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The game of one-upmanship

And in the beginning was Pong... a very simple computer game built from TTL logic that was simply a rather limited simulation of a game of tennis.

Back in the 1970s, you could lay down a couple of hundred dollars (a lot of money for the day) and buy yourself a gaming console that was, by today's standards, absolutely archaic. It had just a monochrome output and played no more than eight variations on the "bouncing ball and bat(s)" model.

Never the less, I and many others plonked down their money and got their first taste of computerised games -- and it was great!

Then came the Atari games console with fabulous games such as Missile Command, Breakout and Pacman. These were in glorious colour and offered sound that was more than a basic beep. Oh the joy!

Since those heady days of the 1970s we've come a long way and these days, a typical games console such as the XBox or Playstation has become an incredibly sophisticated and powerful lump of silicon and firmware.

I recall that when I bought an original Sony Playstation way back, I thought to myself "this thing really needs internet connectivity" and pondered the days when a games console would actually become an entertainment hub.

Indeed, I recall writing on this very website (buried deep in the archives) about the need for game consoles to have some type of internet connectivity if they were to realise their full potential. I can't be bothered searching... but it's here somewhere.

Of course that is exactly what has happened and although it wasn't perhaps obvious to all, it wasn't really a great work of prophecy to predict this eventuality.

Today of course, the PS and the XBox are both deeply "wired" to the Net and many of the best games have a huge "online" component to them. Why play against the computer or someone sitting next to you when you can play against countless opponents located all around the world?

And why wouldn't game-makers cash in on the chance to charge people for their *use* of a game as well as the initial purchase?

So in that regards, the PlayStation and the XBox have tracked along similar lines -- but now there appears to be something of a "line of distinction" forming between the two competing consoles.

The new XBox, a successor to the XBox 360 which is oddly enough, called "XBox One" (will the ext version be "XBox -359"?) has changed the playing field somewhat by attempting to squeeze customers even harder than before.

Some of the most contentious elements of the new XBox are the fact that it simply will not play your games unless it's hooked up to the Net at least once every 24 hours and it also gives game-writers the chance to block the second-hand sales of their games.

Already gamers are up in arms about this. What good is a games console that you can't take on holiday to the batch (where there's no Net connection) at Christmas time?

How much will the "total cost of ownership" rise if you can't sell those games you've tired of on the second-hand market to offset the cost of new titles?

To be honest, I think Microsoft have shot themselves in the foot with these moves, especially since Sony has just announced the new PS/4 which is not only $100 cheaper than XBox-One but also has none of these draconian restrictions.

Each console has its own fan-club and it's certain that some will stick with the Microsoft product because they are indeed dedicated fanbois -- but a whole lot more will realise that they're being shafted and perhaps it's time to change horses. Those who are purchasing their first games console will also probably consider the Sony product to be a far wiser investment.

It seems that Microsoft has been badly misjudging things of late -- what with Windows 8 requiring a user-interface "downgrade" to 8.1 already and now the XBox-One looking decidedly second-best against Sony's offering.

I'm actually picking that all the major players are suffering a bit of burnout right now.

Apple's IOS 7 will likely drive a lot of folk away, Microsoft is doing a good job of pissing off its customer base and Sony (with its nasty attitudes to customers of its movies, music and rootkits) has never been anyone's favourite.

If there are any new contenders out there -- now is the time for them to make their move -- while consumers are still reeling from the stuff-ups that the incumbents seem to have been making of late.

As for the game-console wars?

Well to be honest, I haven't played a computer game in over 15 years. I guess I'm just getting old and time is too short to waste getting a PlayStation tan :-)

If you're a game-console user, which new device (if any) will *you* be buying this Christmas?

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