Microsoft boss feels cloud computing is no threat to next dedicated console

[nicehat]

 

For those that feel that the days of a dedicated box ductaped to your TV in your living room are over, Microsoft Studios boss Phil Spencer feels otherwise. When asked whether Xbox One will be Microsoft's "last console as we know it," Spencer disagreed. "I think local compute will be important for a long time,"  as per his twitter feed. 

 

"You can look at mobile, connected to faster networks, more cloud services, but local power still increases each gen,"elaborated Spencer. "Bandwidth caps clearly an issue, still believe [hardware and software engineers] working together will find local [hardware] scenarios critical."

 

I would tend to agree with his analysis. In ten years MC and Sony wont innovate to the degree that Nintendo has. They adapt to change when a pioneer comes in and proves that a certain market exists (ala motion cap with Nintendo Wii). Unless a new innovator comes in and commands a large dev following, the current paradigms here to stay. Especially with the XboxTwo. So what do you think? Are we going to have a box for video games in the living room, or something entirely different.

 

[Guest]

But who said it's going to go like Phil predicts?

[MangoJuiceStain]

Wtf are they cooking in the PS4? @looney is that schnitzel?

[Adam_Cr1]

I also don't think that it is much of a threat to the next generation. Maybe after that, they won't exist but at the moment, the internet isn't ready. Most of America has incredibly expensive internet and data caps who just can't afford to pay for the amount of internet they would need to stream games.

 

When ISPs get their act together, the world of gaming is going to be completely different from how it is now.

[Barrington]

damnit was this confusing with the extension that changes "cloud" with butt

[Lyons]

Too bad no one has the ability to see 8 years into the future. The story will be a lot different then to how cloud computing looks now.

[danny78690]

Wtf are they cooking in the PS4? @looney is that schnitzel?

 

Pretty sure it's a PS3, but I could be wrong. 

[FMQ203]

I don't know, Sony is going all out with Playstation Now, they only need to grow, and they have plenty of time to do it!

[silberdrachi]

On one hand i agree, bandwidth caps and things like the recent net neutrality decision could cause a lot of problems for the internet in the future. But on the other hand i think that they aren’t issues that we cant get past. Eventually the US Congress will be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century and companies will be forced to provide better connections to homes or face a loss in business. What he seems to be failing to account for is how fast the internet and computers can change. The model that consoles are built off of is building one machine for 5-8 years, and that isn’t good enough now days.

[91wow]

Wtf are they cooking in the PS4? @looney is that schnitzel?

That's a PS3.

[Dim]

The network infrastructure in most countries, for example my own (Australia) is too poor currently for cloud gaming to work effectively.

Implementations and improvements to this infrastructure are incredibly important. In Australia, our current minister for communications (Malcolm Turnbull) is implementing the National Broadband Network. This would take up to ten years (realistically, if not more), and still will not deliver overwhelming speeds.

 

Cloud gaming is only viable if you have the infrastructure for it, which most countries outside the USA do not.

[MangoJuiceStain]

Pretty sure it's a PS3, but I could be wrong.

Same thing lol

That's a PS3.

I don't care about the console. What I really want to know is wtf is inside of it.

[Nexus]

I think he is really underestimating the growth rate of internet speeds world wide. Some parts of the world have been seeing huge increases in the past year. Why would this trend change? The internet is essential for modern life, people and business are dependent on a good connection. In 8 to 10 years we are easily going to see speeds several times what we have now.

 

Yes i realise that in some isolated areas (for example where i live) there has been little change in the past few years, but its just not economically sensible for companies to roll out faster connections here, especially when you look the the trend where people are moving away from isolated areas and heading towards living in larger metropolitan areas.

 

Basically looking at current trends and assuming they are going to continue (all evidence points that they will) there will be little reason for cloud computing not to become dominant.

 

I do believe their will be another generation of consoles, but i do not believe that they will be successful.

[prolemur]

I'd always want a high-end pc, I don't care for sending things to offshore servers to do my computing as the NSA is always watching as well as latency would always be there and I want to be independent. Depending on all of these people for my computer being able to play games or work at an adequate speed isn't my kind of perfect world.

[jetbuster]

Same thing lol

I don't care about the console. What I really want to know is wtf is inside of it.

its your average skinned sausage before precooking. I suppose you may have never seen a sausage thats not pre cooked

[MangoJuiceStain]

its your average skinned sausage before precooking. I suppose you may have never seen a sausage thats not pre cooked

So it IS schnitzel. I knew it.

[jetbuster]

So it IS schnitzel. I knew it.

wait what? schnitzel and sausage are different things..

[skywake]

Well with the way politicians are I wouldn't necessarily count on any sort of large scale fibre deployment. A year ago I might have thought so because Australia was doing it and I was hyped about the prospect, a change of government has reminded me how people in power usually think. Both Ministers and incumbent telcos. I'll quote it here for the full effect, this guy is the minister in charge of rolling out this infrastucture:

 

 

You can't future proof anything in truth, so the idea that you would invest in a technology that would last for thirty years is pretty naive. bettr to invest in the tech that works now and in the foreseeable future

 

So with people like that holding the keys I think any hope of this low latency 50/10Mbps+ dream happening within this console generation is optimistic. If these laggards have their way we'll be waiting two console generations before we see anything like the infrastructure needed. Hell, it took a whole console generation to go from this being floated as an idea to only now get boots on the ground.

If we do see it though one thing's for sure, I won't be able to use it.

 

edit: for context the tech that would last "thirty years" is a fibre internet connection and the tech that works now is VDSL and HFC....

Edited January 17, 2014 by skywake

[AMD Lover]

Well they better release it in the next couple of years or i just wont care

[Preston]

Well what do you expect him to say. He can barely be seen to be losing faith in the technology that his company just released and will be around for close to the next decade. He has to appear to be confident in their technology. 

[Snickerzz]

Wtf are they cooking in the PS4? @looney is that schnitzel?

thats an original ps3 fat system

[MangoJuiceStain]

thats an original ps3 fat system

yes, I know... Like 3 people told me. I'm sorry lol.

[MangoJuiceStain]

wait what? schnitzel and sausage are different things..

shhhhhhhhhh Das ist schnitzel.

[silencerbob]

As long as there are PC's running games.. There will be dedicated consoles. People love the cheaper alternative. A streaming service though, if cheap enough, would be the next big thing... Its hard to imagine 8 years is enough to swing peoples minds.. The whole PlayStation Now thing really needs to happen.. NOW!

There could be smart TVs with PlayStation Now support.. Or whatever Xbox's cloud service wants to be called.

[FellTheSky]

its not about cloud computing. Just look at something like Iris, or Kaveri APUs. We could be seeing those on smart tv's VERY soon. 

 

If i can play BF4 on my smart tv, 1080p 60fps (getting there), why do i want a ps4/xbone?