The Future of Multimedia - Next Gen Games Consoles

The Future of Multimedia - Next Gen Games Consoles
In an industry estimated to be orth around $30 billion it is no surprise that each games console producer (Microsoft, Nintendo & Sony) are desperate to become the market leader. For many years a simple system has occurred the companies would release a new machine boasting improved graphics and games, it has now come to the point that graphics are almost life-like on all consoles except for one.

Nintendo's Wii console is nothing but a global phenomenon, instead of focusing on improved graphics Nintendo almost kept the same level of graphics from their previous console the Gamecube and instead gave gamers an entirely new level of interactivity by recording movement through the Wii remote. Not only has this console saved a company who always played second fiddle to Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation 2 in the previous generation of consoles but it has also broadened the appeal of computer games. No longer exclusively made for teenagers, Nintendo has tapped into a rich vain of new gamers by appealing to a wider group of people that had previously been excluded from the market, the vast majority of girls for instance. Games such as Wii fit and Dr Kawasemas Brain Training again both projects of Nintendo both look at helping to improve a persons body or mind, again with an increased level of interactivity that you not only play but is supposed to become a part of your daily routine, other consoles just simply aren't looking at doing this. Because of this Sony's PlayStation 3 is looking shaky in the market sales while the Xbox 360 has made use of big game titles exclusively for the Xbox such as the Halo and Gears of War series to pull through this being said the Nintendo Wii is still selling at a rate of 3 to 1 on all other consoles.

The Nintendo Wii could therefore be seen as a sign of things to come, it is no longer an option to simply improve the graphics of a next gen console and an increased level of interactivity could be seen throughout all consoles in the future, graphics can only be improved to a certain point until they are entirely life-like and that stage is fast approaching. Not only that but both Microsoft and Sony make no profit from every console they sell while the Wii is sold for much cheaper and for a profit. It is therefore easy to assume that the future of gaming lies not with improved graphics but with unique ideas that place the player within the game and allows them to interact fully instead of pressing buttons while facing a TV screen. You only have to look at the success of the interactive games such as guitar hero and rock band to realise that the age of the controller is over.

Bibliography:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6960575.stm