Cable Box Gaming? WHAT?!

While surfing the web, I stumbled across something that caught my undivided attention. This particular article described a world where console gaming was a thing of the past, and video games could be accessed via cable box. I was not really enthralled about this news. I do see the positives, but I feel like there will be negatives to this as well, as far as gaming goes.

AT&T, Verizon, and Time Warner cable are among the companies looking into cable box gaming, They apparently believe that it would be possible to over power consoles with time. I personally do not think this is possible, but then again, many people more intelligent than I have said things we see as common now, would never catch on.

 I digress, one of the positives about this particular form of gaming is the fact that everything is consolidated into one console and there would not be a reason to go out and individually purchase games. It also makes it easier for game developers, since they would only have to develop their games for one platform.

Now, for the negatives...I hope it doesn't sound too much like a rant...First of all, the graphics. The graphics for the most popular games require quite a bit of memory and space. I do not think cable boxes, as they exist today, are capable of handling DVR and Gaming simultaneously. If I can only save a certain amount of 1hour programs to my DVR, how am I going to play Arkham City or Grand Theft Auto? There are so many elements to these games that require more memory than what is currently offered. Next, I would imagine how frustrating it would be if the cable went out. At the moment, when that happens, I turn to the saving grace of my PS3. Cable companies can barely handle the demand they have now for reliable cable and internet. All the companies I've subscribed to, have let me down on one of those aspects of their service. Also, I have yet to come across a cable box that allows me to play Blu-Rays, and I don't think they will offer that either. Finally, the price. If you think cable is expensive, what do you think gaming would cost through your cable company? Games, individually, are upwards of $70. It seems like this offer would make those prices skyrocket. I mean, we would have to pay monthly for cable & internet, including this new gaming platform, AND the games we want to play? That's quite a bit of money that I don't really need to spend.

I really doubt this form of gaming will never take off. Game developers will be very annoyed and waste a lot of money by now having to create 4 different versions for 4 different platforms: PS3, XBOX360, Wii, and Comcast(?). I really think they should improve the services they have now before they think of jumping into another.