An argument for a one console future

After reading a few articles and hearing a lot of journalist criticism about a "one console future" I still have the same opinion, "bring it on". I also find it funny that gamers and game enthusiast press are mostly against a single console future when people that actually make games (David Jaffe, Dennis Dyack) are all for the idea. I'm not going to say that my theory is end all be all there is certainly a good argument for all those against this idea but I also think that a argument for a one console future is just as valid.

So what is a one console future? For many it's Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft teaming up and putting out a single product, "The PlayBox 64" or something. But if you take a look at other forms of media it would be nothing like that. Looking at the music and film industry there has been many format wars with one prevailing victor. Betamax vs. VHS, HD DVD vs. Blu-ray, MiniDisc vs. CD. Both industries had format growing pains but ultimately one format became unanimous out of necessity for ease of use (remember the confusion over what to buy, HD DVD or Blu-ray?) In the case of Blu-ray and HD DVD the formats was developed by a consortium, a group of companies. In the case of Blu-ray some of those companies are Apple, Sharp, Sony, Panasonic and more. Now when I think of a one console future I think of a group like that. Imagine Microsoft, EA, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Activision and other companies coming together an developing a standard? The obvious need for hardware would most likely bring in other companies like Panasonic, Samsung and others in as well.

                  

But won't this eliminate all competition, enslaving us all to mediocre graphics and features?

Besides being over dramatic that hypothetical question is wrong. There is no difference really between film formats for the end consumer going to the cinema but that has not stopped experimenting with color technology, film and digital formats and most notably the "3D revolution". With all those companies working and talking together (in my scenario) change and innovation would be pressured and encouraged in order to keep the consortium together and hopefully avoid another format war.

Wouldn't we get drastically different experiences on different manufacturers version of this "uber console"?

Of course. Sony, Panasonic and Samsung Blu-ray players all have different user interfaces and features. Don't even get me started on MP3 players. So yes, there will be differences in the UI experience but thats the beauty of the consortium of companies deciding what will be minimum specs and features. If this were to happen tomorrow I would imagine (in a prefect scenario) a single login to a unified service, universal achievement points and access to a single digital store amongst other things. As far as hardware goes, there would of course be minimum hardware specs. As with all things you get what you pay for, For a higher price you might get faster load times or better performance as with a PS3 slim over a original PS3.

Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are too greedy to ever give up their own consoles this will never work!

I'm not a business analyst and I won't pretend to be but as far as I know they all make more money back off game sales than hardware. Most might be from licensing for their console but I think a shift to a more entertainment focused business than a licensee business would be better over all.

Wouldn't we lose innovations like the Wii?

Well, maybe. But come on, do you really use your Wii anyways? Seriously, this is a concern and one of the few downsides I see because of a one console future. A wide array of games using motion, might not of happened if a once console world was introduced before the Wii. Then again, the success of a one off game with a motion peripheral and others using it or copying it could easily force that to the next standard.

Imagine a world where you had to have multiple DVD players, one for Universal movies, one for Disney movies etc. sounds ridiculous now. Then imagine all the people who could only afford one of those and was missing out on films from other studios not supported. That's what we have to deal with now with video games. Video games are already confusing by themselves to most people, why add on top of that not knowing which console to buy. Some people think they can go pick up Halo on the PS3 or God of War on the Wii. At the end of the day aren't video games about the games and not the format?