The state of consoles post-Moore's Law

[Grey Acumen]

The real problem with this whole idea is that it's NOT any technical achievement that allows consoles to remain viable despite the presence of PCs.

Consoles have and ALWAYS will have certain key features that NO PC will EVER have:

1) Hardware specs that remain consistent through every console of the same type. Every Wii can play every Wii game, Every 360 can play every 360 game. There is no minimum specs, or incompatible graphics card because they are designed SPECIFICALLY for that system.

2) Ease of Use - Sorry, but the whole point of playing a game is to have fun. A console is designed with that specific purpose at the forefront of its design (at least any good console is) This means that playing the game needs to be as hassle free as possible. 90% of PC games require you to install something, or at least manually organize the files to run the game, and often require you to set graphic options for the game to run smoothly. With consoles, it's typically "put game in, start playing"

3) Controls - Don't care how much you like the keyboard and mouse. a controller, either dual analog or the Wiimote + whatever the heck attachment you want, will always be more comfortable to use, and allow for faster, more natural response. When the game is designed specifically around those controls, they will always be better than generic controls that have to adapt to multiple types of input.

4) "It is not the console that sells the games, it is the games that sells the console" 3rd parties might be porting to as many platforms as possible, but Nintendo games have always stayed on Nintendo consoles and I don't see that changing any time soon

You may notice that my examples pull heavily from Nintendo. Really, it's cause I see what you're talking about when using 360 and PS3 as examples. They both seem to be far more PC than console, with how the games are run and played, as well as the graphical focus of the games, and how there's so much focus on non-game media as well.
Nintendo has managed to turn all of that totally around, by using what is essentially outdated tech and creating a custom experience. No PC is going to incorporate a standard motion controller that would allow for those type of games that the Wii is capable of so therefore those games will only ever be found on a console specifically designed for them.

 

I got distracted halfway through typing this, so I'll sum up.

PCs and computers in general can really only advance in whatever direction they are already set in. There are too many different companies for any innovation to have any impact on the PC community as a whole. This is where consoles can shine, as any innovation can be incorporated 100% into that console, because of a consoles focus on gaming, and doing it in a low hassle manner, combined with the freedom of innovation is what will always keep PCs from overshadowing consoles as a gaming device, regardless of technological advancements.