PS3 Game developer: next round of home consoles will be the last

The home game console industry has changed drastically over the past three decades. What began as harmless hobbyist escapism eventually bloomed into a multi-billion dollar industry. Where joysticks and pixels formerly sufficed, now motion controllers and innumerable polygons rendered in high-definition are the norm. And every five or six years the manufacturers behind it all release new systems that trump their predecessors.

However, David Jaffe, creator of the hit PlayStation franchise "God of War" and current head of game studio "Eat Sleep Play," offered some interesting thoughts on where he sees the industry following the next round of console releases.

ADVERTISEMENT

Speaking to video game site IGN, Jaffe sounded off on what he imagines will be the final cycle of traditional video game consoles produced from companies like Sony and Microsoft.

"I think there will be another console cycle. I think there will be really big f***ing games for it," the famously salty developer told the site. "I'm just guessing, but I think the next generation of consoles will be the last of that current form of console, where you go to a store and buy your $60 games."

ADVERTISEMENT

Jaffe is alluding to the increasingly popular habit of downloading titles straight to a gaming platform - be it the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii. On all three consoles users can download complete titles, though on Wii the feature is more limited due to its meager internal memory and reliance on SD cards.

However, he won't commit to just who (or what) would take the place of traditional consoles if they do go the way of the dodo.

"I'm not saying OnLive or Gaikai are the companies. I'm not saying it's Steam," he ruminated. "I don't know how you get it, but I don't think you get it as an exclusive disc that goes to a certain piece of hardware. Maybe Sony launches their kind of Cloud-based Onlive system, and maybe in that system you've got some exclusive, big games."

ADVERTISEMENT

Cloud-based gaming has yet to catch on with mainstream consumers. OnLive, a service which streams video games and offers flexible payment options across different platforms, is arguably the most competent effort released so far - though criticism against the product is fair. If an online-only service is to replace a gaming platform, there can be no limitation in the products offered; it must meet (or exceed) the quantity expected from a traditional gaming system even if it isn't.

You can read the full interview with David Jaffe here. (Via IGN)

No posts to display