MS buying Connectix: baseless speculation (1 Viewer)

[EdR]

So this here article suggests that MS is about to buy Connectix. The article focuses on Connectix virtual server technology as the reason why.

But as we all know, Connectix also made the Virtual Game Station PS1 emulator. If I recall, they won a lawsuit filed by Sony because they were able to prove that they devised the emulation without reference to Sony's hardware.

It immediately occured to me that MS might also want Connectix because they may have the ability to come up with a PS2 emulator, which MS could include with the next gen Xbox.

I admit this is pure, 100% speculation, indeed, such a thing might be impossible. But the idea is intruguing. Imagine what would happen to the console industry if MS could manage backward compatibility with the PS2 (and of course the original Xbox)...

 

[JoshF]

I'm more concerned about what this will mean for Virtual PC on the Mac platform.

But... I highly doubt they'd get away with PS2 emulation on the Xbox, or the next Xbox. Would be tough to do via software first of all, and Sony would never let that out of the door.

Would be a fun legal fight to watch, though.

 

[Damien]

Microsoft would be forced to leave the industry if they tried that. PS1 games DO outsell some next-gen games on a monthly basis currently.

 

[EdR]

Microsoft would be forced to leave the industry if they tried that.

On what grounds? Connectix proved that they could engineer compatibility without reverse engineering the hardware. Now, it's possible that Sony has made it more difficult in the PS2, but if it's possible technically, I suspect it would be completely legal.

BTW, in case you're wondering, I'm no MS fanboy...quite the contrary.

 

[Joe Szott]

Ed,

Taking it even further, there would be no restriction for Sony to emulate Xbox as well with the PS3. So wouldn't it be odd to have 100% backwards compatibility to ANY console other than the competitor's current one?

Sony PS3 playing Halo and XBox2 running Vice City. That would be quite a hoot!

 

[EdR]

Taking it even further, there would be no restriction for Sony to emulate Xbox as well with the PS3.

Presumably not. To be honest the thought never occured to me until I saw this announcement (or pending announcement, apparently it will be official tomorrow).

The one difference is that the Xbox is more powerful than the PS2, so an Xbox emulator would need to be that much faster to emulate with acceptable performance. Considering it only from the perspective of power, the PS2 would be easier since it's less powerful.

I don't doubt that the technical difficulties would be huge for either company, but hardware emulation is Connectix's specialty.

JoshF:

I suspect VirtualPC will become a Windows-only emulator, dropping support for other OSes.

 

[Dave Bennett]

As long as Virtual PC isn't axed then I've got no major complaint about this.

 

[Joe Szott]

Knowing MS, they might try it just to piss Sony off and try to get them into a huge legal battle. Reminds me of a poker player that uses a superior bankroll to lean on an opponent until they eventually collapse. Damn but those MS guys can play dirty.

Would definitely be one for the books in the gaming world.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Still, wouldn't this be somewhat counterproductive for MS, at least in the current generation? If the Xbox could emulate the PS2, why develop for the Xbox when you can capture the entire audience by developing just for the PS2?

 

[Dave F]

If they wanted to make an emulator, they wouldn't need Connectix. The virtual server technology sounds much more likely.

-Dave

 

[EdR]

If they wanted to make an emulator, they wouldn't need Connectix. The virtual server technology sounds much more likely.

Well, I agree that this is probably the reason for the purchase.

But to play devil's advocate, this could be a two-for-one deal. They get the virtual server stuff, guarateed to pay off to some degree...and along with it, they get a team of developers who have years of experience writing code to emulate a console. It doesn't have to be a one-or-the-other kind of thing.

 

[Dave F]

It's highly unlikely though. They haven't touched console emulation for a while, so they'd have to spend extra $ to get the developement team back up to speed.

Not to mention that emulation would earn them zero dollars. If profit comes from the software (& services such as XBL), then Sony would profit from the emulation. Not Microsoft.

-Dave

 

[Brian Ruth]

Dave:

I disagree that Microsoft would earn zero dollars for emulation.

I think the possibility of emulation adds value to a system -- I suspect a next-gen system from MS would do 30 to 40% better saleswise if it had a PS2 emulator included than if it didn't. More systems mean more software sales for MS, and to a lesser extent, Sony.

I think it would be a win-win for both companies.

 

[NickSo]

Seems liek the speculations are true (for the buying, not the PS2 emulation and stuff):

http://www.msnbc.com/news/874791.asp?0si=-

Hope theres no thread on this already.. i didnt read over this thread too carefully, just skimmed over it, and i dont think it was discussed yet

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Doesn't MS make money through software sales? Making the software to play PSX/PS2 games on the X-Box would mean more software sales for the PS2's games, which means more direct profits for Sony (since they're not losing any money on hardware sales).

 

[EdR]

Doesn't MS make money through software sales? Making the software to play PSX/PS2 games on the X-Box would mean more software sales for the PS2's games, which means more direct profits for Sony (since they're not losing any money on hardware sales).

Well, this is probably the best argument against the feasibility (aside from technical issues) of an emulator.

However, by the time the PS3 and Xbox2 (or whatever) are released, I think it's safe to say that developent for the P2 will have slowed considerably, Sony themselves will want everyone on board with the PS3.

The main advantage emulation would give MS is that people with large investments in legacy PS2 games could continue to play them if they upgrade to the new Xbox. They wouldn't need to keep their PS2, and they wouldn't need to get a PS3 to play their old games. Anyone sitting on the fence because of those issues would be more likely to move to the Xbox.

I'm not an economist, I have no idea if this reasoning would stand up to actual analysis and number crunching, but on the face of it I think it has some degree of truth.

Anyway, I think the dangers are great enough that MS wouldn't risk it. It's too much of a gamble...but it was fun to think about.

 

[Jason Seaver]

I don't know... "You can play your old 2600 games" didn't sell a whole lot of 7800s.

Actually, I think it would be a fairly canny thing for MS to do for the next generation - if the Xbox2 and PS3 come out simultaneously, being backward-compatible to the PS2/PSX AND the Xbox (and, heck, why not throw 3D0/Saturn/Dreamcast/JagCD/Nuon in for good measure?) wouldn't hurt Microsoft... I'm just not sure how many people wind up playing PSX games on their PS2.

Of course, even if that's the case, that sort of idea could be perceived as a plus when someone's choosing between PS3 and Xbox2, even if they never really make use of it.

 

[NickSo]

lol, this reminds me of when before Xbox specs were officially released, there were rumors flying around that MS implemented the Xbox to be backwards compatible with Dreamcasts haha...

 

[Joe Szott]

Morgan,

You are right, that's how they make money from consoles directly. The key to understanding MS and Sony's fury over these consoles is they are not after the game console market, but the next wave of set top box home entertainment market. They both want to basically own the box that sits next to your TV in the living room and provides PVR, DVD, games, HDTV, and music to your home entertainment system. That's where the next wave of huge $$$$ is. MS can't possibly break even on Xbox based on their spending, they are in it for a long haul I'm sure.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Joe,

I know MS' plan for the future, and the X-Box being a "foot in the door," but contributing directly to Sony's software sales is not a great idea. If this buyout actually happened, chances are it won't have anything to do with PlayStation (X, 1, One, or 2) emulation on the X-Box.