Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
There are some similarities, and some notable differences. Videogame consoles were expected to work with new games; ebook readers are expected to work with a thousand years' worth of pre-existing content. The features of "what can you do in a video game" were being shaped and changed by the consoles themselves; the features of "what can you do with a book" are well-established, with a few tweaks by new hardware/software (search, dictionary), and some very desirable features (side-by-side comparison of two books) being dropped.
Ebook readers are trying to bring a new medium to a known type of content; videogames quickly dropped trying to push screen versions of existing games. Video games had to be created with hardware & software abilities in mind; books are not. (Generally. House of Leaves is an exception, as are "vooks.")
I'm not sure how that affects the market, but... an Atari 2600 can't play today's videogames at all. An ebookwise can read today's ebooks; they just need to be thrown into the converter. Old ebook readers don't become obsolete when they're no longer manufactured.
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I think there is at least two other notable differences.
1. A large number of high profile, poor quality games definitely played a role. Yes, there are a large number of high profile, poor quality books, but that has always been the case and it has never stopped people reading
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2. Video Game consoles were still relatively new and at the time perceived as being more a kid's toy than a serious entertainment device. EBook readers on the other hand are being taken seriously by adults (in fact, fare more seriously by the above 30 set than the under 30 set).
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Bill