baloofarsan on 15 November 2014
I, for one, was convinced that dedicated console gaming was on a definitive decline:
- Graphics had almost peaked in the previous generation, adding big costs to developers
- The gaming worlds were big enough and detailed enough, making it hard to surprise people.
- The game genres were well defined and so were their respective audiences, not very inviting to noobs.
- Publishers relied too much on blockbusters and old franchises.
- The economies in many countries was having serious problems
- Steam and others made it easy and affordable to game on PC.
- Smartphones was closing in on consoles both visually and in content, with the added ease of portability and accessibility.
- The technology leap for the new consoles was not as big as for previous generation transitions.
In short, the market and its audience was very defined and not evolving into new territories or new markets. The smartphone generation , the women, the rich who wanted to show-off the latest tech: None of these important groups for mass market was no longer interested in dedicated consoles.
Apparently I was wrong and so far this generation seems to be very healthy. I, much like Sony , do not really understand why sales are good but it is nice that they are.
