Why bother buying consoles next gen?

[KBG29]

Next gen will be very interesting. We could very well see a dramatic shrinkage of the console market similar to what we saw with the Handheld market this gen. With Games becoming easier and easier to access on PC, and Streaming becoming a real thing via stuff like AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV, or even directly through Smart TVs, consoles have never faced anything in the way of competition like this. Come next year people won't need a PS5/XB4 to experience Next Gen Madden, Fifa, Call of Duty, or GTA. These games will be available via the Smartphones, Tablets, Set Top Boxes, Smart TV's, and PCs they already own. I believe this will take a huge chunk out of the console business over the course of the next gen.

I think we will see the same thing happen with console as we saw with Handhelds. People want their basic daily needs met by the hardware they use. Consoles will continue to fall behind Smart TVs and Set Top Boxes in the features people use day in and day out. That will lead to people rarely using their console. As these new services grow in popularity, many will just begin playing their games via the device they are already using. For most people, being able to play Call of Duty on Xbox Live via xCloud on their Smart TV will suit them just fine.

I personally will need to see what the next gen consoles are offering.

At this point I am already 99% sure I won't be buying another Xbox as Windows 10 will be offering all Xbox games in their best quality. It will also let me play my games on the widest range of hardware and form factors. Windows 10 also offers Virtual Reality which is a major draw for me going forward.

When it comes to PlayStation, it will be heavily based on the exclusives, but it will also come down to PS Now. If PS Now gets to the point of offering 1st party games in a reasonable time frame, I could end up just playing all PlayStation Exclusives via PS Now on my PC. Three things Sony could do that would get me really excited about PlayStation would be a true Premium tier PS5 and a PS5 Phone, with each platform sharing a unified OS and Library, along with PSVR2 with AAA 1st party exclusives. I would be all in on all three devices if they can accomplish this.

As for Nintendo. They are pretty much a shoe in for exclusives alone. I'll keep an eye on their hardware, and upgrade if anything looks interesting, I'll upgrade, if not, then the current Switch is good enough.

I agree that consoles are starting to look less appealing in the current market. It is hard to justify a piece of hardware limited to gaming, when everything around it can deliver a similar experience plus everything needed for day to day life. I don't think you will be alone in asking why you should buy another console. I think Microsoft is already moving in the direction of offering other and better options. It will be on Sony's plate to show why we should purchase PlayStation and buy into software from PlayStation going forward.