Hot News

Latest News

Romero: Future of Game Consoles "Isn't Too Bright"

by Chris Faylor, Apr 10, 2007 12:14pm PDT
Related Topics – id software, John Romero

Much like Trion World Network CEO Lars Buttler and Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack, id Software co-founder and renowned game designer John Romero took a moment last week to share his thoughts on the future of the video game console market. "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," he told Adrenaline Vault. "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 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." Despite his gloomy outlook for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Romero praised Nintendo's efforts with the Wii. "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," he explained. As for the massively multiplayer game coming from Slipgate Ironworks, which he formed in 2005, Romero remained tight-lipped. "I can say that we're making a PC MMORPG," he noted, "but can't remark on specifics because we believe we're creating something that's the first of its kind and we want to be first to market with it." Earlier this year, it was announced Slipgate would utilize the BigWorld Technology Suite to aid in the development of the still-unnamed title.


Read all the News


Comments

« Previous 1 2 Next »
75 Threads* | 302 Comments*
  • #307
    Refresh Thread
    By: sandmanfvr x
    Reply
    Mr. Romero needs to go to a Gamestop/EBGames store and see how many PC games there are vs. consoles. When he can look at that and still say this, I will laugh in his face (all this hypothetical of course). Sure you have mutli core stuff, BUT game developers are not making games scalable anymore. Example: Supreme Commander and Oblivion. Developers are using multi core systems with crossfire/sli and don't think about those that have "good" or "great" systems, not god like systems. Games on the pc now are about how much money you spent on hardware. Why has consoles done good? You put the disc in, pick up the controller, and you can play single player or online and have as much fun as a pc. *shrugs* With MMORPG's coming to consoles, Marvel Universe Online as an example and FF XI, the need for PC gaming will keep going down. Facts are facts. I started gaming in MS-DOS, but the pc gaming scene sucks and I am going toward console gaming myself when I get broadband.
    Apr 11, 2007 11:48am PDT
  • #214
    Refresh Thread
    By: flasher 907 This person is cool! x
    Reply
    The definition of console and PC is going to get greyer and greyer. The hardware is the same, the input devices are the same now (both do gamepad and keyboard/mouse), the only difference is the console doesn't do productivity apps (i.e. spreadsheets, coding, etc). With "Games for Windows Live" you get all of this. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the all next-gen xbox (480?) games are 100% compatible with a PC that's certified with "xbox 480" components. Your choice, you pop the game in your PC or you pop the game in your xbox 480.
    Apr 10, 2007 4:20pm PDT