The Power of Future Gaming Consoles

The phrase used to sum up little brother is “Taking back the world one hacked gaming console at a time.” Naturally the two words that I related to most were “gaming console”. There was a time when video game systems weren’t used for anything else other than playing games. This age started to end as it became possible to play CDs and DVDs on Sony platforms. Now days you can do any number of things with the current generation consoles. You can surf the Internet, chat with friends, watch streaming movies, download music, and much more. Generation by generation gaming systems are becoming more like computers with their multiple functions. Little Brother gives a glimpse of what’s to come with the future of gaming systems.

The story Marcus tells about the Xbox Universal is very hard for me to believe as a gamer. That Microsoft would give away a gaming system for free doesn’t sound like a good marketing plan. Of course today Sony is still selling the PS3 at a loss and relying on game sales for most of their sales. This prediction is some what accurate in that other than the Nintendo Wii most game companies sell their console at a loss. For the most part it is the games which make up the profit.

Putting illegal programs and operating systems on your game consoles is something that already exists. You can install Linux or Windows on the PSP or the Xbox 360. In fact hackers have found ways to install homebrew on systems that don’t even usually have storage space. Flash cards have been made for the Nintendo DS, which have a slot for micro SD cards with applications on it. Then you just place the flash card into the game slot on the DS. Though more limited than other systems the DS is still capable of running several useful programs, such as chat programs and emulators. My friend modded my PSP which allows me to install homebrew, which in my opinion makes the system much more useful, considering the PSP‘s game library is comprised of games I already own on other systems.

One might ask what the point of it all is. If you’re going to turn your gaming systems into computers than why not just use a computer. One of the reasons is that gaming systems are usually viewed as more innocent than computers. The DHS broke Marcus’ laptop open to spy on him, but they didn’t do anything to his Xbox. This may have been because they didn’t find it, but I believe even if they had they would have over looked it thinking it was just for games. Another reason is that making all your devices have the features of a computer gives you more options. A PSP is much easier to conceal and use without suspicion than a wide laptop is.

One of the clear messages of Little Brother is it is paramount that you learn to control technology instead of letting technology control you. Whenever my game systems or computers present minor annoyances I don’t let them continue with it, I’ll search online for the solution. With security so tight in the U.S. and the Patriot Act in existence it is becoming more and more necessary that we protect our right to privacy. I may not own a cell phone or a fancy PDA, but I do have two portable gaming systems and I use them both to their fullest. If the development of systems continues on this route the line between a computer and a gaming device will be very thin indeed.

Virtual Enhancements in Halting State

Halting State has an interesting mix of the technology of today and the technology to come. There are three major advancements when it comes to virtual worlds. They are Cop Space, Spooks, and the visual specs people wear to enter virtual worlds. Each of these either pull

people away from reality or force them to rely on technology too much.

Ever since the Nintendo Virtual Boy, and even further in science fiction, people have always wanted to put our eyes up to a viewer and be completely enveloped into a virtual space. Even with the motion controls of the Nintendo Wii it still can’t erase the fact that you know you are just looking at a television screen. You see Mario or Master Chief on the screen. but you are aware that a screen separates you from truly being Mario or Master Chief. 

After the abysmal failure of the Virtual Boy the video game industry pretty much gave up on creating a virtual reality experience through an eye piece. However this technology is still being explored today. In a recent experiment subjects wore virtual goggles that showed them, themselves from a third person perspective. When their virtual selves were poked the subjects would react even though their physical beings had not been touched. The results would “call into question the axiom that everything you are is anchored in your body.” Virtual Experiment  

One particularly disturbing moment in Halting State was the point in which Jack confronts Chen. Jack and Chen are both inside the virtual space, but Jack is stabbed in the real world (173). He doesn’t realize he has nearly been killed until a moment later. This is truly a frightening experience, as it is shown how someone can forget their real body while in a virtual world.

Cop Space is another example of the advancements in virtual worlds. As stated in Halting State “Just Cop Space? That’s not a game, that’s a metaverse like Real World or Second Life…” (51). Cop Space is definitely not a game, as the police seem to rely on it for their information on everything and everyone. Without it the lack of knowledge on crime is astounding. It reminds me of times when I need to Google something or look it up on Wikipedia, and there isn’t a wifi connection anywhere to be found. I get the feeling that 90% of my brain is missing. When Cop Space is going down and all the other technology could be crashing as well, Sue is very worried. Thanks to the easy access of information, more complex sub laws have been created. “The old British government passed, and then revised justice acts since independence, replaced the old catch all offences like “breach of the peace” with a huge array of very specific charages"  (265). With access to great amounts of information at a time institutions are expecting a lot more when they pass laws.

Spooks is possibly the most frightening new virtual reality. This is due to the fact that is  played in real life. There is no screen or specs separating you from this new world. Also unlike the Zone the non-player characters are not computer controlled but are real people. When zombies were moving about in the Zone they were an annoyance. When Spooks players were role playing as zombies it becomes a real life disturbance (301). Spooks was also turning players into agents which is the most frightening prospect. What if we thought we were playing a war video game and were actually be trained to be soldiers?

Jack’s near death experience behind his game specs, the police’s over confidence in Cop Space, and the march of the Spooks zombies all show the control that technology holds over the world of Halting State. Charles Stross has done an excellent job of taking the current day technology and enhancing it to dangerous levels. Losing your self behind virtual goggles has already taken place today though not through out a large population. Second Life is being used to gather information on consumers. Though nothing as large as Spooks really exists, LARPs are still prevalent today as I've seen them at the anime convention Otakon. All these real world things do have the potential to lead to a Halting State.

Virtual Rock Stars and Protestors

About a week ago I purchased the complete Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit which includes the guitar, drums, and microphone. Although you are not exploring a giant world I still consider this game to have a powerful virtual aspect as you can create a detailed avatars and play with friends online and locally as a band. Since you are with band mates instead of going solo like in previous Guitar Hero Games this “Shared experience creates a sense of reality.”(Meadows 51) One of the best features in the game is the peripherals. It is not that often in games that you feel like you are holding what your avatar is holding. The feel of the instruments, even if they aren‘t real instruments, give you a more authentic sensation than a key board and mouse, which can hardly give you the sensation of walking or swinging a sword. Due to the earlier release of Rock Band which has many of the same features GHWT is up against a wide fan base which feels either thrilled or threatened by a new contender.

Wherever you look online you will find four types of gamers talking about GHWT. There are the die hard Rock Band fan boys who take this game as a threat to their precious Rock Band. They see GHWT as a poor attempt to rip off their game. Often you will see comments like “Ha that’s what Activision gets for trying to rip off Rock Band.” or “Rock Band is so much better than this crap!” These players argue that not only does the interface in the game lack the polish and the usability of Rock Band, but the instruments are also malfunctioning for many people. I find this a funny remark to make considering Rock Band’s instruments have also been plagued by this in the past. They also mention how Rock Band has hundreds of songs to download unlike GHWT. 

  

Another type of user accepts GHWT and claims that it is a good game if not better than Rock Band. These people tend to comment by saying “The instruments are much better when they work. I’ve never had any problems with mine.” or “I just like the songs more in Guitar Hero so I am getting this game.” I find that these gamers are constantly in conflict just as Meadow’s friend stated that “people were really opinionated.  They would pick fights left and right over stupid crap.” (Meadows 43)

The final groups are the undecided or buy both. They either don’t know what side to take or just want to buy both games for more songs. This is actually possible since many of the instruments are compatible between both games. 

All the communities I looked at were game review pages and the comments left clearly reflect this. Game reviewers have certain number scores. IGN’s score for GHWT on the Xbox 360 was 8/10 while they gave Rock Band 2 a 9/10. This has of course led to many members commenting that Rock Band is better. Of course 8/10 is still a very good score, this usually means the title is a worth buying. Fans do not respond like that however. Fans are ever passionate about their games, and when a unique game like Rock Band is challenged by a supposed rip off they are constantly on the attack or defense. Comments also ranged in length from a fragment to several paragraphs.

Of course these comments are more than just useless fan battles. Game Companies actually take fan opinions into account for future releases. For example owners of the Nintendo Wii enjoyed Guitar Hero 3, but they had some complaints. Guitar Hero 3 had downloadable content for most of the other systems it was on, but not the Wii. In an E3 interview one of the Vicarious Visions employees who worked on GHWT stated that downloadable content would be available for Wii owners, as that is what the fans were asking for.

I tried to get onto the official Guitar Hero World Tour message board, but sadly it is still under construction. I have little doubt that the problems in GHWT will be fixed in the next game. Developers listen to the fans after all, and Rock Band 2 showed this as many of the problems in Rock Band 1 were fixed in 2. Gamers are constantly over the top when it comes to their opinions on games, especially when they have the Internet to hide behind.