[aldo_14]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4275448.stm

[Mefustae]

I guess the bloke who wrote that knows very little about gamers. I'd sooner have a frontal labotomy than give away my old consoles (a NES & '64), which I still play from time to time, and enjoy quite thoroughly...but it's still a very good idea, and I commend the person that thought it up, and hope it succeeds...

So why don't Microsoft, Sony and the other console manufacturers make it easy to turn their games systems into useful general purpose computers and announce that they are happy to have the hardware modified and new software installed, provided the resulting systems are used outside the developed world?

It's nice to see everyone just forgetting the company that ruled the console market with an iron fist for the better part of a decade *snaps fingers* just like that...

[aldo_14]

But when it comes to backwards compatible consoles (like the PS3 should be, the xbox360 is partially, and the Revolution definately is), that's IMO somewhat less of a reason.  I have to admit I'm not sure what to do with my PS2; probably sell it, but it's not going to be worth much after the PS3 / Rev / Xbox360 is out, and I don't really want to sell it prior to getting a replacement.......

EDIT; well, let's be honest here.  In the UK/US, Nintendo aren't nearly as big a per-unit player as (especially) Sony and MS.  Plus AFAIK there's not a HD attachment for the Gamecube, not support for standard sized DVDs, and hence there's not much chance of getting a working computer out one in the way he's advocating, so really they are an afterthought in this regard.

[Nuke]

i wonder if you could use an old console as a server on a home network. it would be nice to have an inexpensive domain controler, web server, or streaming media center around. and a ps2 is powerfull enough to handel those tasks on a small scale. the ps2's lower power usage and simplicity would make a good and very inexpensive home server. seems like a good idea to me.

i do find that old consoles still go through quite abit of pawn shop circulation. while working at such a shop i remember selling several consoles i thought had been scrapped, including old 16 bit systems. outdated systems seem to be popular with small children of poor families as they arent to expensive and arent much of a burdon on the wallet. nice to go to a pawn shop and get a console and several games at pennies on the dollar.

[IceFire]

I still play my N64 and GameCube although the X-Box dominates right now.

I would still play my SNES but that was stolen years ago.  My NES is still intact, still works, and still occasionally hosts a few games of Super Mario 3 and Dr. Mario (my mom loves this game and solitare - they are the only games she plays).

Nothing is more fun than 4 people slugging it out in Goldeneye or Perfect Dark on the N64.  That was QUITE a system when it came out...fantastic design.

I'll probably get an X-Box 360...but not yet.  I'll be waiting a couple of years...then I'll get an extra controller and a games bundle and all that just like I got my Crystal X-Box this last Christmas.

[Deepblue]

Originally posted by aldo_14
But when it comes to backwards compatible consoles (like the PS3 should be, the xbox360 is partially, and the Revolution definately is), that's IMO somewhat less of a reason.  I have to admit I'm not sure what to do with my PS2; probably sell it, but it's not going to be worth much after the PS3 / Rev / Xbox360 is out, and I don't really want to sell it prior to getting a replacement.......

EDIT; well, let's be honest here.  In the UK/US, Nintendo aren't nearly as big a per-unit player as (especially) Sony and MS.  Plus AFAIK there's not a HD attachment for the Gamecube, not support for standard sized DVDs, and hence there's not much chance of getting a working computer out one in the way he's advocating, so really they are an afterthought in this regard.

That was a mistaken idea. They were just WORKING ON top selling games first. All games will be compatible. You just need the HD for the emulation profiles.

[aldo_14]

And what has that got to do with the price of fish?

(Backwards compatibility is only guarenteed for 'best selling' games, and one a subset of the available hardware, and hence is partial.  Even assuming full backwards compatibility will  be implemented in the future - which I doubt will happen - that compatibility would still be partial across the entire console range.  Certainly, it wouldn't make much sense for someone to dump an existing xbox and buy an HD for the base 360 model,  if they only wanted it for backwards compatibility.

But I know you're very.... sensitive to any form of criticism against your beloved 360)

[Turnsky]

paperwieght

[Mongoose]

Heck, I own a PS2, yet I still happily play on my PS1.  Not only do I have a soft spot for the old thing, but I can also avoid taking away the family's sole DVD player as of this moment.  Twisted Metal 2 and Demolition Racer are a lot more fun than most PS2 games I own, even this many years after their releases.  I only bought a used N64 at the beginning of this year, and I've been trying to catch up on all the classic games I missed (Ocarina of Time is incredible ). My old Genesis is still good for a game of Sonic now and then (as well as NHL 98, which I swear is the most fun I've ever had playing a sports game), and I've even got an Atari 2600 sitting in my room that runs Breakout like a pro.  With the crazy setup I've got in my room, consisting of a 20-year-old rabbit-eared TV (yes, it really has dials ) and a VCR that chews up any tape it tries to play, I can use everything from the 2600 to a next-gen system.  So why would I want to get rid of any of them?  I never even understood why people would sell back games they had already played; I still enjoy playing all of my old favorites.  Call me sentimental, but once I get a system, it's for keeps.

[Martinus]

[color=66ff00]I can't see me giving up my xbox at the moment and it's not anything to do with xbox games.
The thing's just so bloody flexible and cheap.

£120 (Console and chip) gets you a network file server, a rather powerful multimedia system, a linux/BSD box and it's USB compatible not to mention having room for another HDD.

It'll play PSX games fairly well, SNES games perfectly, N64 games with few exceptions, megadrive games, Neo-geo, mame....

I keep a Dreamcast, three NES's (one's a shell, one's working and one I'm tinkering with) and my beloved SNES.

The only thing I would part with is my GBA and that's just due to lack of games.
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[ZylonBane]

Use an old game console as a computer? Capital idea!

[Mongoose]

So, is that the precursor to Mario Paint?

[Deepblue]

Originally posted by aldo_14

(Backwards compatibility is only guarenteed for 'best selling' games, and one a subset of the available hardware, and hence is partial.  Even assuming full backwards compatibility will  be implemented in the future - which I doubt will happen - that compatibility would still be partial across the entire console range.  Certainly, it wouldn't make much sense for someone to dump an existing xbox and buy an HD for the base 360 model,  if they only wanted it for backwards compatibility.

But I know you're very.... sensitive to any form of criticism against your beloved 360)

Nevertheless, your original statement was flawed. indeed.

[mikhael]

Originally posted by Maeglamor
[color=66ff00]I can't see me giving up my xbox at the moment and it's not anything to do with xbox games.
The thing's just so bloody flexible and cheap.

£120 (Console and chip) gets you a network file server, a rather powerful multimedia system, a linux/BSD box and it's USB compatible not to mention having room for another HDD.

It'll play PSX games fairly well, SNES games perfectly, N64 games with few exceptions, megadrive games, Neo-geo, mame....

I keep a Dreamcast, three NES's (one's a shell, one's working and one I'm tinkering with) and my beloved SNES.

The only thing I would part with is my GBA and that's just due to lack of games.
[/color]

That's what my PC is for--albeit more expensive, but also more solidly built for all those tasks and longer lasting.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Deepblue


Nevertheless, your original statement was flawed. indeed.

No it wasn't; it was entirely accurate.  

At the present time (i.e. the specified release situation) it is only partially backwards compatible, on that limited selection of the hardware (i.e. with HD).  Whether or not it will become fully backwards compatible is a question still to be answered, and IMO highly unlikely to happen (simply because it's not cost effective to do so, especially with low-selling games).   Also, I'd imagine that you'd need to download emulator profiles off of xbox live to use xbox games (that aren't supported at release/by the purchased HD), that would further restrict backwards compatibility to be only complete across people owning an HD, with an xbox live subscription (and as we now, that's still a minority of users of the original xbox; I believe about 2-4m out of 16m purchasers).

Someone thus buying a new Xbox360 would only have backwards compatible access to a limited selection of xbox games (if any), affecting their decision as what to do with their old console, i.e. as written about in the linked article.

[Grey Wolf]

And before you point out the free Xbox Live thing, Deepblue, let me point out that even if it's free, not everyone has broadband, so they wouldn't be able to hook it up even if it free.

[aldo_14]

Or even access to broadband capable infrastructure at that.

[Deepblue]

Tag team!

[Janos]

xbox makes a pretty good projectile for those rowdy domestic quarrels

[Martinus]

Originally posted by Janos
xbox makes a pretty good projectile for those rowdy domestic quarrels

[color=66ff00]Wow you're strong.

Those things weigh a tonne.
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