[ALL] The last of the boxed gaming consoles?

[jms493]

I have heard some industry heads say that they really think this is it for set top closed gaming consoles. They are saying that these consoles are really not that much more powerful then what is in high end mobile devices. They say in a few years your tablet will be able to produce console like graphics. Sooner or later you will see grafx chips in TVs or very small PC like devices.

It is an interesting theory and I tend to agree. I feel like in a 2-3 years these consoles will feel outdated. I mean games I played on a PC over a year ago look and play better then some of these games. Playing games at 1080p resolution should not be a difficult task in this day in age. The fact that games are struggling on these launch titles scares me a bit. 720p at 30 fps takes very little hardware and would cry if I had to play like that on my PC. The fact that these machines are based on x86 architecture leads me to think that these developers should be familiar with the optimization of the software. This isn't some crazy cell processor type shit here. This is a PC in a small box with custom components.

We will wait and see what happens of course. I plan on purchasing both of these things this year but something is telling me that my PC will have the majority of my gaming time for a while.

Let me know your thoughts...will there be a PS5 and/or Xbox Two? If so why?

[Point Blank]

Fuck PC gaming, that is all.

[Houston]

Frame rate and graphics are two of the last things on my mind while playing video games. If both never advance for the rest of my life, I'd be fine.

[Lupe]

GTA5 doesn't run in 1080p and it looks great. I have no idea why people are bitching about BF4 not running in 1080p on the S4. 720p and 1080p make no difference to me. 30 FPS and 60 FPS however, make a huge difference. COD runs a lot more smooth on PS3 than BF3 does because it runs at 60 FPS. Hasn't PC always had the advantage over consoles for gaming anyway?

[dave]

IMO, this generation is the final generation of console gaming.

[SethMode]

1) Current console gaming IS PC gaming. The only difference is, you get less interesting games because of more stringent certification processes. That, and you have less control over how to modify performance.

2) Not caring about graphics, or at least, more "advanced" graphics, is totally fine. Saying you don't care about framerate is stupid. Framerate is quite possibly the most important aspect of games. Poor framerate can literally break a game. Why do you think the new consoles keep getting more powerful? Games need greater resources in order to have a playable framerate.

Anyway, console gaming has been a tough business for a long time now. They either need to be less tight on their restrictions and become more digital friendly and competitive, or I think this could very well be the last generation, or at least, maybe the last profitable one. Especially with Valve getting into the mix, and PC gaming becoming more affordable. Who knows though?

[jms493]

Nice response SM


maybe there is some life left in this forum.

[killgod]

1) Current console gaming IS PC gaming. The only difference is, you get less interesting games because of more stringent certification processes. That, and you have less control over how to modify performance.

2) Not caring about graphics, or at least, more "advanced" graphics, is totally fine. Saying you don't care about framerate is stupid. Framerate is quite possibly the most important aspect of games. Poor framerate can literally break a game. Why do you think the new consoles keep getting more powerful? Games need greater resources in order to have a playable framerate.

Anyway, console gaming has been a tough business for a long time now. They either need to be less tight on their restrictions and become more digital friendly and competitive, or I think this could very well be the last generation, or at least, maybe the last profitable one. Especially with Valve getting into the mix, and PC gaming becoming more affordable. Who knows though?

Valve will help break the barriers when it comes to restriction, it should force Sony/MS's hand.

Indie development is also helping, there's plenty of startup's and opportunity and it seems like every year we're getting more and more of these titles produced. Which is what I've always felt we needed, more "$10-$30" games. We're all tired of forking over $60 for Military Shooter 14, Sprots Roster Update 25, Hack N Slash XVI, etc.

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

I think what you may see is a PC and portables divide.

MS/Sony fucked up royally. They insisted on having a stupid 8 year timeline before the next consoles and both have completely missed the boat on portables and tablets. They could have injected new life into the living room and cemented a significant future by going hand in hand with the emerging mobile market and instead chose to stay on the sidelines and milk the ps3/360. MS should really be ashamed as the living room media center was always their goal and they have a mobile OS.
4K tv is the only potential saving grace but these consoles dont seem to give two hoots about it. While tablets/tvs/phones will never be as powerful as consoles (just like consoles cant keep up with pcs) they can offer so much more in terms of portability and value. I didnt hesitate to drop hundreds on my newest phone that Im looking at and interacting with most of the day...but Im seriously scrounging for a valid reason to even bother with either of the new consoles. The visuals are as minor an upgrade as Ive seen from one gen to next.
Despite what some "think" there is a monumental difference between 720p and 1080p. Framerate is always paramount. The potential visuals for a 4K experience are absolutely insane. But everybody fucked up by racing to the bottom trying to push 3D as a premium feature when the tech wasnt ready and got beat the fuck up by Google/Samsung/Apple. The interesting pushes in technology are not in TVs , PCs , and Games anymore. I have a 1080p OLED phone that shoots 4k video. By next year flexible screens will be in use...... Theres still no affordable OLED for the LR , theres no 4kTV within the realm of a reasonable budget. The #1 content for these sets would be Game consoles and they dont seem to give a shit anymore.

Its going to be a very short amount of time before AAA titles will no longer require top grade graphics. Visual and Audio quality (sadly) have taken a back seat to convenience. Theres not enough bandwidth for 4k streaming , and only PCs will have the horsepower to truly have beautiful games. Its much easier to go independent and develop some super quick money maker like Angry birds than it is brainstorming and praying you may have the next AAA franchise.
Kids today are very content with micro screens and tablets using shitty earbuds and playing shit like Minecraft and Plants vs Zombies its only going to get worse.

Lastly I no longer insult pc gaming. It was always a trash heap of annoying people and cumbersome interfaces. But a simple HDMI to your TV and a wireless connection to your console controller and you really have a much , much better experience than 10 years ago.

[jms493]

New high end graphics cards out right now are built to push 4K gaming. The new AMD 290x really shines at 4K. You already see PC gamers pushing the resolution standards.

2560 x 1440p is going to be pretty cheap soon and then comes 3840 x 2160.

Right now my PC is hooked up to my TV along with my consoles and I just sit on my couch in big picture mode and my 360 controller and play.

[Maynard]

GTA5 doesn't run in 1080p and it looks great.

no, it really doesnt. if you knew what you were missing you would know what i mean. GTA5 looks ok at best. the graphics are very dated and it compares to PC games from 2008

[jms493]

Lets not make this a PC vs Console thing but more of why this may be the last closed off box you sit in your living room.

[KINGOFOOTBALL]

Lets not make this a PC vs Console thing but more of why this may be the last closed off box you sit in your living room.

It may be semantics but Im thinking it may be the last box from MS and Sony and the last in the form we currently understand as a console.
I can easily envision an android stick (like the chrome cast) and blue tooth controller or an Apple tv with your tablet or hand free sensing device as your input. Or just a controller that connects wirelessly to your tablet connecting wirelessly to your tv.


As for pc + 4k.
I havent upgraded my cpu/mb/gpu since 07 and outside of games/video encoding Im perfectly fine with its horsepower. If 4Ktv gain traction and hit the size/price point that got me my current huge set than I will probably build a new rig for 4k gaming. But again I have to see some compelling titles.