i dont think consoles are ever going to replace the PC or vise versa. here in SW they are competing platforms but in the real world (dam thing :P) they co-exist quite nicely. they have always been side by side.
one thing that i think the big 3 are going to learn this gen (MS and sony more so) is that trying to make a mini PC for a games console just doesent work. many argue that both sony and MS just went to far and no one has benefited. they tried to out PC the PC and that was a very stupid mistake. i think that the next gen consoles will be far more focused than they are this gen, maybe having the extra fluff as optional.
and there is a market for this. absolutely. PS2 sold 120 million and all it did was play DVDs and games. this gen the wii is kicking the living snot out of the other 2 in terms of sales....and its the least feature rich. same with the ipod.
this business of "one box does everything" sounds great on paper but the market has made it very clear that these arent wanted. the other PS2 (the white one with a HDD) was a disaster and MMC PCs are also a no no.
consoles are supposed to be simple, quiet and small. there also supposed to be pretty powerful at launch but they dont need to be as cutting edge as the 360 and PS3 were. no console struck this balance this gen. the 360 was very cutting edge..so much so that it sufferd a very high failure rate and its just so flipping loud. PS3 has so many features so far crammed up its ass that the market doesent know what to make of it (and sonys making it worse with their adds). the wiis specs were also too conservative....ninty should have pushed for a bit more juice.
this business of trying to out do the PC has to stop. consoles can never ever keep pace with PC technology. it has never happened and it will never happen. but thats ok...consoles have their own strengths. there easy to understand and use. 2 of the manufacturters forgot that thats what consoles are about (sony actually had the cheek to refer to the PS3 as a PC replacement). cutting edge technology should be there, sure, as long as its not to pricey, it helps with games and the system remains stable and quiet. and leave the fluff out. in this age of internet connections, why not allow ppl to pay for and download the extra features they want instead of shoving it down their throat.
the market wants a great and interesting games console...not an all in one wonder box. ud sware that all 3 were somewhat ashamed that they were making a machine that plays games and wanted to cover it up. hopefully lessons are learned from all sides and no one trys anythign stupid like trying to out PC the PC next gen. that kind of stupid thinking crashes industries.
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