Will games consoles be a thing of the past?

[someguy withaname 10]

Hey guys,

 

Here is an article I just read today about game consoles and how many think they will be overcome in the future, with tablets and other mobile devices becoming more and more powerful. While I have seen other articles on other sites explaining this idea in more detail I thought this article highlighted the key points pretty well, so I was hoping I could see what everyone else thought about this subject if possible.

 

Here is the link How and why consoles will die?

 

Thread Update: New link about the upcoming PS4 here as well.

Thanks goes to Sandremo for giving us even more to talk about in this thread. Edited January 15, 2013 by someguy withaname

[Ivan 163]

Personally i think that future of gaming hardware will be in streaming of pre-rendered game display from dedicated datacenters straight to TV sets with keyboard/mouse/pad attached. As network infrastructure is developed, ping and bandwidth are becoming non-issue, and due to virtualization technologies, users will be able to "rent" computing power comparable to 2000$ price-tag rig at fraction of price. Such "cloud" approach has additional benefits for (almost) everyone involed:

1. Users - Ease of use - click a button and play - having prepared images of any game library, virtualization software can just mount it within seconds, and user can play immediately, without having to spend 30 minutes on installation, troubleshooting problems ( update directX, keep up to date with graphic drivers, etc )

2. Developers - reducing piracy - as no game files reach the end users, cracking becomes non-issue, big savings on DRM systems

3. Users/Developers - no cheating in online play - users have no way to use any non-approved 3rd party software that'd give them advantage over other players

4. Developers/users - flexible pricing, new business models - for example having access to every game that developer made for fixed rate of 5$/month

[killerinsidee 14]

Personally i think that future of gaming hardware will be in streaming of pre-rendered game display from dedicated datacenters straight to TV sets with keyboard/mouse/pad attached. As network infrastructure is developed, ping and bandwidth are becoming non-issue, and due to virtualization technologies, users will be able to "rent" computing power comparable to 2000$ price-tag rig at fraction of price. Such "cloud" approach has additional benefits for (almost) everyone involed:

1. Users - Ease of use - click a button and play - having prepared images of any game library, virtualization software can just mount it within seconds, and user can play immediately, without having to spend 30 minutes on installation, troubleshooting problems ( update directX, keep up to date with graphic drivers, etc )

2. Developers - reducing piracy - as no game files reach the end users, cracking becomes non-issue, big savings on DRM systems

3. Users/Developers - no cheating in online play - users have no way to use any non-approved 3rd party software that'd give them advantage over other players

4. Developers/users - flexible pricing, new business models - for example having access to every game that developer made for fixed rate of 5$/month

 

Don't give them ideas.

[OneManArmy 82]

2. Developers - reducing piracy - as no game files reach the end users, cracking becomes non-issue, big savings on DRM systems

Oh piss, my future doesn't look bright. =\

[switch 13]

Personally i think that future of gaming hardware will be in streaming of pre-rendered game display from dedicated datacenters straight to TV sets with keyboard/mouse/pad attached. As network infrastructure is developed, ping and bandwidth are becoming non-issue, and due to virtualization technologies, users will be able to "rent" computing power comparable to 2000$ price-tag rig at fraction of price. Such "cloud" approach has additional benefits for (almost) everyone involed:

1. Users - Ease of use - click a button and play - having prepared images of any game library, virtualization software can just mount it within seconds, and user can play immediately, without having to spend 30 minutes on installation, troubleshooting problems ( update directX, keep up to date with graphic drivers, etc )

2. Developers - reducing piracy - as no game files reach the end users, cracking becomes non-issue, big savings on DRM systems

3. Users/Developers - no cheating in online play - users have no way to use any non-approved 3rd party software that'd give them advantage over other players

4. Developers/users - flexible pricing, new business models - for example having access to every game that developer made for fixed rate of 5$/month

 

i fear the day when i have to throw in the towel and sell my ship...my crew abandoned, piracy no more...i will be shattered

 

LET US CURSE THAT DAY! let us curse so that it will never come untho!

arrgh my crewmates!! piracy shall never end!!

 

on a serious side, imagine cloud computing...imagine that your government or any other fuked up corporation or country can CUT your internet connection

WHAT WILL YOU DO? in the future your life will depend on computers,if your computer belongs to someone else.....then you will be at their mercy

there is already law in the US that the government can disconnect internet at a whim by just one button

 

cloud computing ====Handing over your balls to corporations and politicians saying "here...please fuck me goshoujinsama~~~"

[Wojo 12]

It's hard to say what the future looks looks like for consoles, but with the way things are going, gaming PCs will just be made more accessible for people to use. Valve already seems to be going this route, so I'm interested to see what the rest of the industry will do.

[ret 12]

The whole cloud thing is a load of bull.

 

Even though I do enjoy having games on Steam, I hope we don't head to a future like the one Ivan posted.

The whole always online thing sucks hard anyway - also go check the internet speeds thread. Look at the horrible speeds some people have. Not everyone has grade A internet, and that would be the first problem.

Online gaming connections makes sense (hell, it's "online" after all) - a server has to control the main data flow and prevent cheating. But having to authenticate (and sometimes keep a connection alive) in order to play a single player game? Fuck that.

 

It also raises the question about permanence. Anyone can go fire up an Atari 2600 and play some River Raid right now, hooking it to a TV preferably with an adapter that bypasses that little control box.

Likewise, I can go connect my Mega Drive and play some Sonic 3 or Pier Solar right now. I have tons of carts stored, waiting to be played.

With all this digital distribution going on, the game isn't really yours. You license a copy, which doesn't even exist physically. Want to sell an old game to a friend? Well fuck you. Want to play your game in a place with no decent internet? Well fuck you.

What would happen if ended up badly? (I'm amazed sony managed to recover so nicely from the PS Notwork fiasco)

All those games, gone. Unless they release a way to DL and bypass authentication before they go poof.

DRM is also bull - remember those legit ubisoft customers unable to play their games due to a failure in the auth server? Meanwhile pirates didn't even notice anything.

 

Digital distribution sounds cool because getting stuff shipped over here is a pain - but when the DL speed is so bad that having a product shipped is faster...

 

And to wrap it up, I do not want any single piece of my information stored somewhere where it can be subject to snooping. I don't know if you like it, but for me... the whole "cloud" is one thing I do not want to use at all.

 

If the future becomes this bleak... I'll just stick to my old consoles.

 

To answer the title's question: I think game consoles will stick around for a bit more. But forget about playing if you have no internet. Systems will become expensive paperweights as soon as your connection fucks up.

 

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

On a separate note:

 

 

Fuck DLC.

DLC has now turned developers into lazy fucks. Releasing games hastily in order to fill up the holiday season, leaving things ridiculously unstable and buggy, leaving content out.

But it's no problem, just release a DLC patch!

Thanks to DLC devs aren't as focused on quality and content anymore - after all it can always be added later for just $5. Some games were guilty of this before DLC even (SW: KOTOR2), but now it's ubiquitous. Day-1-DLC is the second kick in the balls you get.

 

And for the final nail there's on-disc "DLC"---ffffffffffffffffffuck.

 

Wii U is also guilty of this. The base console was gimped as fuck when it came out, and it required a hugeass update before it became useful. Nintendo even tweeted that people who give Wii Us for christmas should pre-update them so that the receiver can "play right away". Damn.

 

 

OK, rant over. Sorry for the wall of text. I hope the future of gaming is something we can enjoy, not something that the devs or government can fuck up at their whim.

Edited January 8, 2013 by ret

[Gerard the Lone Wolf 10]

All the wise words.

 

Agreed!

[iLoveTsundere 10]

There will always be a way to pirate anything. There's always a loophole and nothing is airtight online.

[Haika 12]

I highly doubt that consoles will disappear any time soon. Even with cell phones and tablets becomming stronger, and computers and the internet being more widespread, consoles are an evolving system that will just adapt and come out with something new to try and get people to spend money on. They really are nothing more than specialized computers used to play games, and only games(though some consoles are trying to be more PC like).

 

As to the whole digital distribution and such. I think it's possible, but not everything will follow that route. I personally think that the industry has been falling in a slow decline for quite some time, especially the consoles. Games are produced, and shat out by big companies more worried about piracy and money in their pockets than making a decent game. The hope I see is in the so called 'indie' developers, who are making good games without all the corporate nonsense that goes into the more big budget titles.

[iLoveTsundere 10]

Kickstarter is one of the things that is saving the gaming industry , specifically because indie (and some non-indie) developers get their games funded by the playerbase , and thus dont need to answer to money grubbing publishers on deadlines and shit like that.

 

I am a PC Gamer first and foremost , though i also have consoles , but if the consoles should become extinct (which i doubt) i wouldnt be bothered as long as PC as a gaming platform wont be forgotten (and truth be told , never will. )

[Caelistas 12]

Since i am primarily a PC gamer i don't really care much...

 

I'm looking forward to valve's new steambox console-pc hybrid though

[ret 12]

@iLT: Kickstarter is indeed an interesting and useful tool, but not only for games. There are projects like BioCurious and Kirby Ferguson's documentary "This is not a conspiracy theory", which gathered quite a lot of support.

This deal with games started with Double Fine's kickstarter, which grew ridiculously and absurdly fast (the only thing that comes to mind that managed to be faster, but not bigger is Oatmeal's two indiegogo projects). I'm hyped as fuck for DF's upcoming new game. I recently backed up the Pier Solar ports project, which is quite interesting. I do like KS, but there's also a few bad sides to this. After DF's success, there has been a flux of devs with a rather sloppy modus operandi. It's inevitable, as not-so-spirited people with money in mind instead of creativity will try to cash in on the craze.

That been said, just be wary of what you do support on platforms such as KS.

 

@Caelistas: Valve's project sounds interesting - and apparently it will run linux. I hope this shifts weight towards linux for games... That'd be awesome.

By the way, what do you people think about nvidia's "Shield"? It's just... weird imo.

 

As for pirating, there will always be a way as long as the analog hole exists. The industry is guilty for promoting this anyway! With all their hugeass hard drives and super awesome cameras/microphones, you can record anything

This is good. Unless we fuse with machines, then we're fucked. Imagine having DRM on your own brain lol

 

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

Ranting again, whee

 

I've played a few recent and not-so-recent games lately. I had fun with most of them, including RE5 and the two main Dead Space titles. I also played several Generic Shooter titles, but none of them made any long term impact - I don't plan on revisiting these soon.

They're not bad games though - RE5 on bro-op is quite fun. There are still good games around - but they're not as memorable. Maybe it's because we're all used to the same elements, who knows...

On the other hand, I loved Carpe Fulgur's localized titles - Recettear and Fortune Summoners to be precise. Simple games, but quite addictive and just plain fun. When you play games such as this, you notice something special. It's like the game serves as a bridge between you and the developer. The experience - be it through graphics, music or story engages you and in the end it leaves a lasting effect. References, gameplay elements, the design... These combine and make the game have a personality of sorts. The indie developers are able to do this.

But so called "mainstream" titles are only concentrated on profit - and it's noticeable - no personality, just monotony. When you see a developer claiming stuff such as:

 

 

3 NEW WEAPONS FOR YOU TO SLAUGHTER YOUR ENEMIES!

2 ADDITIONAL LEVELS JUST FOR $6

PLAY THROUGH THE STORY AGAIN THROUGH THE EYES OF AND SEE HOW IT ALL UNFOLDS

ULTRA REALISTIC PHYSICAL ENGINE THAT LETS YOU HAMMER NAILS TO A WALL HOLY FUCKING SHIT

 

 

...then you know it's just another title of those. It's like real vegetables versus "organic" ones that feel like plastic and have no taste at all. These endless sequels only follow a base model *cough*shooteverythingonsight*cough* and add superflous new things on every release. Wow, 3 new weapons. Fun.

 

Remember when games managed to instill those feelings after being cleared? Feelings that last even until today? I can watch the Chrono Trigger ending credits on Youtube and instantly relive all those great moments while listening to awesome music. You might call it nostalgia glasses, but I'm sure that the experience of remembering titles such as FFVI, CT, or Silent Hill 2 will outclass any sort of "nostalgia" people might have 10 years from now for their Call Of Duty: Modern Ops 8 Remastered Edition Reflex.

Who knows, maybe those people in the future will not even be able to play their old games because the whole infrastructure used by them will be gone. In the meantime, we will all be able to dust off our carefully preserved SNES and put a cartridge in, then have a blast from the past.

 

OK, enough ranting once again - I'm off to play some Chrono Trigger :>

 

On a side note, PS2 production has stopped. Good night sweet prince.

I still have a shitton of ps2 games left to play, so it's not over yet!

Edited January 8, 2013 by ret

[someguy withaname 10]

 

Fuck DLC.

DLC has now turned developers into lazy fucks. Releasing games hastily in order to fill up the holiday season, leaving things ridiculously unstable and buggy, leaving content out.

But it's no problem, just release a DLC patch!

Thanks to DLC devs aren't as focused on quality and content anymore - after all it can always be added later for just $5. Some games were guilty of this before DLC even (SW: KOTOR2), but now it's ubiquitous. Day-1-DLC is the second kick in the balls you get.

 

And for the final nail there's on-disc "DLC"---ffffffffffffffffffuck.

 

Wii U is also guilty of this. The base console was gimped as fuck when it came out, and it required a hugeass update before it became useful. Nintendo even tweeted that people who give Wii Us for christmas should pre-update them so that the receiver can "play right away". Damn.

 

I can sympathize a lot with this. DLC very rarely does anything for me and if it is interesting it is usually something I can wait on until the price drops substantially. I think DLC was a good idea initially but it has been overexploited by too many companies, especially when a DLC comes out that should have been part of the original game in the first place.

 

I personally think that consoles will fade from the mainstream as time goes on. There will probably still be hybrid pcs/consoles in the future, but it will likely not be mainstream and will be for more diehard gamers. There are quite a lot of consumers that play games on a more casual basis and they will be looking more towards cost savings and ease of use rather than whether they can physically own a game or not. From a business perspective this sort of transition could be very good, for whoever can take advantage of the changing dynamics that is. From a consumer perspective on the other hand, it will likely depend on a person's point of view and needs as to whether this is a good or bad change. Even though I don't want it to happen, I think streaming is going to keep growing in use as time goes on and hopefully there are enough very loud and educated gamers online to keep companies in check in regards to respecting consumers for giving them their money.

 

brief sidetrack

 

With all that said though, it does annoy me a bit that I can't play my Portal 2 game unless I am logged into Steam. I was a bit irritated when Steam was acting up one time and I got a message at the game startup screen saying I needed to be logged into Steam in order to play MY PORTAL 2 GAME THAT I PAID FOR!!! I am personally holding onto my old games in case future companies are not kept in check in regards to placing limits on things we as consumers purchased with our money.

 

end of sidetrack

Edited January 10, 2013 by someguy withaname

[OneManArmy 82]

With all that said though, it does annoy me a bit that I can't play my Portal 2 game unless I am logged into Steam. I was a bit irritated when Steam was acting up one time and I got a message at the game startup screen saying I needed to be logged into Steam in order to play MY PORTAL 2 GAME THAT I PAID FOR!!! I am personally holding onto my old games in case future companies are not kept in check in regards to placing limits on things we as consumers purchased with our money.

This. I bought one year ago Empire Total War and wanted to install it. The only problem, there wasn't a setup.exe on the disc. Turned out that I had to use Steam for installing the game. I did that and finally wanted to start the game but I wasn't allowed to because there were newer versions of the game which means that I had to download 5GB of patches. Wut? But hey, I'm intelligent as fuck and so I used the offline mode of Steam. But again another problem, I can't start Empire Total War in the offline mode because of whatever reasons, so why does this mode even exist if I can't use it?!?!?!?!!?

 

Seriously, if I'm buying the case version of the game then I've the god damn right to play it without Steam.

[ChexGuy 13]

you get used to Steam after a few years of using it. a lot of people have had to deal with it since 2004, when it was a lot worse.

[OneManArmy 82]

you get used to Steam after a few years of using it. a lot of people have had to deal with it since 2004, when it was a lot worse.

The real problem is that I can't choose if I want to use Steam or not even if I buy the game in a normal shop. And seriously, Steam is awesome if you've a fast internet.

[switch 13]

^ i do not have a fast internet, i do not have money, i have no life....BECAUSE I SAIL THE SEVEN SEAS

I AM A PIRATE ARGGGGGHHHH

[Gerard the Lone Wolf 10]

^ i do not have a fast internet, i do not have money, i have no life....BECAUSE I SAIL THE SEVEN SEAS

I AM A PIRATE ARGGGGGHHHH

Yaaarrrr~~!!! ψ(*｀ー´)ψ

[ChexGuy 13]

The real problem is that I can't choose if I want to use Steam or not even if I buy the game in a normal shop.

 

Yeah that's the main problem. Offline mode works if you've launched the game at lease once in online mode, but imo it's preferable to SecuROM or whatever stupid crap UbiShit sticks on their games now.

[OneManArmy 82]

Offline mode works if you've launched the game at lease once in online mode

Not sure about other games but Empire Total War doesn't care about the offline mode at all. You simply have to be online.

[ret 12]

Yeah that's the main problem. Offline mode works if you've launched the game at lease once in online mode, but imo it's preferable to SecuROM or whatever stupid crap UbiShit sticks on their games now.

 

Man, ubisoft is the worst of the worst. When a cracked version performs better and has higher stability than the real "legit" product, you know something's got to be wrong.

 

As for steam, it's understandable that games that rely on mainly online elements don't give a shit about offline mode - but there are games that screw you up anyway even when it makes no sense, being a single player experience. Even then, offline mode is mostly useless - if I have no internet handy (network problems fffffff) I wouldn't be able to authenticate, meaning no games. (At least it was like this before, correct me if I'm wrong)

I dunno about you guys, but I hate being always connected to things. I don't want to chat while playing single player games, I hate achievements and other gamification elements in websites, and I don't want people knowing what I play, when I do it, and how I do it. It's just intrusive for me. Hence I mostly have the steam integrator thing off (besides it performs very badly on Wine).

 

Good thing Carpe Fulgur's localized games are not only on Steam. The other providers offer fully drm free versions.

But this is quite an exception, almost everything's on Steam nowadays.

 

But hey, it could be worse... Much, much, much worse.

A friend of mine recently had his account hacked... It was not an easy thing to get it back.

 

Therefore, I have to give it to Valve - they're not that bad. But they need to know that not everyone in the world has 24/7 excellent internet connections.

Edited January 11, 2013 by ret

[Sandremo 10]

You guys read the latest news? With companies like Nvidia and RAZER making their own "Tablets" or "Mobile Devices" and even Valve jumping into the fray with their "Steambox" (Which isnt most likely a console but a concept instead) i dont think consoles will disappear from the market anytime soon... But then again neither wont the PC. Alot of developers go for the console exclusive bullshit because of "PIRACY" but the fact just remains even consoles have piracy but the thing PC has an advantage over the consoles are the community, mods ect... But enough about that the question was will consoles be a thing of the past? Frankly no! I personally really dont think the consoles are going to disappear anytime soon with this piracy bullshit flying around and... with the rumors that Microsoft might unravel a next generation gaming console in the next E3, but in the end we need to wait for E3 or any other major event where such things might pop up before we get any clear answers. Untill then it's just speculation and rumors.

 

Cheers!

 

-Sandremo

 

PS. Oh and 1 more thing. Consoles wont disappear from the market. Not untill the companies come up with something else to sell to the consumers in the consoles place. (If i just said something that was already said on the topic i apologize. I was too lazy to read all the posts XD)

[Sandremo 10]

Bump and update to this. I just read a piece of news that Sony might be revealing PS4 on this years E3 or even before that... Lets see where this takes us. Source of this information: