Dear Reader:

You are viewing a story from GN Version 5.0. Time may not have been kind to formatting, integrity of links, images, information, etc.

GoNintendo 'End of Day' thought - Are multimedia features in a console important to you?

by rawmeatcowboy
05 May 2016
GN Version 5.0

Time to wrap up another night of work here on the old GoNintendo. Thanks to all you guys and gals for supporting what I do for so long. It's been a surreal and amazing ride so far. I have no plans of stopping anytime soon, and I sure hope you'll continue on the journey with me! See you in a few, short hours.

I know I'm a dinosaur in the game industry when I start sentences with 'I remember when...'. That said, I do remember when there was a time game consoles just played games. I remember getting excited to play games on a new console...and that was about it. A new game console meant sitting down and plopping in games. It was a device that served a single purpose over the span of multiple years, and that was just fine with most of us.

Is it wrong to want a game console to do more than just play games? Of course it's not, and I wouldn't be silly enough to say that game consoles should only play games. I realize that times have changed and people want more out of their devices. We don't live in an age where devices serve a single purpose anymore. We carry around tiny computers in our pockets that can do millions of different things. Expecting a game console to offer up some other applications besides play games is understandable.

I mean, those features don't personally matter to me, but I can understand why they're important. I can also see why people would want them there. Finally, I see that decision as a good one. As long as the ability to play games is still front and center, I'm cool with all other bells and whistles being tucked in. It helps to bring fresh eyes on a platform and may give others reason to check games out when they otherwise wouldn't.

We know that other companies want that multimedia content there. We've heard a few of them talk about it, and we've also heard rumors of other companies flat-out telling Nintendo that those features need to be there. I'm sure on some level, that's going to be a real consideration for Nintendo. There's already apps on the Wii U and I'm sure even more will hit the NX. The more content a system can offer in different areas, the better.

Now I want to ask you guys, how much does that multimedia content matter to you? Are you cool with a game system that just plays games, or do you want it to do other things? Do you want a multimedia hub? Do you want something where you can watch Netflix, take calls, watch TV and more? Leave a comment and let me know!