One room. Two LCD projectors, throwing 2 x 3 meter pictures against the walls. Two XBoxes. Eight controllers. Eight-way, split-screen, multiplayer Halo!
Holy cow, that rocked.
Oddly enough, Microsoft’s games division doesn’t automatically trigger my ethics reflex. I’ve never had a problem with Microsoft producing games software, because there is so much other entertainment content out there, that the chances of them obtaining a monopoly position are vanishingly small. The XBox itself concerns me a little, because there are fewer corporate adversaries in the console marketplace, and I can imagine that Microsoft’s ultimate goal is to have the it be the “default and only” gaming console. (Likewise with their new mobile phone platform.)
I guess I’m happy enough with MS being a competitor in a healthy, heterogenous marketplace, but not with them having a monopoly position, or with them flexing their muscle against a smaller number of players.
Or maybe I’m just trying to justify my desire for an XBox so I can play Halo? These are the questions that keep me awake at night…