Something New! Something... disastrous! Could Console gaming fall to the PC?!?!?

http://www.avault.com/index.php?p=119

3. Where is it all going? What do you see happening in the next five years and beyond?

JR: Right now MMOs, mobile and PC episodic are really polarizing into the newest most important segments in gaming. Next-gen console is big but its future isn't too bright with the emergence of cheap PC multi-core processors and the big change the PC industry will go through during the next 5 years to accommodate the new multi-core-centric hardware designs. My prediction is that the game console in the vein of the PS3 and XBOX 360 is going to either undergo a massive rethink or go away altogether. The Wii has the perfect design for a console that doesn't pretend to be a PC and is geared more toward casual gamers than hardcore gamers. The hardcore gamers are going to either be playing on their PCs or a new PC-like platform that sits in the living room but still serves the whole house over wifi, even the video signal.

Later on:

But seriously, I'm not the only one that's predicting the end of the console. ATI definitely knew the writing was on the wall regarding video adapters when they sold to AMD. Why? Because the multi-core systems of the future will utilize the on-board-cores to handle video; no need for a separate adapter. It's already happened to audio in a limited fashion with on-board audio chips (great quality vs. onboard video) and will continue to transform when multi-core hits. Instead of buying the Creative X-Fi Gamer audio adapter you'll probably be buying the software instead or else it'll become a built-in driver courtesy of Microsoft's latest OS. What does this mean for console? It means PCs that are cheaper because they're based on a solid foundation of several inexpensive CPU cores and the hardware will begin to rely on software to control them for many different functions which include audio and video. When hardware design reaches this stage the expensive custom chip development of consoles becomes a risky ROI.

Who else is predicting the end of console? Well, here's an article just 5 days old I just became aware of while reading Digg links to my interview. Now, I agree with the prediction for the Playstation and XBOX console timelines (maybe one more generation) but not Nintendo. Why? Because if you want to play Mario, Zelda, Starfox, Wario, Donkey Kong, etc. you'll only be able to do it on a Nintendo system be it handheld or console.

Nintendo's power is in their IP and they own a universe of their making in which most of us are gladly a resident. In terms of handheld systems, no one has been able to achieve their success in almost 20 years. So I'll leave Nintendo out of the doom & gloom of console because they separate themselves from the technology path that Microsoft's gaming division and Sony have been following.

This is by John Romero, a highly respected game designer, programmer, and developer in the video game industry. He is best known as a co-founder of id Software and lead designer of their groundbreaking personal computer games Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. His unique game designs and development tools, along with the revolutionary programming techniques created and implemented by id Software's lead programmer John Carmack, led to a mass-popularization of the first person shooter, or FPS, in the 1990s. He is also credited with coining the term "deathmatch."

Well, this is certainly a new perspective than the age-old "PC GAMING IS DYING!!!!111!!!!1" At least the third article I've seen mentioning something like this. Cows and lems, watch out. ;)

Discuss. :D

Who cares? I have a PS3, and im having fun playing the games on it. I really don't see a point in being any type of fanboy. A TRUE gamer will just have fun with the consoles they own instead of sitting at a computer bashing other systems.

My prediction is making good shooters 10 years ago does not make one a good fortune teller.Gallion-Beast

I'd rather have it be someone who's been involved and still is involved in the gaming industry rather than a random analyst that forcasts random events again and again. :roll:

http://www.avault.com/index.php?p=119

QUOTE:

3. Where is it all going? What do you see happening in the next five years and beyond?

JR: Right now MMOs, mobile and PC episodic are really polarizing into the newest most important segments in gaming. Next-gen console is big but its future isn't too bright with the emergence of cheap PC multi-core processors and the big change the PC industry will go through during the next 5 years to accommodate the new multi-core-centric hardware designs. My prediction is that the game console in the vein of the PS3 and XBOX 360 is going to either undergo a massive rethink or go away altogether. The Wii has the perfect design for a console that doesn't pretend to be a PC and is geared more toward casual gamers than hardcore gamers. The hardcore gamers are going to either be playing on their PCs or a new PC-like platform that sits in the living room but still serves the whole house over wifi, even the video signal.

 

This is by John Romero, a highly respected game designer, programmer, and developer in the video game industry. He is best known as a co-founder of id Software and lead designer of their groundbreaking personal computer games Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. His unique game designs and development tools, along with the revolutionary programming techniques created and implemented by id Software's lead programmer John Carmack, led to a mass-popularization of the first person shooter, or FPS, in the 1990s. He is also credited with coining the term "deathmatch."

Well, this is certainly a new perspective than the age-old "PC GAMING IS DYING!!!!111!!!!1" At least the third article I've seen mentioning something like this. Cows and lems, watch out. ;)

Discuss. :D

dgsag

Well, of course, main arguement is price. Would the average person but a computer to run, gee, I don't know, Crysis. Now, the problem with that is the price to have a good computer that can run a game pretty well. Right now, if you were to make a custom computer, you could get away with something decent for around $500, which really isn't that bad. But, for something more powerful, you'll need the more expensive parts.

[QUOTE="dgsag"]

http://www.avault.com/index.php?p=119

QUOTE:

3. Where is it all going? What do you see happening in the next five years and beyond?

JR: Right now MMOs, mobile and PC episodic are really polarizing into the newest most important segments in gaming. Next-gen console is big but its future isn't too bright with the emergence of cheap PC multi-core processors and the big change the PC industry will go through during the next 5 years to accommodate the new multi-core-centric hardware designs. My prediction is that the game console in the vein of the PS3 and XBOX 360 is going to either undergo a massive rethink or go away altogether. The Wii has the perfect design for a console that doesn't pretend to be a PC and is geared more toward casual gamers than hardcore gamers. The hardcore gamers are going to either be playing on their PCs or a new PC-like platform that sits in the living room but still serves the whole house over wifi, even the video signal.

 

This is by John Romero, a highly respected game designer, programmer, and developer in the video game industry. He is best known as a co-founder of id Software and lead designer of their groundbreaking personal computer games Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. His unique game designs and development tools, along with the revolutionary programming techniques created and implemented by id Software's lead programmer John Carmack, led to a mass-popularization of the first person shooter, or FPS, in the 1990s. He is also credited with coining the term "deathmatch."

Well, this is certainly a new perspective than the age-old "PC GAMING IS DYING!!!!111!!!!1" At least the third article I've seen mentioning something like this. Cows and lems, watch out. ;)

Discuss. :D

Legendaryscmt

Well, of course, main arguement is price. Would the average person but a computer to run, gee, I don't know, Crysis. Now, the problem with that is the price to have a good computer that can run a game pretty well. Right now, if you were to make a custom computer, you could get away with something decent for around $500, which really isn't that bad. But, for something more powerful, you'll need the more expensive parts.

Good point, but PC part prices have fallen dramatically in the past several years. To build a top-of-the-line rig in 2002 would have cost you about 4 to 5 thousand. Right now, its a little over two. 

ID is making a new MMO?

intresting...he says that it will be different then anything else....sounds neat. 

Two grand is still a lot of money for a system with a shorter dev cycle than the consoles. I cannot see myself ever paying more than $500 for a system, and I expect that to last 4-5 years. I also feel that the PC has a rather limited library and genre set compared to consoles.ZinkOxide

What genres are not found on the PC? 

[QUOTE="Gallion-Beast"]My prediction is making good shooters 10 years ago does not make one a good fortune teller.dgsag

I'd rather have it be someone who's been involved and still is involved in the gaming industry rather than a random analyst that forcasts random events again and again. :roll:

Non-RPG action adventures, sinlge player RPGs, fighting, racing, sports, turn-based strategy, platforming, side scrollers.  These are just from glancing at my GCN/Wii library.

Bear in mind, there are some of these games on PC, but most of them are ports, and the rest are quite scarce. 

Non-RPG action adventures, sinlge player RPGs, fighting, racing, sports, turn-based strategy, platforming, side scrollers. These are just from glancing at my GCN/Wii library.

Bear in mind, there are some of these games on PC, but most of them are ports, and the rest are quite scarce.

ZinkOxide

True, true. But ports or not, all of these genres are represented in some ways on the PC. 

[QUOTE="ZinkOxide"]Two grand is still a lot of money for a system with a shorter dev cycle than the consoles. I cannot see myself ever paying more than $500 for a system, and I expect that to last 4-5 years. I also feel that the PC has a rather limited library and genre set compared to consoles.dgsag

What genres are not found on the PC? 

Fighting games are pretty much non-existant on PC.

[QUOTE="dgsag"]

[QUOTE="ZinkOxide"]Two grand is still a lot of money for a system with a shorter dev cycle than the consoles. I cannot see myself ever paying more than $500 for a system, and I expect that to last 4-5 years. I also feel that the PC has a rather limited library and genre set compared to consoles.Shadow2k6

What genres are not found on the PC? 

Fighting games are pretty much non-existant on PC.

no,just no,the console will never fall to the pc,pc gamers might want that but that would suck big time.mlbslugger86

Why consoles will never fail to PC... Casuals don't buy anything over $500 just for gaming so that means PCs...

Casuals = $$$$$$$

Why consoles will never fail to PC... Casuals don't buy anything over $500 just for gaming so that means PCs...

Casuals = $$$$$$$

xyoojguy

http://www.avault.com/index.php?p=119

3. Where is it all going? What do you see happening in the next five years and beyond?

JR: Right now MMOs, mobile and PC episodic are really polarizing into the newest most important segments in gaming. Next-gen console is big but its future isn't too bright with the emergence of cheap PC multi-core processors and the big change the PC industry will go through during the next 5 years to accommodate the new multi-core-centric hardware designs. My prediction is that the game console in the vein of the PS3 and XBOX 360 is going to either undergo a massive rethink or go away altogether. The Wii has the perfect design for a console that doesn't pretend to be a PC and is geared more toward casual gamers than hardcore gamers. The hardcore gamers are going to either be playing on their PCs or a new PC-like platform that sits in the living room but still serves the whole house over wifi, even the video signal.

dgsag

Later on:

But seriously, I'm not the only one that's predicting the end of the console. ATI definitely knew the writing was on the wall regarding video adapters when they sold to AMD. Why? Because the multi-core systems of the future will utilize the on-board-cores to handle video; no need for a separate adapter. It's already happened to audio in a limited fashion with on-board audio chips (great quality vs. onboard video) and will continue to transform when multi-core hits. Instead of buying the Creative X-Fi Gamer audio adapter you'll probably be buying the software instead or else it'll become a built-in driver courtesy of Microsoft's latest OS. What does this mean for console? It means PCs that are cheaper because they're based on a solid foundation of several inexpensive CPU cores and the hardware will begin to rely on software to control them for many different functions which include audio and video. When hardware design reaches this stage the expensive custom chip development of consoles becomes a risky ROI.

Who else is predicting the end of console? Well, here's an article just 5 days old I just became aware of while reading Digg links to my interview. Now, I agree with the prediction for the Playstation and XBOX console timelines (maybe one more generation) but not Nintendo. Why? Because if you want to play Mario, Zelda, Starfox, Wario, Donkey Kong, etc. you'll only be able to do it on a Nintendo system be it handheld or console.

Nintendo's power is in their IP and they own a universe of their making in which most of us are gladly a resident. In terms of handheld systems, no one has been able to achieve their success in almost 20 years. So I'll leave Nintendo out of the doom & gloom of console because they separate themselves from the technology path that Microsoft's gaming division and Sony have been following.

This is by John Romero, a highly respected game designer, programmer, and developer in the video game industry. He is best known as a co-founder of id Software and lead designer of their groundbreaking personal computer games Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake. His unique game designs and development tools, along with the revolutionary programming techniques created and implemented by id Software's lead programmer John Carmack, led to a mass-popularization of the first person shooter, or FPS, in the 1990s. He is also credited with coining the term "deathmatch."

Well, this is certainly a new perspective than the age-old "PC GAMING IS DYING!!!!111!!!!1" At least the third article I've seen mentioning something like this. Cows and lems, watch out. ;)

Discuss. :D

I don't think this is far from the truth, I have been playing my PC far more then my Xbox360 lately, WOW, beats out GeOW lately in my mind. 

[QUOTE="dgsag"]

[QUOTE="ZinkOxide"]Two grand is still a lot of money for a system with a shorter dev cycle than the consoles. I cannot see myself ever paying more than $500 for a system, and I expect that to last 4-5 years. I also feel that the PC has a rather limited library and genre set compared to consoles.Shadow2k6

What genres are not found on the PC?

Fighting games are pretty much non-existant on PC.

thats true....but their are many Genre's which are never found on Consoles either.

Strategy games (which include RTS's, TBS's and others) are rare.

and not a single Simulation has been on the Consoles. 

Non-RPG action adventures, sinlge player RPGs, fighting, racing, sports, turn-based strategy, platforming, side scrollers. These are just from glancing at my GCN/Wii library.

Bear in mind, there are some of these games on PC, but most of them are ports, and the rest are quite scarce.

ZinkOxide

the PC got racing GOTY last year.

Never Winter Nights is a very popular RPG (though it does have an online mode)

sport games do exist, but not Arcade ones like on the Consoles...but Simulations.....

and you will find much more Turn-Based Strategy games on the PC then on any console. 

Microsoft and Sony both know about the direction the industry is going in, and I frankly agree with their vision more. A central, powerful computer handling the computational needs of several mobile devices, all connected wirelessly within the home. This is *somewhat* what this interview implies, but it misses that devices like consoles would still exist - while the world that PC gamers know of (graphics cards and the like) is about to go away.

The future of PC / HD-console gaming may very well be a convergence - the next "gaming PC" is a $200 box that hooks up to your HDTV, think Apple TV except with a wireless control pad, mouse, and keyboard - and playing Halo 4.

The age of the desktop PC is *fast* approaching death - their needs to be a solution that deals with our desire to have mobile devices (laptops, pocket PCs, cell phones) but still be able to get HD graphics and sound, and integrate these into the home. A central file / computational server is a reasonable extention of that.

This doesn't mean consoles will go away, however, it just means that PC gamers and console gamers will be buying the same "box" to hook into their TV, and that the hardware supporting that box will be whatever they want it to be.

The best thing about Microsoft's vision for the future is that you might very well have the next leap in graphics, but be playing it on a handheld no more expensive than a Gameboy - that is truly the definition of next gen gaming. When I can play Halo 4 on the toilet at 3am, I'm going to be in gaming nirvana.

As for now, the biggest problem with PC gaming really is the monolothic nature of the desktop in playing PC games - there's no getting around needing a powerful graphics card. While these are now typically under $200, they aren't by any means mobile, especially given the ever rising power consumption.

ID is making a new MMO?

 

intresting...he says that it will be different then anything else....sounds neat.

cobrax75

John Romero isn't part of id Software for 11 years now.  He was fired by John C. right after Quake was released in 1996. It's not really known what id Software is making at the moment, they say they're making something else as their traditional FPS games, but it's still going to be a FPS. 

Romero however on the other hand is obviously doing a MMO for another company. 

[QUOTE="cobrax75"]

ID is making a new MMO?

 

intresting...he says that it will be different then anything else....sounds neat.

F-Minus

John Romero isn't part of id Software for 11 years now. He was fired by John C. right after Quake was released in 1996. It's not really known what id Software is making at the moment, they say they're making something else as their traditional FPS games, but it's still going to be a FPS.

Romero however on the other hand is obviously doing a MMO for another company.

ah...I see.

well their have been a few MMOFPS games in the past, its not impossible that ID is making one. 

Microsoft and Sony both know about the direction the industry is going in, and I frankly agree with their vision more. A central, powerful computer handling the computational needs of several mobile devices, all connected wirelessly within the home. This is *somewhat* what this interview implies, but it misses that devices like consoles would still exist - while the world that PC gamers know of (graphics cards and the like) is about to go away.

The future of PC / HD-console gaming may very well be a convergence - the next "gaming PC" is a $200 box that hooks up to your HDTV, think Apple TV except with a wireless control pad, mouse, and keyboard - and playing Halo 4.

The age of the desktop PC is *fast* approaching death - their needs to be a solution that deals with our desire to have mobile devices (laptops, pocket PCs, cell phones) but still be able to get HD graphics and sound, and integrate these into the home. A central file / computational server is a reasonable extention of that.

This doesn't mean consoles will go away, however, it just means that PC gamers and console gamers will be buying the same "box" to hook into their TV, and that the hardware supporting that box will be whatever they want it to be.

 

The best thing about Microsoft's vision for the future is that you might very well have the next leap in graphics, but be playing it on a handheld no more expensive than a Gameboy - that is truly the definition of next gen gaming. When I can play Halo 4 on the toilet at 3am, I'm going to be in gaming nirvana.

As for now, the biggest problem with PC gaming really is the monolothic nature of the desktop in playing PC games - there's no getting around needing a powerful graphics card. While these are now typically under $200, they aren't by any means mobile, especially given the ever rising power consumption.

subrosian

[QUOTE="F-Minus"][QUOTE="cobrax75"]

ID is making a new MMO?

 

intresting...he says that it will be different then anything else....sounds neat.

cobrax75

John Romero isn't part of id Software for 11 years now. He was fired by John C. right after Quake was released in 1996. It's not really known what id Software is making at the moment, they say they're making something else as their traditional FPS games, but it's still going to be a FPS.

Romero however on the other hand is obviously doing a MMO for another company.

ah...I see.

well their have been a few MMOFPS games in the past, its not impossible that ID is making one.

I highly doubt of an id MMO in any near or distant future. As I learned to know, that John Carmack doesn't like anything that touches his games aside players. So server cluster hosting, being done by another company (and potential problems throwing a bad name at id Software) is I think a big no-no by the paranoid Johnny. He had bad experience with Creative, Ati, Nintendo and te list goes on. I think he doesn't trust his work to anyone but his id Software team and Activision.  

But maybe they will surprise us, but I think more of a game like DeusEx or something similar is closer to reality as a MMO.  

Two grand is still a lot of money for a system with a shorter dev cycle than the consoles. I cannot see myself ever paying more than $500 for a system, and I expect that to last 4-5 years. I also feel that the PC has a rather limited library and genre set compared to consoles.ZinkOxide

By top of the line he means the best parts you can get. You can get a PC to max out Crysis for less than $1k (especially if you buy it when Crysis comes out). Prices for parts keep dropping and dropping. Read the article, it has some good points. 

I think he's wrong about the Wii. If all consoles go the way of the Wii (motion controll, or whatever) I would go back to PC gaming. SpideR_CentS

If the Wii keeps selling well, than you bet that's what is going to happen. Consoles are going to be for all age groups and be more casual if this happens. Then the more hardcore games will come to the PC.  

Non-RPG action adventures, sinlge player RPGs, fighting, racing, sports, turn-based strategy, platforming, side scrollers. These are just from glancing at my GCN/Wii library.

Bear in mind, there are some of these games on PC, but most of them are ports, and the rest are quite scarce.

ZinkOxide

SP RPG's? Are you kidding me? There are plenty on the PC. We are getting Hellgate:London and Dragon Age as PC exclusives this year. Those are 2 huge RPG's. Racing? PC won the racing GOTY last year. We get plenty of amazing racers, and currently have the only next-gen AAA racer. Turn-based strategy!? Ever heard of the Civilization series??