Do y'all think Consoles are the Future?

[theFOoL]

Hi,

I was watching THIS and got to Thinking...

Knowing that most *If not All Games are now just Ported over to our PCs (Some are Awful Ports where others are Good) Just knowing they just stupid Low-End AMD [APU-Based] CPUs is just Laughable in a since. Knowing most games are just programmable for that Hardware but it's a very not-able-buy Hardware that's made for that Console. We have AMD APU's but they can't even compare to those!

Talk and Laugh... but stay Cool and to the Point

 

[Vayra86]

No. Consoles are closed ecosystems and therefore by definition unable to fully take over.

Look at the market share of more accessible OS and product categories and you will see that in every single case, the high degree of compatibility secures the largest market shares.

PC market share and total revenue in gaming is way higher than consoles, always has been
OS market share of Windows versus MacOSX is way higher and always has been
Indie games and community based projects start on PC and occasionally become big hits that get ported to consoles (Minecraft hi)

I could go on, but everything points to the PC as the most viable platform throughout a couple decades of gaming. Not the platform with the highest margins, but definitely the one with the highest volume and stability.

And this is without even looking at what drives the market as a whole: technological progress. Only the PC can really offer this, and the console is and always has been a derivative of what is possible on the PC platform, scaled down and made cost effective for the masses. Every console is old technology by the time it hits the market and by definition a form of stagnation.

 

[theFOoL]

Yes but many People just use their phones are even console now to browse web and stuff. Just a thought that popped up in my head sorry...

 

[Vayra86]

Yes but many People just use their phones are even console now to browse web and stuff. Just a thought that popped up in my head sorry...

The marketplace is diverse and PC gaming is and has been a growth market even throughout periods of decline on that same market as a whole. Also how many times have people spelled doom for the PC platform? I lost count...

Also, people are not and never have been limited to one type of device. More often than not, there is a console next to some form of PC, be it a laptop or not, and then there are mobile phones and tablets too.

 

[RCoon]

It's not a very simple answer.

For example, Publishers make more money on consoles, while independent developers make more money on PC. The profit margin is much higher on PC, however the sheer bulk sales is more often than not higher on consoles. Consoles generally have a lot of baked in costs from licensing and brick & mortar cuts, hence their higher disk price. It entirely depends on a game's demographic on which is the better platform for a dev/publisher.

 

[theFOoL]

Well speaking of Laptops... Do you think with these External GPUs will somehow Lower the Desktops far as Gaming on them? You think some Companies will offer a Kit for one to have with their Laptop in the Future?

 

[RCoon]

Well speaking of Laptops... Do you think with these External GPUs will somehow Lower the Desktops far as Gaming on them? You think some Companies will offer a Kit for one to have with their Laptop in the Future?

External GPU tech is still far too immature and much too costly and unreliable. The hoops required to make it work exceed the benefit, and that coupled with the cost make it an extremely unattractive solution. Having a laptop that already costs more than a desktop for portability, and then strapped a box and multiple cables to it, ceases to have it's portable benefits. It will remain a halo product, which notoriously do not sell particularly well, or contribute to high profits for a company.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Knowing that most *If not All Games are now just Ported over to our PCs (Some are Awful Ports where others are Good) Just knowing they just stupid Low-End AMD [APU-Based] CPUs is just Laughable in a since. Knowing most games are just programmable for that Hardware but it's a very not-able-buy Hardware that's made for that Console. We have AMD APU's but they can't even compare to those!

Other way around: games of all types are developed on computers and optimized for consoles (try running Maya, 3DSMAX, Blender, and Visual Studio on a PS4). Consolitis often stems from the controls (ports are almost exclusively designed for controllers, keyboard/mouse is jury rigged) and memory constraints (consoles usually have a small pool of memory compared to gaming computers).

Games have always been developed for the lowest common denominator. Consoles are usually the weakest so they develop it for the weakest console they're targeting. In the last generation, that was the Wii. When they port it to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, they'd bump up the graphics. When they port it to Windows, they bump it up more, usually targeting midrange GPUs. On the other hand, you have a game like Star Citizen that couldn't care less about consoles. Instead of targeting mid-range, console-like graphics, they're targeting high-end cards. Fundamentally this really only means one thing: higher polygon budget for models.

The vast majority of users don't play any games more demanding than they'd find on their phone. For those systems, integrated graphics processors is more than enough.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Knowing that most *If not All Games are now just Ported over to our PCs

I think this is your first and most significant misconception that makes your premise incorrect. Perhaps since the beginning of time looking at total numbers of games ever produced, "most" may be a true fact. But it certainly was never "all". Back in the day, I had many 100s of games for my Commodore 64 which was not a "console".

But today, many games are made for the PC first, then, maybe, ported to consoles.

No. Consoles are closed ecosystems and therefore by definition unable to fully take over.

By definition? Nah! Being closed has very little bearing on this. Look at notebooks. They are closed and proprietary systems, and tablets and smart phones, as rk3066 noted, are even more so. But they are taking over for the PC for people's primary computing needs - hence the decline in PCs sells in recent years.

Yes, gamers and enthusiasts are keeping the "PC" afloat and gaming systems is a growth market, but overall, just a tiny segment of the over all home computer market.

It entirely depends on a game's demographic.

I agree. But developers need to pay the rent, put shoes on their kids, and feed their families too. So it really is a matter of survival their games reach the broadest demographic of gamers too. And developers know only a tiny percentage of gamers can afford monster PC gaming rigs.

I mean when a single graphics card can cost more than an entire game console, and gaming on a console can be just as "entertaining" there is little incentive for many to buy/build a PC for gaming.

Well speaking of Laptops... Do you thing with these External GPUs will somehow Lower the Desktops far as Gaming on them? You think some Companies will offer a Kit for one to have with their Laptop in the Future?

I have always felt the idea of a "gaming notebook" was nothing more than a "marketing gimmick". Same with "desktop replacement".

Hardware makers can pack the power into a notebook case, but not cooling. If you consider a decent mid or even full size tower case is challenged to keep a heavily tasked computer cooled, how can a tiny notebook case? It can't.

So what is the solution? "gaming notebooks" are getting bigger and bigger and heavier and heavier. Remember the term "luggable" computer? That's what this niche of a market is turning into. A step (or bunch of steps) backwards, if you ask me. Why not stick with a PC and enjoy a full size keyboard, mouse, and multiple large monitors?

 

[ASOT]

Both will exist,consoles and pc's as it was in past or nowdays,for some people for fun is more easy console,plug and play!

 

[Champ]

I think portables are the future. I have my gaming rig, console and a switch. Nothing quite like the switch. Waiting for more devs to jump on and it should dominate for the next few years.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Um, SHIELD Tablet? Google Nexus 9? Same processor as Switch, different operating system.

 

[brandonwh64]

Well speaking of Laptops... Do you think with these External GPUs will somehow Lower the Desktops far as Gaming on them? You think some Companies will offer a Kit for one to have with their Laptop in the Future?

Laptops have progressed a lot with hardware. My MSI with a full 1070 plays all the games my desktop does and was around 1600$.

 

[theFOoL]

I think portables are the future. I have my gaming rig, console and a switch. Nothing quite like the switch. Waiting for more devs to jump on and it should dominate for the next few years.

Yeah... there are Laptops that are slim/light that hold a decent GPU in it...

 

[RCoon]

I agree. But developers need to pay the rent, put shoes on their kids, and feed their families too. So it really is a matter of survival their games reach the broadest demographic of gamers too. And developers know only a tiny percentage of gamers can afford monster PC gaming rigs.

I mean when a single graphics card can cost more than an entire game console, and gaming on a console can be just as "entertaining" there is little incentive for many to buy/build a PC for gaming.

Most PC gamers don't run high end GPUs anyway, a lot of them are on integrated graphics or low-midrange GPUs. You could buy an off the shelf PC and throw in a 1050 and have a gaming PC that will play 80% of the games on Steam just fine. Most developers code for those specs when it comes to the PC platform anyway.

 

[rtwjunkie]

Knowing that most *If not All Games are now just Ported over to our PCs

This is not a factual statement, so nothing to worry about.

 

[Vayra86]

By definition? Nah! Being closed has very little bearing on this. Look at notebooks. They are closed and proprietary systems, and tablets and smart phones, as rk3066 noted, are even more so. But they are taking over for the PC for people's primary computing needs - hence the decline in PCs sells in recent years.

Yes, gamers and enthusiasts are keeping the "PC" afloat and gaming systems is a growth market, but overall, just a tiny segment of the over all home computer market.

Notebooks are not closed ecosystems, I am not talking about the hardware, but the software that can be used on it. A console is a closed ecosystem because the entire chain of software acquisition is controlled by its manufacturer. There are no other vendors for software and access to the platform requires the manufacturer. The Windows OS is not a closed ecosystem. MacOSX is a closed ecosystem, though Apple does move a bit on that from time to time. The Xbox and Playstation are closed as well.

Tablets and smartphones, again, in the case of Android, are not closed, but in the case of IOS, its closed. Market share of Android is around 90%, IOS around 10%. There is more to that massive difference than just the price of said products.

That is the pattern I was talking about. Another, less related but still telling example is the enormous market penetration of Steam versus the publisher-specific platforms like Uplay and Origin. People don't like being boxed in unless they have to.

 

[erocker]

Nope. A lot of games don't touch consoles and I'm seeing more and more being developed for PC first now... It's cheaper for a developer to do.

 

[dorsetknob]

Games Are Generally Developed on a Workstation ( High End PC )
Then debugged ( Seems to be not so often these days ).
Then they are ported to Different Platforms ( and debugged/Optimized to allow for lower Specked hardware)
These ports are usualy again debugged on a pc/workstation using an emulator
before being tested and again debugged on the final Platform.
Then you as the Consumer get to buy the ( unfinished and it will be Patched later ) product

 

[theFOoL]

Games Are Generally Developed on a Workstation ( High End PC )
Then debugged ( Seems to be not so often these days ).
Then they are ported to Different Platforms ( and debugged/Optimized to allow for lower Specked hardware)
These ports are usualy again debugged on a pc/workstation using an emulator
before being tested and again debugged on the final Platform.
Then you as the Consumer get to buy the ( unfinished and it will be Patched later ) product

Yeah... tell that to the Team who Developed Prototype 1&2 though 2 was good with Performance

 

[Vayra86]

Yeah... tell that to the Team who Developed Prototype 1&2 though 2 was good with Performance

Prototype on PC ran like a dream! Both one and two. What did you play it on?

 

[dorsetknob]

What did you play it on?

probably on one of his $80 S/H laptops

 

[theFOoL]

I mean it ran ok'ish most of the time just looked Awful.... -the first one

 

[silentbogo]

Definitely not consoles. Tablets and other portables + streaming - maybe....
Just look at current gen:
- XB1 and further iterations are slowly evolving into a windows-powered HTPCs
- PS4 is stuck in the last century. Developers are still required to cash-in a few grand for a dev. kit, right after they submit a bunch of forms and bureaucratic nonsense, and that's only if your geographical location allows you to or you have someone to represent you (e.g. Americas). All at the time when PSN keeps getting hacked and filled with crappy content.
- Nintendo is completely nuts. Selling a crappy equivalent of a chinese knock-off of the Shield tablet, and distributing games on proprietary SD cards (seems like PSP experience was already forgotten)

LiquidSky just launched its Android App. I haven't tried it, but if it is as good as OnLive used to be on PC, then I might give it a go and ditch my rig in favor of a tiny quiet nettop.
The concept of free content for ad revenue is already a part of our lives (PBTV, Radio, Apps etc), so why not gaming?...

 

[SaltyFish]

Consoles have historically been more accessible (plug-n-play), but lately they've been trying too much to be PCs and picking up most of its downsides (patching ability means pushing out half-assed games to be fixed later on consoles now just like on PCs) with little of its upsides to show for it.

PC (Windows) gaming will chug along as it always has. Though I'm seeing a bit of a divide in targeted specs. MMOs and indie games target lower system requirements (can run fine on integrated graphics) while AAA RPG-FPS hybrids aim for users with top-of-the-line systems.

Mobile gaming is more likely a bigger contender. It has a major entrenched OS (Android) so the platform will stay around (a la Windows). It also has market penetration in that almost everyone has a smartphone and the device is more readily available to use (you can use it on your commute to work or while waiting for your date to show up). You're likely to be easily able to get your fancy smartphone in 2030 to play mobile games made in 2010... just like how some people use their 2017 PC to play 1997 PC games. The only thing that can stop it would be some new type of phone utterly replacing it.

The other thing to consider is the type of game. The overhead view of most RTS games lend more to a mouse control scheme whereas old-school menu-driven turn-based RPGs don't really benefit from it.