Console network services: a historical overview
DLC (Downloadable content), or downloadable content, or add-ons, is a standard form of distributing add-ons to video games over the Internet, firmly embedded in the daily life of any modern gamer. Today, many players no longer represent their console without network services: PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, WiiConect24 have long been not only a means of delivering DLC ​​to their favorite games, but also, thanks to an advanced user communication system, have become a kind of console analogue of social networks.
The great-grandfather of modern ways of delivering digital content can be considered the GameLine service for the Atari 2600 game console, which dominates the video game market in 1977-1984. GameLine allowed the user to download games via the phone line. Despite its innovativeness for that time, GameLine did not receive much distribution. This is understandable: in the pre-Internet era, the very idea of ​​downloadable content was too revolutionary. Even in high-tech America, many users simply did not understand it (not to mention the less developed countries: at the Atari 2600, which appeared in 1988, bought by my father for 860 rubles, which were insane for those times, I looked like a miracle of hostile technology and would hardly have believed the person who claimed that the games in the console can be downloaded via the phone).
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10 years later, Sega attempted to develop Atari's ideas using the Sega Channel service, which allowed downloading games to the Sega MegaDrive console via cable television networks. Since the year 1994 was already in the yard, Sega Channel was also unable to win the hearts of users: in the war of 16-bit SNES formats it already prevailed, and the appearance of the first Sony PlayStation announced the beginning of a new era of video games. Nevertheless, the Sega Channel managed to collect a good harvest, not only in the advanced USA, Canada and Australia, but also in the second-tier countries, for example, in Chile and Argentina.
In the 6th generation console warfare, the Sega DreamCast, which had online support, seemed to have unquestionable advantages over the Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2 competitors, which did not have built-in network adapters, however, due to the limitations imposed by narrowband connectivity and limited size memory cards, the SegaNet service also did not win any special laurels.
The first company that successfully introduced downloadable content to the game console was Microsoft with an Xbox console. Many popular Xbox games offered a large amount of additional downloadable content that enjoyed crazy success. Suffice it to recall the addition of Yavin to the mega-hit in the Star Wars setting of Knights of the Old Republic or downloadable multiplayer maps for Halo 2.
However, the real potential of console network services was revealed only in the 7th generation of consoles. Sony PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and WiiConect24 are engaged in a serious struggle for the consumer, in which each of the three giants of the console market is ready to offer its exclusive services to the gaming audience. WiiConect24 offers its users an assortment of retro-hits from the previous generation Nintendo platforms, Xbox Live relies on the advanced “sociality” of its service, which, however, considers the reason for charging a considerable subscription fee, and PlayStation Network attracts the audience with exclusive addons for games and no however, it is a levy on players. No, of course, you have to pay for some DLCs, but the idea that you can charge a subscription fee for the game on the network, Sony has always considered blasphemous, thanks to which it dragged many players from the competitor’s camp to itself, and also inclined advanced gamers - owners of all the three main consoles to the game of cross-platform hits on the PlayStation 3.
To consolidate on the Russian market, PlayStaion 3 also made more efforts than its main competitors: the PlayStation Network service officially came to Russia long before other console network services and pleasantly surprised users not only with the Russian interface, but also with the ability to accept Russian plastic cards. The latest developments around PSN have had a slight effect on the number of users: after the recent restoration of all network service functions, the PlayStation Network servers are again full of players, and the PlayStation Store is shoppers. Probably, the players reasoned practically: after one plane crash, the planes of the responsible airline become the safest, due to the increased public attention chained to them, and the likelihood of similar incidents with other airliners approaches zero. Well, the service also has not been canceled for free. For Russian users, the importance of this moment is difficult to overestimate.
The great-grandfather of modern ways of delivering digital content can be considered the GameLine service for the Atari 2600 game console, which dominates the video game market in 1977-1984. GameLine allowed the user to download games via the phone line. Despite its innovativeness for that time, GameLine did not receive much distribution. This is understandable: in the pre-Internet era, the very idea of ​​downloadable content was too revolutionary. Even in high-tech America, many users simply did not understand it (not to mention the less developed countries: at the Atari 2600, which appeared in 1988, bought by my father for 860 rubles, which were insane for those times, I looked like a miracle of hostile technology and would hardly have believed the person who claimed that the games in the console can be downloaded via the phone).
')
10 years later, Sega attempted to develop Atari's ideas using the Sega Channel service, which allowed downloading games to the Sega MegaDrive console via cable television networks. Since the year 1994 was already in the yard, Sega Channel was also unable to win the hearts of users: in the war of 16-bit SNES formats it already prevailed, and the appearance of the first Sony PlayStation announced the beginning of a new era of video games. Nevertheless, the Sega Channel managed to collect a good harvest, not only in the advanced USA, Canada and Australia, but also in the second-tier countries, for example, in Chile and Argentina.
In the 6th generation console warfare, the Sega DreamCast, which had online support, seemed to have unquestionable advantages over the Nintendo GameCube and Sony PlayStation 2 competitors, which did not have built-in network adapters, however, due to the limitations imposed by narrowband connectivity and limited size memory cards, the SegaNet service also did not win any special laurels.
The first company that successfully introduced downloadable content to the game console was Microsoft with an Xbox console. Many popular Xbox games offered a large amount of additional downloadable content that enjoyed crazy success. Suffice it to recall the addition of Yavin to the mega-hit in the Star Wars setting of Knights of the Old Republic or downloadable multiplayer maps for Halo 2.
However, the real potential of console network services was revealed only in the 7th generation of consoles. Sony PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and WiiConect24 are engaged in a serious struggle for the consumer, in which each of the three giants of the console market is ready to offer its exclusive services to the gaming audience. WiiConect24 offers its users an assortment of retro-hits from the previous generation Nintendo platforms, Xbox Live relies on the advanced “sociality” of its service, which, however, considers the reason for charging a considerable subscription fee, and PlayStation Network attracts the audience with exclusive addons for games and no however, it is a levy on players. No, of course, you have to pay for some DLCs, but the idea that you can charge a subscription fee for the game on the network, Sony has always considered blasphemous, thanks to which it dragged many players from the competitor’s camp to itself, and also inclined advanced gamers - owners of all the three main consoles to the game of cross-platform hits on the PlayStation 3.
To consolidate on the Russian market, PlayStaion 3 also made more efforts than its main competitors: the PlayStation Network service officially came to Russia long before other console network services and pleasantly surprised users not only with the Russian interface, but also with the ability to accept Russian plastic cards. The latest developments around PSN have had a slight effect on the number of users: after the recent restoration of all network service functions, the PlayStation Network servers are again full of players, and the PlayStation Store is shoppers. Probably, the players reasoned practically: after one plane crash, the planes of the responsible airline become the safest, due to the increased public attention chained to them, and the likelihood of similar incidents with other airliners approaches zero. Well, the service also has not been canceled for free. For Russian users, the importance of this moment is difficult to overestimate.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/122235/
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