Game Magazine - Will consoles still be here in 5 years? We shall see. They have a lot to go up against.

In your opinion what financial state will the established console market be in five years from now?

The current generation of consoles have been out for 5v years now, and people are now asking, when will the next Gen consoles come along? Whereas instead we should be asking, Will there be any point to owning a console in 5 years?

In my own opinion the console market would be dramatically decrease. This is to do with how digital distribution is becoming an expansive competitor; the distributor steam is growing rapidly with 3 million users so far. Online game also is the new found interest in most gamers nowadays, it is more fluid, challenging and easier to play online than ever before. In my opinion Cloud gaming is one of the revolutionary ways to game in the upcoming future. Cloud gaming allows people to not have high spec Pc’s to play high graphic intensive games on online, to me this a big advantage for new gamer to join the world of Pc gaming. Free game however are already playable online, and all they need is the recent Flash player to play, with this it is easier to get access to game online, these games however tend to be low spec, with hardly any real development going into them. In my own opinion Mmo’s have become the leading type of games to play online, they are expansive with millions of people playing them at once, and they are a fun a creative way to game with your friends. But they are unlikely to make any big appearance on consoles, as mmo’s have a large are with many people joining at once, the console hardware of the current generation won’t be able to cope with the massive amount of Ram needed to run these type of games. Now, with social website like facebook which host their own games, people can have fun easily with people as their friends on facebook, competing against each other as well. The games are easy to pick up and fun to play so why not play them? As of 2009 there were 5,000 social games on facebook, which shows how much time is spent on just these games alone. Along with all these showing up on the internet, there is now user-generated content online due to how easy it has become to make that content, people have made Mods for games to enhance their experience then sharing them through blogs and forums for everyone else to enjoy. Okay, steering away from online gaming and what not, of the past few years’ Smart phones and tablet apps have crept into the market and right now, have a good hold on the market, with now millions of people now downloading, it become ever increasing, and the fact they are on mobile platform increases their market audience.

There are some aspects to which the consoles are gaining an edge, now that they have motion sensor controls, (Play station Move, and Xbox Kinect). These have added a new way to experience games, however in my opinion they have not improved the game play that much as we were expecting or want. Now 3D is implemented into most new games, personally this is just another waste of time for developers to spend on; it gains no merit and is more of a 2.5D rather than fully fledge 3D. Distribution is a major asset for consoles; this is where we talk about retail. Consoles cost a lot to make and distribute to retailers, with the addition of games we are reaching up to the £300 mark, which is a lot for something that isn’t current generation hardware or not a computer. Admitting it, buying a computer is far more costly, but you do gain more with that price as not only are you buying something to play games but you are buying a fully operating media centre for your own room. Subscriptions are handy way to buy games, but you have to think about it, money going out of your account every month until you unsubscribe can be a little daunting, and you also have to consider whether you’re getting the full experience for that price, buying a console game for £40 once give you the full experience, however buying monthly subscriptions can make you over expect what you get with the game (if you get what I mean). Of course if the console market dwindles in 5 years, which can mean advertisements, will have to look to other sources for their advertisement needs. Money makes the world go round, so this can be a good or bad thing it all depends at the time.

In conclusion, there is a possibility that Gaming consoles will still have an established market in 5 years time, however they are going against a lot of completion, and right now, the only thing going for them is that how cheap they are. But in my opinion as the next generation of consoles release, it will be a massive risk as to whether the hardware will be cheap enough and whether it will combat the current hardware in Pc’s and the entertainment value of social and online games, however it is a massive mountain to climb, and only time will tell.

Scott woodhams