And I'm saying in another few console generations (10-15 years), they're going to be NOT seperate. These days the only reason the PC is a more well rounded machine is because consoles don't have OSs meant for general use. However, the Xbox360 is going to have an OS meant for managing multimedia files. If it can do that, it can also manage other files such as documents with no problem. At that point all MS has to do is add multi-tasking support (which it might have for all I know), port Office and voila, everything you can do on a PC you can also do on a console. Heck, it wouldn't suprise me if sometime soon somebody managed to get a game console running as a network server. Why? Because they can.Originally Posted by bipper
Well, barring the fact that you CAN'T make an equivalent computer since everything is proprietary (128 bit CPUs don't even exist yet in home computers), and the fact that the xbox has pretty weak specs to begin with (128 bit CPU + 64 bit system bus = gimped console), the ONLY thing that's really gonna kill the performance of the system is the OS. Windows is a huge OS, while the Xbox OS is proprietary so it only calls up the functions it needs. You can easily do this in Linux too. Now let's look at the Xbox360's specs. It has 512 GB of RAM, that'll run Windows XP as well as anything else you want to run. At that point your argument becomes invalid because the console itself is powerful enough to run non-native functions. If Microsoft makes another console I can guarantee you it'll be running a form of Windows visibly.For instance; with out tweaking a computer - a box with equal specs to an xBOX will not play the games nearly as well. (Kinda a bad example as the xbox isnt the most efficiant horse - but still true enough)
Look, I don't know why you're in such denial about this. I'm not saying that in the future, Microsoft will be the only company in the world and they'll make only one machine and it will be a PC. I'm just saying that very soon, we're going to stop differentiating between game consoles and computers. It's already happening with the concept of a media center (media centers, btw, are NOT cheap, proprietary devices). The set top box is going to be a reality, and it's going to really phase out the need to differentiate. Still don't believe me? Just look at the PSX, just look at the Panasonic Q, just look at Microsoft's plans for the different models of Xbox. Just look at the PSP. Just look at how console manufacturers lure gamers into brand loyalty by cramming their consoles full of features that your PC was capable of 5 years ago. Just look at the way computer manufacturers make computers specifically geared towards gamers, even the cases are blatantly made to look more fun and game like. Just look at how OSs have become increasingly more focused on handling multimedia.
The more multimedia functions a game console adopts, the more expensive it is. The "do everything box" isn't going to be cheap. Again, look at how a media center version of a game console simply costs much more than the game console only version. This has always been the case. Of course, as technology becomes older it gets cheaper. This is why consoles are only now starting to feature things that computers have been doing for a while now. The ONLY exception to this is the use of Blu-Rays discs/HD-DVDs, and I imagine that's going to hit Sony and Microsoft right in the wallet (not that they care). You'll see though. It's just going to get more and more to the point where there's no real difference anymore.edit: I do think that the console will evolve into the media stronghold though - whil hopfully keeping itself propitory. If multiple companies run in demainding that different (ehll even file) types get supported the machine will slowly become less efficiant. Keeping your PC (used for multiple and often important things) seperate from your media box would be essencial.
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