if the future of this industry is not consoles, can someone tell me what it is?
- Thread starter Etifilio
- Start date
The future will be hardware agnostic. Nintendo will cling to a certain market for a while until genx/milennial asian salarymen and western manchilds have to pivot their gaming spend towards medicines and diapers.
Ignoring the "going back to reality" post covind small drop, the industry has been growing since forever, as all its areas are growing:
Over years the PC, console and mobile hardware is becoming more and more similar. As of now home consoles basically use tweaked PC hardware, and portable consoles use tweaked mobile hardware. Which at the same time, mobile and PC hardware is becoming more and more similar. As this trend continues over time, at some point all 3 will use the same architecture.
Same happens with OS: consoles use a tweaked Linux, or in case of some portable consoles, Andoid (which can be installed or emulated in PC OS, and Android is expanding to PC too). The game engines already totally converged: UE, Unity, Godot and similar can export their games to console, PC and mobile, they are the same for all 3 platforms.
Regarding stores, we see that they are starting to become multiplatform: MS expanded to PC and wants to expand to mobile. Sony seems will do the same. Steam tried it with the Steam Machines and now to the PC handhelds to joing the portable consoles market. Epic is fighting with MS to have their mobile stores. Google Play is expanding to PC.
TLDR:
Seems that the future is to have several platform agnostic ecosystems where you'll buy or rent games once and you'll be able to play them on any form factor, which will share pretty much the same hardware, OS and game engine: desktop PC, laptop PC, home console, portable console, tablet, smartphone, smart tv. In most cases having the option to play them natively or via cloud gaming (in some devices only via cloud).
IDG/data.ai:
Newzoo 10 years change (includes games subs + addons in case of consoles):
Pelham Smithers (doesn't include 2023, graph inflation -which means growth has been flattened compared to the other graphs- adjusted to 2022, doesn't include console subs and maybe not even addons):
- PC, console and specially mobile are growing.
- VR, game subs and cloud gaming are growing too, even if still are a small portion of the industry and far from becoming mainstream. Seems they will become more important, but won't replace flat 2D displays, to buy games and to play natively, they'll continue coexisting.
- Regarding physical vs digital, physical game sales are decreasing and becoming a very small part of the market, maybe in the future will be limited to special/collector editions or something like that. They are being replaced by digital game sales and specially addons (special editions, DLC, IAP, passes).
- Regarding business model, GaaS is the most played and top grossing one, with its addons becoming the biggest and fastest growing game revenue source, but always there will be space for game sales of non-GaaS titles
Over years the PC, console and mobile hardware is becoming more and more similar. As of now home consoles basically use tweaked PC hardware, and portable consoles use tweaked mobile hardware. Which at the same time, mobile and PC hardware is becoming more and more similar. As this trend continues over time, at some point all 3 will use the same architecture.
Same happens with OS: consoles use a tweaked Linux, or in case of some portable consoles, Andoid (which can be installed or emulated in PC OS, and Android is expanding to PC too). The game engines already totally converged: UE, Unity, Godot and similar can export their games to console, PC and mobile, they are the same for all 3 platforms.
Regarding stores, we see that they are starting to become multiplatform: MS expanded to PC and wants to expand to mobile. Sony seems will do the same. Steam tried it with the Steam Machines and now to the PC handhelds to joing the portable consoles market. Epic is fighting with MS to have their mobile stores. Google Play is expanding to PC.
TLDR:
Seems that the future is to have several platform agnostic ecosystems where you'll buy or rent games once and you'll be able to play them on any form factor, which will share pretty much the same hardware, OS and game engine: desktop PC, laptop PC, home console, portable console, tablet, smartphone, smart tv. In most cases having the option to play them natively or via cloud gaming (in some devices only via cloud).
It isn't true, ignoring the covid peak exception, according to all market researchers console, PC and mobile have been growing in the last 10 years. Some examples, there are way more (the specific number and what they include or not changes, but you can see they are have been growing the last 10 years):
IDG/data.ai:
Newzoo 10 years change (includes games subs + addons in case of consoles):
Pelham Smithers (doesn't include 2023, graph inflation -which means growth has been flattened compared to the other graphs- adjusted to 2022, doesn't include console subs and maybe not even addons):
Last edited:
Consoles are the future. Xbox dying doesn’t change that, no matter how much people like Mat Piscatella try to twist the narrative.
A mobile to run RE4 remake, a game that is linear and also on very low settings takes an iPhone costing 1600 dollars.
It's also a pretty inferior experience to a console costing 400 dollars or so on a nice TV.
Cloud is the same as a subscription service and we have already seen the ceiling on that.... The industry can't survive in that.
Pc sales are lower and lower every year since the pandemic.
I don't see consoles stopping for decades, too many people use them and they are too important to a sustainable gaming industry.
That said, I can't see growth that investors and the finance department fantasize about. The growth will always be under 10% and likely 5% or slightly lower per annum.
Gaming companies need to get comfortable with the fact that they have a certain demographic to serve that totals about 200 to 300 million and it's not going to reach 1 billion anytime soon... Not counting mobile games, which are totally different.
Consoles offer too much value and convenience. They are a perfect model for gaming.... Reinvesting 3rd party income, subscription income etc into new big exclusives.
Comparatively steam offers nothing new in terms of games to the industry and supports very few jobs.
It's also a pretty inferior experience to a console costing 400 dollars or so on a nice TV.
Cloud is the same as a subscription service and we have already seen the ceiling on that.... The industry can't survive in that.
Pc sales are lower and lower every year since the pandemic.
I don't see consoles stopping for decades, too many people use them and they are too important to a sustainable gaming industry.
That said, I can't see growth that investors and the finance department fantasize about. The growth will always be under 10% and likely 5% or slightly lower per annum.
Gaming companies need to get comfortable with the fact that they have a certain demographic to serve that totals about 200 to 300 million and it's not going to reach 1 billion anytime soon... Not counting mobile games, which are totally different.
Consoles offer too much value and convenience. They are a perfect model for gaming.... Reinvesting 3rd party income, subscription income etc into new big exclusives.
Comparatively steam offers nothing new in terms of games to the industry and supports very few jobs.
To be fair RE4 Remake on iphone is not just RE4 Remake on iphone, you get it on ipad and mac desktops as well. That said it is hard to say what the future of gaming is? I'm sure Sony wants growth but as long as every new PlayStation sells at least 120 million I think they will be fine. It's more of what platform makes development the most easy, I imagine in the future Ray tracing will help out a lot with game devs not needing to spend so much time with pre baked lighting.
I think people are confusing dying/stagnant with shrinking.
The console industry and the gaming industry at large is shrinking back to its natural state. We saw massive influx of new gamers during the pswii60 era, from granny on her Wii to dudebros on cod, from gamegrrl on her candy crush to hardcore gamers enjoying all.
Now, granny is dead, dudebros have grown up and had kids and don't have the time for gaming they once had, gamegrrl has become a wine aunt cat mum with TDS and the hardcore are sick of being ignored, while force-fed slop with mtx and DLC.
The PS2, while a great console, sold so much thanks in part to a combination of no competition and because it was a cheaper dvd player than what was on the market. Don't underestimate how well Sony marketed the dvd angle and how well they undercut the market. Think Sony 3D audio Vs the cost of a full Dolby set up.
And here in lies the problem; Sony could have repeated the PS2 gen with the PS5 but they misread the room. They saw dwindling numbers and a shrinking player base as a bad thing and have attempted to make up those numbers by spreading thin across platforms; GaaS, PC, mobile, instead of focusing on their strength; single-player games and an affordable, yet powerful console.
Unpopular opinion, but Phil Spencer was sort of half right with the idea of launching a 'weaker' console. He just fucked it up because he's a complete balloon. The PS5 is way more powerful than what is needed and should have either been the Pro, or the PS5pro be the PS6. The industry is half a step ahead of where it needs to be and this has led to high prices of consoles.
If GoW and Horizon can run on a base PS4 and still look as good as they do, then the PS5 could have launched with less power, still being incredibly impressive and the Pro/PS5 be a huge jump forward.
TL;DR - there isn't one. Take a shit and treat yourself to my spergy ramblings.
The console industry and the gaming industry at large is shrinking back to its natural state. We saw massive influx of new gamers during the pswii60 era, from granny on her Wii to dudebros on cod, from gamegrrl on her candy crush to hardcore gamers enjoying all.
Now, granny is dead, dudebros have grown up and had kids and don't have the time for gaming they once had, gamegrrl has become a wine aunt cat mum with TDS and the hardcore are sick of being ignored, while force-fed slop with mtx and DLC.
The PS2, while a great console, sold so much thanks in part to a combination of no competition and because it was a cheaper dvd player than what was on the market. Don't underestimate how well Sony marketed the dvd angle and how well they undercut the market. Think Sony 3D audio Vs the cost of a full Dolby set up.
And here in lies the problem; Sony could have repeated the PS2 gen with the PS5 but they misread the room. They saw dwindling numbers and a shrinking player base as a bad thing and have attempted to make up those numbers by spreading thin across platforms; GaaS, PC, mobile, instead of focusing on their strength; single-player games and an affordable, yet powerful console.
Unpopular opinion, but Phil Spencer was sort of half right with the idea of launching a 'weaker' console. He just fucked it up because he's a complete balloon. The PS5 is way more powerful than what is needed and should have either been the Pro, or the PS5pro be the PS6. The industry is half a step ahead of where it needs to be and this has led to high prices of consoles.
If GoW and Horizon can run on a base PS4 and still look as good as they do, then the PS5 could have launched with less power, still being incredibly impressive and the Pro/PS5 be a huge jump forward.
TL;DR - there isn't one. Take a shit and treat yourself to my spergy ramblings.
Exactly this. Tint, screen, basic sound quality if you're not using headphones, draining your battery life (short and long-term) at a rate of knots...shite and a vastly inferior experience.
Do you read your comments before posting?
Because if you done it, it would sound stupid.
Well, as you said... If GOW and Horizon can run and look as good as they do on a PS4, maybe this generation should not be considered its own separate thing...
From PS4 up, should all be "current" PlayStation install base.
But I would be worried that sony wouldn't be motivated to sell enough PS5's in that case too.
Maybe they should have done a PS4 pro slim?
Personally, I don't believe that any one aspect is the future of gaming or the industry. It's going to be simple - to allow access to your games and content on pretty much everything where you want to access it all and will most likely be all interconnected. So if you want to play on your console and then switch cloud or mobile or PC, go ahead. No one is going to stop you from doing just that. In other words, you'll have more and more options on how you want to play your games and it's simply up to the consumer that decides how they want to play their games.
OP
OP
i think a PS5 Lite with 4 - 5 teraflops priced at 299 would be more adequate, but the question is: do developers want it? that's the problem, it seems like the PS6 will have 3 models on release date, 2 SKUs, a regular PS6 console, a PS6 handheld and a PS6 with the same SKU as the handheld but in the form of a regular console, so it may give multiple options for players
Last edited:
Which part? Otherwise no, u.
Exactly.
Like the poster below your comment says, a PS5-lite would have been a better launch option. 5/6tf keep it nice and cheap, then launch the PS5pro as it will launch now and for a premium price.
Well, we know for a fact the console market is growing and the PC market is shrinking so it definitely isn't PC. And in fact, as consumers in eastern nations become more affluent, consoles are the platform of choice.
www.globenewswire.com
Gaming Console Market to Surpass USD 34.09 Billion by 2030 owing to Rise of Cloud Gaming and Global Gaming Demographics | Research by SNS Insider
According to SNS Insider’s research, technological advancements, coupled with the continuous creation of compelling gaming content, ensures a bright and...
So the only PC stronghold, and a huge contributor to mobile gaming, is likely to be eroded as well.
Fake news. Consoles market, PC gaming, mobile gaming and the total gaming as a whole have been growing in the two most recent generations as can be seen above.
Sony is making more revenue and profit now than in the PS2 generation. They are selling more games, some of them digital that give them best ROI, and on top of that they have the addons and game subs. And well, SIE now also gets money from other gaming platforms plus the movie/tv show adaptations.
It has been proven to be a total failure. The idea would have been good if the weaker one would have been a portable with tv out like Switch or PSP.
The PS5 is great as it is. Most of the games we saw until now in PS5 are mostly PS4 games with a facelift that were started without knowing the PS5 specs and without having engines ready to take advantage of the hardware. AAA games take around 5-9 years to be made, meaning we're years away from seeing games that since the start had the PS5 devkit and a proper engine to take advantage of it.
digital squares on every screen. some people call them "Apps".
you know what's funny?... Exclusives will become even more important if that's THE future.
you know what's funny?... Exclusives will become even more important if that's THE future.
