Matt Martin
16:15 (BST)
19/10/2007
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Florin calls for single gaming platform
Rival formats create unnecessary development obstacles, says EA boss
EA's Gerhard Florin has said he wants to see one single gaming platform rather than a handful of incompatible consoles.
Talking with the BBC about the difficulties of developing for multiple systems, he said that within around 15 years we could see a dedicated platform that would play everything.
"We want an open, standard platform which is much easier than having five which are not compatible," Florin told the BBC.
"You don't need an Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii - the consumer won't even realise the platform it is being played on."
Florin feels that hardware could take the shape of the increasingly powerful set-top boxes that can already handle HD streams and provide access to the Internet.
But he said it is also important that everything stays open and that no one puts up a "walled garden", a closed monopoly on the service where everything has to be published by the owner - much like the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.
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