Kerotan said:
The same type of people who said pc gaming was dead or dying. |
This is a sensible outlook I believe. There simply isn't mass movement away or from console gaming. Since 2013, it's just that Sony is dominating the console space globally in a way not seen since the PS2.
PC Gaming is bigger than ever as well, and it has steadily grown as things have gotten dead simple to build/upgrade or even buy halfway decent gaming PCs off store shelves at major retailers. A lot of that has to do with Steam becoming a true household name and the ludicrous rise of MOBAs. Another massive factor that can't be understated is the popularity of Youtubers like Pewdie, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, etc, who often focus on PC gaming very very heavily, and the games that they showcase get a lot of boost from appearing there.Exposure from premiere Youtubers (love them, hate them, or feel indifferent about them, they DO have significant reach and influence), can really boost an indie game into the public conciousness.
The positives of PC gaming are vast, so I don't see any console movement threatening that. The 7th gen and to some extent the 6th gen console eras were dark times for gamers that wanted to play AAA action/platform titles. PC ports came late, not at all, or were butchered frequently. Now, butchered ports are rare (and are major news items on sites like Kotaku). Beyond that, I don't see MOBAs moving to console in any real way, it just doesn't 'fit' the community.
The way I see it :
Sony A+++, continual growth guaranteed, although VR is still a ? in terms of mass market
Nintendo ??? (I have no idea TBH, I guess we'll know more after NX is launched and we can see global numbers)
Microsoft I see moving laterally. They've wisely diversified, and any console marketshare losses should be possible to balance with services/apps/PC sales. I believe that they will get UWA right eventually, these things take time.
PC Gaming expanding steadily along the way. There are lots of PC gamers like myself who also have a console or two. This gen however I've had a much easier time simply skipping PS4 and X1 so far (due to so many games being multiplatform). I have owned both for a brief time, but gifted them to others after playing the exclusives I was interested in. Neo and Scorpio aren't going to change things all that much IMHO. Think consoles in 2013 all over again.







