Gather round the 21st century hearth

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The hidden and not-so-hidden costs
All this comes at a cost.

Where the radio and the television provided the same entertainment to all families, irrespective of the brand they purchased, the next generation video game consoles require more of a buy in.

As always, games built for one console won't work for another.

To unlock the full potential of their consoles, users will be required to subscribe to online services that cater to the platform. The Microsoft Xbox 360 subscription service will be a two-tiered service, one free. Details on the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Revolution services have not been publicized.

There will be no communication between the three services.

The commitment runs deeper. The Xbox360 can stream recorded television shows, but only if those shows are recorded on a PC using the next generation of the Windows XP OS. Holy Trojan Horse!

And then there's the price. The Xbox 360 will cost $380 (or $280 if users don't want the wireless controllers and the 20GB hard drive and don't care about playing original Xbox titles).

No price has been announced for the Sony PlayStation 3 although Sony PlayStation president Ken Kutargagi was quoted last month saying "the PS3 can't be offered at a price that's targeted towards households." Huh? Given the fact that households (as opposed to, say, commuter buses) are the primary audience, we'll chalk this up as a misquote.

Still number one for many families
Lost in the battle for the living room between Sony and Microsoft is Nintendo, the oldest player in the business. The Revolution, Nintendo's GameCube successor, remains wrapped in mystery. When it debuts it will offer improved game graphics and a DVD player.

Nintendo, however, has made no secret that Nintendo's focus begins and ends with games not how well it integrates with your PC.

NINTENDO REVOLUTION
PRN
Nintendo's compact-but-powerful next-generation home console, code-named Revolution, will have downloadable access to 20 years of fan-favorite titles originally released for all of the past Nintendo systems.

So the Revolution may not conquer living rooms, but it promises to deliver family entertainment. Over the past 25 years the company has released games that are as well designed as they are kid-friendly ... although as any fan of Mario or "Pikmin" or "Legend of Zelda" can attest, these games are by no means only for kids.

And the Revolution's game-only approach brings us to the last point.

For all the talk of entertainment hubs and broadband connectivity and aesthetics, what next generation video console ends up in your living room may be determined by the same set of factors that determined previous generations; namely, the games.

The kiddie activity has grown into a $10 billion dollar industry in the United States alone.

And the kid playing games has grown into a parent. Gamers are trending older. According to the Entertainment Software Association, a game lobbying firm, 43 percent of the gaming population is aged 18 to 49 years old. An additional 19 percent are over the age of 50.

Look around your family room. The video game console may already be holding center stage.

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