I'm doing a project for my Telecom industries class. Our topic (I was actually kind of surprised I could talk my group into going with this) is the idea of video game consoles becoming the dark horse of the telecom industry.

What I mean by this is, as you all know, video game consoles as of recent have moved into the online content industry. Video, voice, and data (three things that Telecom companies, carriers, broadcasters, cable co's, etc have spent incalculable amounts of money on risk capitol trying to gain the upper hand on) are now available through gaming consoles.

What are some things I should mention?

Well, you'll definetly want to take a look at the Xbox Live service. Beyond multiplayer gaming and being able to download small casual games, there is Xbox Live Marketplace, where you can download a ton of movies and tv shows in standard and high definition. You can also communicate through text or voice.

In relation to cable companies, sometime next year I believe they are launching an IPTV service.

Damn I sound like an advertisement.

I think the question I'm asking, and that I don't have an answer to yet is why the console?

If you want tv why not On Demand? If you want streaming why not use your computer? If you want games why not your PC? What is the advantage that a gaming console would have?

xmikex said:

I think you just answered your questions.

The console does all of those things right out of the box and people love ease of use.

sony was had IPTV on hold for a while (PSX time I think).

console are now basically PCs. things that are coming them will be VOIP, virtual market places (like mentioned above), HDTV over IP, and all on demand content. Just like they are doing with cellphones, they will pack anything in to make it generate more money

a gaming console is all those things. People dont want to watch tv on their computer if they dont have to. And some people dont want to have to be tied down to a smaller screen. A console is sort of a mesh of all entertainment devices in one.

The reason people like the console over a pc is that you take it out of the box and plug it in and your up and running. You dont have to worry about hardware incompatibilities and software upgrades and all that crap.

just like macs before they started letting everyone out there put there hardware on the mac.

plus, you are seeing convergence as console, pc, tv, cellphone, pmp, dmp, pda, are all capable of the same things.

I love RTTP.

In the future, cellphone=PC=console=fridge. Everything will do everything, because we'll buy it - we're consumers, we love that shit.

Also, in Soviet Russia, paradigm reinvents you!