The Next Step in Gaming Platforms

I know that streaming services like OnLive may very well become the new face of gaming sometime in the future, but I believe that will be a little while off.

What do you guys think of this idea.... A netbook, with a special super-ridiculously-aggressively optimized OS,(that still has full PC-style internet capability, etc), a relatively advanced truly next-generation graphics card,(AT LEAST on par w/ Epic Game's recent Unreal Engine 3 tech demo), a Ps3-style cell processor w/ advanced next-gen graphics capability in addition to the graphics card, 3g mobile broadband internet, plus 802.11g or n wireless LAN, WiFi, 100gb of storage, a wireless xbox 360-style controller hooked up to a rechargeable battery port on the back of the netbook's screen, full keyboard, mouse pad,(external mouse must b bought separately), and a screen that is 10 inches and 800x600 (or possibly 1024x768 ), and the ability to hook up to an HDTV or VGA/DVI/HDMI computer monitorand upscale games to 1080p. The idea behind the low-rez screen w/ upscaling abilities would mostly be for the purpose of saving money by making graphics and CPU that only need to be able to perform well in 800x600 w/ next-generation graphics. Cheap, and better framerate. Now, this netbook would have only Steam as its one online platform, would support modding and any legal user-created content, would b able to play Blu-Ray movies, CDs, DVDs, w/e the next-gen version of DVDs/Blu-Raysare and so on... Plus all games would have fully customizable control schemes available for both controllers and mouse and keyboard. Period. I believe this would be a good way to compete with home consoles and portable consoles at the same time. This netbook would have exclusive titles in a variety of genres, including MMOs, offline RPGs, racing games, FPSs, third-person shooters, and the netbook would have stereoscopic 3d (w/lowered grafx settings) and a built-in motion-sensing camera (little webcam type thing) that can allow for motion-sensing to even be used in shooting games by making the controller compatible with the motion-sensing camera, in order to avoid being gimped and pricey like the Kinect.

Do any of you think a product like this could do well in its own market segment, or perhaps compete w/ home consoles, portable consoles, or standard PC gaming if it launched right before the next generation of game consoles from Microsoft and Sony? If not, why so? Price? Performance? Just plain stupid? Impossible?

huh, sounds like a pc

I was thinking about something like what you said.
AMD's new APU platform.
Laptops with AMD's Zacate platform retail for i think around $299-499?
And i mean, theoretically if you where to release games for that, IT WILL, look a lot better than consoles, be truly portable it does have a pretty nice screen, provide better visuals than the NGP, and bring back PC/Sony gaming.

AMD and Sony could have got together, and instead of the NGP, (which imo is pretty pointless) made a Sony hub like Steam for the PC, and they could have promoted their Sony Vaio laptops with the AMD Zacate/Fusion platform, and marketed it as "next gen" and maybe customized it a bit more, add in controller support, port over their exclusives, have better Online etc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SkMpAnfgHk

The Modern Warfare 2 demo near the end of that video looks better than it does on the PS3/360, by miles

PCs with console-style interfaces or form factors will start appearing within the next few years thanks to advancements in APU and SoC technology, but they will be using Windows 8 because there is no way the market can sustain a fourth console that would have to start from the scratch. Sony and Microsoft only managed it because they had hardware experience behind them and could draw on infinite finances from their other markets to pay for advertising and exclusives and everything else; so far no other capable company has shown an interest in the console market.

Basing console-style devices on Windows 8 means there is instant access to an enormous catalogue of games (more than any other console, in fact). These devices will not have exclusives in the strictest sense since they would be shared with more traditional PCs but the average consumer wouldn't care because they would not consider purchasing a standard PC for gaming. The ability to switch between a TV-friendly gaming experience and full-fat Windows at the touch of a button would be a huge selling point with a bit of advertising and the right price.

Sounds like an iPad with an external drive.

consoles that print cash