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Forums - Gaming - Game streaming is not the Future, here's why

small44 on 05 March 2015
bunchanumbers said:
Console makers don't want to waste billions developing hardware that will already be obsolete at launch. They also don't want to have to lose out on profits to secondhand markets which are making more pure profits than they do. They also don't want to have to worry about piracy, people trying to mod their consoles, or if some big problem happens like the RROD, to pay for those repairs. Its just a big mess.

A streaming service means they don't have to worry about stuff like RROD, Gamestop, game prices dropping like a stone 2 weeks after launch. They also don't have to worry about shipping pallets of consoles across oceans and haggling with game stores, distribution and the like. All of that could be extra savings and more profits.

Streaming will be one of the biggest and most efficient things that will ever happen to gaming. Not just for the companies, but for consumers too. No more limited edition bundles selling out and having to fight scalpers to get a system you want. No more travelling all over to look for a game that sold out. No limited presses of games and then incredible prices on ebay later. All your game shopping can be done from the convenience of your home. This will be the true equalizer for everyone.

And i don't think they want to lose millions of gamers too by making it streaming only



PS4 - over 100 millions let's say 120m
Xbox One - 70m
Wii U - 25m

Vita - 15m if it will not get Final Fantasy Kingdoms Heart and Monster Hunter 20m otherwise
3DS - 80m

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bunchanumbers on 05 March 2015
Shadow1980 said:
bunchanumbers said:

You also need to add something else to your title, which will be the new games brought in for unlimited streaming. Netflix does the same thing with movies. They rotate out movies all the time and there isn't outrage. In the end, it will play out just like that. Besides contracts can be renewed and updated. We couldn't get the Donkey Kong Country games in the States for a while and look what came on sale last week? Donkey Kong Country games. It won't be the end of the world.


Because Netflix generally has a terrible selection (I can never find diddly squat when I'm at my sister's), plus, y'know, I can go buy the movie on Blu-ray and own it forever. You don't really lose anything when Netflix delists a title. Remember what I said about forcing things? If Netflix was all there was for movies, I think that there'd be a lot of pissed off people, but people that like to watch movies have options (DVD, Blu-ray, download, streaming). People who listen to music have options (CD, mp3, stream). People who like to read have options (print books, e-books). If gaming goes completely to PS Now-like services, your only choices are stream or do without. So, I think we'll see two possible outcomes next generation: 1) Consoles still have disc drives and major titles are still released physically, or 2) they don't have disc drives and the market crashes like 1983 all over again.


But there won't be only one streaming service. Sony will have one, MS will have one, Nvidia will have one, OnLive will have one as well. Plus there will be others. Just like how there is Netflix, there is Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBOGO etc.

Also something you forget is that a bluray isn't dependent on the power of the hardware. Or rather, that the cost to make a bluray run is negligible. Its not like that with games. Its why it will be dependent on streaming more than ever. This goes back to the hardware development costs that console makers wouldn't want to pay again.

But there will be options, like you said. If you don't like PSNow, Rio, GriD, or OnLive, there will always be PC and Nintendo who will provide physical game options.



Frogger on 05 March 2015
bunchanumbers said:

Yup exactly. If you want to play it will most likely be a $99 box. All the console makers will have one. There will be no reason to go fanboy anymore. All 3 console makers libraries available for $300 and no more worrying about having to buy a new console in a few years. I'm sure that in the end they will be accessible through all sorts of devices for extra convenience. There will be no more fighting. For the cost of a Wii U you will have all of gaming available to you.


I don't even think there will be a box at all. I think it'll all be subcriptions. A PS Now serving where you can either pay a subscription fee for everything, or rent games on a case by case basis. That way you can, say, subscribe yearly to XBLA or whatever, and then rent the odd PS exclusive like Uncharted 5 or something for a month for like $15 or whatever a month's rental is going for on PS Now. 



bunchanumbers on 05 March 2015
small44 said:
bunchanumbers said:
Console makers don't want to waste billions developing hardware that will already be obsolete at launch. They also don't want to have to lose out on profits to secondhand markets which are making more pure profits than they do. They also don't want to have to worry about piracy, people trying to mod their consoles, or if some big problem happens like the RROD, to pay for those repairs. Its just a big mess.

A streaming service means they don't have to worry about stuff like RROD, Gamestop, game prices dropping like a stone 2 weeks after launch. They also don't have to worry about shipping pallets of consoles across oceans and haggling with game stores, distribution and the like. All of that could be extra savings and more profits.

Streaming will be one of the biggest and most efficient things that will ever happen to gaming. Not just for the companies, but for consumers too. No more limited edition bundles selling out and having to fight scalpers to get a system you want. No more travelling all over to look for a game that sold out. No limited presses of games and then incredible prices on ebay later. All your game shopping can be done from the convenience of your home. This will be the true equalizer for everyone.

And i don't think they want to lose millions of gamers too by making it streaming only


I'd argue that they would make up in that by saving costs from not having to develop console hardware. Or to ship them across the ocean. Or to stock them in stores. Or to have to print discs. Or to throw giant parties to try to build hype.

See we may see a $400 console and balk. But Console makers have spent years on developing, planning, producing, shipping, and packing these things. Not to mention working out deals with publishers for launch exclusives and cracking the whip on their own first party developers to make games in time for launch. And for what? So people can look at the works that all these people devoted a portion to their lives to and ridicule and judge it because it doesn't meet our expectations on what is 'Next Gen'.

This way there will be no need for console launches. No more wondering if a game is 'Next Gen' enough. Games will already be their best, because they won't have to worry about trying to make a game on outdated hardware.  Gamers today have done nothing but complain and demand the best possible graphics from their games, and this way developers can give it to them. We should be rejoicing at this prospect.



bunchanumbers on 05 March 2015
spemanig said:
bunchanumbers said:

Yup exactly. If you want to play it will most likely be a $99 box. All the console makers will have one. There will be no reason to go fanboy anymore. All 3 console makers libraries available for $300 and no more worrying about having to buy a new console in a few years. I'm sure that in the end they will be accessible through all sorts of devices for extra convenience. There will be no more fighting. For the cost of a Wii U you will have all of gaming available to you.


I don't even think there will be a box at all. I think it'll all be subcriptions. A PS Now serving where you can either pay a subscription fee for everything, or rent games on a case by case basis. That way you can, say, subscribe yearly to XBLA or whatever, and then rent the odd PS exclusive like Uncharted 5 or something for a month for like $15 or whatever a month's rental is going for on PS Now. 

More than likely, you are right. This will be the end game. I'm predicting a $99 dollar box like a roku streaming box that will be a way to get controllers out to people. That and to give people the feeling of having a physical box they can look at. My idea is something that is a halfway point before going to full streaming from smart TVs and the like.



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Frogger on 05 March 2015
bunchanumbers said:

More than likely, you are right. This will be the end game. I'm predicting a $99 dollar box like a roku streaming box that will be a way to get controllers out to people. That and to give people the feeling of having a physical box they can look at. My idea is something that is a halfway point before going to full streaming from smart TVs and the like.


I think what is more likely is that Sony and Microsoft will work out deals with Smart TV companies to provide the option for their service on those TVs. Kind of like what Sony is doing now with Samsung TVs. The only hardware they'll need to make and sell is their controllers.



bunchanumbers on 05 March 2015
spemanig said:
bunchanumbers said:

More than likely, you are right. This will be the end game. I'm predicting a $99 dollar box like a roku streaming box that will be a way to get controllers out to people. That and to give people the feeling of having a physical box they can look at. My idea is something that is a halfway point before going to full streaming from smart TVs and the like.


I think what is more likely is that Sony and Microsoft will work out deals with Smart TV companies to provide the option for their service on those TVs. Kind of like what Sony is doing now with Samsung TVs. The only hardware they'll need to make and sell is their controllers.

Yes. Their last consoles will be able to do this too, and after a while we'll be able to access their services through PCs, Tablets, Phones and the like. I'm pretty sure that is the end game for them. It will be pretty convenient though.



small44 on 05 March 2015
bunchanumbers said:
small44 said:

And i don't think they want to lose millions of gamers too by making it streaming only


I'd argue that they would make up in that by saving costs from not having to develop console hardware. Or to ship them across the ocean. Or to stock them in stores. Or to have to print discs. Or to throw giant parties to try to build hype.

See we may see a $400 console and balk. But Console makers have spent years on developing, planning, producing, shipping, and packing these things. Not to mention working out deals with publishers for launch exclusives and cracking the whip on their own first party developers to make games in time for launch. And for what? So people can look at the works that all these people devoted a portion to their lives to and ridicule and judge it because it doesn't meet our expectations on what is 'Next Gen'.

This way there will be no need for console launches. No more wondering if a game is 'Next Gen' enough. Games will already be their best, because they won't have to worry about trying to make a game on outdated hardware.  Gamers today have done nothing but complain and demand the best possible graphics from their games, and this way developers can give it to them. We should be rejoicing at this prospect.

As a gamer we don't care about a compagny profit, a gamers want to fully own their games they want to have the choice to trade their games or give them to a friends.

I didn't see a lot of people complaning about graphics expect pc gamers they think they self superior,consoles was always outdated compared to pc and it was never a problem why it would became a problem in future.



PS4 - over 100 millions let's say 120m
Xbox One - 70m
Wii U - 25m

Vita - 15m if it will not get Final Fantasy Kingdoms Heart and Monster Hunter 20m otherwise
3DS - 80m

Frogger on 05 March 2015
bunchanumbers said:

Yes. Their last consoles will be able to do this too, and after a while we'll be able to access their services through PCs, Tablets, Phones and the like. I'm pretty sure that is the end game for them. It will be pretty convenient though.


What they'll need to worry about is losing third party support via competing streaming services provided by those same companies, like Unity and Origin. EA already has a subcription model. That could spell trouble for these guys on a streaming service because they'd literally be losing titles to third party companies themselves.



fatslob-:O on 05 March 2015

Just once I agree with the OP ...

Especially the point about gaming been a performance critical type of application ...

Video file decoding is significantly less intensive than game rendering ...