Do we need a new generation of consoles?
Traditionally, consoles were a cheap, low tech option for playing games, with social elements. They were cheap because their features were limited, they didn't require all sorts of extra bits (just hook it up to your tv!), and they could be played with friends in the immediate vicinity.
Now, though, the situation is different. Computers, even gaming computers, are no longer that expensive. Whilst also still baffling to some, they are also considerably more versatile than consoles, as hardware can be swapped out and upgraded as necessary. Backwards compatibility is also not a problem (unlike European versions of some current-gen consoles).
Conversely, consoles are becoming more expensive. The PS3 in particular started retailing at £550. It is difficult to see that prices will shrink for the next generation, potentially making them pricier than a PC.
Equally, the pool of games limited to one console or another is shrinking. Whilst the Wii attracts a largely different gamer, and a different type of game, most releases available for PS3 or XBox are also available for the other, and the PC as well (even if Microsoft does try and force you to buy an XBox by not actually doing the port - see Halo 2).
Whilst I can't argue with the social aspects of games (and again, Wii games score highly), it's always true that a game is better with two consoles and two screens, than it is on a split screen, even when playing in the same room. Arguably, with computers more prevalent, it might be more likely/realistic for a household to have two computers than two consoles. It's also not difficult to see this aspect being transferred to computers - after all, the control system, which is the PC's biggest hindrance for this type of gaming, has seen console-style controllers being made available.
Furthermore, XBox and PS3 (and possibly Wii, I don't know), are moving towards having many of the same features as a PC. You can play music, watch films.. All they need is a keyboard, the ability to write documents, and they're practically a PC. The next generation can only bring them closer to a PC. In the circumstances, paying for a pricier PC that has a built-in obsolescence begins to seem less attractive.
Whilst economically, the creators of the consoles are OF COURSE going to release a new version, I wonder if the advantages that consoles used to bring are somewhat less than they are now.
TLDR: Computers are cheap, consoles are getting more expensive, increasingly they can do the same stuff.
Do we need a new console generation, or are they so like PCs now that it would be largely pointless?
Traditionally, consoles were a cheap, low tech option for playing games, with social elements. They were cheap because their features were limited, they didn't require all sorts of extra bits (just hook it up to your tv!), and they could be played with friends in the immediate vicinity.
Now, though, the situation is different. Computers, even gaming computers, are no longer that expensive. Whilst also still baffling to some, they are also considerably more versatile than consoles, as hardware can be swapped out and upgraded as necessary. Backwards compatibility is also not a problem (unlike European versions of some current-gen consoles).
Conversely, consoles are becoming more expensive. The PS3 in particular started retailing at £550. It is difficult to see that prices will shrink for the next generation, potentially making them pricier than a PC.
Equally, the pool of games limited to one console or another is shrinking. Whilst the Wii attracts a largely different gamer, and a different type of game, most releases available for PS3 or XBox are also available for the other, and the PC as well (even if Microsoft does try and force you to buy an XBox by not actually doing the port - see Halo 2).
Whilst I can't argue with the social aspects of games (and again, Wii games score highly), it's always true that a game is better with two consoles and two screens, than it is on a split screen, even when playing in the same room. Arguably, with computers more prevalent, it might be more likely/realistic for a household to have two computers than two consoles. It's also not difficult to see this aspect being transferred to computers - after all, the control system, which is the PC's biggest hindrance for this type of gaming, has seen console-style controllers being made available.
Furthermore, XBox and PS3 (and possibly Wii, I don't know), are moving towards having many of the same features as a PC. You can play music, watch films.. All they need is a keyboard, the ability to write documents, and they're practically a PC. The next generation can only bring them closer to a PC. In the circumstances, paying for a pricier PC that has a built-in obsolescence begins to seem less attractive.
Whilst economically, the creators of the consoles are OF COURSE going to release a new version, I wonder if the advantages that consoles used to bring are somewhat less than they are now.
TLDR: Computers are cheap, consoles are getting more expensive, increasingly they can do the same stuff.
Do we need a new console generation, or are they so like PCs now that it would be largely pointless?
