Requiem for Target Games

[Doomdark]

Pain and lamentation, the greatest game company in Sweden has passed away.

Target Games, who gave us board games and table top role-playing games like 'Svea Rike', 'Mutant' and 'Kult', has decided to become an investment company. Doh.

Fortunately Paradox Entertainment (formerly Target Games Interactive) remains as a beacon of hope in the darkness. However, I doubt we'll ever see a revival of those great table top games.

/Doomie

[This message has been edited by Doomdark (edited 27-06-2000).]

 

[unmerged(164)]

What a suprise another game company bites the dust. It is a sad day when any board game manufacturer disappears. The advent of the computer game is slowly killing that industry off it seems.

 

[unmerged(175)]

if i were you guys, i'd be worried about those damn consoles taking over..

 

[unmerged(164)]

Consoles (as in Nintendo/Sony/Sega ect.)will never truly replace computers. There will always be people who use a computer for work & entertainment purposes. Those people will have to have a computer.

 

[Tacticon]

The current trend in technology right now is a convergence of Console Entertainment systems and stand alone computers. Microsoft's X-box is a hibred system offering characteristics of both. There are several computer vendors developing similar systems which offer entertainment, internet, dvd video out, home security on a win98 operating system. Intel is developing a new 'computer on chip' which intergrates the CPU, level 2 cashe, Video processor, North and South bridge chips. It should offer outstanding system performance and dramatically reduce system prices. Combine that with a High Defination TV and you will have a full blown PC in the living room. And should make the Linux users cringe.

- Tacticon

 

[unmerged(164)]

How many people are going to give up the upgradeablilty of the PC? The XBox and Intel System will take the place of the Pavillion, Presario, Dell and Gateway boxes (maybe clone boxes as well). It might hit the Playstation, N64 and Sega market where it hurts they are essentially going to be vieing for the same niche. I do not forsee this new generation of computer/ entertainment system pushing out the P.C. The problem with these machines is the inability to expand and enhance the box itself. Being able to put in more memory, bigger Hard Drives & enhanced video cards prolongs the usefulness of the machine and gives users flexiblity most home computer users want.

 

[Tacticon]

Dragon,

The target price of the x-box is around $300-400. If you’re like me, you probably spent at least that much keeping your computer current over the last 12mos. My point is these new x-box/consoles are going to be DISPOSABLE. You don't upgrade them, you replace them every two years just like console systems of the past. I promised my wife I would get the family a Playstation 2 for Christmas this year. Unlike us, my wife wants to turn on the computer and get her emails and play a game or movie. She has no interest in upgrading video cards and hard drives. I bet you 90% of home computer users are more like her then us. I just got my copy of Computer Gamers World today and they had a very interesting article about this subject. They had a line in the article that was great-“They can have my electric screw driver when they pry it from my cold dead fingers”.

Let me make a couple of points not covered in the article. First, the hybrid consoles are going to demolish the low-end pc market. If Microsoft offers a network card and SVGA video converter as upgrades, then you might see a lot of interest from corporate workstation users. My workstation at work is a P166, 32mb ram, 2.4gb Hdd and no Cdrom or floppy. And this machine was my Y2K upgrade!!! I would love to replace it with an x-box. Secondly, there will be upgrades. You will be able to buy proprietary branded ram and hard drives. They will probably be relabeled clone pc parts at triple the price. (Just like genuine IBM PC’s and Nintendo Parts). And don’t forget these machines will have USB and firewire ports.

I’m not saying that all desktop computers are going away. They will still be a market for those beige boxes we know and love. I’m just telling you hybrid consoles are going to capture a bigger piece of the market than you expect. Believe me when I tell you I’m no fan of console games. I work for a company that builds branded PC’s and we’re designing our own hybrid box. I know of a couple of competitors doing the same as us. Finally Nintendo, Sega and Sony are all working on advanced hybrid boxes themselves. The upcoming competition is going to be a financial blood bath and the winners are going to be guys with the deepest pockets.

- Tacticon

 

[unmerged(164)]

I agree that the home PC market may get swept up in this and as long as the systems have non-proprietary OS's (Nintendo, Sega & Sony) they might do well. There however is a vast difference in price between a console system and a low end (somewhat unmodifiable) PC be it XBox or someone elses unit. I can buy a Sony or Nintendo or someone elses system for 150 - 250 dollars (yes, I realize there are plenty of bell's and whisles I can add to jack that price up). A unit that run Win 98 or Win ME, has a hard drive (of any size), CD and Processor will at a minimum be it the 3-400 dollar range at least (will vary depending of how much of the above you get). Having worked in the industry for 13 years I would say that as long as there is that delta that there will alway be a spot of the console.

I would agree with you that that the home PC market is what may go away but if these units are running some form of windows then really all they are is the next evolution in home computing. In the work enviroment this evolution is already occuring I am selling more and more Terminals, which are wonderful for the secratarial pools. Compaq's IPAQ is selling very well also (very similar box to the proposed XBox).

 

[Tacticon]

Microsoft has awarded nVidia a contract to supply G-force chips for the x-box. The os is going to be an embedded (stripped down) version of win2000. The os will be stored on rom chips to eliminate corruption, viruses and alterations. The system will have software audio and modem. Microsoft will probably lose a pile of money on each box until is has a significant market share.

------------------

- Tacticon

 

[Lucidor]

Hurrah!

Target Games's, or Äventyrsspel as they were known as before, best game has been re-released! Pen-paper RPG at it's best... It got me really nostalgic.

www.mutant.nu (Swedish only)

 

[Lord E]

Originally posted by Lucidor
Hurrah!

Target Games's, or Äventyrsspel as they were known as before, best game has been re-released! Pen-paper RPG at it's best... It got me really nostalgic.

www.mutant.nu (Swedish only)

We are all happy for you Lucidor
And it was cool that you dug out this old thread, now Carolus will get more to do

 

[Carolus Rex]

Nah, no need to get people all worked up for this...I'll let it lie.

 

[unmerged(10894)]

I don't know what u guys r on about. Computers will always have better games and u can't play strategy games on consoles. (Not properly anyway).