John Romero: Consoles need a major rethink or become obsolete

[CptStern]

Next-gen console is big but its future isn?t too bright with the emergence of cheap PC multi-core processors and the big change the PC industry will go through during the next 5 years to accommodate the new multi-core-centric hardware designs. My prediction is that the game console in the vein of the PS3 and XBOX 360 is going to either undergo a massive rethink or go away altogether. The Wii has the perfect design for a console that doesn?t pretend to be a PC and is geared more toward casual gamers than hardcore gamers. The hardcore gamers are going to either be playing on their PCs or a new PC-like platform that sits in the living room but still serves the whole house over wifi, even the video signal.

http://www.avault.com/?p=119

I agree to an extent ..I think pc like consoles will be a reality but I hope they're set tops like any other consumer device like dvd players etc: they all play the same content only offer more/different features ..no reason (except sony/microsoft) why this couldnt be a viable solution: standardise hardware and allow for real innovation as game developers all have the same audience pool to sell their games to

pc gaming could take a huge leap forward with all the new tech that will be available in the near future ..lets hope devs take advantage of the tech in terms of gameplay ....giving the same tired gameplay a new coat of paint (graphics) doesnt make for innovation


please refrain from turning this into another tired pc vs console debate ..read the article, look at the facts and respond accordingly

 

[i am HOLLYWOOD]

I think i agree with him to some extent, but what he fails to mention, is a good gaming pc will cause you alot more than say, a 360 (or PS3) for that matter. So they'll be some changes, but consoles ain't goin anywhere imo.

 

[Gargantou]

And this comes from the man who had one of the most hyped games ever, with advertisements like "John Romero Is About To Make You His Bitch", the failure that was Daikatana? I find this a bit amusing..

 

[CptStern]

ok no ad hominem attacks either ..forget who it's from just comment on what he says

I think i agree with him to some extent, but what he fails to mention, is a good gaming pc will cause you alot more than say, a 360 (or PS3) for that matter. So they'll be some changes, but consoles ain't goin anywhere imo.

he talks about "pc-like devices" ..so a cheaper gaming dedicated system

 

[alehm]

I don't think consoles will ever go away, no more than PC gaming will ever die out. The two different approaches to gaming may consolidate someday but until then they have both held their own through comebacks and remissions.

In fairness to Romero's comments, PC gaming has its own problems, the casual gamer doesn't want to mess with updating drivers, tweaking settings, because they have a quirky PC hardware configuration developers couldn't have tested for, or scouring internet message boards to get help troubleshooting issues with their games released before they were truely finished because 'since its a PC it can always be patched later'. Nor have to reinvest hundreds of dollars every year and half to two years to have a top notch gaming machine only to go through the whole driver/tweak issue again.

For those very reasons I have known several PC gamers switch to console gaming entirely.

Too bad for them I say, but that is just my opinion. Nothing has convinved me from PC gaming but that doesn't make it better than consoles, just defines my tastes.

he talks about "pc-like devices" ..so a cheaper gaming dedicated system

I am not too sure that means cheaper, he may be referring to what I believe is the eventual path of the PC which is to become the centerpiece of family activities (internet, television, movies, telecommunications, ect)

 

[Asknoone]

Romero is now actually a pretty a solid guy. He's had his ego knocked down several notches and he's started speaking sense.

 

[Asus]

I'm not sure what he means by PC-like.

I don't think these kind of consoles will go away but just continue to add more features to become a piece in the entertainment center like they are already trying to do (well the PS3 more so). I don't see the other consoles going away. And I don't see PC desktops becoming part of the mainstream's entertainment center. HP recently discontinued their media center PC line, didn't they?

I can see a media box for video, music, gaming made with specific PC parts running an OS that is focused and not anywhere near the wide windows platform. But that just sounds like a PS3. Maybe if Apple was into gaming they could come up with something. =p

 

[<RJMC>]

honestly I think consoles should not focus so much on being PC's

the good thing on consoles is that is dedicated only to gaming
so you just put the game and play
and dont come whit the "yeah coz PC gamors are HARDCORE cuz we have zuperiors brains and we made tweaks and stuff like datz and console gamorz cant zip theyr pants lololol!"

the wii is a good example cuz it focuses on something more that just graphics,focus more on gameplay,and just cuz it attracks a lot of "casuals" dont mean it dont hav potential to hav "hardcore" games it just need killers games

but off course microsoft and sony dont give a crap about that and put mp3/instant-messagin/picture browser and other uselles stuff like that since people use that a lot

cuz honestly I find most of those stuff useless

 

[destrukt]

He is somewhat right about some things, otherwise I say he's off the ball and simply is looking for some new fans from the place he never had any after realising their is money to be made.

 

[Raxxman]

consoles and pcs will merge into home enterainment systems.

 

[clarky003]

I agree with Raxman, that's the way it's heading, Sony are day dreaming when they say Consoles would replace PC's. It's going to be a merging job at some point, but the problem from a business perspective is if you don't diversify with a wide range of products then you can't exactley milk the gaming market.

I think your standard console will always be around and aimed at a majority, giving access to good processing power for particular generations of game engines at an affordable cost, so I can't see them going anywhere with a console that's too ambitious anytime soon without messing around too much with your consumer base.