*dupeof=http://videosift.com/video/The-Wii-didn-t-start-the-fire

The Wii Didn't Start The Fire: A Brief History of Video Game has been added as a related post - related requested by PlayhousePals on that post.

The Wii Didn't Start The Fire: A Brief History of Video Game has been added as a related post - related requested by PlayhousePals on that post.

That's not how wii remotes work!

Wait... how are they playing without the remotes??? Is this not on Wii?

EDIT: nm, I see the kinect after scanning back through it.

>> ^shuac:

Very true. And while all technology products are derivative of earlier products to some degree, I think Microsoft does more bandwagon-jumping than most. Let's look at the evidence.
Java, made by Sun. "Reimagined" by Microsoft.
Console gaming, made by Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony, et al. Microsoft gives us Xbox.
Online Music, pioneered by Napster, made legitimate by Apple. Microsoft gives us MSN Music.
MP3 player, pioneered by Rio, made super popular by Apple. Microsoft gives us Zune.
Internet search, pioneered by Archie in 1990, made insanely profitable by Google. Microsoft gives us MSN. And Live Search. And Bing.
Far as tablet computing goes, Microsoft actually has a much bigger history than Apple. I remember MS peddling tablets back in 2001 with XP. Trouble is, XP was never designed as a touch interface. Even as recent as 2008, Microsoft tried this strategy with the Origami.
The innovation Apple made is to take its smartphone OS (whose design is based on touch) and pull it up to the tablet rather than take a full-blown desktop OS and push it down. This is the idea Microsoft is copying with Surface and Windows 8.
Other than Kinect, which is an innovative product since it is more than merely a response to the Wii, I'm not sure Microsoft invented anything. Even its flagship Office suite is based on earlier software (WordStar, WordPerfect, dBase, Lotus 1-2-3). In fact, when Microsoft first licensed MS-DOS to IBM for a huge profit back in 1981, it was essentially QDOS, which they purchased outright from some guy for $50,000. Deal of the century.
You may say, "Well Apple didn't invent the MP3 player. Why aren't they guilty of copying too?"
They are. But Microsoft's history is rife with this sort of "me-too" thing in a way no other company's is. Let me distil my point into one sentence: How many companies are copying Microsoft's products?
To sum up: Microsoft is slim on innovation, fat on looking over the shoulders of the smart kids in class...>> ^Sarzy:
>> ^mtadd:
Microsoft never fails to innovate their name on someone else's product.

Yes, because the iPad was, of course, the first tablet ever.



Cool story bro.

No, seriously though, you do raise some interesting arguments. The only point I was trying to make is that it seems a bit reductionist to dismiss the Surface as merely an iPad clone, when it seems like Microsoft is legitimately trying to do some interesting things with it and Windows 8, rather than just jumping on the iPad bandwagon.

Very true. And while all technology products are derivative of earlier products to some degree, I think Microsoft does more bandwagon-jumping than most. Let's look at the evidence.

* Java, made by Sun. "Reimagined" by Microsoft.
* Console gaming, made by Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony, et al. Microsoft gives us Xbox.
* Online Music, pioneered by Napster, made legitimate by Apple. Microsoft gives us MSN Music.
* MP3 player, pioneered by Rio, made super popular by Apple. Microsoft gives us Zune.
* Internet search, pioneered by Archie in 1990, made insanely profitable by Google. Microsoft gives us MSN. And Live Search. And Bing.

Far as tablet computing goes, Microsoft actually has a much bigger history than Apple. I remember MS peddling tablets back in 2001 with XP. Trouble is, XP was never designed as a touch interface. Even as recent as 2008, Microsoft tried this strategy with the Origami.

The innovation Apple made is to take its smartphone OS (whose design is based on touch) and pull it up to the tablet rather than take a full-blown desktop OS and push it down. This is the idea Microsoft is copying with Surface and Windows 8.

Other than Kinect, which is an innovative product since it is more than merely a response to the Wii, I'm not sure Microsoft invented anything. Even its flagship Office suite is based on earlier software (WordStar, WordPerfect, dBase, Lotus 1-2-3). In fact, when Microsoft first licensed MS-DOS to IBM for a huge profit back in 1981, it was essentially QDOS, which they purchased outright from some guy for $50,000. Deal of the century.

You may say, "Well Apple didn't invent the MP3 player. Why aren't they guilty of copying too?"

They are. But Microsoft's history is rife with this sort of "me-too" thing in a way no other company's is. Let me distil my point into one sentence: How many companies are copying Microsoft's products?

To sum up: Microsoft is slim on innovation, fat on looking over the shoulders of the smart kids in class...>> ^Sarzy:

>> ^mtadd:
Microsoft never fails to innovate their name on someone else's product.

Yes, because the iPad was, of course, the first tablet ever.

As ObiWan said "From a certain point of view"

These things are always geared around the maker of video's personal experience with games.

For instance, for me, the start of it would be Spectrum games, followed by DOS games, then windows games and now Wii and Android.

So, not really a 'history', as 'A personal trip through video games'

Animal Crossing is a good one! I've gotten my mother totally addicted. But it's better than facebook games.

>> ^Hmmm:

Cute. Gamer girls are cool. Trying to convert my gf to gaming, so far we have only managed Wii platformers and boardgames

>> ^Hmmm:

Cute. Gamer girls are cool. Trying to convert my gf to gaming, so far we have only managed Wii platformers and boardgames


It ain't easy...

Cute. Gamer girls are cool. Trying to convert my gf to gaming, so far we have only managed Wii platformers and boardgames

>> ^artician:

>> ^AeroMechanical:
>> ^Kalle:
I see potential for a FPS style firefighter game...

You know, that actually could be pretty good.

It's been done on a number of occasions.
First there was the arcade game "Brave Firefighters" from 1999:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2RdoLgO388
It was sorta ported/updated to Wii almost 10 years later as "Real Heroes Firefighter":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXRQVFDWxFw&feature=related
There are also a number of "Serious" games (simulations for training people) that tackle firefighting as a profession.
"Firefighting Training Simulation":
http://serious.gameclassification.com/EN/games/
17997-Firefighter-Training-Simulation/index.html
"Firefighting the REVAS process":
http://www.3dseriousgamesandsimulations.com/showcase/firefighter-s
imulation/
To name a few.


All neat and well but no crysis backdraft firefighter explosions towering inferno bam bam game...

>> ^AeroMechanical:

>> ^Kalle:
I see potential for a FPS style firefighter game...

You know, that actually could be pretty good.


It's been done on a number of occasions.
First there was the arcade game "Brave Firefighters" from 1999:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2RdoLgO388

It was sorta ported/updated to Wii almost 10 years later as "Real Heroes Firefighter":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXRQVFDWxFw&feature=related

There are also a number of "Serious" games (simulations for training people) that tackle firefighting as a profession.
"Firefighting Training Simulation":
http://serious.gameclassification.com/EN/games/17997-Firefighter-Training-Simulation/index.html

"Firefighting the REVAS process":
http://www.3dseriousgamesandsimulations.com/showcase/firefighter-simulation/

To name a few.

April Fool isn't for 2 more weeks. I call real. Also, if you read the article it's clear that flapping does not equal un-powered. His motions are translated through gyro sensors and amplified through heavy-duty servo motors. Interestingly it seems the gyro sensors are from Nintendo Wii controllers and the processing power is from an Android phone.

I say to thee Icarus; don't fly too close to the sun.