyment.

[- www.collisiondetection.net -]

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How Much Improvement Can You Expect?

Submitted by Charlie Mason on 1 December, 2005 - 2:19pm.

Chris K. does seem to be disappointed with the advances made by the Xbox 360. My complaint with his and your view involves the amount of improvement you really expected to see with this new addition to the gaming console line. I, in no way, expected to see the images on the screen and mistake them for real life objects. A jump from the capabilities of the older Xbox generations to giving the player a visual that is comparable to real life just is not feasible. With time, the improvements will show up in the newer and undoubtedly better consoles. Until then, why not be happy with being able to see the sweat dripping off your favorite basketball player’s forehead?

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