News.com has a special report on the gaming industry’s quest to make the console, rather than the TV or PC, as the heart of the converged digital home. This “all-in-one” device would marry diverse functions from information access to communications to entertainment.
After years of big talk and false starts, the game industry is emerging as one of the leading contenders to create such a digital uberdevice. While consumers have yet to embrace the convergence idea fully, console makers recognize the trend’s persistence and want to make sure they don’t cede their spot in the living room to digital video recorders or other potential combo devices, none of which can boast a customer base near the tens of millions of home worldwide that are equipped with game consoles.
Rather than emulating PC-like informational tools, games companies are broadening the functionality of their devices by adding entertainment features such as music, video and broadcast technologies.
The three contenders: Sony Playstation, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Gamecube.
