Is This the Last Generation of Game Consoles?
"Consoles as we know them are going to meet the fate of the dinosaurs one day. The big question is when."
The PS4 and Xbox One, as confusing as the name has been ever since the console was revealed in 2013, are breaking record sales. Valve is making headlines with the Steam console and its crazy futuristic gamepad. Nintendo has struck a rough patch with the Wii U but the 3DS remains the king of the handheld gaming market. At first glance, it may seem like the video gaming industry is healthier than ever. Or is it?
While it is true that the video game console market is not waning yet, the first symptoms of attrition are already in place. Nintendo exited the Brazilian market this year. For the first time since the N64, the system is not getting a decent third party support . PES, Madden NFL, and about any other EA or Ubisoft game are missing on the Wii U. The tragedy here is that unlike the Halo or Gravity Rush series, these titles were meant to be ported to all consoles in the eight generation.
It is easy to fall into the trap and think that Nintendo is the only manufacturer subscribed to problems and Sony and Microsoft are having a smooth ride. However, while the Wii U at least made an attempt to innovate with its tablet controller, the other manufacturers just beefed up their specs. No 4K, no out of the box VR support, everything is being added as an afterthought. This naturally does not move any needles of progress in the gaming industry as the original Nintendo Wii did.
Consoles as we know them are going to meet the fate of the dinosaurs one day. The big question is when. There is not a single conclusion that could be drawn by the current developments in the industry. On the one hand, the home console market is still stable. On the other hand, the handheld consoles are on life support, really. In a similar manner, everyone still laughs at the smart TV concept and the attempts of TV manufacturers to turn the center piece of the living room into a computer. However, with video and music streaming, and cloud-based solutions for gaming, this is the way of the future. Google certainly thinks so and has improved Android TV each year.