Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/12/01/games_consoles_fundamentally_doomed/
Lord British: Games consoles 'fundamentally doomed'
Shock claim from respected developer
Posted in Games, 1st December 2011 16:10 GMT
The creator of the popular Ultima RPG series has forecast that the games console is heading for extinction.
Richard Garriott - aka Lord British - is a respected figurehead in the games industry and he reckons the future is bleak for console manufacturers [1].
"I think we might get one more generation, might, but I think fundamentally they're doomed," he told IndustryGamers.
"I think the power that you can carry with you in a portable is really swamping what we've thought of as a console."
Garriott, who now runs social-gaming firm Portalarium, may have a point, but as smartphones get increasingly powerful, so do consoles.
On the way out?
While services such as OnLive [2] and Gaikai [3] offer triple-A titles streamed to a host of devices, you just can't play epics like Skyrim [4] on a phone.
And let's not forget, the next generation of consoles [5], which could be on display as early as next year, are all set to reach out beyond the current crop of game-centric features.
The race is on to become the ultimate home entertainment hub, and while companies like Apple may have tricks up their sleeve with next-gen television sets [6], the likes of Sony and Microsoft aren't going to give up their piece of the gaming pie without a fight. ®
Links
- http://www.industrygamers.com/news/game-consoles-are-fundamentally-doomed-says-garriott/
- http://www.reghardware.com/2011/03/15/wtf_is_cloud_gaming/
- http://www.reghardware.com/2011/02/28/gaikai_cloud_gaming_service_open_beta/
- http://www.reghardware.com/2011/11/14/review_game_the_elder_scrolls_v_skyrim/
- http://www.reghardware.com/2011/10/20/next_gen_xbox_due_in_2013_says_develop_mag/
- http://www.reghardware.com/2011/11/23/apple_tv_may_use_sharp_lcd_tech/