Seawolf 0 Posted August 20, 2003 I recently purchased an Xbox with the Live kit (multiplayer online) and although up until getting this Xbox all of my gaming has been done with my PC I must say I am amazed with this little black box and what it can do which got me to thinking about the future of PC gaming and flight sims in particular. This is strickly a "what if" thought, but hear me out. What about realistic flight sims like LOMAC on console systems like Xbox? Now before you start throwing oranges and calling me a trader, just listen for a second.lol What would you need to add to a console system to be able to fly a flight sim just like we do currently on our PCs? First thing we need is a joystick, and even better yet a HOTAS setup that just plugs into the built in USB ports just like they do on our PCs. IMO there is no reason why Saitek, CH, TM, and especially MS couldnt make thier sticks compatible with a system like the Xbox (MS especially). It's USB, just a different connector. Second is you would need Keyboard support (with a mouse) and a web browser so you can dabble with your web sites, download mods, etc. Xbox live already has a thing called Live content which allows you to download updates and extras for live games. Ok, so we have our HOTAS, Keyboard, Mouse, and our web surfing software ready to go, whats next? Ah of course we need a flight sim! Well there is LOMAC, and its been in development for a few years now specifically for the PC, but here is the beauty of Consoles. See I used to be hardcore PC and never thought of consoles as legit gaming platforms because I put so much money and time into my PC to make it run as fast as possible and handle any game I threw at it. Now I have changed my view. I think Consoles can be serious (hardcore) gaming setups with a few minor additions (like I mentioned above), but here is why having a hardcore flight sim on a console would actually be better than on your PC. 1st and biggest PRO is simple- 52inch HDTV phillips Plasma Screen. LOL Just imagine something like LOMAC on your big screen in your living room. :shock: Next is programming time and cost- Programmers who build games for Consoles dont have literally thousands of different hardware configurations to deal with when building a game. They know exactly what hardware combinations they are dealing with and can test the game on the same exact system you have in your living room. When you put that CD in you know it will work. No FPS issues, no stuttering, no lockups, no CTDs, no random reboots, no corrupted sound/video, etc. Am I saying Consoles are perfect? no, absolutely not and games do come out which are buggy, or that have certain issues, but it ends up being a "rushed out the door to meet the movie release" type of situation and not a hardware issue. 3rd is money and upgrades. How much money do we spend on our PCs to keep them in tip top shape and running at the fastest possible? a bunch right? Well I have forked out probably thousands of dollars over the years just upgrading my PC and 3 weeks ago I spent $200 on basically a computer system (Xbox) which leaves my top o the line PC in the dust. Basically with your console you know its not going to be old news 2 weeks after you buy it. You spend $200-$300 on a console and it will play every single game for 3+ years and never show signs of age. instead of $800 on PC upgrades you spend another $200 every 3 years or so on the next best box and your done for another 3 or 4 years until the next one comes out. I know this sounds like an add for consoles, but I truly believe Consoles could be a great platform for Flight Sims in the future if all the right perameters are met. Perhaps in the next few years we will see sims like LOMAC on systems like the Xbox and have an entire flight sim experience for under $300. Anyway, thats the end of my rant, sorry it took so long.lol Just something I was thinking about last night while playing Maddon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snapple2993 0 Posted August 20, 2003 No, real flight simming will always be apart of the PC world. Besides LOMAC probably wouldnt run on XBOX, maybe PS3 or XBOX 2, but think about it, flight sims are rooted in the PC gaming world... sports games are not. Something about college students hudled in a dorm room drinking beer and eating pizza while they take turns talking sh*t to eachother over a friendly game of Madden. Now can you see this with a PC??? Sure, it doesnt sound to far fetched until you delve into the psyche of a gamer. You have 3 types, the guy that plays sports and fighting games, and occasionally an FPS or GTA, or a racing game; get the idea of who this person is? He probably isnt too into having to learn how to use a 7 mode Russian weapons system , infact I would be suprised if this average joe even knew what radar was. I have seen it with my own eyes, flight sims are just too hard for regular people to learn. The other type of gamer is the one that is stuck in another world... the RPG gamer... need I say more (not poking at anyone) but spells and goblins aren't my thing. The last type of gamer would be the guy that plays crap that is rooted in some form of reality and or history... Most FPS's and Flight sims, and probably an RTS. Those people are a much smaller group than the 1st group but a larger one than the 2nd. But if you look at the games that the 1st group (average joe) plays, you will see that they make up the overwhelming bulk of games. Just look at all the sports games that are made, and then fighting games, and racing games. I think the XBOX is capable of running a few sims, but its just not economical for a company to sink money into a genre that is not all that popular. It wouldnt take much to convert the hardware to say an XBOX but think of the risk in converting all that hardware, and if it doesnt pay off, then that company is out a whole lot of money. Note: I belong to groups 1 and 3 of gamer. But sims are the most fun. In short, the buying public in general still looks at PC gaming as the "DORK" of gaming; its okay to play on an XBOX but the computer is still for "smart people" even though windows is easy enough for a 3 yr old, and since Sims are attached to a PC stigma... they too are kinda dorkish... but not as fruity as something like D&D online. Again, please nobody take offence to what I have said. It's just my 2 cents. Cheers, Jay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snapple2993 0 Posted August 20, 2003 I forgot, there was a sim that came out on PS2 (I think), it had some kid playing it (on the commercial), he had a full helmet on and had his grandma's O2 hooked up and he was playing this sim.... I didnt see the ad play very often and you can tell it made an impression on me, seeing how I cant remember the name. All signs point to failure for that particular game... good ad though. I think its possible, and not a bad idea, but it just isnt plausable on a macro scale. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seawolf 0 Posted August 20, 2003 well it was just a thought. I honestly believe Consoles will overtake PC gaming in the next few years and Consoles like Xbox and PS will end up being complete entertainment systems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snapple2993 0 Posted August 20, 2003 your probably right about systems completely taking over the market , but the thing is that flight sims just arent all that popular in comparison... again All an XBOX needs is Internet Explorer, Word, and Power Point, and I wouldnt need a PC, but then again XBOX would just be a Little PC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seawolf 0 Posted August 21, 2003 Yeah but think about how easy it would be for the programmers only having to deal with one specific hardware setup. That would probably be the biggest benefit to having flight sims on consoles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snapple2993 0 Posted August 21, 2003 Very true, infact thats the argument that I've heard from my friends that say PC games suck... in the familiar " Yeah, dude but they gotta support sh*tty computers too, and you always gotta upgrade". But think about this... lots of people have owned every single gaming system that has come out in the past 10 years, and that is a whole lot of cash. And all it does is boost the graphics. Until they come out with a system that looks like total reality, then I'm not buying it, because a new system will come out every year or two, in the same way that you have to upgrade vid cards and such. Atleast with a PC, you dont have upgrade everything; but a vid card can hurt the pocket. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest MrMudd Posted August 21, 2003 most people dont know that the Xbox is a intel 733 mhz 64 bit PC with nvidia video. and 8 gig drive. there people running Linux apps on them as we speak. all the ports are usb, and with a mod can be PC complient. only a matter of time before a windows os is made operable on it... We have a Xbox and its a fun machine. My favorite is HALO and MS Rally sport challenge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snapple2993 0 Posted August 21, 2003 Well if the idea of flight simming on a console were to really come about, it would have to be done by microsoft, maybe introduce MSFS to it, and see how it goes. It's not like they would care if they lost a little money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seawolf 0 Posted August 23, 2003 Very true Mudd and I debated purchasing our Xbox because we already had two gaming PCs which I continuously upgrade. At first I thought the Xbox would just be like buying another PC, but then I looked at the features and what it offered vs the PS2 and Im glad I got the Xbox. The Digital 5.1ch DTS is flat out amazing, the graphics are far better than PS2, and the online multiplayer is blows away anything Sony has right now. No lag, no warping, etc because its all Broadband only so no longer am I forced to play in games with people using 28.8 modems, etc I just think a good test would be for Microsoft to release a Xbox version of FS2006 (looking ahead here, by that time Xbox2 will be out Im sure) and they could have an adapter to either hook up your keyboards, mouse, and Hotas or use some Xbox incarnation and let that be a trial run. All Xbox needs is a web browser and peripherals. But PC will continue to be the sole Simulator format I think until consoles expand. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snapple2993 0 Posted August 23, 2003 YES! PS2 is a peice of sh*t. I dont own one because well it sucks compared to a computer or even an XBOX. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CowboyTodd41 134 Posted August 24, 2003 There was supposed to be a flight sim for N64 called "Harrier 2001" it supposed to ultra-realistic including things like manually changing the the trusht vectoring ports I was stoked...then I cried when it was finnaly cancelled Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seawolf 0 Posted August 25, 2003 A harrier sim would have been cool. I really hope we see one added to Lomac someday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
