Topic: What is the future of gaming?

@kyleforrester87 I never buy digital (where possible) and that goes for everything. I don't buy movies at all - well not for years -although I may invest in 1-2 unless TV broadcasters start offering 4k HDR. Until then, Bluray is the only way I can view movies in this format as I refuse to add Netflix/Amazon to my already high TV/entertainment costs. I stopped buying movies when I got Sky 20+yrs ago. I threw away all my VHS movies (along with boxes of cassettes, old games etc) when I moved to a smaller house 5yrs ago. I kept a few DVD's - mostly the box sets - but they are still in the boxes I packed them into move. I don't miss them - not with a Sky Movie package - not that I ever buy from Sky Store or use box office.

I still buy and listen to CD's. I did prefer the size of Vinyls and loved looking at the artwork - CD's have lost this and their size doesn't help but I still enjoy looking at the enclosed booklet. I still have a few special vinyls - like cut to shape picture discs, box sets, etc even though my record deck packed up years ago and I never replaced it.

Quality, CD's and Blurays, is better than streamed too. Maybe not by much if our equipment isn't that special. If you only listen to music on your mobile phone through headphones or don't have a massive TV and Dolby Atmos home theatre system - maybe that doesn't matter

I do consider myself a bit of a 'collector' and tend to buy collectors editions of games and CD's. I buy certain collectors versions of games, ones I am really excited by not those that I have 'moderate' interest in. I much prefer books too, the feel and smell of them. There is something special about opening up a CD, game, book etc for the first time too. Too me, these things can't be replaced by digital and I feel 'digital' feels more 'disposable' too

@BAMozzy Fair enough, there will always be people like you and I'm similar in some ways. Still, there is a shift away from this mentality and I think in 50-75 years the majority of people will have moved on from this concept.

@kyleforrester87 Maybe, but by that time I don't expect to be alive let alone gaming.

Who knows what may happen in 50yrs time - maybe no-one will be gaming anymore after some apocalyptic event. Maybe a new breakthrough in technology changes how we game, how the hardware and software work etc - maybe they will need a physical format because the assets etc are far to big, complex etc to stream at the resolution/frame rates or maybe not as all that is handled 'in the cloud' (a 'virtual' console) and you only get the 'picture' sent but its virtually instantaneous - no worse than current input lag. Maybe there won't be a physical console anymore, you have a subscription (like PS+ and 'PSNow', Gold & Game Pass ) and access to all games from Sony, MS, Nintendo like switching between Amazon and Netflix on your TV - a universal way to access with no variation in performance as ALL games run on universal servers owned by the publishers/developers. You just sign up to EA, Activision, Sony etc and play the games from their servers at the same level as everyone else would - no PS4 vs PS4 Pro differences, no Xbox vs PS vs PC differences. Developers won't need to port games to different hardware specs, controllers (if we still use them) are universal too - you could use your Xbox or PS layout - which ever you prefer. Maybe you just connect your 'brain' and are transported into games and literally 'think' your movements in some really advanced VR type situation.

Point is, we really don't know. I bet in the 60's, people couldn't have foreseen where we are now from a technological perspective. Mobile phones more powerful than the technology that put man on the moon. I know somethings were hinted at in Science Fiction but it was just fiction and inspired inventors to make some of that reality. Most of these thought we would have overcome gravity with flying (or at least hovering) cars, have robots in our houses doing all the housework etc. I can't remember seeing any 60's (or earlier) SciFi that even considered 'gaming' as a way we would spend our leisure time - not in this sense at least - not saying there isn't any but I can't recall any at the moment.

@BAMozzy Yeah sure, I expect we won't be alive to see it but that won't stop the progression.. lol.

Agreed, we don't really know. Hence my thoughts are based on looking to the past to predict the future. The worlds becoming more connected and it's bigger than just the video game industry. I'm not one for fantastic concepts such as flying cars and jetpacks. I don't believe VR gaming is the future either. But based on what we're actually seeing today, streaming from more centralised networks appears to be the future for many industries.

I was thinking about the first MP3 player I got in 1998 - you could only fit 4 songs on the memory card and it took several hours to get each one from Napster. Now I can sync an entire album on Spotify to offline mode in less than 10 seconds on my iphone to listen to on the underground.

I would expect network speeds to get so good that you're actually able to download faster than you're playing, meaning the experience won't be disrupted by the network dropping out.

To be honest I am now mostly worried about a future where we have to share a world with corrupted machine robot things. My daily commute is bad enough without blooming Glinthawk attacks.

@kyleforrester87 Sony have the best IPs, you need a PS to play them on. That's my assumption that will always be the case. I did mention in an earlier post that streaming will be the future, Sony will be a reluctant but proactive advocate for online only stuff, simply because they are hardware specialists just like Nintendo. It's inevitable as long as the pace of tech keeps up. However you will always need a pad or input device so why not sell the system with that? That's my thinking anyway, we always talk about selling at a loss etc, but in reality how much does it cost to mass produce bits of heated sand and tiny pieces of metal cobbled together in an oil based shell? Not as much as we are led to believe.

@themcnoisy Sure Sony have the best IPs.. Sega did in the early 90's too. They can't invest in them if they aren't profitable as a company though. Of course I also agree Sony will be reluctant to be proactive in providing online only stuff, same reason oil companies aren't supporting electric cars as much as they could (Why don't we have sockets on every forecourt in the UK?) As I mentioned though I think this is bigger than the gaming industry alone and they won't be able to fight it indefinitely unless they want to end up like Blockbusters.

I was thinking about the essential piece of hardware - the controller. I would see that as something that could be picked up for a fixed cost along with a 12 month PS Now subscription which allows you to sync the controller to any screen.

Quote: That's my thinking anyway, we always talk about selling at a loss etc, but in reality how much does it cost to mass produce bits of heated sand and tiny pieces of metal cobbled together in an oil based shell? Not as much as we are led to believe.

/

Whatever the cost, I reckon it's always going to be cheaper for Sony to maintain big ugly servers in a warehouse that they can upgrade with standard components than it is for them to design an aesthetically pleasing piece of hardware, manufacture it and ship it around the world every 5-10 years.

@Rudy_Manchego riding a Broadhead to work could be fun though

@kyleforrester87 'Whatever the cost, I reckon it's always going to be cheaper for Sony to maintain big ugly servers in a warehouse that they can upgrade with standard components than it is for them to design an aesthetically pleasing piece of hardware, manufacture it and ship it around the world every 5-10 years.'

On the face of it yes, but Sonys strength is its retail and industrial relations. Anyone with enough computer literacy can set up a database full of files and a server which would be a humongous issue without its own usp. Where as it takes a behemoth to research, develop, Mass produce, market and sell hardware in quantity. Sony won't give that up it could be catastrophic for the future of the company. What if it backfires? They would be left without the infrastructure to bring the market electronics. Im talking the near future here whatever happens in x amount of years is anyone's guess. I envisage digital downloads to outsell retail regularly within 2-3 years anyway, but I can't see Sony not selling hardware, In fact I see them selling more!

@themcnoisy You're right, it doesn't take a great deal of computer literacy to start up such a competitor - the thing thats stopping it from happening is the network infrastructure isn't there. As and when it is it will be a lot easier for startups, the equivalent of Spotify and Netflix, perhaps supported by specific publishers, to pop up and start undercutting the big boys. Sony won't be able to rely on hardware even if it wants to - it'll be a case of adapt or go under.

Just to confirm, you're talking near future, I'm talking... farer future. Honestly it feels harder to predict what'll happen in between lol. But I agree i do not see hardware or physical games going anywhere anytime soon.

@roe I was going to make some joke about my wife there but I considered myself above it!

@KratosMD I think I was going for the Broad/riding angle but the joke was lame and if she read it, I'd be walking like a Longleg (for Horizon fans).