Kevin Williams: "Coin-op is still ahead of console"

AH friend and contributor Kevin Williams, who heads up The Stinger Report has penned a feature article for Computerandvideogames.com and where he is an amusement industry expert, his subject: coin-op games. But more importantly, how coin-op games have stayed ahead of the curve in developing technologies that home console are only picking up on in recent years. The headline is sure to cause some friction – it certainly did if you look at some of the comments on the article’s page but I think that’s because some people are missing the point I mentioned of developing technology in controlling a game. Kevin gets into motion controls and 3D displays, all of which have had a place in the amusement industry in decades past but only now are really catching on for the home market. He also gets into areas where arcades succeeded where the consoles failed (such as with the Terminator Salvation license) and where consoles have crossed over into amusement to take advantage of what a dedicated coin-op cabinet has to offer. That advantage can be the controls, the sound system or the display and not just the graphics themselves.

You can read it all here and let us know what you think in the comments.

Kevin Williams: “Coin-op is still ahead of console”

AH friend and contributor Kevin Williams, who heads up The Stinger Report has penned a feature article for Computerandvideogames.com and where he is an amusement industry expert, his subject: coin-op games. But more importantly, how coin-op games have stayed ahead of the curve in developing technologies that home console are only picking up on in recent years. The headline is sure to cause some friction – it certainly did if you look at some of the comments on the article’s page but I think that’s because some people are missing the point I mentioned of developing technology in controlling a game. Kevin gets into motion controls and 3D displays, all of which have had a place in the amusement industry in decades past but only now are really catching on for the home market. He also gets into areas where arcades succeeded where the consoles failed (such as with the Terminator Salvation license) and where consoles have crossed over into amusement to take advantage of what a dedicated coin-op cabinet has to offer. That advantage can be the controls, the sound system or the display and not just the graphics themselves.

You can read it all here and let us know what you think in the comments.