Opinion: Is There Sill a Place for Dedicated Gaming Consoles?

Has the Evolution of Consoles Surpassed Simply Gaming Machines?

Microsoft and Sony released their next generation consoles last year with Nintendo releasing their console back in 2012. Sales for both the Xbox One and PS4 have surpassed previous generations while the Wii U has had a poor start in the sales department. Consoles today are almost unrecognizable when compared to that on the NES and Sega Saturn.

They both can still play games but now consoles are more than just for playing games on. Consoles are now an entertainment hub with gaming as one of its major focuses. The Xbox One Reveal last year spent more time talking about Television and Entertainment than it did about games and has lower specifications than that of the PS4 though sales are relatively close. More people these days are using their consoles as a glorified Netflix box and for watching Blu Rays than we’ve seen in previous generations.

It’s no secret that the PC gaming market is booming right now with Steam offering huge sales and components for PC’s being cheaper than ever. Another factor is that due to the large amount of console ports on PC’s playing games on minimum specifications doesn’t require an impressive build. With the low cost barrier to entry and the savings made on games it is surprising more people don’t move over to PC gaming.

So why haven’t we seen more people move over to the PC? It is simple, ease of use. Consoles are a long-term investment and are guaranteed to play games for the next 5 or so years until the next console release. In the PC world even buying the top of the range graphics card will see you outdated in the next 6 months. Valve has recently announced a range of dedicated PC’s made for gaming that seems to merge consoles and PC for the best of both worlds in the Steambox. The Steambox runs on the SteamOS which is a modified Linux-based Operating System designed specifically to be optimised for use with PC games.

While people are still trying to work out the market for Valve’s Steambox and most people prefer either building their own gaming PC or buying a console it will be interesting to see how this changes Microsoft’s approach to PC gaming. Ever since the release of the Xbox, Microsoft have dropped the ball on their PC gaming side with the occasional exclusive being ported over and a broken marketplace known as GFWL. Trying to charge PC gamers to play online was a big mistake and one that cost them a lot of respect in the PC gaming arena.

There will never be a generation in the future that will see a fully dedicated gaming console unless you count the Steambox which is more a glorified PC than console. Console makers simply don’t want to limit their market share anymore to simply gamers and this also gives consumers more value for money.

Microsoft originally announced their plans for more focus on the entertainment aspect for the Xbox it was met with a large outcry of gamers saying they had forgotten about their core fans.

If this is to be put into context look at the evolution of the mobile phone in the last 20 years. It went from a portable device that could play the occasional B&W game, text, call and receive calls to a device that can do almost everything your computer can. From taking pictures, to using the internet and using applications for business or pleasure, the evolution of technology is inevitable and so to is the change in focus of devices and companies.

People can still call and text on their phone, just like people can still play games on their console however now there are even more options to choose from.

(Originally posted on my Website here: http://wp.me/p2OvtU-ga)

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Matthew is an avid gamer and loves film and new media. Follow him on MyIGN or on Twitter at @Mattkenealy10.

Hmm, which boom are the PC market in?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23251285

But it´s true that consoles as a pure gaming machine are gone and its nothing new, even with the last gen you saw the shift from only gaming to mediahub and for me that's fine, as long as the core is still gaming i am fine with change and evolution.

I don't mind consoles evolving, but Local Multiplayer is being drowned by Online Multiplayer, and thats a big no no for me. I don't care if it makes me look like a caveman, I wana play games with people, not disembodied voices in my headset.

@Lulu_Lulu Spot on. This is precisely the problem I have with most modern videogames.

A lot of games make it difficult or impossible to play games locally over a split-screen, and when the function is there the screens are so small or protracted you need a massive TV to know what's going on. The worst I have seen for this lately is Devil's Cartel.

Makes me glad I've still got the PS2.

no there isn't.

the concept of a pure games consoles (for lack of a better term) died with the gamecube. even nintendo have accepted that a pure games console simply wont sell in todays market. now its all about multimedia and services (which i would argue are even more important than hardware now for manufacturers). gaming is just one of the things these platforms do and, in some cases, may not even be the main focus of the box over the longer term (looking at you MS).

the wiiu and ouya is as close as it gets but it can still do a lot of non gaming related stuff.

Even the steambox wont be a pure games machine. steam sells non gaming related software also.

its a bit of a mixed bag though imho.

on the plus side you need fewer devices to do many things. good for the pocket (both financially and space wise) and can be more practical for people who want to use those features.

the downside is it adds bloat and complication to the device and the hardware is not used as effectively (e.g. modern console OSs using GBs of ram and taking 1 to 2 cores from the games). it also adds to the cost of the device. for people who just want to play games they are spending money on stuff they wont use.

The PC market is not booming as it has recently seen a 10% decline.

That being said, the "gaming only" consoles are trully dead and will continue to evolve to a point where we will even no longer need discs.

Connecting consoles to the internet trully changed everything and shifted the focus from soley hardware to services offered. The companies that offer a compelling online experience, with ease of access to quality content, will probably position themselves as leaders in the marketplace.

@Jacanuk: I'm mostly talking about how successful services like Steam are.

@Areez: Hm, I see that I got my wording wrong about PC Gaming booming. What I meant to say was how successful things like Steam have been and that PC is better than ever. With Steam Machines it seems like Valve is trying to offer gamers the best of both worlds.

@ MatthewKenealy

Really ? I hate steam, I'd rather PC gaming dies then for Valve to save it. Its not without a price to pay you know, better start getting fat right now, in preperation for the pound of flesh they'l be demanding.

couldn't agree more, nothing beats getting together "in person" with a few friends, drinking some cold ones, ordering up some pizza and crowding around the tv for some co-op or competitive gaming. i've tried the online thing and it just doesn't do anything for me, its not the same in fact it almost feels weird sometimes gaming with complete strangers, i've tried to make myself get into it cause no matter how much i hate it this is where the future of gaming is headed, and try as i may it just bores the crap out of me.. when it comes to multiplayer the main focus should first be towards LOCAL co-op, deathmatch, ect, THEN online 2nd but sadly this just isn't the case, in fact i've seen some games that don't even have a local mp option! that is fvkin ridiculous.

@ ShangTsung7

If Local Muliplayer dies then I might have to go outside more often, I don't wana go outside, thats where air and freedom are, who would want that !?! :O

yes you just ignore all the other crap like I do.

Yes, standardized hardware is important, unless one is a graphics whore.

Has anybody I actually used these extra console features despite owning better more convenient alternitives ?

I prefer my DVD Player for movies and Music and will turn to my computer for anthing internet related (Porn). I've never popped a DVD into my Xbox even though I was sitting right there and it was already on. Plus you can't store your own media on the hard drive. You either stream it from your PC or buy it from the Marketplace. Plus you need gold membership to use the 360's internet browser. Dedicated gaming consoles are dead but this is not evolution. Its just retarded, and theres no stripped down version for those who have no intention of using these features.

The Playstation is more covenenient though. Why didn't I buy that instead? Oh thats right, I was thinking about the games. Silly Me ! :p I should've thought harder and gotten the Wii.

I see no reason why consoles shouldn't evole as the technology in general makes easily allowable and affordable. Technically consoles started evolving when the games started requiring more space for data. When systems started using CD's then why not play music as well. When DVD's became fashionable then why not play movies. Mass storage and online, surf the web and download. With technology the way it is today you'd almost have to go out of you're way to make a 'pure' gaming console and why do that.

whaa.. outside? oh yea, i remember those days.. people still do that??? lol

@ Archangel3371

Because we already have better versions of those things. And isn't that what SMART TV's are for ?

Yeah there are, just look at the record breaking sales numbers PS4 is doing.

@ The_Last_Ride

Uhm..........

What? I think there is a place for consoles with the statement i just made

Well not everyone may have a separate device for each thing. A big part of the PS2's success was because it could also play DVD movies. Playing Blu-ray and DVD movies was also a bonus for the PS3. SMART TV's can also do many online functions because electronic devices in general are all becoming multi-functional because the technology is now here to do so. It's not necessarily about replacing other devices, it's mainly about convienence. If I'm playing a game and get stuck why not have the ability to quickly minimise the game, hop online and look for a solution right then and there instead of going to another device which may or may not be immediately available. Perhaps I just want to quickly check my email or whatever while playing a game. My console may not be my main go-to device for everything but having other functions immediately available at any given moment when I'm using it is extremely convienent.

@Lulu_Lulu:

First, some of my best friends are on Xbox live- hell, one of my friends I met on Xbox Live was the only dude to show up and help me with my last move.

And as far as who actually uses the auxiliary functions on the 360, I regularly use Netflix, Last.fm, the system video player and the system audio player. I keep 2 8-gig usb sticks just for use on my 360.

and the ability to play your own tunes over the in game audio is still the most brilliant innovation of the PSWii60 generation.

@ The_Last_Ride

Allright Allright. I won't start anything, I don't own one anyway so I don't really know.

@ Archangel3371

Well, Back In the PS2 Era, I just switch the Display from the console to the DVD Player, the Remote is more convenient than the Controller, and thats hardly an inconvenience is it ?

As for Checking my email, its far easier for me to reach into my Pocket for my cell phone than it is to use my console to do it. Infact, On my 360 its got issues, always signing me out and sh!t. It just doesn't do it properly.

Only thing a console is convenient for is Netflix maybe, but on the Xbox you gotta deal with the paywall, which isn't less convenient, just less smart.

@ El_Zo1212o

"and the ability to play your own tunes over the in

game audio is still the most brilliant innovation of

the PSWii60 generation."

With that, I agree.

"I keep 2 8-gig usb sticks just for use

on my 360."

This Was just annoying for me. Probably because it was simpler to do it on my PC, only difference was going to the menu and muting the music, then I can use the media hot keys on my keyboard to play the music. Damn I miss my PC

Also you met this dude on Xbox Live but never got his cell phone number, added him on facebook ?

I agree with you 100% on that. Caveman. I actually really hate the fact that most game companies are being pressed(like companies owned by EA) to make multiplayer out of games that are clearly only designed to be single-player games, and in turn effecting development on the single-player experience itself.

I'm just waiting for them to announce that Dragon Age Inquisition will have a multi-player component(I really do not see how that would work at all).

@ t1striker

They could do it like Diablo.

My PS4 is a dedicated gaming console to me, i don't use it for anything else, nor did i use the ps3 for anything nor my 360, i hate the apps on them, Netflix is useless half the films are about 20years old, so for me the only reason i buy a console is for gaming, i have everything else for the rest, a good tv and cable setup which comes with all the trimmings youtube app, netflix if i wanted, catch up tv, a good pc which i can get movies and music from, a stereo system to play music from, i mean why do i need anything else, except to play games on, and thats why i've gone with ps4 than xbox one, they have pretty much gone and said we will throw out average setting games and focus more on the apps and tv aspects.

and like people are saying i'm not liking the whole online to be honest i'm more of a guy who likes friends round and we play but most games don't allow this anymore.

and i'd hate an all digital future i like to have the physical box and disc in my hand, for the sake of collecting and i don't trust digital, this is a long shot but it could happen what if everything just gets wiped and i lose everything, what if in this cloud storage rubbish they to get wiped by hackers and everything is lost, we have no way of recovering everything if anything like this happened.

The real problem is we live in an age where everyone wants everything right now, no one is patient anymore, if we cannot do something straight away and have to wait then people kick up a fuss and this in turn is why game consoles are now becoming media hubs more than game consoles,

@Lulu_Lulu: Well like I said not everyone's situation is the same. If you found certain things more or less convenient then fine but others may have not had a stand-alone dvd player or perhaps they used the PS2 in another room or whatever. The convenience was simply having certain functions at the ready for those that needed or wanted to use them. Not everyone may use them and that's fine but if they weren't included then it was garaunteed that no one would be able to make use of them. The previous gen was a bit clumsy and many features were patchworked in but this gen things have been integrated much better as my time with the Xbox One has proven to me.

I don't think there's room for a console that only plays games anymore.There are many conveniences, as other people have already stated above. I especially think it makes sense to have functions that are gaming related, so that your gaming experience is more complete. Things such as a web browser to look up hints or post on forums. The PS4 share button is a great idea, as well as the convenience of social media. I think things like netflix, hulu, etc... are just an extension of your console being used as an entertainment hub.

One thing I hate is having a cluttered shelf or TV stand. I wouldn't want to have a console(s), an Apple TV, Roku, cable box, and whatever else under my TV. Another benefit of using a console for multiple things is needing less network ports if you're wired, and having less items using your wifi bandwidth.

You don't own a console at all? Like ever?