Do you think consoles will be obsolete in 5-8 years?

[Stomplar]

its about the game developers. consoles will sell as long as they have exclusives.

[FellTheSky]

1080p 30fps?

 

gross. They are obsolete to me already

[flibberdipper]

With what our current console cycle looks like, in a few years the Xbox One and PS4 will be like what a PS3 is like now, in comparison to current PC hardware.

[flibberdipper]

Give it 5 years...

I wish they'd re-make Halo 2 so it doesn't rely on that GFWL BS. And release Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo Wars, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and Halo 4 for PC. Can you imagine Halo 4 on a PC (which already has INSANE graphics quality on hardware from 2005-ish)?

[mr moose]

No that's not the same thing at all. A camera is a very specific hardware device. A console is a just a way of running software, you can do that on any computing hardware. What that process would be is console getting replaced by something that does the job better. Like a fixed point phone becoming a wireless phone or cellphone. Cameras are a physical thing that is inside of a smartphone. A console is in no way integrated into a gaming tablet, that's just nonsensical.

 

Besides even if you want to call it that, end result = no more consoles

what?  A console is a piece of hardware that allows users to play games,  Regardless of what you think, a camera in a phone is still a camera, a camera in a tablet is still a camera.  If xbox becomes flat with a touch screen then it becomes flat with a touch screen. A console does not suddenly become something different because the form factor changes, If we were to use that argument then we'd also have to argue that the pc became obsolete when the AT form factor was phased out. Because it is a different shape/size/whatever.

 

A console is a computer that plugs into the tv and plays games, until that is replaced consoles will not be obsolete.

[atomicmonkey101]

Give it 5 years...

 

yeah...

[SirRoderick]

Look, my nan (of 95) has a playstation and she manages to record TV and then play it back only just.

 

She would have no hope of turning on a tablet, let alone streaming it to her TV and trying to click on an app. It took her about a month to get used to the system that she uses at the moment, how long would it take for her to learn a new system with some complicated streaming program?

 

Plus, there's the problem that arises when it breaks down. Will I have to travel all the way to Liverpool on a fortnightly basis? I really don't want to do that; when I get there, she'll ask me to do all sorts of other stuff (Cleaning, electrical repairs, replacing bulbs, buying her shopping, winding up her grandfather clock etc).

So I take it your nan plays Xbox or something? Otherwise all that is totally irrelevant

 

This would be a gaming app...for gamers...they tend to know buttons decently well silly person.

[SirRoderick]

what?  A console is a piece of hardware that allows users to play games,  Regardless of what you think, a camera in a phone is still a camera, a camera in a tablet is still a camera.  If xbox becomes flat with a touch screen then it becomes flat with a touch screen. A console does not suddenly become something different because the form factor changes, If we were to use that argument then we'd also have to argue that the pc became obsolete when the AT form factor was phased out. Because it is a different shape/size/whatever.

 

A console is a computer that plugs into the tv and plays games, until that is replaced consoles will not be obsolete.

 

You're making all kinds of nonsense right now. What you're saying implies that my PC is a TV and my tablet is an ipod. That's just ridiculous.

 

But hey, if it makes you feel better, call it a console. It'll still be a tablet.

[mr moose]

You're making all kinds of nonsense right now. What you're saying implies that my PC is a TV and my tablet is an ipod. That's just ridiculous.

 

But hey, if it makes you feel better, call it a console. It'll still be a tablet.

Are you saying a console is not something that plugs into a tv and plays games?

[SirRoderick]

Are you saying a console is not something that plugs into a tv and plays games?

There's a difference there you seem to be oblivious to. A console is a device that plugs into a tv and plays games.

 

A device that plugs into a TV to play games is not a console.

 

You cannot possibly be silly enough to actually believe that my PC is also a console because I plugged it into a TV. I just don't believe that 

[mr moose]

There's a difference there you seem to be oblivious to. A console is a device that plugs into a tv and plays games.

 

A device that plugs into a TV to play games is not a console.

 

You cannot possibly be silly enough to actually believe that my PC is also a console because I plugged it into a TV. I just don't believe that 

That's not silly. it's true, a console is a computational device that allows users to control functions, in this context it is a device that plugs into a tv and allows users to play games. If you plug your PC into a tv and use it for playing games then it becomes a console. 

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/console

definition no.5: an electronic system you plug into a tv for the primary purpose of playing games is a console.

Not a specific system, not a system that doesn't already serve another purpose but "an electronic system"

[SirRoderick]

That's not silly. it's true, a console is a computational device that allows users to control functions, in this context it is a device that plugs into a tv and allows users to play games. If you plug your PC into a tv and use it for playing games then it becomes a console. 

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/console

definition no.5: an electronic system you plug into a tv for the primary purpose of playing games is a console.

Not a specific system, not a system that doesn't already serve another purpose but "an electronic system"

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHA  :lol:

 

Oh dear lord you really ARE trying to save face with pointless semantics! You must feel pretty bad when you're wrong about something.

 

Not to mention that according to that very definition you're still wrong. since the primary function of my PC is not, in fact, playing games on a TV. And even IF it literally said "mr moose is right" you'd still be out of luck, no one in their right minds that has even a passing familiarity with gaming hardware will agree with the statement that ANYTHING used to play games on a a TV is a console, that is just not a correct use of terminology. As a matter of fact after viewing your link I see that you adjusted the definition from "an electronic system that connects to a display (as a television set) and is used primarily to play video games". So basically you want to win an argument on a tech forum using a definition that classifies gaming PCs as consoles. Which is CLEARLY inconsistent with the definition of a console used in the gaming and tech industry as a whole and therefore entirely useless in any debate on the matter.

 

So yeah, if it makes you feel better you can call it a console, but that doesn't make it true.

 

P.S.

 

sorry to everyone else for ranting a little bit; just kinda had an urge there. I'll stop

[mr moose]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHA  :lol:

 

Oh dear lord you really ARE trying to save face with pointless semantics! You must feel pretty bad when you're wrong about something.

 

Not to mention that according to that very definition you're still wrong. since the primary function of my PC is not, in fact, playing games on a TV. And even IF it literally said "mr moose is right" you'd still be out of luck, no one in their right minds that has even a passing familiarity with gaming hardware will agree with the statement that ANYTHING used to play games on a a TV is a console, that is just not a correct use of terminology. As a matter of fact after viewing your link I see that you adjusted the definition from "an electronic system that connects to a display (as a television set) and is used primarily to play video games". So basically you want to win an argument on a tech forum using a definition that classifies gaming PCs as consoles. Which is CLEARLY inconsistent with the definition of a console used in the gaming and tech industry as a whole and therefore entirely useless in any debate on the matter.

 

So yeah, if it makes you feel better you can call it a console, but that doesn't make it true.

 

P.S.

 

sorry to everyone else for ranting a little bit; just kinda had an urge there. I'll stop

If the primary use for your pc is for something other than games then why are you even talking about it? 

 

If by semantics you mean "inherent meaning of words" then how can it be pointless, unless of course your stuck thinking it means something completely different?

 

I don't get why this is hard for you,  If it's purpose is to play games and it plugs into a tv, it is a console.  that's it. You can call it a tablet when it looks like a tablet, you can call it pc when it looks like a pc you can call whatever you want, but if it's intended purpose is to play games and it plugs into a tv then it is a console. end of story.

 

And yes, technically all PCs or parts thereof are consoles, that is the what they started as and that's what they'll always be.   We only call the pc a pc and not a console because it is a convenient way to discriminate against form factors, nothing else.

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console

[Beefmaster]

Pc is the future u can do anything on a pc

[Sigmatech]

The form in which a console will take will change but the essence of what a console aims to provide will always remain forever, just exist in different ways and forms. I won't get into how this will be but so long as the demand for a singular platform of performance, multimedia and experience in functionality will be there so will the purpose of what a console will aim to be.

However in saying this the performance level of which this 'console' will need to be will change and all liklihood become the 'little-brother' to what the PC is at this exact point in time (Powerful, yet small in size). If anything the one thing that will explode and very soon will be the platform of choice will be mobile gaming. Although Tegra is getting very very close (i'm excited for the note 7), the liklihood of console gamers turning back to how we all were on gameboys etc etc back in the day may see a resurgence...only kids will be playing games with the technical visuality of The Last of Us or Crysis 2 (10 years or so from now).

I will be more than happy to allow my children in this era to experience such a thing, but i will encourage the benefits of DIY PC building (Should it still be applicable/existant) no differently to how fixing a car makes you more comfortable around engines ala knowing the components of a PC will make my kids more comfortable knowing what they desire from electronic devices

[mr moose]

The form in which a console will take will change but the essence of what a console aims to provide will always remain forever, just exist in different ways and forms.

That's exactly what I was getting at, Thank you for posting.

 

BTW I agree whole heartedly with the rest of your post.

[Sigmatech]

That's exactly what I was getting at, Thank you for posting.

 

BTW I agree whole heartedly with the rest of your post.

I think it comes from owning alot of them during the golden era 1994-2011.

I've owned a PS1>PS2>PS3/360>PSP and i have bought each one for different reasons (some of them the same, HIDEO KOJIMAAAAAA)

However i know from experience that i have used all these devices/platforms in different ways. PS1 was gaming toy really (i was young then), PS2 was a DVD player/Music player/ Console (Was getting older, served more purposes), PS3 was becoming my entertainment hotspot (I was 16 at the time and was starting to get into more mature gaming, owned a laptop at the time that was my internet source). PSP became the supplimentary device that i used for playing the few games i really wanted to play e.g. GTA Vice City Stories/ Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Total wastes of cash though at the time compared to the kind of PC i could have had during those times.... :'(

However in saying that, i have had a similar trend that i tend to identify with my choice of technologies in which i start big and follow the trend as it gets smaller yet retains power but gains performance whilst changing 'form factor' e.g. shift from ATX to mATX to ITX now.

My Cellphone followed that shift where it was a singular device, now it serves and my MP3 player and phone, now it's my pocket PC essentially...and once i get my hands on that EVGA tablet to trial out (of which i will geek the f**k out over).

I have a saying that i use alot that goes like this, "Buildings are becoming giant servers and computers, our computers are becoming our phones and our watches are becoming our phones"....So far it's becoming true

[mr moose]

My first computers form factor was a proprietary one that was not compatible with anything, then I upgraded to AT, etc etc etc. So, same story as yours except I started a decade earlier.

[mr moose]

I'm not sure. Will be have displays in the future that have everything inboard, or when buying you have the option of inbuilt additions. Like say, you buy a TV and you are give the option if you wish to have an xbox/ps inbuilt in the TV's hardware. I don't foresee a future in which we still have clunky hardware with cables all over the place.

that's a good point, TV's come with a console edition or a network only edition.

[CrossEyedJack]

No consoles will not be obsolete in 5 to 8 years.  I don't think hardware will ever be obsolete.  Here is why.  

 

Obliviously the PC will remain supreme for high end gaming.  Tech like AMD's Mantle might be a good solution for mid range gaming.  Consoles will always have the benefit of being fully optimized for games.  Game development is much easier on console.  The Game developer knows exactly what hardware is in a Console.  So all of the calls can go directly to the hardware.   A good example is Draw calls or how much the system can draw at one time.  The PC has a severe bottleneck because it has to use Directx (D3D) or OpenGL and both are considerably less then even last Gen Consoles.

 

Now AMD is attempting to close that gap with Mantle, still there are other software issues.  A Windows or Linux machine will always have to go through a higher level API.   This is why a Xbox 360 can run GTA 5 and it looks amazing.   I'm sure the average PC from around 2006 would have a hard time even running GTA 4.   This will always be true because PC's have to support all the different hardware.  It's up to the game company to support whatever extra features the video card might have.  If you look at the history of Games, they usually don't take advantage of extra features

 

On to Cloud Gaming.  There will always be a Latency issue no matter how good the Internet gets.  At best we can get latency down to a average of 5 to 20 ms.   High speed memory has latency in the nano seconds or thousands of times faster then the Internet.

 

There is absolutely no foreseeable technology that will fix the Latency bottleneck.  Its limited by the speed of light.  It's extremely doubtful that FTL communications is even possible with even the highest level of technology.  That's a whole different argument and please don't compare it to Human flight.  

 

Though I think Microsoft has a great Idea with XB1 Cloud,  there are some things that are not Latency critical and can be done on the cloud, especially with environment physics and AI.  Time will only tell if this is actually used to its full potential.  

 

 You can't just do everything in the Cloud because the higher resolution and FPS the higher the bandwidth.   I doubt very many people have Internet that has the bandwidth to support 1080p at 60FPS.    By the next Gen  4K 60 FPS will be the standard.  There is no way the Internet could handle that.  Heck even HDMI 1.4 can't handle that.  Maybe in 50 years and that's just the Bandwidth, latency will still be the same.

 

Now onto Smart Devices and TV's.   They are going to be cool but still,  I upgrade my TV every few years and usually go with the Budget option.  To me a TV is nothing more then a Monitor.  My cheapo Hisense looks much better then my 4 year old Sony Bravia and I paid 6 times more for the Sony.  I will never go that route again.

 

For the Price nothing beats Console gaming.  Although I can see PC's closing that Gap quickly in this Gen.  As a Comparable PC is around the $800 to $1000 range right now.  With price drops and and Driver optimization that could easily be cut in half by the end of 2014.   Some will argue that there are already better PC's for $500 range, but that's only in HW specs.  In real life not so much.    

 

Steam a is big part of PC gaming and they seem to be doing everything right.   Nothing beats Steam deals, nothing.  If games like Star Citizen and The next Car game are a hit, then I could see developers avoiding big names like Activision and EA in favor of Kickstart and Greenlight.

 

There are PC Exclusives that I plan on upgrading for.   I already own a XB1 and at some point will get a PS4 for the exclusives.  The last thing on my list is a over price Smart TV.   I'm just waiting for first cheap OLED 4k TV and a PC that can run it.  I'm sure they are not that far away.   I've even seen a 4k LED backlit for $700.  

 

Saying Consoles are going to be dead is like saying local hardware will be dead.  That will never happen because local hardware will always be better.   The Internet will never be able to handle everything, no matter how much the bandwidth increases.

 

The funny thing is the same type of argument was made last Gen about PC's being absolute and well guess what they are still going strong.  Truth be told both Console and PC have equal benefits and will be around for a long time.  Cloud computing will be huge in future but I just don't think it can compete with local hardware, at least for Latency critical applications.

[coen113]

us, of the pc gaming master race already think they are, but they will be even more in 6 years

[Arshdeep]

Ya Never Know....

[Xander McN]

I think that the fan boys and the stupid (console's are more powerful, my mums pc is rubbish) will keep them going.

 

But i hope they all go the way of the nvidia shield or implement something even more powerful. e.g. stream from a mid to low end pc but boost the quality of the games with their own gpu power as well.

[RedGalaxie]

consoles are nowhere near dying out. The market for console gamers is bigger than for PC gamers. Steam machines make me think PC games will join the console race before consoles die out.

[ManOfDisguise]

Yes! Lord Gaben will destroy every single console!