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Console and PC gamers have long been divided into two camps. Sure, there are those of us who play on multiple platforms, but hard-core PC gamers tend to be, well, hard-core PC gamers and eschew "mainstream" console games, while committed console gamers can sometimes be heard bashing PC gamers as elitist nerds.While there's nothing wrong with drawing your own distinction, what's clear--at least for the moment, anyway--is that Microsoft's Xbox 360 makes the line between PC and console gaming a lot fuzzier. Yes, this is a console, with game controllers and A/V cables that are designed to interface with your TV--preferably of the HD variety--but Microsoft has essentially packed a high-end PC gaming rig into a relatively small box that fits into any A/V rack or cabinet.
That the Xbox 360 also has a user interface that rivals TiVo's in terms of slick presentation and ease of use, plus a host of digital media and networking features, helps elevate the already-good Xbox experience to a whole new level.
Naturally, the 360 is not without its flaws. Many launch titles simply rehashed their PC or console counterparts, and we're only now seeing developers shift focus away from the PlayStation 2 and Xbox1 and creating truly next-gen looking games. At this point, the $400 Xbox 360 has a major price advantage over the PS3--its premium package will cost $200 less than Sony's (the company is planning on selling $600 and $500 models of the system), though the Wii may boast just as big a price differential in the opposite direction.
Whether either or both will be better is anybody's guess. All we can say is that both companies better hurry because the Xbox 360 will be a hard temptation for gamers to resist for too long. Read more
Casual games get serious
Imagine if all Hollywood cranked out was action movies.
You'd have theaters packed with young men, but people who'd rather steer away from action flicks, including many women, would find something else to occupy their time. That's basically the problem the video game industry has had--until recently.
The game industry appears to have found its answer with so-called "casual games," a category of software-based entertainment that includes word and puzzle games, board games and even some classic arcade titles. While not new, the casual-games industry is enjoying a renaissance driven by advertising dollars and the ubiquity of mobile devices.
"The video game industry year after year is exceedingly good at pumping out action films," says Alexis Madrigal, an analyst at market research firm DFC Intelligence. "Casual games are a step in the direction of coming up with (the equivalent of) comedies and romantic comedies."
Casual games like "Bejeweled" and "Zuma" still don't attract much attention at the annual E3 trade show here. While people will wait for half an hour or more just to see a short trailer for big games that in some cases are months from release, casual games are little-mentioned and hard to spot on the show floor.
But what casual games lack in hipness, they make up for by being cheap to make, addictive and highly profitable. Read more
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