Is the console era coming to an end?

So with the new PS4 Neo and the possibly Xbox Scorpio around the corner, it's pretty clear that the consoles has lost their biggest advantage over PCs: Longevity

Consoles will become smarthphones that you'll need to upgrade every 2-3 years to get it's full potential. As a costumer i'm feeling like I've been cheated, I mean, this current gen doesn't have a huge library of games yet and they're upgrading it? Really?

I know how you feel and what you're saying. But in all honesty, I don't know what to tell you man. It's good that you seem to be into PC gaming, but all in all, updating consoles, is taking away from the fun of it all.

Has the Era of video cards come to an end because there are big upgrade options every few years? As long as the new consoles carry the same architecture forward and therefore full compatibility then they will simultaneously not invalidate their predecessor and will offer people with different budgets and expectations the pricing and performance flexibility you get when browsing gpu options

@syncrod: To answer your Topics question, no.

Moving onto your post, consoles have always had various versions. You could even get a SEGA Genesis and SEGA 32X decades ago.

Moving forward, the original Xbox 360 'Arcade' had no hard drive despite games later in the generation requiring the need for HDD support.

Different console models is nothing new and if you really buckle down to it the Neo and Scorpio read as being purely for 4K televisions and will have no great impact over the regular models.

If you feel "cheated" can't help you, I jump on and off my PS4. yet find its range plentiful.

I'm happy playing PS4/ P.C./ and N3DS. And think the industry has room for all these devices, and more.

I don't have a problem with it, as long as the new consoles are 100% backward compatible.

It feels like it with consoles being more and more pc-like and with the amount of exclusive games diminishing. I don't think it will come to an end soon though. A reminder that the 7th gen lasted longer than most others, a new console in two years would be expected.

I guess I've got a problem with the PS4 Neo, mostly because one of my main draws for console gaming is buying a console & not worrying about upgrading it until the next one comes out.

But, if you look at the original Xbox 360 to the one they finished with, there was a big shift in design by the end of that generation.. As long as I can continue to play new releases on my PS4 without a HUGE difference in quality (I won't be getting a 4K television any time soon) then I'm fine.

No I don't see consoles going away. I don't really have a problem myself with this because as long as the games are compatible you don't have to upgrade. Personally I kind of like the idea of having the option to get a more powerful system about 2 or 3 years into the generation.

Judging by the lack of quality, original titles coming out this generation, I have to think it is. You know something is bad when it's taking sooooo long for the announced games to come out, and they keep getting pushed back, and more games are coming out from PC genres and only focus on online gaming now. Plus there are way too many remakes and collections, and HD remakes from gen 7 show just how devoid of anything this generation has been.

Paying for online subscriptions just to play games you own online is a joke. Waiting forever for games to come out is a joke. Buying upgraded same generation hardware every four years is a joke. Online-only games are a joke. Paying $60 for a eight hour game is a joke. Gigs and gigs of updates per game are a joke.

Of course Consoles are not dead, they are alive and well, just because Sony and MS is coming out with a upgraded Ps4 does not mean a end to consoles. It just means that they know that their current hardware is not good enough for certain things like VR, and they are trying to push that like the new kinect/PSmove.

Also if you think the biggest advantage consoles have over pc is longevity you are so wrong it´s crazy.

consoles are no way near dead. the xbox one and the ps4 were merely stumbles by both ms and sony. the wiiU was an even bigger mistake by the big N. they were trying to catch lightening in a bottle again. all parties have learned from their mistakes and are now working hard to correct them thus the ps4k, nx, and Scorpio. Just like the current processor market, the law of diminishing returns will set in. after this new leap to 4k whats next? the next generation of consoles will be around for a while in my opinion. many people are liking this move to the phone market but i think they are so different. most phones are subsidized so of course people can just get the latest. i do not see that working in the console space. after this market correction the console cycle will be back on track

From a consumer standpoint it was an advantage because was cheaper. Instead of having to spend your $300-400 bucks every seven-ten years, you’d have to do it every two if you opt to stay at the top of the power race. Of course, this would be further doubled if you like to own both consoles. That’s not an irrelevant expense

Well, let´s see if this is a one time or something they will continue to do, No reason to sell the skin before the bear is actually shot.

And it´s pretty clear that the reason for a upgrade to the current consoles is simply because they are not powerful enough to handle VR as they are now.Despite VR being nothing but a new fad like the kinect and psmove.

Not sure if serious. Can't imagine what kind of PC you have.

Yeah, but don't worry TC, the things you play on under the TV is not a console, they died out around the PS2 era, tell me what about these consoles that are "dedicated gaming machines" What we have now are multimedia entertainment stations, nothing dedicated about them, the sole focus of them is not games, and I am not always sure the main focus is games either.

Media players, streaming boxes and what not seems to be at least as big of a draw of them.

But it is not that bad is it? There certainly are some issues with the way these things are going. There have never been a mid gen refreshes which effectively makes the prior obsolete to such a degree. This is not an add on like the 32x, it is a faulty comparison, a PS2 to PS2 slim is the correct one, but this refresh effectively cripples the PS4 install base, if the NEO install base grows large enough, since the NEOs and Scorpios specs WILL be the target, and the older consoles left to die, no matter what sony and MS say, we have seen it before. Countless times, this is closer to a backwards console, with the makers that they will still support the old console.

Paying for online, is a bit more muddled prospect, if you simply paid for online, then it would be something you should boycott the corp for, but there is the games you get as long as you have the subscription which I ironically see as a net positive, especially because console gamers historically only buy a few games, and the rest die off, this way more games will get played and more word of mouth will drive more sales. The PS4 just offers horrible games so far, for some reason.

What worries me, is that we have such a big console refresh hardware wise, as well as the lack of exclusives. For most intends and purposes the PS4 and X1 are simply walled off PC's with an interface uptimized for tv's, and a fairly staggering premium cost per game basis.

But in all honesty time and time again we see the most popular genres be those which used to be PC focused (and largely still are) Online MP was absolutely loathed by console players through the 90' start 2000. FPS games were looked down upon, and WRPGs were laughed at in favor of JRPGs, so the very demographic has changed on consoles, and a lot of tweaks have gotten into catering to them.

How many typical console genres do we see? platformers, jrpgs, beat'em ups (ok this on was arcade, but moved over to console), local co up much?

The consoles of old died, and got replaced by these, because it was what the public at large wanted. They are not worth less for that reason.

On a nother note MS and Sony REALLY fucking dropped the ball this gen.

Is the console era coming to an end?

I hope not !

@Maddie_Larkin: I find your argument invalid, you could play music, watch DVDs, and even record on a PS2. By your definition gaming hasn't had a proper console since the Nes.

Because even a Snes has other media access if you bought the accessories.

And seeing as the first console I had access to was a PS2 that's what a gaming console is for me. If you think that's any less a console? You must be real ol school, or spiteful to anyone who doesn't view gaming through your eyes.

I'm guessing your mobile is no longer a phone either hmm?

We are not talking about addons here, we are talking about the base functionality, and yes the PS2 is where Consoles died out. Remember how people whined about not being able to watch movies on the Gamecube?

The difinition of a videogame console "A computer system specially made for playing video games by connecting it to a television of other display for video or sound" http://www.dictionary.com/browse/game--console

And my phone? well it is a smart phone, and yeah... http://www.dictionary.com/browse/smartphone

longer a phone nope.

No, of course not. The PC will never win over the entire market, because there is such a thing as a "casual gamer". And no, I don't mean someone who only plays sports game sand Call of Duty. I mean that types of people that buy a few games a year, but gaming isn't their main hobby, and they couldn't be bothered with PC gaming and all the extra baggage that comes with it.

Consoles aren't going away anytime soon.

Consoles will go the way of the dodo when hi-speed internet becomes as standard as running water. Then, you'll just have set top box and stream games.

upgrading a video card does not make your game library obsolete, though. I can go out and buy a GTX1080 right now and still play games from 1996.

Conversely, if I go out and buy an Xbox One, I can't even play my games I had for Xbox.

historically, "upgrading" to the next level of console (i.e. going to the next generation) has made your game library obsolete, and in the best case scenario the manufacturer will begrudgingly (as is happening now) make some games backwards compatible. More likely, and to increased cost to the consumer, they will make remasters for the next/current gen so they can charge more.

IMO that's what it really boils down to: if consoles can make it so the next variation in their product line can continue to play all the games (provided it's on the same format, i.e. optical disk, cartridge, etc), then I see no problem with a cell phone-like model of yearly to bi-yearly upgrades.

I don't see it happening, though; making a new console is a huge undertaking, like designing a car. A complete from-the-ground-up project that takes years in an industry where things are outdated monthly. With PC upgrades, the components are the things making stuff outdated lol. Furthermore, games on console are designed to run one way, at one setting. Rarely (if ever?) do they offer performance settings, so people with the "old" version of the console might be left out in the cold when games designed to push the hardware limits come out and they can't be scaled back.

I think this system proposed is going to be a lot more drastic than a simple upgrade.

We shall see; if anything, consoles will eventually just turn into prebuilt computers, like getting an iMac or something. The day they offer out-of-the-box consoles that play all previous games and comes with a mouse and keyboard will be the day I buy a console.

The first release of the ps4 and xbox one were garbage. They couldn't do the bare minimum required for gaming, which is 1080p 60fps. I think these upgrades should almost do this, if not, its another fail. But if they can do this, people can sit back and relax. We don't need 4k gaming anytime soon on consoles, even on PC its not here yet. The 1080gtx can only max a few games at 4k at 60fps, most are below 60fps and any newer games will not even come close to 60fps... it'll be until next gen of video cards where pc will finally be 4k ready and stable...

So console owners should be alright now assuming these new consoles can do 60 fps 1080p... if not though, they have just thrown their money away again. 60fps is the minimum standard, I have a ancient plasma tv from 2005 that does this framerate, it should be illegal to be selling consoles or video cards that can't hit this bare minimum framerate.

I think we are moving into a trend like smart phones, but perhaps with longer lead times (smart phones tend to be upgraded annually).

I must admit, I don't really feel cheated by this. The idea is that any new games released should work on my existing platform, as well as the upgraded model. I don't really see an inherent problem with that. This latter point is really key, and I think that console manufacturers will need to strictly adhere to this if they want to retain continuity and not annoy a very large customer base (remember that PS4 has sold through something like 40 million units by now - Sony wants to retain that base, and they want those people to keep buying games even after PS4 "Neo" hits the shelves).

I find this all very conflicting, too. I'm honestly considering upgrading depending on the details of the PS4 Neo. The Scorpio is basically sounding like a high-end PC and I doubt the Neo's specs will match it. But should I even bother either way if the next generation of consoles come out in just a couple of years after these upgrades? Will there BE a next generation of consoles? If there is, I should probably just wait a few years until the upgraded versions are released =/

comparing console gaming to PC gaming from a player view is like comparing drinking coffee to sodas. they have some things in common, but are very different a cater to a different customer base. People by consoles for ease of use. You plug it in and it plays. Period. No thought required. I don't see that changing. But I'm not sre how these upgraded consoles will do given how they are marketing them. I think they could easily suffer the same fate as the Nentendo Wii U. That being poor sales as casual buyers will not understand or care and just keep buying the least expensive.

For me the console era ended end of 2001 when I got my PC.

No.

no, but switching to pc gaming sounds more feasible with the announcement of new gfx cards and such...

I kinda see what you are trying to say. Updated GPU and PC upgrades every year, in general, are inherently different than updated consoles you have to buy every couple of years. The only reason console gaming has stayed so present is for the sole reason that they last a long time. Now consumers have a choice, build a PC and upgrade when you want to, or pay infinite money just keep your console updated.

This is where I disagree. Now - let me preface by saying I am not defending the new console upgrade approach, nor do I pretend to KNOW how things are going to play out. But for the sake of discussion, it seems clear to me that they (MS and Sony) are trying to tackle exactly the preconception you just raised. They are saying "hey, instead of having a console REPLACE its predecessor, let's have optional, highly-overlapping 'generations' with different degrees of power and FULL backwards compatibility, and let people choose between the models in the way they choose between different levels of GPU"

That's essentially a PC upgrade structure.

Example: last year I bought a GTX970. Could I buy a 1070 this year? Of course. Will it improve my gaming experience? Of course. Do I NEED to do it or can I wait a few years or even for the 11xx series? Yes you can wait.

Now MS and Sony want to structure their consoles the same way: if you bought a PS4 last year, could you buy a Neo this year? Of course. Will it improve your gaming experience? Of course. But do you need to do it or can you wait a few years or even for the Trinity (or whatever it will be called)? Yes you can wait. Because the exact same games are (**supposedly) going to run on them thanks to the unified OS and architecture (just like the exact same games running on different levels of GPU on PC).

*Now, will the forward compatibility of the consoles drop off eventually? Yes, by necessity. Eventually stuff that runs on Scorpio is simply NOT gonna happen on a launch X1. So Scorpio will be BC but some of the "forwardC" of the X1 will wane and eventually disappear. This is actually true of PC hardware too... but thanks greater customization of game settings old cards tend to have long legs if you will.

*this is not me talking, this is me interpreting what MS and Sony CLAIM they are doing. Will it actually play out this way? We'll have to see.

P.S., calling my post "incoherent" was rather insulting. Seems to me you either just disagree or didn't understand the thrust of my argument...

I apologize for using the word incoherent, it was clearly the wrong word that provided you with the wrong sentiment. Also, I guess I have to thank you for replying with such a well formed counter argument.

That said, after reading your response I fully understand what you were trying to say and I must say that I now agree with you. I guess I just don't understand why this new console cycle wouldn't just provide gamers with the ammunition they need to go ahead and switch over to PC, if they haven't already. And sure I am not saying you don't have to own both, as I currently own a PC and the console of my choice. But I really see this new overlapping generation cycle as the end of console gaming. At-least for me.

Edit: Then again I forget to realize that Sony will always have their console exclusives. So those alone will probably keep the console industry going till the end of time. Also, Nintendo.

@admiraladmiral: no problem - I couldn't tell if you meant to be insulting or not. I also am skeptical how long the tiers of console will actually "overlap". A plausible outcome is that developers will quickly abandon support for the lower tier console despite the supposed intention of them sharing a library. Notice that MS has not promised that all Scorpio games will run on X1 - they know that eventually devs will move on as technology leaves the X1 behind, so they have worded it as "all X1 games will run on Scorpio" (this backwards compatibility) but have no guaranteed forwards compatibility. I think we'll just have to see how well their promises of shared libraries and full support across platforms actually holds up...

I think we can be guaranteed support for the lower tier X1 for a year or so, but I am fairly certain at a point the dev support will quietly vanish. Like you said "we'll just have to see". Although, I must say I am interested to see how this new "smartphone like" console cycle effects the maybe less informed consumers, decisions.

Agree with this. They drew the last generation out 8 freaking years and where now 2.5 years into the next generation and there's less than 5 combined consoles exclusives that are "must play" games (what in the hell have they been doing ? Where still waiting for exclusives that should of been out in 2014).

Calling this generation an embarrassment is an understatement