When we hear all this hype about downloadable console video-games as an alternative and equal method of distribution over optical disk, we have to ask ourselves: can our current network handle it?
With ADSL speeds nearly reaching 25mb/s it is certainly possible that video games will be available and more convenient than ever before. But to gauge its’ possible success we have to consider:
- Network Capacity.
- Consumer Reception.
- The growing size of video-games.
Lets’ start with network capacity, since the advent of certain high bandwidth technologies such as easy video streaming, more prevalent VOIP, and other technologies- the internet supplying companies have re-assessed their abilities and in countries such as the UK they have capped the previously unlimited internet access of many whereas the USA has taken the far less subtle path of trying to bill the content providers twice for bandwidth. Lets say that if the price was right the average gamer would buy 3 games a month at 10gb each, that would add up to 30gb- 10gb more than a fairly reasonable fair usage policy of 20gb.
Secondly it has to be considered that consumers see video games as more than a game, they prescribe value to the box and packaging- and most importantly the rights entitled by that: they can play the game on any console of the type/model and they can sell it. Rights which many consumers hold dear, although now it must be stressed the total irrelevance of the Music downloads industry where users are granted the liberty of multiple physical copies.
And thirdly when HD becomes completely ubiquitous, perhaps in the next generation or one after the storage requirements of each game will be quite a lot larger than current generation games 50-60gb/game- placing the already antiquated data cabling to premises under new and exiting strain.
Small footnote: I am not talking about small games which would be inappropriate for online distribution such as Virtual console games for the Wii.
