Do Smart TVs Herald the End of Consoles?

[BRIK]

I'd much rather have a single standard platform.

At least then technical development wouldn't be held back on multi release games because of one console being older than the other.

[AppleQueso]

I'd much rather have a single standard platform.

At least then technical development wouldn't be held back on multi release games because of one console being older than the other.

Assuming that a single platform would be handled the way DVD players and whatnot are with different manufacturers putting out their own model, I'd imagine that technical development would instead be held back by the lowest common denominator.

[fastbilly1]

I can see it happening. A smart TV that syncs with your phone when you walk in or a single account that controls all - so I am playing some game on my phone at work and when I get home my save is transferred to my TV. And like it was said, Onlive has shown that you can play PC games on your iPad:


This is technically doable now, but cloud computing needs to mature more for it to happen on a grand scale (that and DOCSIS 3 penetration needs to keep going). I dont think it will happen for another 10 years, but I can really see most of gaming moving to smart TVs. I fully believe that the 3ds is the last of the dedicated handhelds.

Sadly this will hurt people that are on Satellite or Dialup internet connections, but then again, 4g LTE is starting to cover everywhere in the US. Even my girlfriend's parents farm, in middle of no where south Tennessee I can get a bar of 3g if I hold it over my head in their barn - last year I did not.

[ATARI800XLfan]

I hope consoles disappear. Proprietary stripped down computers with fancy marketing names, what's the point? I'd much rather have a single standard platform.

That won't happen for a whole slew of reasons.

For starters without competition the single console manufactures can charge what ever the hell they want and people will have to pay it, second it has been proven that without competition technical advance's actually slowdown not speed up. Plus many other reason's why that is a bad idea.

[AmishSamurai]

I hope consoles disappear. Proprietary stripped down computers with fancy marketing names, what's the point? I'd much rather have a single standard platform.

That won't happen for a whole slew of reasons.

For starters without competition the single console manufactures can charge what ever the hell they want and people will have to pay it, second it has been proven that without competition technical advance's actually slowdown not speed up. Plus many other reason's why that is a bad idea.

While I agree that if one company controlled the hardware this would be bad, if the competition was from the software side, and the hardware was also being developed by several companies, a smartTV platform could work.

Look at the PC market right now. For digital distribution, you have several major platforms- Steam, GOG, Direct2Drive, Desura, and Origin. Now imagine that next generation, Sony and Microsoft both said that PSN and Xbox Live will be compatible with smart TVs, and the only investment required would be buying a controller. This would enable competitive pricing.

Additionally, the switch to smart TVs wouldn't mean the end of physical media. if a smartTV had a slot for an SD card, companies could sell those with the game files, and have said gamefiles be in a format only their particular client can read (.psn or .xbl or something like that).

However, I don't see an immediate jump to console-less gaming, for reasons fastbilly stated. Once the majority of North America and Europe are off of dialup, then maybe.

[lisalover1]

I'd much rather have a single standard platform.

At least then technical development wouldn't be held back on multi release games because of one console being older than the other.

Assuming that a single platform would be handled the way DVD players and whatnot are with different manufacturers putting out their own model, I'd imagine that technical development would instead be held back by the lowest common denominator.

I feel like a broken record saying this, but with the advent of game streaming, local hardware will become a non-issue for Smart TVs playing games. Do you really think that TV manufacturers are going to start adding big hard drives to TVs just for gaming purposes, when essentially all content used on Smart TVs today is streamed, or just in the form of small apps? What the real issue will be is finding a common ground Operating System, or at least a select few of them.

[Jamisonia]

I hope consoles disappear. Proprietary stripped down computers with fancy marketing names, what's the point? I'd much rather have a single standard platform.

They tried that. See Panasonic 3DO. It was a disaster, although you could argue the idea of licensing the console wasn't the downfall. One huge issue you would have due to the nature of a video game is compatibility issues. All consoles would essentially have to be upgradeable like PCs for this idea to work.

[GameMasterGuy]

Who

in

their

right

mind

would

make

an

add-on

for

their

console?

[BurningDoom]

What is that Dreamcast add-on?

[GameMasterGuy]

Karaoke add-on, Japan exclusive and requires a connection to the now defunct website that was used to stream music from.