This is what come down, the evolution of the internet has invaded the interactive game space so intrusively that it's gone beyond the emulation of older game systems and loading illegally downloaded ROMs, which I have no say on since I don't have an interest in playing them, although I don't mind the people who do like and play them. The interwebs have gone so far from simply gaming related news and reviews sites like destructoid or gamespot. Then I could go on to speak of the greatness of gametrailers and it's outlet for high quality video in all topics of gaming media. Then it came down to online gaming which started long ago, something that was for PC users that played in the online rpg realm and multiplayer first person shooters, too many examples to comment on, some of which are still around that are still quite popular and have active communities.

Then there were new ventures from certain companies that started what is now a common trend, this is what we see as online console gaming, downloaded update patches, and expansion packs. Things that were already commonplace in PC gaming, but seemed impossible for consoles. So then Sega decided to go crazy and do there most loved console of all time, yet so under appreciated, the Sega Dreamcast. Sure I never used it on dial-up to play any online games, since at that time I was only like 9 or 10 and i didn't know it had those features so I didn't use them, but that doesn't mean that the didn't dreamcast have it. It also was great since it was released so close to my birthday, but that an unimportant point...

So the ideas that were lost with the dreamcast came over to the xbox through Peter Moore, dabate that all you like, but that's all I'm going to say about him. The ideas from Sega came into the conception of the xbox with, xbox live, certain Sega exclusives, and expandable memory with the first home console that I can remember other that had a hard drive, I think the dreamcast used and zip drive or they were going to eventually. I don't remember... When I booted up my xbox I was like, "Hey, I can save my game without a memory card, and if I wanted a backup I could get an xbox memory card (which I never did) that looked just like the VMU from the dreamcast and was used similarly by sliding it into the controller. Also you could download new levels for every Splinter Cell game and just about any game, way before that whole DLC phenomenon that has just recent become the norm for new release titles to extend the life and replay value of games.

Now with games like Halo, Call of Duty, and even Unreal, we have bridged the gap on online fps games that seemed only possible on PCs. Then we are seeing games like Final Fantasy 11 (which was the online game the PS2 can claim that it ever got into the mainstream somewhat) and Phantasy Star Universe that has a large online community and possibly others that I don't care to mention since these games bore me on both the consoles and the PC. There also RTS games like that have come into the console fray, but I can't even really name any, but even those are gaining pace. With all that, we are starting to see cross platforms network services that let you download all the content you would usually buy in the stores on a disc, some of which are still growing and struggling to gain more users, with the case of the PSP Go, its download-only philosophy isn't working so well.

Soon we will see consoles or just simply a multimedia device like the PSP Go that deviates from what usually expect from a console and will probably the only resource for our gaming needs, and eventually we'll have certain companies and services that become so big they will become our only outlet in that market, which may break the industry into many tasty bloody parts or create an ecosystem of many devices that could allow us to play the games we buy on many different platforms that probably won't be on what we consider to be a console today. The end of the console generation in general and the start of an open ended series of devices that play all the games that we enjoy, connect to online multiplayer networks that are maybe even platform independent and soon the difference between portable games, to home consoles, to the PC platform will become so syncretic that there won't be any other version for each platform that you have to buy again.

There may not be any platform in general, whatever you have will just be another device that plays any game, like audio, video, and image players. Wether it's a computer, a console, a phone, or portable media player, it won't matter. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, whoever, won't be making something to compete in terms of hardware since many more companies will be making hardware to play these games that probably will do a better job that for example, Microsoft and their red death ring... These companies will be left to there game studios developing quality titles and making working online networks for their multiplayer functions to creating downloadable content to add to their games coming to a point in which they will never print another plastic game box or burning ever again. Everything will be on so many of these online digital distribution services like Steam, Xbox Live, PSN, Wiiware, and so many more to come that will definitely continue to change how we get and play our games and eventually force the top competitors to stop creating more consoles and migrate to other devices that will support the function of playing any game whatsoever. It will truly be the last console generation, and in turn create the evolution of new multimedia devices that can do anything, including PCs. They will stay forever, just because of there flexibility...



P.S, I had to edit FF11 because originally I said 13. Hehe 13 was running wild in my mind that I didn't remember that 11 was the MMO. Thanks ryderbackside for the notice, it totally slipped my mind.