The Future of Console Gaming
As systems get more technologically advanced games obviously get more complex and take much longer to program and debug. Two things can result from this: either less games per system or longer system life. For Nintendo, 5 years is the estimated system life for any console. Another problem for the video gaming industry is how they will begin to convert their games to HDTV while still supporting basic tv. Yet another challenge will be building a network for internet play. Other questions also should concern the industry. Will you have to pay a monthly fee or will it support the Internet access you already have? Are consumers willing to pay extra for features such as DVD movie playback? The next generation consoles are powerful machines that could run other non-game related applications if they so desired, but would customers buy other applications? Because the process of making a game takes so long third party companies will rely on consoles they know will do well. This aspect is good for both Nintendo's Dolphin and the PS2. Another concern of the industry is how the media will continue to portray it. Gaming violence and the ESRB rating system have already had numerous attacks. However, the system is more comprehinsive than the movie rating system. A game will have the rating as well as the specific reason it received the rating; while movie ads give the rating but don't give the reason why it got it. Even with all these obstacles to overcome, the gaming industry is sure to continue to prosper. What do you think? Send in your comments for the reader's feedback page.

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