-- A computer is designed to be able to do programmable and general tasks, thats what makes it a computer and not a game console, phone or toaster. I see a trend where everything is converging to computing ... but I truly think that things like phones and game consoles should be left out. There was nothing wrong with phones before they could watch videos, take pictures, listen to mp3s or browse the internet ... very few people I know actually use these features, and a majority of people I see on campus use an iPod to listen to their music. Why would you use a game console to browse the web, look at pictures, or stream radio? Why not use D-Link's or Linksys's specially designed Media Centers? Wii seems to be successful and it does none of these things, costs a fraction of the price, and all it does is play games ... why else would you have a game console? Much like, why would you want a board game that could be used as a cutting board and a place mat? Such features have nothing to do with board games ... notice that I don't complain about bluetooth headsets for phones, how natural is that? Then ask yourself, how natural an idea it is to incorporate cameras into phones? How natural is it to add mp3 player functionality to a game console?
You didn't really address any of the features that I said I use or the concerns that I raised. Why should I drop $300-$600 for an additional, standalone Media Center device that will use yet another one of my fiber-optic connections to my audio receiver?
The Wii costs $250. The Xbox 360 costs $300. The Wii is not really a "fraction" of the price unless you consider "5/6" to be a "fraction" in the dramatic sense that you seemed to imply.
Particularly since MP3s are great containers for audio used by many game studios, it seems like adding MP3 playing functionality to a game console is an extremely natural step.
Yeah, I noticed you forgot the two nines from the xbox price ... at least I had remembered it being $399. I did a little reading and Best Buy does indeed sell Xbox 360 for $300, but I also read from xbox's site, that it was initially $399. Wii only recently came out and I would expect it drop in price too.
Additionally, I checked D-Link's Wireless Media Players ...one of these media players can be found for less than $200 and even offers High Definition and integrates with your home network, audio system, and TV. I don't know where you got $600 from since none of them exceeds $400. Regardless, I can't neglect your situation with fiber optic cables ... but I do still feel strongly that Xbox 360 and PS3 are trying to be what a computer is
supposed to be rather than a game console ... I was a little vague in my original response, but thats what I was trying to get across. You could have easily hooked up a computer to your entertainment system and had similar and much more functional system, but at the loss of the ability to play Xbox games. You could even buy a bluetooth mouse and keyboard and use your TV as though it were a computer ... it would integrate well with Windows XP MCA.
As for bluray, you are right about the low price and both companies are taking losses selling these systems ... they hope to make the money back selling games. My mother's friend bought one of these systems just as a bluray DVD player, not even to play games
