Mmm... I get the whole no competition no advancement point as it is usually a good point (look at Internet Explorer, before Firefox came along absolutely no work was being done on it whatsoever)
BUT, I doubt the console hardware would get stuck in any way. Seeing how consoles are basically (and I know its a bit too loose on the "basically, but go with it) a custom built pc. And PC hardware keeps improving simply because the market demands so. (I know the Pentium/AMD war is also a factor, but the fact is internet keeps growing, more data keeps needing to be stored and processed faster)
Every 3-4 years, the one console would get a "newer" version in order to keep up with technology.
Hmmm, well if you look at the PS3 the tech behind it is actually quite different to that of the PC. Infact in certain areas the PS3 will take the latest desktop CPUs and give them a bloody good hiding. Chances are that in a single console market you wouldn't get new tech like the cell. Instead you would simply get cut down knock off versions of PC hardware. Hell you get that even now but you still get some manufacturers trying to do something a bit different. Now weather that has worked or not is a hard one to say. The Cell in PS3 terms is nowhere near it's potential and chances are we won't see anything like its full power for another year or so. Infact the Cell is a good example of tech borrowing. MS actually took a section of the Cells central control CPU asked IBM to redevelop it for the 360 and then stuck used it to control their own triple power pc cores. If the cell hadn't been about chances are the tech would have come whole sale from the PC market.
Not really a valid argument, look at early PC gaming. Its pretty absurd to say that "there would be a genre to rule them all" (although fps seems to be king right now)
But yeah, consumers like me exist everywhere, I like original creative games, and those are the ones I buy, so yeah. The company that would look for that "non-targeted market" would be a winner (look at the wii) competition in software wouldn't be a factor.
I am not saying that a genre to rule them all would come about. The idea I was getting was that if only one console existed developers would have to improve their games to differentiate their product from someone elses. The fact is though that the market as it is now is ideal for developers to try something new but very few do. Yeah you get some indy stuff popping up here and there but the impression I was getting is single console = EA franchise that doesn't appear year after year and start to suck major ass from the first sequel onwards.
Dude, remember... why did Microsoft rush development of their new console and didn't even test it enough to notice critical hardware failure, they wanted to get their console as fast as they could to the market.
I understand your comments, and I really like the fact that someone finally made a post with a lot of thoughts put into it (and I really enjoy discussing like this) but I believe that in a world with the one RROD wouldn't ever had existed.
See this is why I hate what if debates, the only evidenace you have to draw on is what is out there. I actuall believe in a single console market the RROD would never have come about. Mainly because
a). No competition no need to rush development
b). No need to push tech in to a system that can't handle it just to take the fight to your competition. The main cause for the RROD.
c). No need to cut cost because let's face it you can charge what you want for the console and no one has a choice.
The point was to indicate that in a situation where MS, say, was the only competitor on the market and a fault as majorly ballsed up as the RROD were to occur the response would not be as much of a customer butt kissing fess as what MS has had to do.
The fact is the concept of a single console market is so difficult to predict. As it is we can only predict how it may go based on what the market is like now. If Sony for example had buttoned down the market at the end of the PSone market god only knows what it would be like now, very difficult to speculate on that one.
lol, ok, I'm old enough to remember some stuff, old consoles and shit, but in my country I don't think i ever saw a Master System.
Yeah, sad indeed.
Dunno what country you live in man, and to be honest I dunno how successful the master system was all I know is I bought one from Argos to replace my rapidly dying Spectrum +2A, (the bastard went on to live for another ten years.)
