PlayStation 4 isn't last console, says Sony CEO
Sony CEO Jack Tretton recently talked about why he believes that even with the shifting gaming landscape, consoles will be an element in the mix for the foreseeable future.
The PlayStation 4 launches today, marking the first salvo in what some believe may be the last generation of consoles. Sony CEO Jack Tretton recently waved off such speculation, though, saying that consoles exist for a reason and aren't going anywhere soon.
"It's funny, I've heard about the 'last console' since 1986, and only because that's when I entered the business," Tretton told All Things Digital. "I've managed to ride the 'last console' wave for the last, what is that... 27 years or so? There's a reason the console came about: Sitting in front of a big-screen TV on a couch with your friends.
"To get the immersive depth in gaming and to get the social experience of sitting around the living room, we're not going to huddle around a tablet. We're not going to huddle around a smartphone. I think the technology will come a long way, but you’re still trying to build a console, ultimately. You're trying to get it closer to a console."
He noted that the threat in the 80s was the PC but it never took over the whole industry. Now more emphasis is placed on smartphones and tablet, which he says can be "additive" to the console games with extra functionality, but he doesn't think they'll ever replace console games.
"We can't take Gran Turismo 6 and put it on a smartphone or a tablet. It's just gonna be a lousy experience," he said. "It's not going to be what it is. Conversely, you can go out today and play Angry Birds on your PlayStation 3 and have a great time. I'm not sure why you'd want to do that, but you could. You can't go playing Grand Theft Auto V on your smartphone or tablet. It's easier to migrate up."
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Steve Watts posted a new article, PlayStation 4 isn't last console, says Sony CEO.
Sony CEO Jack Tretton recently talked about why he believes that even with the shifting gaming landscape, consoles will be an element in the mix for the foreseeable future.-
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The idea isn't that there won't be more playstations, the idea is that they will be forced to be more like PC or mobile in getting upgrades more regularly and keeping full backwards compatability. I absolutely believe this will happen.
His argument that the console model went unchanged this long is ignoring the fact that the only competition they've had the entire time was other consoles, and that's going to change with Steambox, and mobile based consoles when they catch up in performance.-
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Not really, personally I don't think the PC needs to compete. I'm perfectly happy with the direction steam is going with greenlighting and indies taking over. I'm sure people are pissed and waiting for GTA V, but I can just hop on my PS3 if I want to play that.
However my PS3 doesn't have all the kickass adventure games and amateur beautiful indies that require a mouse/kb. So they each have their own uses.
People who cry and cry and want the latest AAA on the PC are doing it wrong.
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Consoles have 5-10 year lifecycles, a PC does not. Consoles (with exceptions) only run games designed for that generation of console, a PC runs everything ever made (with exceptions).
Steambox will keep those advantages, just a much more user friendly one designed for the steam controller, designed for use in the living room. There is no reason to think people won't like it, every reason to think that they will.
I don't know why you think AAA is for consoles, PC gets most AAA games, often without significant delay, and they are always better than the console versions.-
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This business of PC games getting most AAA games is a pretty recent phenomenon, though, like within the past 3 or 4 years. Remember, from the beginning all the way almost to the middle of the last console cycle, most games would get these terrible ports, in addition to mechanics that were really over-simplified. Also, a lot of the early-mid console cycle games still aren't ported, and probably never will be.
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It is relevant, because there's a significant chance console developers will neglect the PC platform in favor of diverting resources to the new hardware specifications on console platforms. You know, like last time.
It could certainly be different this time around, with both consoles using x86 processors, but I don't think it's a sure bet or anything. -
also I didn't say the whole argument wasn't relevant, I said the fact that older console developers used to develop on PC isn't relevant, because the games you're talking about weren't actually "AAA." They were certainly influential and somewhat big for their time, but they weren't anything like developers are now.
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I think PC gaming is looking like more of a contender this time.
Firstly, the Steam Box will provide a more console like experience for people who find PCs too confusing.
Secondly, the PS4 seems rather under-powered and the Xbox One is a complete joke. In a few years you'll probably be able to pick up a cheap Steam Box that makes the new consoles look very sub-standard.
Thirdly, cost has always been a big barrier for PC gaming, but that looks likely to go away. With the performance benefits that Steam OS and Mantle offer over Windows and DirectX you won't need as powerful a graphics chip in order to get good performance, and therefore won't have to spend as much. It likely won't be long before you can buy a cheap APU that beats the current gen consoles in gaming performance.
PCs, and particularly Steam Boxes, are going to be able to offer better performance at a low price and deliver an easy user experience. I can see the PC gaining quite a bit of market share as the new consoles age and start to look laughable in comparison to the PC.-
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True, but at the very least the PC version will have higher quality visuals due to higher resolution, anti-aliasing, anisotropic filtering and other things that can be turned up with no development cost.
The PC has other benefits as well, such as higher frame rates, lower priced games at launch, Steam sales, mouse+keyboard control and peripherals like Oculus Rift.
I'm not saying the PC will suddenly become everyone's platform of choice. I'm just saying that PC gaming will be cheap enough, easy enough and offer sufficient benefits that it'll start to appeal more to the average gamer.
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What if... television sets had (or currently has) bluetooth connectivity? And you could "connect" with a device like a cell phone or a tablet using bluetooth?
That might be a bit of a game changer. I could see a cell phone recording shows and also acting as a controller for a game. Kind of like how the controller for the Wii worked, except with a screen.-
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I'm just talking about a convergence of technologies made possible by faster, smaller cell phone/tablets. It won't happen for a while, though.
Remember WebTV? It was a turd, but it showed us there are possibilities from overlapping technologies. If it was faster, smaller, better then.. convergence might have been more practical.
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I suppose. I guess I'm just imagining that future cell phone technologies will match today's PC. Be able to play Battlefield 4 (or some game that is just as demanding as Battlefield 4 in terms of graphics and gameplay) on a smart phone (by means of using the television as the project and the smart phone itself being a controller similar to the Nintendo Wii's).
Umm.. maybe I didn't think this through, but you get the idea.
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recording shows is as simple as a company/app allowing it to happen and get saved to the cloud (Comcast already lets you access your DVR contents via an app that accesses online recordings), and yes you can use the iPad as a controller http://www.macstories.net/stories/the-untapped-potential-of-dual-screen-airplay-games-apps/
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Definitely. With the move to x86 and the constant focus on services and software over hardware, the next gen could well be playstation and Xbox 2017 with refreshes every 3 years that maintain full BC. Eventually I could see it being yearly.
This also introduces the exciting prospect of new consoles being say $700 at launch to have beefy hardware for the early adopters, and keeping the last iteration in production for like $299 for the more price conscious
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I really like the idea of more frequent console releases. I could see the next gen being the playstation and Xbox 2017, fully BC with ps4 and XBO, with the next update coming in like 3 years. The companies are much more focused on the software and services and that's what they'll be selling. They could even subsidize their own hardware if they can get people paying $15 a month for online.
They may also feel more free to go for beefier hardware, with the latest high end system being like $700 or whatever and the previous model still being manufactured for $299 or so. It could be a bit like the iPhone model in that respect.
sorry if a repeat, my first reply seems to have gotten eaten-
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Its kind of difficult to compare consoles to smartphones because the development cost and man power involved in creating a console game dwarfs that on smartphones / tablets.
Developers spend a fortune tooling up for the new systems, getting familiar with the hardware, etc then spend 2-3 years working until the release of their title. If there is a new console every three years or less then that means they have to re-tool for every single game, costing them more development time and money.
Its possible for sure, but I think its a much trickier transition than people are making out.
I think there would be a lot of outrage actually if a new xbox/ps appeared in a couple of years. It really depends what the new system offers, and how long the current one would still be supported by new titles.
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Finally, someone in the industry is talking common sense. The day they stop making consoles is the day I quit being a core gamer. Until we get the holodeck, or some other sort of immersive experience that does not require me to put on ridiculous goggles and shut out the entire outside world just to play a game. Gaming on a phone or tablet just doesn't cut it for me, with the only exception being dedicated handhelds like the Vita.
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