Net Ten: The 10 Most Important Events of 2006 (page 1) Subscribe to this RSS feed

As wild as 2005 was, 2006 is shaping up to be even more unpredictable. After reading some video game tea leaves and come up with a list of the top news stories of 2006. If we're right, we're right, and if we're wrong.......well, you didn't hear it from us. Let the wild speculation begin!

#10 Windows Vista to Be a Blessing and a Curse - [ Xbox 360 ]

Patches for half-finished games, endless delays, and the incessant urge to take a second mortgage on your house just to buy the latest Geforce card--PC gaming sure can be a trying hobby! So Windows Vista, with its simplified installation process and support for Microsoft's universal development tools, should broaden and maintain interest in PC gaming in the short term. So where's the curse? For starters, Vista will force emulation on older games. Worst of all, Vista will include stringent digital rights management that could render your latest $500 monitor obsolete.

#10 Windows Vista to Be a Blessing and a Curse
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#9 HDTV Will Catch On (Finally) - [ Xbox 360 ]

Many have said the adoption rate for HDTVs will remain slow for consumers, even for those trend-setters who buy next-gen systems. But as HDTVs drop further below the $2000 mark and more hi-def content becomes available, expect HDTV sales to reach critical mass. With next-gen consoles and next-gen DVD formats leading the way, gamers and non-gamers alike will eventually plunk down the money to join in on the HD revolution.

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#8 PSP Will Continue to Focus on Media, Not Games - [ PSP ]

There's no denying that the PSP is a great device. But where are the games!? Playing Lumines for the 1,782nd time is fun for only so long, and the gaming outlook for 2006 ain't much better. Granted, there will be some standout titles like Exit and Me and My Katamari, but even with Sony's PSP Connect service--which will offer downloadable games, music, and video--the handheld appears to be competing more with the iPod than with Nintendo's DS.

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#7 Violent Video Game Legislation Will Pass...and Stick - [ PS2 ]

They've always been easy targets, and they're only going to get easier. As next-gen graphics become nearly photo-realistic, videogames will become even more embroiled in the debate over explicit content. Fives states have passed legislation on the sale of games; two other states are in the process of ratifying similar bills, proving the rather heated relationship between politics and gaming won't subside anytime soon. And with midterm elections just around the corner, don't be surprised if deriding games becomes an easy way to win the "games-are-corrupting-our-youth-hold-on-I'm-watching-Springer" vote.

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#6 Xbox 360 Will Succeed - [ Xbox 360 ]

Contrary to popular opinion, Xbox 360 is not "teh sux0r," "Xbox 1.5," or a "tard pack." The Xbox 360 launch had its fair share of difficulties, and the initial titles may not have been stellar, but a console's fate is not determined by its launch alone. With the holidays over, Microsoft will have to do a little more than dump systems at the local Best Buy and watch them fly off the shelves. But with hot titles like Oblivion, Gears of War, and Halo 3--not to mention Sony's PR bumbling on the PS3-- the 360 may do better than anyone ever expected.

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