All Channels
Popular
130°

Pachter: ”Every Console Generation Going Forward Will Be Half as Big as the One Before It”

Every new console generation will become smaller and smaller according to gaming research analyst Michael Pachter.

Read Full Story >>
wccftech.com
XiNatsuDragnel3357d ago

Oh boy should I use my fire magic knowing whats he is saying about that anti consumer.

Liqu1d3357d ago

"the public will be moving away from dedicated consoles toward cheaper and more powerful alternatives."

Such as?

"So Sony is going to lose market dominance when you can play Call of Duty without a console, and that's gonna happen in 2019 or 2020."

You don't need a console to play CoD, it's on PC as well. Or is he talking about streaming? If he is then he's wrong as usual. Game streaming will an option, but the vast majority of people will still prefer dedicated hardware like consoles and PC since game streaming is nowhere near good enough to replace it, that won't change by 2020.

"So in the next two to three years, you're gonna have the opportunity to download to your PC and play on your TV."

We've been able to do this for years yet consoles still do well.

"And in the next 10 years you're gonna download to your phone and play on your TV."

We already can but mobile gaming is inferior to console and PC gaming and it will remain that way in the next 10 years. Mobiles are not built for gaming primarily, they're only good for casual games that you play on the toilet.

"Every console generation going forward will be half as big as the one before it."

What does that even mean? Less sales, smaller hardware improvements? "Analysts" have been claiming consoles will die for years and it still hasn't happened.

uth113356d ago

Everything is going to kill consoles according to Pachter. In fact he said last gen would be the last console generation ever!

The truth is, consoles occupy a sweet spot that other devices can't compete with. Streaming has latency problems. Gamers who are always demanding 60fps for responsiveness aren't going to put up with unnecessary latency.

Mobile devices and small set-top boxes lack cooling options. That means their power is going to be limited compared to what a console can accomplish with cooling. Besides a micro console is still a console!

If PCs haven't replaced consoles by now, they never will. People choose consoles over PC for price and convenience.

As for shorter generations, it's not really practical given that it takes years to produce AAA games. They aren't like mobile games that are produced within months.

rainslacker3355d ago (Edited 3355d ago )

Eh, he said mobile would kill consoles as well. In fact, this was supposed to be the last console gen....until it became the fastest selling console gen ever. Talking across the board, not just for one console.

I think he missed the part though where Sony has been moving away from the idea of built in services....because there was no adoption. I don't see how anyone else is going to pick that up. Google is the most likely candidate, but as of right now, MS and Nintendo don't even have that infrastructure to start downloading their wares to other more ubiquitous devices.

To put it in perspective, every generation being half as big means that within two generations, the console market can't sustain itself because there won't be enough users to sell software. Half and half again comes up short really fast. Imagine 140 million for this gen....that means 70 for next gen, then 35 for the gen after that. What company is going to produce a console where that is all they can expect to sell.....and that's assuming they capture 100% of the market.

Patcher makes the dumbest predictions. This prediction in general can't even be supported with the current trending data, nor can it be correlated to data that exists for technology that already exists. All he does is says it will be by asserting what does exist will somehow become popular....when it's failed to do that up to this point, because there is no reason for the console makers to support these initiatives, because it's against their own self interest. It also presumes that the console makers won't keep giving people reasons to actually buy their products, or that there is some backing for these other technologies that actually makes them have more broad appeal.

In the case of TV's, yeah....we aren't going to see TV's install the latest gaming hardware to jack up their price, just so they can hopefully capture sales from the console market. There is no reason for them to, because that's not where these TV makers make their money.

ApocalypseShadow3357d ago

Sometimes I believe Pachter is more a market manipulator than an analyst.

If he says certain things in the gaming industry either through print, podcast or video show, if the market believes him and moves in that direction, his investors who he works for makes money. He's correct sometimes as anyone can be right if they put their mind to it. But the more he talks, the more it seems it's to effect the market.

PCs will definitely be around in some form as its main purpose is productivity. Mobile will be around as consumers are used to have a mini PC on the go that does more than just telecommunications. But it's main use is communication.

Consoles will still be around as there is a market for those who aren't interested in PC or mobile and just want to plug and play with a product that mainly specializes in gaming first. As long as GAMERS want a dedicated system that plays GAMES, consoles aren't going anywhere. It will just evolve just like PC and mobile did.

Best bet is that all three will become more connected. PCs do more than how they started out. Mobile does more than how it started. Consoles now do more than how they started. If anything, they'll just become more connected. Microsoft is connecting their hardware and software to each other. And Sony is doing streaming services to PC and allowing you to connect your console to your phone, PC or tablet for being a server, gaming second screen or software.

Consoles will still be around. Pachter is a market manipulator. Just does it legally

Dragonscale3356d ago (Edited 3356d ago )

Another 'consoles are dooomed' article. Lol. Current PS4 and Switch sales beg to differ. Typical pachter as usual.

Show all comments (16)
60°

Take-Two CEO Once Again Side Steps Grand Theft Auto 6 Price Point

Strauss Zelnick says price of GTA 6 is being carefully considered and that Rockstar is focused on "making the most spectacular piece of entertainment on Earth."

Kuma67d ago

If GTA 6 abandons everything that made GTA 5 great, it will crash and burn right out of the gate. GTA 5 was funny and not at all PC. My worry is that they will cave to the PC crowd and ruin the vibes.

Eonjay67d ago

They got freaking BBLs twerking on the top of trucks for the gram, the freaking Flordia joker, and dude running down the stree in their undies and you are worried about it being 'too PC'? The internet has runied gamers. It doesn't matter how non-PC they make the game, you will all listen to the grifters telling you not to believe your lying eyes lol.

gigoran867d ago

"Rockstar Games’ co-founder and former VP of Development Jamie King said he envisions GTA 6 as a game that’s “maybe not quite as edgy or quite as funny” as its satirical predecessors."

oh yeah, totally internet grifters spreading rumors...

blacktiger67d ago

That's part of the plan, they destroyed you but they need to destroy the shareholders? Only 1 shre holder is the true elite that don't care

1nsomniac67d ago (Edited 67d ago )

Meh.., if it’s above £55 I ain’t buying it.

Rockstar are genuinely not half the company they used to be. I was a die hard GTA fan I’ve purchased every game and expansion and spin off day 1.

My opinion of GTA6 is that I can take it or leave it. Not bothered. They burnt too many bridges.

DaReapa67d ago (Edited 67d ago )

So they're actually leaving the door open for an L.A. Noire sequel? Nice!

VaNdAl67d ago (Edited 67d ago )

He should just come out and say it already it's getting stupid it's going to be a 100 bucks $200 for the special edition🤡🤡; 29315;🤣♿

Storm2367d ago

I won't be getting this game until I can get it for $70. SHoot, I could wait for it to be even lower. I don't need the game that badly as my backlog is still huge and I am enjoying playing other things.

Show all comments (13)
40°

Talking Aliens: The Video Games With Author Mike Diver

Skewed and Reviewed have posted an interview with Author Mike Diver about his pending book on Aliens video games.

70°

Xbox boss: Memory crisis could impact next-gen hardware pricing

Xbox boss Asha Sharma has discussed how component shortages will impact the company's plans for Project Helix.

Read Full Story >>
gamedeveloper.com
Eonjay69d ago

When does this end? Its killing everyone. Consoles and PC. And for what? AI? The benefits of AI are completely outweighed by the negatives. And the government should have never allowed one company to buy up all the RAM.

Lexreborn269d ago

This kind of proves this is an after thought product, most products like this are in r&d 5 years before they start mass producing. So they typically have the cost of components and things worked out long before assembly starts.

This is an assumption still, but I wouldn’t be surprised if project helix is similar to Scalebound,perfect dark and sod3. They had an idea but no actual execution other than concept stage. Being impacted by the ram shortage likely would also put this device 3-4 years out.

I’m not even sure MS has that endurance with Xbox yet

Fishy Fingers69d ago (Edited 69d ago )

I mean.... what?

We're at a point that Samsung wont even provide their own phone department ram because they can sell it at higher prices to 3rd parties (AI). Its more profitable to sell the ram than make their own devices with it.

You think because R&D starts 5 years ago the 3rd party component manufacturers will honour that price? They'll sell it to whomever is paying the most today, not some gentlemens agreement they made years ago. AI farms will buy more volume at higher prices than any console manufacturer will. It'll be the same for Playstation.

Lexreborn269d ago

Contractual agreements are not the same as “gentlemen” agreements. If you think that they work with their distributors a month before production then their entire business model is trash. They work with companies like nvidia constantly for building the graphics cards they need. They work with companies that build motherboards years in advance. This is what proper business planning does.

They are not buying components on a whim like a consumer. So again, considering the ram isn’t a singular module and is integrated into the motherboard I highly doubt they wouldn’t have a final schematic that they are supposed to be building around.

If they are delaying production another 3 years then it’s obvious again this is an after though project and is just trying to be responsive to their bad execution they had the last 14 years.

It also isn’t far fetched to use their failure to produce first party titles the last 7 years including the highly anticipated games I mentioned all being cancelled. That they would continue to you know… lie

Sitdown69d ago

You don't really know how this works huh?

Profchaos69d ago (Edited 69d ago )

Helix is going to be stupidly expensive

Instead of leaning into smarter upscaling techniques they're brute forcing hardware that will cost them dearly and it remains to be seen if it's genuinely going to provide a meaningful differential

I know in the oc.doace people like to brag about not using frame gen or dlss to get to high on a game but for the majority of players they happily use those technologies without a second thought

That's going to be ps6 vs Helix

Eonjay69d ago

Yeah with FSR 5 they should be able to offer a much cheaper version of Helix.

Eonjay69d ago

While this does seem to be the case, I am encouraged by the statement from Microsoft about wanting to provide affordable options. If this means a Series S style Helix, at least there will be something affordable being offered.

XBManiac68d ago

Series S is what has killed Xbox Series so... Will they dare?

blacktiger69d ago

It's called systematic inflationary. Yes we get it Microsoft, keep raising in the name ofall kinds of stuffs

pwnmaster300069d ago

Honestly if there was thing I learned from this generation is that new consoles arnt day one anymore.
I can wait 1-3 years.

DarXyde69d ago

Another important lesson from this generation: while Nintendo showed us that prices don't necessarily need to ever drop, we've now learned that waiting 1-3 years does carry some risk that prices increase. This generation is just bizarre in all the wrong ways.

LucasRuinedChildhood69d ago (Edited 69d ago )

The factors are largely external. Covid and Russia-Ukraine war causing inflation led to the first price increase in 2022.

Then we get Trump's tariffs increasing hardware prices, AI boom causing a RAM crisis, war on Iran causing a worldwide fuel crisis which impacts the cost of everything.

Gaming doesn't exist in a vacuum. The last few years have been a shitshow and lot of it was definitely avoidable.

DarXyde68d ago

LucasRuinedChildhood,

For sure. No disagreement on the external factors doing a lot of this. Where I have to gently push back however is on two fronts:

1. The pandemic definitely caused some issues: asynchronous development was a big issue and really complicated timelines and affected game quality. At the same time, when it comes to price hikes, it's really difficult to know what was genuine necessity and what was taking consumers for a ride. The pandemic brought about "stag-flation" which was increasing prices and stagnant wages, which was a problem caused by supply chain constraints. There was also "Greed-flation", where companies that were slightly affected or had no issues took advantage of the situation and squeezed everyone citing supply chain issues when there were none.

2. It's definitely true that the tariffs, AI boom, and RAM crisis were all things enabled by tech broligarchs throwing money at this caricature of a world leader, one of them being Satya Nadella. I don't think Sony and Nintendo have contributed much to this problem if at all, but Microsoft's Nadella I feel was instrumental in causing every one of those issues. Microsoft as a company contributed to both candidates (though they gave Harris 4x as much if I recall), but Nadella was all in on letting AI run wild. He paid for unregulated AI, and got a war that's not a war (even though Trump called it that at least five times on television) that screwed up helium access. So for me, I feel that one of the players in the gaming industry is a key architect of these issues, and for that reason I struggle a bit to think of it as "external".

Show all comments (28)