Dark Future of the Video Game Consoles Realm?
Last week John Romero was interviewed by the Adrenaline Vault , and when asked about the Console-War he commented the fact that Video Game Consoles have a very obscure future. The possible convergence of a new GPU/CPU integrated multi-core architecture in a near future represents a threat for the actual PC-Like console model (like PS3 and XBox 360).
This tech-tendency is getting stronger since AMD aquired ATI for U$ 5.4 bi and the constant rumors of a Intel-Nvidia merger as well.
John highlighted that the PC possibly will rule the hardcore gamers realm in the next generations. Because of the cheaper, more powerful hardware + lower development costs +recent MMORPG fever + stronger anti-piracy methods around. In this scenario , consoles will remain as the standard appliance for easy entertainment of casual gamers.
This is a valid possibility, considering that the consoles main strength are longer platform liveness and uniformity of hardware specifications needed to run game titles. For example : You don't have to worry about the amount of RAM of your Playstation in order to run it's Street Fighter Alpha 2 release.
On the computer things get complicated, in most times you gotta check things like "DirectX-9 Compatible Videocard with Vertex Shader Support" before buying a game. Standard users will ask "What the %@%# is Vertex Shader support?"
When thinking about all these stuff i remembered the Nintendo Wii's strongest Points : Cool and Intuitive Gaming , without jerking hardware firepower.
One of these days a guy stated in a Orkut community that Nintendo screwed up again with the Wii. My reply was :
I don't think Nintendo screwed up this time... Back at Nintendo64-era, the decision of
using cartridges as storage medium was a gruesome mistake and Nintendo deserved its defeat
for the Sony PlayStation.
Although, this time Nintendo is being alot smarter with the Wii, exploring elements like simplicity, gameplay innovation and human-machine interaction. Maybe i'm wrong but my first impression about this first round of the 7-gen console war is that
Sony and Microsoft are too worried to boost their machines so the Source Engine can run
with dazzling FPS rates in high-resolutions.
Why would Nintendo try to compete with the techno-masturbators of this generation?
They lost enough money with the N64/GameCube fiascos... the solution to recover their remarkable position is to reach other user groups. The ones that don't care if they are playing a game with the hottest graphical engine around or if the Cell processor has 7 cores.
Maybe Wii can reach a very remarkable position in a near future.. Its mission is critical: Recover Nintendo's platform credibility lost over the last 10 years.(Their kickin-ass game franchises like Mario, Zelda et al remained as the only strong point to aquire a Nintendo system in the last 2 generations)
Remember : NES's hardware was very similar to the Atari 2600 (with some mods, of course) and it was enough to revive the game market after the 1983's fall. What makes a console is the creativity and quality of its games.
I'm not bullying PS3 or Xbox 360(believe me, i want a Ps3..lol) I just want to point that you don't need the ultimate hardware to provide nice digital entertainment
In Synthesys : Consoles may lost room in the hardcore gamers guild. But in my opinion, the PC games need some improvement in the "design quality" factor to be as fun as the games released for the Consoles. So, in order for this "prediction" become concrete we need more killer PC games around.
For example : I have a hot PC at the moment and all i want to play right now are Playstation 2 and Wii titles... lol
Last week John Romero was interviewed by the Adrenaline Vault , and when asked about the Console-War he commented the fact that Video Game Consoles have a very obscure future. The possible convergence of a new GPU/CPU integrated multi-core architecture in a near future represents a threat for the actual PC-Like console model (like PS3 and XBox 360).
This tech-tendency is getting stronger since AMD aquired ATI for U$ 5.4 bi and the constant rumors of a Intel-Nvidia merger as well.
John highlighted that the PC possibly will rule the hardcore gamers realm in the next generations. Because of the cheaper, more powerful hardware + lower development costs +recent MMORPG fever + stronger anti-piracy methods around. In this scenario , consoles will remain as the standard appliance for easy entertainment of casual gamers.
This is a valid possibility, considering that the consoles main strength are longer platform liveness and uniformity of hardware specifications needed to run game titles. For example : You don't have to worry about the amount of RAM of your Playstation in order to run it's Street Fighter Alpha 2 release.
On the computer things get complicated, in most times you gotta check things like "DirectX-9 Compatible Videocard with Vertex Shader Support" before buying a game. Standard users will ask "What the %@%# is Vertex Shader support?"
When thinking about all these stuff i remembered the Nintendo Wii's strongest Points : Cool and Intuitive Gaming , without jerking hardware firepower.
One of these days a guy stated in a Orkut community that Nintendo screwed up again with the Wii. My reply was :
I don't think Nintendo screwed up this time... Back at Nintendo64-era, the decision of
using cartridges as storage medium was a gruesome mistake and Nintendo deserved its defeat
for the Sony PlayStation.
Although, this time Nintendo is being alot smarter with the Wii, exploring elements like simplicity, gameplay innovation and human-machine interaction. Maybe i'm wrong but my first impression about this first round of the 7-gen console war is that
Sony and Microsoft are too worried to boost their machines so the Source Engine can run
with dazzling FPS rates in high-resolutions.
Why would Nintendo try to compete with the techno-masturbators of this generation?
They lost enough money with the N64/GameCube fiascos... the solution to recover their remarkable position is to reach other user groups. The ones that don't care if they are playing a game with the hottest graphical engine around or if the Cell processor has 7 cores.
Maybe Wii can reach a very remarkable position in a near future.. Its mission is critical: Recover Nintendo's platform credibility lost over the last 10 years.(Their kickin-ass game franchises like Mario, Zelda et al remained as the only strong point to aquire a Nintendo system in the last 2 generations)
Remember : NES's hardware was very similar to the Atari 2600 (with some mods, of course) and it was enough to revive the game market after the 1983's fall. What makes a console is the creativity and quality of its games.
I'm not bullying PS3 or Xbox 360(believe me, i want a Ps3..lol) I just want to point that you don't need the ultimate hardware to provide nice digital entertainment
In Synthesys : Consoles may lost room in the hardcore gamers guild. But in my opinion, the PC games need some improvement in the "design quality" factor to be as fun as the games released for the Consoles. So, in order for this "prediction" become concrete we need more killer PC games around.
For example : I have a hot PC at the moment and all i want to play right now are Playstation 2 and Wii titles... lol
Labels: 7th generation consoles, game development, john romero, nintendo wii, pc versus console
posted by Gustavo Barrancos at 11:42 AM
2 comments
