Will console gaming slowly get replaced by PC gaming?

[Imploded Tomato]

There has been Rumors that Microsoft and Sony will release a game streaming service in the future for PC's similar to Steam's streaming service. Do you guys think consoles will become less popular than PC's in the future if the Xbox and Playstation library was available via a streaming service like Steam?

 

[RobbieLA]

Less popular, yeah. But I can't imagine consoles being completely replaced, despite how much more potential personal computers have. 

A large amount of people simply want to be able to play the games they like, no configuring things on their own, no drivers needed installed or rolled back, no hardware failures or incompatibilities, none of those kinds of things. And a lot of people prefer certain parts of owning a console, things like the design, the controllers, the fan wars, all of that.

While I can imagine pre-built computers and such slowly becoming more popular, I'm pretty sure there will still be a demand for consoles or console like setups for a long time.

 

[The Stranger]

A lot of people like things to work straight out of the box. They don't want to have to tinker with it. Consoles guarantee that any game you buy for it will work. No faffing about with specs, or needing to throw hundreds of pounds at a new graphics card. Sure, your games might not look as pretty as on the best PC, but they will still look and feel great. Consoles are also much cheaper than a dedicated gaming PC, unless you can buy the parts cheap and construct it yourself.

 

[kerbonklin]

PC is extremely ahead in all fronts, especially resolutions, FPS, and technology-specs. To the point where all the newest Xbox One / PS4 titles are literally showcased on emulations off Windows systems. (All the stuff you see on E3 and such, aka watch-dogs, tomb raider, farcry 4, etc.)

Also console-streaming of games is extremely not popular at the moment, and will never be popular for numerous reasons. Nobody cares about next-gen console streams which anyone can see for themselves if they browse it on their systems, but Twitch streaming and the new Steam streaming will always be big.

One reason by the way is marketing/advertisement/sponsorships that Twitch streaming can provide. Popular streamers can make more than the average annual salary.

 

[Stapleton]

I am more of a PC user than console but I feel the demand for console will increase. People are becoming more every day lazy and what lazier than opening up a box and plugging a console into your TV and having the convenience to use it anywhere a TV is with little effort. There are more casual people out there than hardcore. And only the semi - hardcore gamers desire a modified computer. Consoles are simulating how a computer works. Fact is, if the consoles abolished limitations on what it can offer than it would expand drastically.

 

[Cozzer]

I hope so. Right now, consoles are basically PCs with limitations on so that you can only use them to play certain games.

I mean, console games have installation times, hard drive limits, bugs, patches, internet access requirements... They exist only to force users to buy several functionally identical machines if they want to play "exclusives".

 

[_Shadow_]

NO! Here is why:

Console:

1] Console is cheap because it does nothing else than gaming. A PC on the other hand does more things but it costs a LOT more to play games decent.

2] Developers make butchered graphics game editions, for the specs of the console. No upgrading needs. And who cares about the depth on graphics anyway. Console needs no upgrades to play a game. 

3] Consoles have no virus and operating system issues yet. In a console, you turn it on, works, download or install game, play game end of story. A noob or average user can do things easily.

4] Games update instantly (patches) while PC without Steam or equivalent platform needs manual things to be done. PCs also are different. There are different components and millions of system builds. Thus there WILL be problems. A console is ONE console with specific hardware AND SPECIFIC OPERATING SYSTEM. End of story, one patch fixes an issue for EVERY console. BOOM.

5] You can rent a game. If you dislike it, you return it, pay some money, no beef at all. And you still are legit.

6] You can buy used games or download digital cheaper editions of games on consoles.

PCs:

These are tools instead of game machines only.

A PC might be more complex but it still more powerful.

You can get bundles and special discounts for games. You can find a game cheaper than anywhere else.

More games than any console.

Different user interfaces if you want to.

In general more capabilities.

The proper vessel for an advanced or expert user.

So consoles will stick around, cause there are people who don't wanna learn a lot on Computer Science and IT to play a game. Simplicity and ease of use is what they seek.

And PCs will stick around and go on, cause well... that's the vessel for advanced users.

These stuff are not rivals. They focus on different user groups really and of course different needs.

It just happens that computer geeks are gamers too.

All platforms are needed in my opinion.

What was between both of them and failed because it didn't really satisfied VERY well any of the needs of both target groups, was Home Computers.

Exceptions: Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga. After all, only Amiga makes it possible (8os cheese) . Maybe also Atari ST later on.

But that was it.

Home computers... failed in general.

It was when Panasonic 3DO, Somy Playstation, Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64 were marching as consoles...

Consoles DESTROYED the limited hardware home computer concept, because of the custom STRONG hardware architecture and specs.

If consoles will get lost, it means that SOMETHING ELSE WILL COME AND CHANGE THINGS. 

Not PCs though.

PCs are successful anyway for what they are. 

 

[cabfe]

Microsoft tried to make their next console more of a living room device than a gaming console.

They got a huge backlash and are still suffering from it.

But I'm pretty sure it was just too soon. There's too much money to get from an all-purpose device.

Just look at what mobile phones became.

You don't even get to read about the main function: to call someone with a good audio emission/reception quality.

Consoles "just for games" will no longer exist in the next decade. Their internal architectures are now closer to PCs than ever.

They'll eventually completely merge with phones (which are little computers) and any portable device that will be invented in the next few years.

You'll only have to plug this device to a bigger screen for comfort, but people will carry their "computer" with them everywhere (and always connected to the internet, of course. Another great market to explore).

 

[_Shadow_]

Microsoft tried to make their next console more of a living room device than a gaming console.

They got a huge backlash and are still suffering from it.

Actually Ms failed cause Windows 8 debut was a launch of an operating system for everything.

Tablets, phones, console and here goes the sin: PC!

PC users in general need utility and capabilities, no convenience and limitations.

So that's the reason why the feedback was a middle finger by most of them.

So Ms restored Start button and fixed somehow desktop back to... normal...

It's not me talking about these information. It is the same people. But they promoted them as new features!

I mean... seriously? Good thing Ms changed CEO.

And people made even MLG videos about it.

LOWER THE VOICE BEFORE WATCHING. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!








Enough with the jokes though.

To be honest, I EXPECT Windows 10 to be great.

 

[Galenmereth]

I really hope not. Console gaming has a lot of benefits over PC gaming. The two have been inching closer for years, but there are benefits to a specific hardware being developed for over the span of many years. As a programmer, when I look at the PC market, the more complicated the game gets, the more it turns into a headache to optimize for all of the different setups that exist. We see a little less of it when we develop using RPG Maker software, but we still see it: All the various screen resolutions, input devices, driver issues, operating system problems and incompatibilities, audio drivers messing up, etc. etc.. The benefit of developing for a console is you know exactly what you're dealing with, and you can optimize much better than is possible for PC's.

And that's ignoring the fact that when you know your end users has one -- or a combination of -- input devices, you can make unique games that would be nigh impossible to pull off otherwise. While Nintendo has failed with the Wii U in many areas, if you've ever played Nintendoland together with four other friends, you're playing something that just wouldn't be feasible on PC in any reasonable manner. It takes the interconnectivity between the gamepad and the console and makes a unique experience out of it. Wii U is obviously not a successful experiment, but the Wii was, and that too provided games that just would not be possible on a PC without it costing the end user a ton more money for specific perhipheralia.

I would personally enjoy if consoles distanced themselves a bit more from PC's. I'd prefer more choice rather than homogenisation of experiences.

 

[cabfe]

Having a unique controller also means that it's restricted to a unique console.

In these years of multi-platforms games, developpers don't take the chance of having low sales if they work for only one console.

Which is one of the reasons why Nintendo struggles to get more games on their Wii/Wii U.

And when you have Kinect on the Xbox, it's eventually removed to allow for more power.

The result is that no game will fully use the Kinect, because some Xbox players may not be able to play the game.

 

[_Shadow_]

Having a unique controller also means that it's restricted to a unique console.

In these years of multi-platforms games, developpers don't take the chance of having low sales if they work for only one console.

Which is one of the reasons why Nintendo struggles to get more games on their Wii/Wii U.

And when you have Kinect on the Xbox, it's eventually removed to allow for more power.

The result is that no game will fully use the Kinect, because some Xbox players may not be able to play the game.

Kinect is in my opinion one of the best devices ever. It has to mature and there are many things to be done, but still it is epic!

 

[whitesphere]

I don't see console gaming being replaced by PC gaming.  Non-technical users want something they can plug in and use, without tweaking graphics settings, resolutions, detail levels. PC games require that type of tweaking to look their best.

PC games also require driver updates and a lot of other maintenance tasks that are simple for techies (antivirus, system updates, hard drive defragmentation), but a lot of hassle for non-techies.  I've seen people who have no antivirus because they had a demo version installed, and just ignore its annoying "PAY NOW TO ACTIVATE!" pop-up.  And since it wasn't set to auto-scan, their antivirus basically does nothing anyways.

Even technical users like the idea of being able to play a game without tweaking anything.

This ignores that consoles are generally a LOT cheaper than a high end gaming PC, which you need to get the spiffiest PC gaming experience.  Even a mid-range PC, say, $700 or so, is still almost twice as expensive as a console.

The biggest change I'm seeing is portable game systems are being replaced by smartphone and tablet games.  Even if a lot of these games are mere front-ends for Zynga's cash receivers, most people REALLY don't care.  They want games that can be played for a few minutes, then put away.

If anything ate console games, it would be smartphone games.   I could see a future model smartphone with HDMI output and support for multiple simultaneous Bluetooth game controllers running a decent gaming experience. 

Granted, the hard core techies are super picky about specs, but that's like how car fanatics obsess about particulars in their cars, but the rest of us only care about "Does the car get us where we need to go?"  So most casual users, who make up the vast majority of the gaming audience, won't notice the difference.

 

[Jarrad]

     I feel that consoles are dumbing things down too much. I appreciate that they are for the most part plug and play (the day one updates do annoy me though), but in the technological world we live in not being able to do basic tasks like downloading drivers, tweaking graphics, and replacing a broken part is just hurting the people who don't bother to learn how to do it. People expect everything to work instantaneously nowadays, but these people are going to get left behind when you need at least minor technical skills to operate device X.

    PCs are really the future, for $350 you can build a PC on par or even a bit better than the consoles but it does much more, all you need is a screwdriver and a couple of hours. The current consoles are incredibly flawed anyway, they are locked down, run at low framerates, low resolutions, and use low end (most likely foxconn) parts for everything except the CPU and GPU. They gimp the development of worthwhile games and are dragging the industry down.

   The tech industry is moving ahead of consoles incredibly quickly, Steam has big picture mode which makes PC a couch experience, family sharing can accomplish the same. 1440p and 4K are becoming standard while consoles are stuck at 900p. Every year at CES innovations are made that negate the "innovations" of the consoles. Which is really my biggest beef with consoles as a whole, they are non-upgradeable. With PC any new innovation that comes out can just be thrown in and boom you have a state of the art system. With a console you will have to wait until the next generation comes out to get those innovations.

   The paying for online also needs to go, with Steam, GOG, G2A, and such there are communities with cheap games and free online play that the companies that own the consoles will not allow. A console starts at $400, then $60 for one game, $60 for online for a year, $50 for a controller, $50+ for a worthwhile mic, and more. The consoles are marketed to be cheap but come out being more expensive than PC which should really be causing distrust in consumers.

  Resources:

      $350 PC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZR-a35sxLg

       www.logicalincrements.com

 

[Galenmereth]

They gimp the development of worthwhile games and are dragging the industry down.

Absolutely untrue. I'm not a fan of motion controlled games, for example, but ignoring the impact the Wii and motion controls had on the industry is absurd. Ignoring the effect home consoles has had on gaming, and continues to have, is also wishful thinking. If it weren't for consoles, PC gaming wouldn't be where it is either. The industry is an ecosystem; it is best served by choice and hardware variation. Consoles aren't holding PC's back at all; developers making lazy ports are just hurting wallets and trust for themselves and their games. There's still more great games on PC released every year than there are bad ones. The problem with the industry is oversaturation, something the mobile market isn't helping with either.

 

[Seacliff]

Home consoles, maybe... especially when you look at this gen's hardware sales. Handhelds on the other hand? I think those will last for a much longer time. Sure they are rivaled by the infamous mobile market, but that's a market aimed at people who don't care as much of the art of gaming as much as just passing time. Hardcore gamers will still want something to sink there teeth in when they are on-the-go.

 

[kerbonklin]

  They gimp the development of worthwhile games and are dragging the industry down.

Absolutely untrue.

Have you not seen what happened to Watch Dogs? They literally showcased a beautiful looking game at E3 for the Xbox One (which was actually showcased using PC emulation and not a dev kit console) and then when the game was released for console the graphics were extremely dumbed down to garbage-quality ON PURPOSE. When the PC port came around it was discovered that all the beautiful graphic fidelity was actually locked away on purpose in the game's files and could be unlocked with a bit of config modding. Those with the console version of Watch Dogs cannot tweak these config settings for obvious reasons.

 

[whitesphere]

Home consoles, maybe... especially when you look at this gen's hardware sales. Handhelds on the other hand? I think those will last for a much longer time. Sure they are rivaled by the infamous mobile market, but that's a market aimed at people who don't care as much of the art of gaming as much as just passing time. Hardcore gamers will still want something to sink there teeth in when they are on-the-go.

And are there enough "hardcore gamers" to sustain the production line of an entire game system, software and hardware?  I'm sure there are a good sized chunk, but if most casual gamers go to mobile, even if the games are superficial, and there isn't enough profit in it, then the portable console makers will just stop producing them.

Now, granted, there is a nifty portable console based on Linux and other open source stuff.  That might still sell well because it doesn't need to produce software as much as maintain and upgrade the hardware, using standard components.

 

[Athryl]

I think consoles as we know them might decline, but not really to PC but more to tablets and streaming services.  My experience is with the rising popularity of tablets a lot of people do not even have a PC at all unless they are already a PC gamer or something else that requires a PC.  I think we'll see more "consoles" that are really just a video game roku-like device.  Sure you'd still be able to stream to your PC too, but if most of the true processing is done remotely you wouldn't need a PC and could play your games just as well on any of your devices.

And just to clarify - I am not thrilled with this as I LOVE my PC!

 

[kerbonklin]

Eh, mobile games (mainly iOS) is going down the dumpster nowadays, It's now majorly filled with crappy 5-minute-job titles that are bad and filled with micro-transactions, all made by horribly lazy middle-eastern indian devs looking for a quick buck. (Seriously not trying to be racist or anything, but it's becoming a true legit stereotype and at least has been for the past year. Just look at the recent atrocity known as "Spartans vs Zombies", which shouldn't even exist and the dev can get sued real hard for what they did)