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When Your Game Console Is Your Cable Box
EA would love to see one unified platform....

A few weeks ago, we noted that an upcoming FiOSTV update would bring Motorola set-top gaming to FiOS customers. The real processor work is done on gear at the ISP end, with the boxes rendering the game as a stream. Obviously, we're talking casual games here, but game publisher EA would love to take the idea to a whole new level.

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EA is currently developing titles for fourteen different hardware platforms, and would love to see a unified, open system where games are streamed over broadband. Either users could stream games via set-top, or Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft could get into the integrated box business.

Hybrid cable boxes and game consoles make sense, when you figure ISPs like Verizon would love to gain revenue from gaming, and publishers like Sony and Microsoft are already integrating IPTV functionality into their hardware but need distribution partners. Still, that's a lot of egos and financial ambitions to fit into one room.

I'm not sure I want to imagine the kind of financial model that would be cooked up in an EA (lords of the microtransaction) and Verizon (lords of the ridiculous fee) collaboration.
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cableties
Premium Member
join:2005-01-27

cableties

Premium Member

Control...

..Adobe wants this with software. You login. Period. No install unless a local client.

Which means, we need more fat pipes!

"Please Stand By"
"loading"
"Download at 34%..."
gaforces (banned)
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
join:2002-04-07
Santa Cruz, CA

1 edit

gaforces (banned)

Member

Re: Control...

If they do this, whats to stop them from only allowing thier "approved" games on the net?
They could do it legally using the network degradation loophole.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Kearnstd to cableties

Premium Member

to cableties
they could also disable a game that you purchased and say its time to upgrade. which im sure wouldnt effect those who play sports games as they are lining up for every new revision of a madden game.

R4M0N
Brazilian Soccer Ownz Joo
join:2000-10-04
Glen Allen, VA

1 edit

R4M0N

Member

Because all I want in life

is for comcast to tell me my games need to go up in price yearly because of network expansion costs.

Tetris2009 for $100, anyone?

en102
Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA

en102

Member

Re: Because all I want in life

For the increased value of service that Comcrap is providing... right.

Devanchya
Smile
Premium Member
join:2003-12-09
Ajax, ON

Devanchya

Premium Member

Standardize, so you can Monopolize...

I really see this is EA trying to ensure they get more control over the games.

I think a lot of Companies want full "up-stream" control of their game so they can decommission, or remove games they want to replace with new ones.

I don't know why... but older games are still fun even if they don't look cool.

My fear. Monopolize the distribution, and you control the conception.

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

1 edit

dadkins

MVM

Re: Standardize, so you can Monopolize...

said by Devanchya:

Monopolize the distribution, and you control the conception.
Already being done...

morbo
Complete Your Transaction
join:2002-01-22
00000

morbo to Devanchya

Member

to Devanchya
this won't happen for a while.

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA
·PenTeleData
ARRIS SB8200

cypherstream

MVM

I'd try cable box games

Sure I'll give it a go.

All in one solution would be nice and simple. One box to watch and record TV, play games, listen to music, etc...

Scientific Atlanta boxes already have games support. It's about time someone attempts this on the Motorola platform.

Look at the games on Cablevision's SA boxes:
»www.optimum.com/io/games ··· ames.jsp

In a fierce competitive market where operators are eventually going to have the same channels, they need to start to differentiate themselves with innovative set top box software.

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121

Premium Member

Re: I'd try cable box games

said by cypherstream:

Sure I'll give it a go.

All in one solution would be nice and simple. One box to watch and record TV, play games, listen to music, etc...
If that one box takes a crap, we'll all be sitting around contemplating our navels. At least now I can drag out the old XBox and find a TV to connect it to if boredom threatens to overwhelm me.

y2julio
Bachatero y Que?
Premium Member
join:2003-03-19
Garden City, NY

y2julio

Premium Member

hahaha!

EA is very funny. I dont see how a set-top box will be able to give gamers games like MSG4, Halo 3, Gears of War, Mass Effect. Casual games like Uno or SOlitare, yeah I can see that but not the games you can play with game consoles.
utahluge
join:2004-10-14
Draper, UT

utahluge

Member

Re: hahaha!

The article states that it is for small games. Not anything like Halo 3. My guess is that they would start small so they can get a feeling for how they would need to stream more 'high-end' games later on.

DevlishHusky
join:2004-06-07
New Milford, NJ

DevlishHusky

Member

Re: hahaha!

xbox live arcade already has these games so who really cares if a cable box can do it?
openbox9
Premium Member
join:2004-01-26
71144

openbox9

Premium Member

Re: hahaha!

said by DevlishHusky:

so who really cares if a cable box can do it?
The owners/providers of the cable boxes

RyanG1
Premium Member
join:2002-02-10
San Antonio, TX

RyanG1

Premium Member

Remember..

..the "Sega Channel" offered by TWC years and years ago. They piped sega games to this big pseudo cartridge...

Neat ideas, thats for sure.

techjoe
Premium Member
join:2004-02-20
Lombard, IL

techjoe

Premium Member

Re: Remember..

Sega channel was awesome.
epoxy404
join:2006-12-06
Grimesland, NC

epoxy404

Member

What about the no show Phantom console ?

How about the mysterious(scam) no show "Phantom" game console that promised to do this since 2002 (streaming games anyways). I hope they don't have a patent on it, they already got enough money from false promises. »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th ··· _system)

Jehu
Premium Member
join:2002-09-13
MA

Jehu

Premium Member

never

except in hotels

Samus82
Radly
join:2002-01-29
Pflugerville, TX

Samus82

Member

you guys dont get it.

You guys dont get it. They "Could" stream games like Halo 3 and MGS4. ALL of the processing power is done serverside all they are basicaly doing is streaming you the video. Think of it like this.

I live in chicago you live in NY. Your tv can see what my tv can see. I have an XBOX 360 and you have a magic controller that can move stuff on my screen, somehow. But im the only one with the XOBX mind you. SO all you do is pick the game and play it from MY XOBX. I just stream you the image and you use your magic controller. When you are done you pick a diffrent game to play. Thats it.

Get it now? IMHO i think this will take over consoles soon. Unfortunately.

elios
join:2005-11-15
Springfield, MO

elios

Member

Re: you guys dont get it.

do you have any idea the bandwidth that would take to stream 720p let alone 1080p in REAL TIME
and then you have to account for latency in the controls and video

try playing a game on your pc with software tv tuner card its hell other then rpgs but twitch games are almost unplayable

NoWay
@nextweb.net

NoWay

Anon

That's all we need

Twice a year increases in video game prices.

No thanks.

"Dear Customer, we're raising the per game price from $59.99 to $69.99 to reflect the improved value of our services."

"Dear Customer, we're raising the per game price from $69.99 to $79.99 to reflect the improved value of our services."
LowRider
join:2006-06-23
Dallas, GA

LowRider

Member

Re: That's all we need

said by NoWay :

Twice a year increases in video game prices.

No thanks.

"Dear Customer, we're raising the per game price from $59.99 to $69.99 to reflect the improved value of our services."

"Dear Customer, we're raising the per game price from $69.99 to $79.99 to reflect the improved value of our services."
I'm with you on this. i can say at least MS/Sony have kept the prices low just for the fact that they (RECOMMEND) what the prices should be. And i think them for that, cause if not you would see game companies (EA) rapping customers left and right to sell a game. Don't get me wrong they have every right to charge what they want, but if you want me to pay for a game at 80$ i better damn sure get a game worth that 80$. And not do the micro transaction crap that EA is pulling.
Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL

Joe12345678

Member

We need move away from Cable Boxs that you can only get from

We need move away from Cable Boxs that you can only get from cable co. TIVO is better but the cable co are f*** up cable cards so they don't work that well.

SrsBsns
join:2001-08-30
Oklahoma City, OK

SrsBsns

Member

been done.

Anyone remember "The Sega Channel"?

robs440
Premium Member
join:2003-06-26
Orlando, FL

robs440

Premium Member

sounds like AOL..

everything you could possibly need on their server so you wont leave and got out to the actual internet....or anywhere else for that matter.

ctceo
Premium Member
join:2001-04-26
South Bend, IN

1 edit

ctceo

Premium Member

The old SEGA thing for Comcast

Reminds me of that old special box you could get for your Cable connection to allow you to play Sega Genesis games over your cable connection.

Well It wasn't called Comcast in our area when it was out though, I think it was Heritage Cablevision.

Edit:
Sega Channel, Thats what it was called.

»www.sega-16.com/Sega%20C ··· tent.php

elios
join:2005-11-15
Springfield, MO

elios

Member

Re: The old SEGA thing for Comcast

Nintendo had some thing like that in Japan for the Famicom