'Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo won't produce dedicated hardware beyond the next generation', says Ben Cousins
Ngmoco’s Ben Cousins has become the latest high-profile games exec to predict the death of the console.
Gamasutra reports that speaking at GDC Taipei the former EA, Sony and Lionhead, Cousins stated: "There's a potential for mobile gaming to kill console gaming. I'm talking about a significant reduction of market share with no chance of return.
"I believe that sometime during the next console generation, globally, both the revenue and the market share for games will be larger in mobile than it is for console.
“I believe Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo won't produce dedicated hardware past the next generation. Further, I believe traditional game companies like EA will be purchased by existing digital companies, or close entirely."
Cousins believes that the decline seen in other dedicated hardware sectors – such as camcorders, GPS devices and MP3 players – is evidence of his belief. And that consoles will be next.
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"I believe consoles will be the next hardware to have a major reduction."
This story was originally published on our sister-site, MCV.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way, but I really wish developers, executives and analysts would drop the whole fire and brimstone approach to consoles.
We get it. Mobile gaming will eventually surprass console gaming in terms of profitability and popularity. The simple fact is that more people own phones than virtually any other device available on the market today.
Making allusions to camcorders, MP3 players and cameras is a redundant argument, really. There may be more people utilising these functions via their phone but to outright dismiss the manufacturers of said hardware is a major oversight.
At the end of the day, those who are serious about their hobbies will always go the extra distance and pay for the latest tech.
Personally, I don't think the mobile market will explode in the same way many of these hapless executives are predicting. It will over-populate and saturate, sweeping flavour of the month developers down the drain.
'Casual' (for lack of a better word) gamers simply aren't as focused or committed to the trade. Want evidence? Just look at Zynga's disasterous stock fiasco.
Development budgets definitely need deflated but, at the same time, developers should concentrate on doing what they do best: making games, instead of continually expressing discontent at Western dominance or how $1 app mobile developers are taking off - temporarily.
Ben cousin's may have an ulterior motive but consoles will never die, he's talking rubbish as usual. Too many gamers enjoy a variety of platforms including on such dinosaurs as PCs. He's fallen in to that age old trap of thinking he has something interesting to say then spouting off. Can we get a mute button please?
Actually, the device that is in almost every home in America and will eventually be in virtually every home is the TV. You need a Computer/Console/Or device to conncect your handheld(Console, Cell, Tablet) to the TV.
While TV's are allowing more inputs than ever(You can connect a computer to a TV these days), I don't see them adding a default wireless or wired method to connect with devices. There is simply no point when everybody already has a Computer/Console/Device. TV's will slightly have this option, but it won't penetrate for a long time.
Finally, handhelds simply don't have the Power Watts, processors, ram, or graphics cards to play the next generation of games.
But yeah, there are so many devices and so many people making games these days... With game engines becoming more common, high end development is easy for the common man. A large studio is worth while for some, but others will die out.
He gave this talk at GDC in San Francisco this year. You can listen to it and view the slides here: http://www.slideshare.net/bcousins/when-the-consoles-die-what-comes-next
