Intrinsic Values: Online Voice Communication

For the most part, I've thought that online gaming (whether it be PC or console) was inevitable as a feature in new games. Consoles are all now online and we finally have the ability to play against people across the globe. Computer gamers have almost always had this, but since I'm not a PC gamer, this is still a relatively new world that has just been discovered.

The Sega Dreamcast was the first console to go online full-tilt, followed by the PS2 and the original Xbox. But it wasn't until the hi-def generation of consoles came out that developers started really marketing online features and weaving it into every aspect of their consoles and games. Not only can you play games online now, but you can buy small, sub-$15 games, surf the internet, download new game demos, buy episodes of tv shows and even rent hi-def movies.

Wow. That's like 5 more Intrinsic Values articles right there. Way to layout my writing schedule!

But most recently, I found voice chatting to be more than just for yelling back at those 11-year-olds to quiet down. On a personal note, my cousin whom I've only really known through instant messaging, recently got an Xbox 360 and a Live account. We've been talking online for a few years now, but this is really the first time we've really been able to hang out and do something we both share in common.

Of course, I wouldn't suggest telling all of your estranged friends and family members to get a 360 just so you can recoup those long lost relationships, but as far as things to expect when buying video games, connecting with a distant cousin isn't something they bullet on the packaging. But it is a cool bonus.

It's also been really nice to play games with people and chat about something other than the game your playing. I've heard people talking with their friends in games about just about everything (which is good and sometimes bad). When you get in a game like that, the atmosphere is more relaxed and you feel like your sitting at a restaurant talking over dinner. It completely changes the dynamic of online gaming. It becomes the hobby that you enjoy alone instead of an adrenaline pumped frag fest that it can usually be.

Also, you can really consider this to be a really cheap form of world wide communication. For $50 a year, you can chat with anyone who has a 360. Of course that doesn't count the cost of internet and the $350 console, but you get the idea.