Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2007

EA Want Single Open Gaming Platform

A senior executive from a major games company has called for rival gaming systems to be abolished in favour of a single open gaming platform. Gerhard Florin, head of international publishing at EA games, believes a single gaming platform would be easier for consumers and developers alike.

Florin said: “We want an open, standard platform, which is much easier than having five which are not compatible.” Indeed, as EA currently produce games for over 14 consoles, devices and other different systems, enforcing an open platform would certainly make their job much easier. In terms of the platform itself, Florin was keen to state “We don’t want a walled garden" and this is certainly an important point. After all, one of the best thing about an open single platform is that it has the potential to benefit from all of the latest technological advances, regardless of who researched them.

Florin believes the creation of a single gaming platform would rely heavily on digital set-top boxes and the Internet. Nick Parker, a games analyst, also believes in this vision and thinks that the single gaming platform would be “basically a boiled-down PC.” This exciting realisation also leads him to ponder the potential of this kind of system. He said: “Games will just require potentially a £49.99 box from Tesco made in China with a hard drive, wi-fi connection and a games engine inside.”

The idea of creating a single gaming platform is not a new one. In the 1980s, Microsoft pioneered their MSX system with the support of Philips, Sony and other similar companies. The MSX became a popular home gaming system in Asia but soon died out due to the rise of PCs and the growth of consoles.

Although single platform gaming systems have failed in the past, it’s clear that advances in technology, most notably digital TV and the rise of the Internet, make the idea of constructing a single platform gaming system more achievable than ever. To make it possible, all major gaming system manufacturers should swallow their pride and start working together.

Source:

BBC

Guardian