[QUOTE="slarkyslark"]
Looks like the wii all over again
Phil Harrison Dismisses Importance of hardware in next-gen consoles
The former Sony Computer Entertainment executive sees a new business paradigm driving the next consoles from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo.
Speaking at the Develop conference in the U.K., Phil Harrison outlined his new vision for consoles.
"I think the era of the console where hardware companies spend $3-4 billion to build a chipset and then it's supported on a tax on the software – that's the business model of the last 25-30 years – that's over," Harrison said. "The new business model is going to become a combination of retail and services – and it's going to be an interesting decision for the likes of Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. Is the next console race about chips and CPU, clock speed and graphics, or is it about business models and monetization and discovery? I think it's probably going to be about the latter."
As long as the "discovery" element includes great games that continue to stretch the boundaries of interactive entertainment, we're on board.
Harrison, who currently sits on the board of directors for the cloud-streaming service Gaikai, also sees the free-to-play model breaking onto consoles.
"I think in some short period of time, if a Call of Duty game on the next PlayStation or the next Xbox starts life as free-to-play you've got hundreds of millions worth of product development open to the world to play,"he said."Then the industry will change overnight, instantly and forever."
Epic Fail. Looks like all the rumors have been true. Ps4 = for kids and women confirmed.
TREAL_Since
That's really interesting. Phil Harrison's words correlate with one of Sony's executives.
SCEE vice president James Armstrong (of Spain and Portugal, original link in Spanish).
"It's hard to say right now.I do not think we'll have a console with a lot better graphics than the PS3 currently offered.I believe the future will be to offer consumers better and more accessible experience .The aim will be to make more people enter the world of video games and try to design titles for women."
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I expect more efficiency in development on Sony's part. More ways to get video games to new consumers. More streamlined networking. Broaden the Playstation model. I'm getting a hunch that there won't be an OMG leap in graphics technology. What happened this gen cannot be repeated. Even if their new console is "more efficient" for developers, I highly doubt there will be a huge upgrade in power, like with the PS2 and PS3. The upgrade will be the power of accessibility, and hopefully creativity (games, infrastructure, and how we get our games).
Believe it or not, it is the wish and will of pretty much EVERY company in the video game industry, to expand. Sure, they want to make great games, but at the same time, they want to do so while expanding the horizon of exactly who plays those great games. We've seen it with the Wii, Kinect, and Move. Couple this with the amazing success of what Apple and Android market are doing, I have no doubt that next gen will cater towards a much wider audience, core gamers include.
This is a business, and if we think for one second that the majority of video game companies solely have our best interests at heart, then we are vastly mistaken. This is just speculation, but pretty insightful speculation, considering the current climate of the industry, and what has happened to Sony this gen. I'm not saying this will totally happen, but just don't be surprised if it does!
Lastly, if Sony goes this route, I don't think it would be "fail". Let's see first. Core gamers aren't entitled to the entertainment of gaming. Yes, this means that your favorite companies want your mom and little brothers and sisters to play video games, just like you. Rememebr, video games are young in general, and they are unequivocally gonna grow as a medium. Perhaps in ways that we don't like.
Brilliant post.
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