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Are Casual Games Killing Consoles?


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But that's basically just a console. You're just replacing the unit itself with a phone, but if you're still sitting at home with a controller and a TV what's the difference?

 

 

 

Then you've also got the VR development which is coming along in leaps and bounds.. Like the Oculus Rift for PC and playstation's Project Morpheous. There is so much tech development in the games industry that I have absolutely no idea what is going to take off the most. But it's ****ing exciting

Mobility. As smart TVs get more ubiquitous as well you can likely be ensured that you can stream your game where ever you go. I'd be like packing your x-box around with you. If all you have is a controller and your phone you can play anywhere there is a TV or monitor.

 

I actually just worked on an Oculus Rift piece as the writer, it's a pretty impressive technology that once VR fidelity itself advances is going to be pretty life-changing I think.

 

Do you remember a service called On-Live? It was basically a box you could purchase on the cheap, to stream games from a more powerful PC on a server. There were issues with internet latency that kind of made the service just okay. On-Live didn't last long, because of how bad latency killed the gaming experience.

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Guest xhado123

Red Dead Redemption moved me with some of its moments and sheer beauty. Mass Effect got me a little misty here and there.

YES... My non gamer friends were in the other room when I finished the game. I came out teary eyed and they had no clue...

 

 

I never really thought about it (and missed this topic the first time around) but it makes sense that smart phones will eventually kill off console games. It'll take another decade though.

I think there's a strong market for consoles, enough to keep them relevant. Bit like muzzle loading blackpowder rifles, but with a wider audience.

 

 

Exactly. You'll have the phone run the game and just have wireless devices like a controller and a TV working off it. That's the future.

Have you seen the shield tablets by Nvidia? Tablets. Built for gaming. You can game on the tablet, transfer it to the telly, and even use a controller...

 

But I see it as another console, like someone else pointed out earlier. At that point, you're covering up the disc slot on a console and going completely digital.

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How much does a new XBox One cost? Around $500. For that same price, you can get a computer that will run most of the same games, with better graphics, perfomance AND the ability to mod a game to correct problems or to just add something new. On top of that, a PC is more versatile. You can do more than play games on a computer, doing actual real work, creating content of your own, and any number of other uses. PCs are far more than just gaming machines. Hardware wise, most consoles are merely under-powered PC's. The number of people who are willing to spend money on a dedicated system JUST for games are shrinking. This isn't the days of the NES and Sega Genesis, which were systems that WERE superior to most computers of their day. Hardware and processing power being what they are now, there isn't anything to set a console apart from a PC, there is nothing that a console can do that a PC cannot, but plenty of things a PC can do better.

 

Microsoft got a lot of criticism for downplaying the games when they announced the XBox One, but look at console sales. They actually understood that consoles have to be more than just gaming platforms if anyone but a small and shrinking demographic are going to buy them.

 

Of course, it still fails as a media machine because they are asking $500. I can get a Roku that will allow me to watch Netflix, Hulu and the like for less than $100. And of course, I'd only have to buy that because I don't, unlike a lot of people, already have a smart tv that can run such services themselves without ANY add-ons. That's the issue. A decent computer, a Roku and a Blu-Ray player cost LESS put together compared to a console. People already have alternatives, devices that can do the same things as a console better and for less money. Why pay money for a console when I can pick up a Blu-Ray player and a Roku for less, and play games on my computer?

 

When consoles are able to do something computers cannot, or at least do so much more easily than computers, then people will buy them. Until then, sales will continue to die off because there are better and cheaper alternatives out there.

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Dude, where can you get a descent gaming PC for $500? I mean I agree that PCs are better to game on but no way are they as cheap. Having to constantly upgrade your graphics cards and shit to get a better experience with new games... The running cost is pretty ongoing with a PC.

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Dude, where can you get a descent gaming PC for $500? I mean I agree that PCs are better to game on but no way are they as cheap. Having to constantly upgrade your graphics cards and **** to get a better experience with new games... The running cost is pretty ongoing with a PC.

Build it yourself, or have it custom built like I did. Don't buy off the shelf.

 

Understand, my PC does not have the BEST possible video card. I have a lower end one. I can play any but the absolutely newest games without effort (I am currently playing Fallout: New Vegas again, and often play Skyrim and the Mass Effect trilogy. All run without problems, although admittedly I have to play Skyrim on medium quality graphics, which actually is fine with me. An advantage of a PC is I have modded my Skyrim to correct bugs Bethesda never fixed, and to add new features to the game to make it more enjoyable, something I would not be able to do on a console. My copy is going to file assault charges against me if I add any new mods to it). Combined with all that I had put in it, it cost around $700. Admittedly a little more than $500, but if I had gone with a slightly different motherboard and RAM, it would have been cheaper.

 

If you shop smart, you can find a decent gaming rig for less than a console. The beauty of a PC is I can upgrade it later, at my own pace. I'm planning to buy more RAM and a better graphics card at a later date, allowing me to play more games. It will cost more money yes, but it will never the less be cheaper than buying a NEW console.

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Hmm. Well I'm pretty satisfied with my PS4, so can't justify a new computer as well. Though I agree with the modding argument. I modded skyrim on my MacBook Pro which was a lot of fun. In fact the fact that Bethesda is so cool with people modding their games and have help kits and all that is part of why I really dig that company. I mean, as well as their titles, their ethos is ****ing cool.

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