Long in the tooth, long in value

Who would have thought it possible?  Seven years and the PS2 is still alive and kicking.  Since the dawn of gaming time, consoles have had a limited lifespan of around three or four years, but things are most definitely changing.  Atlas has recently announced that it's game, Baroque, is being released for both the Wii and the PS2.  This is absolutely great news for all gamers.  Why, you ask?  Simple.  If developers and publishers believe a console is still a viable stream of revenue and with ample experience programming for the system, they will continue to make games for it.  How does this affect current gen systems?  With record breaking sales of consoles and games, and with growing acceptance of gaming in the mainstream entertainment industry, expect to see most of this generations gaming systems still on the shelves with new releases well into 2015 or later.  I say most, because the chances of the current handheld systems being viable that long is pretty slim.  Expect to see another iteration of the next Nintendo handheld in a couple of years.  As far as the PSP is concerned, that may be around, with at least one more major redesign, for another three or four years. 

With the longevity of consoles lasting two to three times what they used to be, what can we expect in the future?  One great thing about the current consoles is the ability to upgrade the firmware.  This gives the manufactures the ability to add functionality that we don't even know we want yet.  The talk is all about in-game XMB for the Playstation now, but in five years it could be something else entirely.  Imagine you are playing the latest life simulation game.  You and your buddies are on the virtual couch, shooting the breeze about that last gen game that you can't live without.  Well, imagine that you have that game on your favorite console's hard drive.  Now wouldn't it be interesting if you could, for example, all gather your virtual avatars around a virtual big screen and play the game you were just talking about on the afore mentioned tv.  Would that be a feature that we want?  Not now, but in five years from now?  Who knows, but that's the type of thing that could be possible with the current generation.

Another big plus for having the same system in developers hands for longer periods of time, is the familiarity a developer has in programming for it.  As has been shown many times by many consoles over the years is that games in later years look many times better than the launch games do.  It's not just looks that improve either.  Gameplay and control improve with the graphics also.  Well, at least they should in the hands of a good developer.  Look at one of the earlier games in the PSone lifecycle, Kileak: The DNA Imperative, and compare it with the likes of Vagrant Story, Gran Tourismo, or a Final Fantasy game.  You will notice the huge differences in looks, and much the much improved gameplay.  As the game engines become more advanced we definitely see improvements in graphics, game physics, and control.  All advancement that hopefully translates into fun.

Lastly, we have a topic near and dear to all gamers hearts. Price. With time, components become smaller, consoles become less expensive to program for, and systems become cheaper. We've seen the past when the newest systems started at around $300 with games priced around $50. They ended up under $100 with games in the $30-$40 price range. The lower prices may also bring in gamers that may not have been able to afford a system priced at $200, but $150 may be in budget. The more consoles in consumers hands the more attractive it is for a developer to make or publisher to release a game for a particular system and the cheaper it is for all of us.

First, we started with Space War and Pong.  Now we have Mass Effect, Uncharted, and the Zelda games.  Where will tomorrow lead?