Flicking through the specs for the Xbox One and thePlayStation 4 recently, I was struck by how much the concept of a game console has changed in the past 15 years. Back in the late 1990s I lodged in an attic, with plenty of opportunity for gaming on a Super Nintendo Entertainment System, which I later upgraded to an original PlayStation to take advantage of the CD playing multimedia magic. Looking at Microsoft and Sony’s next generation offerings, it seems that bringing video, TV, music and your photo collection (and probably social networking) into the mix of games and achievement unlocking is now part and parcel of owning a game console. It’s a major selling point, one that should deliver the ultimate entertainment experience to living rooms and dens across the developed world.
