Console Wars Documentary Available September 23

[tthurman]

Saw this over on Bob's site.

 

 

 

[RIP-Felix]

I literally just said, "Oh, give mea a break!", when at the end of the video it said only on CBS all access!

My current list of paid Streaming services:

• Netflix
• Amazon prime
• Hulu + Live TV
• Disney+
• ESPN+

Do I really want to add CBS all access to the list? Star Trek "might" entice me. This looks good, but again it's not enough. Breaking up the CableTV monopoly might be good for the economy and promote competition, but this is the fallout. I suppose it's better than being locked into contracts and only having one choice for everything.

[Draco1962]

My pay services:

• Netflix
• Amazon prime
• CBS All Access
• Disney+ (presently free due to promo)

I wasn't crazy about the first half of S1 of Star Trek: Discovery, but it got much better as it went on. Looking forward to S3 and the spin-off Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

[tthurman]

Before it's all over you'll end up paying the same, and almost certifiably it will be once again for mostly half ass programing!

[Draco1962]

Ultimately having ala cart through one provider would make the customer happy. But the media owners are in it for the money so enter the carve outs and their related streaming services. 

[RIP-Felix]

Maybe I'll just get the audiobook when I renew my subscription to audible and get Ready player 2 free.

I would like to say that I think we're on the brink of witnessing another video game crash. Micro-transactions are creating an industry wide incentive that compete with game design. Game used to last a reasonable amount of time to complete, with expertly balanced game play based upon a fun gimmick that progressed as you fully explore what can be done with it. It used to be simple. Sonic was a platformer that was fast. They wanted a game that felt like a roller coaster, and a speedy ball shaped character was the gimmick. They explored what you could do with a speedy ball. From loops, jumps, twists, spikes, etc. Basically Sonic was the Hotwheels of video games. Genres emerged each with their own flair and as console became more powerful they allowed more immersion. Turn based RPG, JRPG, racing, sports, and 1st person shooter and RPG. Open worlds.

Eventually though the push for better graphics reached a point of diminishing returns and the focus on new gimmicks that were fun, balanced difficulty and satisfying length to completion stopped being the focus. Money became the focus, graphics became the feature, and microtransaction became the vehicle to get rich. Now games are too much of a time commitment, employing gambling psychology to keep players performing the same action repetitively for meaningless rewards. Meaningless because they create expansions, DLC, Seasons, SWAG gear, items and such to perpetually move the goal post. Just when you get close to beating the game, they won't let you summit the mountain. That's because your on a treadmill looking at a picture of a mountain. They treat you like a hamster, give you a hamster wheel connected to an alternator, and milk your energy for profit. You're not buying a product they sell, you are the product they sell - to advertisers for product placement. This has already ruined the mobile gaming industry. And the console gaming industry is next.

Maybe that's why the retro gaming industry and indie have re-surged in popularity. People are rebelling from over exploitation. If the industry is wise, they'll tread carefully. While Nintendo's hands aren't clean, they like to play the artificial scarcity game to price gouge, and Nintendo Online is a subscription model, they have been the most careful not to overdilute their product (fun games) with modern cash vehicles (micro transactions). They've sat back and let SONY and Microsoft chase each other down that rabbit hole to hell, waiting patiently (wii U) for their opportunity to steal back market share. The Nintendo switch was the time, and now they're selling their entire back catalog for $60 a pop. Not just theirs, but ports of the most popular 3rd party titles too. The gimmick is portability and great old games. And the strategy is KILLING IT!

SONY and MICROSOFT need to wake up! Major 3rd party publishers too. If they don't they'll become Atari and Nintendo will be the only one left standing...again.