| Slimebeast said: Good catch. Anyway, it's cool that you're already thinking of the next gen (or should I say next next gen). I don't think anyone else is. But, why do you think both MS and Sony will come with another console after Xbone/PS4? Most analists believe this is the last console generation. Also, if there really is another hardware gen from 2018 and beyond, do you really think MS will be there? Xbone is in big trouble. To me this is the beginning of the end for MS in the console business. Maybe Apple will be there. EDIT: and maybe Nintendo will not. Maybe they are software only after Wii U. |
I think you're hitting my point.
This is the last semi-normal game console generation. So the analysts are sort of right on that.
However, these companies need hardware to make money on their software. Especially Nintendo.
So the next hardware will more than likely go towards a further step in less overall spec differences than what is coming out now and instead focus more on the back-end cloud offerings. MSony are clearly setting this up. Nintendo is more in an infancy of this as they have more to learn to do it. But they are going to have to do it as well otherwise go software only. Frankly Nintendo requires its hardware as much as it does its software. So that is not an option.
MS has stated they want to push more into hardware in general. The surface tablets and Xbox tv device is just the beginning. It will continue with iterations that are closer together.
MS will undoubtedly feel pain early on with Xbone. But as the price drops and services explode, it could be very good for them. Its not helping that winphone and win8 are not doing well as their design really needs them all doing well to truly succeed.
Sony is going to grow their OS to add any missing tv based services MS has, unless MS has some exclusivity agreement. But that is not likely as it goes in the face of what Comcast is doing on their own anyways with their "X1" device. Plus, I've argued it for awhile, but this year Apple and Google will increase their presence on TVs with their own devices. I actually expected them at their respective conferences recently, but I still think they are coming. Notice neither showed a new phone/tablet either.
This gen will be a transitional one. This hardware/software will be upgraded to fit these ideals and in the end they will be pretty much all digital entertainment devices. Nintendo being the exception that it will take one more hardware cycle to reach that same point while the other two just put out new hardware simply to drive sales, not necessarily create a "new generation of game consoles". Same way Apple works with its devices. Just it won't be yearly. I'm actually expecting about every 3 years once it fully kicks off in say 2018 or 2019.
