The Escapist Bulletin: Does Twitter need to know how you're doing in Uncharted 2?

There’s an old saying: In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. It’s not a hard saying to parse out: if you have an advantage that your competitors don’t, you’re going to beat them.

Microsoft’s deal with Netflix has been up and running for some time now, and the company is in talks with Twitter and Facebook to bring even more connectivity to the Xbox 360's already robust online presence.

Likewise, Nintendo’s Wii comes equipped with a web browser and access to the BBC’s iPlayer, letting owners catch up with re-runs of Torchwood or Doctor Who.

The king of value-added features, however, is obviously Sony. Its, ‘It only does everything’ ad campaign may be a little on the hyperbolic side, but the PS3’s feature list is not to be sniffed at. Blu-Ray, games, internet - you can even order pizza through it now. Which is useful, if a little stereotypical.

It’s interesting to chart how consoles have developed. This time twenty years ago cartridges with battery back-ups were a damn nifty idea. These days? Well, Sony has tried to sell machines off the fact that every PS3 comes with a hard drive and the Xbox 360 doesn’t.

Console manufacturers are so desperate to make their machines seem the most appealing that the features they’re adding are starting to get a little weird. Microsoft’s nascent deal with Twitter is one thing, but on the PS3 the first party title Uncharted 2 will automatically update your Twitter feed with your progress during the game.

Sidestepping the obvious Skynet joke, it’s hard to think of anyone who would find that especially appealing. It’s almost as if Sony took the saying quoted at the beginning of the Bulletin to its ‘logical’ conclusion and assumed that if a one-eyed man is a king, a man with ten eyes could be the Emperor of Space.

That said, not every feature is going to be a hit, and aside from the occasional stumble it’s a good time to be a console gamer: Microsoft, Sony and to a certain degree Nintendo, are putting a lot of time, money and effort into making the console the heart of the living room by adding value beyond to non-gamers.

The PS2 started the ball rolling on this by having a DVD player in it, and the current generation has built on that foundation.

Your non-gaming significant other probably couldn’t identify a next-gen console with a map and a torch, but point out to him or her that they can use one to sort out dinner after a long day and then check their Facebook page from the couch rather than the computer and they’ll soon start to take notice.

Not that they’ll instantly become a gamer, of course, but it will help to cast gaming in a positive light. If even non-gamers can find a use for a games console, we will have taken a step towards removing some of the stigma that still surrounds the hobby. Not bad a bad trade for a few pointless Twitter posts.

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