Why A Future Without Consoles Is Wonderful

[High Marshal Sigismund]

I own consoles. And yet, I can't help but despise them on some level. Because in the end, all they do is hinder the potential of gaming as a whole, and split the potential of games every person can play, unless they have enough money to shell thousands every year, and most gamers certainly do not.

Think about it. Wouldn't it just be absolutely incredible?

No PS4.
No Xbox One.
No Wii U.

Of course handhelds (3DS) would still remain because they cater to a completely different audience (mostly).

But imagine EVERY game coming out now just catering to the PC. Not only would all of your favorite games be coming on the same system, games would be optimized to incredible levels because:

1.) No console consideration to crap on the quality of the game.
2.) No ports, just a game made purely for the intent to play it on the PC.

Smash Bros? Scalebound? Bloodborne? All coming and you don't have to worry about spending hundreds of dollars on unnecessary downgrades to your PC.

Furthermore,

1.) Not all gaming PCs cost $2000. I'm sure most of you know this, but you can build a competent gaming PC for $600-700 no sweat.

2.) Steam Boxes. They would alleviate casual console player concerns by creating console "replacements" but it would all be on the same platform. Perhaps instead of Sony, Xbox and Nintendo competing and splitting the game library, it would be Uplay, Origin, and Steam competing, but all the games would be playable on either.

Perhaps with Sony's financial struggles and Microsoft threatening to shut down the Xbox division, it might come one day.

I long for a world so glorious.

[Jtbrig7390]

I own consoles. And yet, I can't help but despise them on some level. Because in the end, all they do is hinder the potential of gaming as a whole, and split the potential of games every person can play, unless they have enough money to shell thousands every year, and most gamers certainly do not.

Think about it. Wouldn't it just be absolutely incredible?

No PS4.
No Xbox One.
No Wii U.

Of course handhelds (3DS) would still remain because they cater to a completely different audience (mostly).

But imagine EVERY game coming out now just catering to the PC. Not only would all of your favorite games be coming on the same system, games would be optimized to incredible levels because:

1.) No console consideration to crap on the quality of the game.
2.) No ports, just a game made purely for the intent to play it on the PC.

Smash Bros? Scalebound? Bloodborne? All coming and you don't have to worry about spending hundreds of dollars on unnecessary downgrades to your PC.

Furthermore,

1.) Not all gaming PCs cost $2000. I'm sure most of you know this, but you can build a competent gaming PC for $600-700 no sweat.

2.) Steam Boxes. They would alleviate casual console player concerns by creating console "replacements" but it would all be on the same platform. Perhaps instead of Sony, Xbox and Nintendo competing and splitting the game library, it would be Uplay, Origin, and Steam competing, but all the games would be playable on either.

Perhaps with Sony's financial struggles and Microsoft threatening to shut down the Xbox division, it might come one day.

I long for a world so glorious.

No a gaming world without consoles is not a gaming world I want to play it. You talk about games being optimized to incredible levels because it would just be on PC and yet ignore all the PC exlcusive titles that run like ass even on decent rigs.

Also to add I like collecting games and Ill always get a hardcopy over a digital because of this. With a digital copy if something was to happen to that company u lose ur games forever. With hardcopy's I can play them anytime I want. Devs will be lazy in a PC only world just as much in a the current and I am not wanting to spend $800 for a gaming PC.

People say games are cheaper on PC then console when in fact they are about event. I can play a day 1 release on console for $20 and thats something you can't do on PC unless you pirate it. The reason I can do this on console is because of the resell factor. For PC you got to wait for a big sell a few months down the road and even then the console version may get a sell that still beats the PC version.

I could keep going on but I won't. ill just say this having only one platform to play games on is bad for everyone. competition breeds progress and having only one platform means no competition and the devs will get lazy and charge more for less because they can.

The day console gaming ends is the day I stop gaming on anything new ill go 100% retro gaming.

Also to add Nintendo has done said if they die there titles go with them and not on another platform. Both Sony and Microsoft would give there left nut to make the money on a first party sell that nintendo dose.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

No, because all the whiny kids who play CoD will come over to PC and terrorize my games. That'd be the real apoclaypse.

[Tock20]

I'm sorry, but PC vs Consoles are also 2 different audiences (mostly). A lot (no numbers, but I imagine the vast majority) who play consoles like it cause they can sit on their couch and just use a controller. Yes, you can do that with a PC, but it isn't always going to work with all games.

Also, when you buy a game, you know it will work for your console. You don't have that luxury with a PC. Not all developers will take the time to make sure that their game will work with all different types of systems that might be out there.

As for point 2, that isn't really all the different than a console now, and would probably lead to exclusives for certain boxes (ie one game for steam box, another for origin box).

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I'll always be a PC Gamer and while I th ink it's the best I certainly wouldn't want Consoles to go away. The industry will suffer as a whole and be weaker. Not even PC games will suddenly be more optimized. It's just something bad going on in the industry aside from the crazy FPS nonsense that gets thrown around. I hate to throw the *Incompetance card* but I'm starting to suspect that is the case.

[Moogie423]

While I agree that consoles are a waste of space in the gaming market, Sony's financial struggles are not coming from their gaming department. The PS4 was already profitable months ago.

Source for those that are no doubt going to be screaming bloody murder without a source: http://www.polygon.com/2014/5/23/574...-sony-ceo-says

We still have at least another 10 years of consoles hindering the gaming industry. Ya know, it wouldn't even be that bad if it weren't for exclusivity deals and lazy developers making bad ports. Though, I'm still sure that some would still say 30fps is enough *cough* Ubisoft *cough* but that's another matter entirely.

[PBitt]

I too favor the PC, but console gaming has it's place. All I want is for PC games to not be minimized in complexity just to be console-friendly so the company can make more money rather than make a really good game for one market or the other.

[Mormolyce]

2.) Steam Boxes. They would alleviate casual console player concerns by creating console "replacements" but it would all be on the same platform. Perhaps instead of Sony, Xbox and Nintendo competing and splitting the game library, it would be Uplay, Origin, and Steam competing, but all the games would be playable on either.

In my dream vision of the future, Steam boxes are so successful and well thought out that PS and XB essentially become specifically designed, branded and modded Steam boxes and all consoles are inter-compatible on a software level and use the same peripheral connectors. No more exclusives. And software is mostly distributed by Steam, Origin and the like.

But that's a tall order.

[Jester Joe]

I still don't understand this mindset of why people think PC is so glorious compared to consoles.

If you're going to compare prices, PS3 has been out for 8 years now and it still has games coming out for it, which sure, it was a ridiculous price at the start, it went down rather quickly. So comparing spending the $400-$500 on the PS3 and knowing it's going to be supported as is for that pretty long timeframe, as to a $700-800 computer that you're going to most likely have to buy a handful of upgrades at some point anyway. It's not like the PC gets a huge advantage as you're making it sound in price. It comes out about even.

Also, that doesn't even come close to touching the mess that would of been trying to make the Wii U type games on the PC. Just...no.

Seriously, it would be awful if consoles were gone.

[Deleted]

Pfff... Haha... Man I would maybe believe this future, if the current trend was that PC exclusive had triple A visuals and good optimization and proper controls, so far that list is very short

[Calfredd]

Pfff... Haha... Man I would maybe believe this future, if the current trend was that PC exclusive had triple A visuals and good optimization and proper controls, so far that list is very short

3 options, pick 2.

[Sj]

Options are good. Competition is better.

[mvaliz]

PC gamers been saying this since the dawn of the 8-bit NES. Your rhetoric is nothing new at all.

It's not going to happen for many MANY reasons, but here's 4 right off the bat.

1) There's jack-squat of a market for PC games in Japan - therefore Sony/Nintendo will at least always make a console.

2) Despite what you may personally believe, gaming devs LOVE consoles as there's only one spec to deal with that's global/universal, as opposed to PCs which have multiple specs and cards to deal with. Game Development is NOT about pushing cutting-edge spec boundaries as the ultimate spec end is a very niche market of people who own such PCs that's not profitable enough to develop for.

3) Consoles are far more "plug-n-play" into a living room TV than a PC. yes, you can hook up a PC to a living room TV... and deal with drivers, links, boot up sequences, driver errors, video card compatability connections, card burnout, ect... Far easier/efficient to just use a console.

4) Uses far less power than a PC/monitor (though I may be wrong on this one... I'm just assuming this one TBH)

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I still don't understand this mindset of why people think PC is so glorious compared to consoles.

If you're going to compare prices, PS3 has been out for 8 years now and it still has games coming out for it, which sure, it was a ridiculous price at the start, it went down rather quickly. So comparing spending the $400-$500 on the PS3 and knowing it's going to be supported as is for that pretty long timeframe, as to a $700-800 computer that you're going to most likely have to buy a handful of upgrades at some point anyway. It's not like the PC gets a huge advantage as you're making it sound in price. It comes out about even.

Also, that doesn't even come close to touching the mess that would of been trying to make the Wii U type games on the PC. Just...no.

Seriously, it would be awful if consoles were gone.

I think it's very very good and great. Glorious only slightly. I don't want consoles to go though. It just means everyone goes to PC.

[Tech614]

Sony and Nintendo are the only 2 major publishers even willing to take a risk and publish a game that is different at this point(MS to a point as well with Sunset Overdrive but that is the first we have seen from them, mostly safe bets otherwise). Neither one would magically start making PC games if their console divisions completely fell out. Those games would disappear forever.

Naughty Dog, Retro, SSM, EAD, Japan Studio would all be gone. Most of the industry would drift to making cell phone games, or generic ass low risk games for the PC, shooter number 756, AC 28, hack and slash game 500. Yea sorry, your future isn't wonderful and thankfully it's not likely to happen either.

[mehow2g]

I went from Consoles to PC played CS at a pro level for 10 years, I bought a PS3 to play games I cannot get on PC I like them however controllers fucking suck, I dont like the lack of control and precision sure I can get better, but it's not fun when I play FPS games and I spot a guy I keep thinking if I had a mouse he would be dead at a fraction of the time, I realize that everyone else has controllers but its so limiting it takes the fun out of the game.

[derpkitteh]

until they start making gaming computers that sell for the same price as consoles, then no, it wouldn't be wonderful. PC gaming is way too fucking expensive, it's just ridiculous.

[Tech614]

I went from Consoles to PC played CS at a pro level for 10 years, I bought a PS3 to play games I cannot get on PC I like them however controllers fucking suck, I dont like the lack of control and precision sure I can get better, but it's not fun when I play FPS games and I spot a guy I keep thinking if I had a mouse he would be dead at a fraction of the time, I realize that everyone else has controllers but its so limiting it takes the fun out of the game.

Mouse/KB fucking sucks at fast paced action games and platformers compared to controllers. Controllers fucking suck at shooters compared to Mouse/KB. Water is wet, sky is blue.

What do all of the above statements have in common? They are captain obvious in glorious action.

[Daedius]

OP speaks about optimisation, against consoles for PC...

/derp


FYI - On a standard setup that all developers know of, optimisation will always be greatest, i.e. - Consoles... it is VERY difficult to optimise PCs simply because of all the numerous different components, software, drivers, etc. etc. etc.

OP knows jack...

[mehow2g]

Mouse/KB fucking sucks at fast paced action games and platformers compared to controllers. Controllers fucking suck at shooters compared to Mouse/KB. Water is wet, sky is blue.

What do all of the above statements have in common? They are captain obvious in glorious action.

I disagree I've played all the genres you have mentioned KB/Mouse is king for me.

I didn't mean to offend you, just my opinion.