I don’t know anyone who’s actually excited about Sony’s recent “Playstation 4” announcement, or as it’s rumored to be called, the Orbis. It’s not that it won’t be a successful item from a financial perspective (units will move off the shelf), rather, the clock is ticking on the viability of the video game console. In a few years time, your Xbox 360 is going to go the way of the VCR: some people still use them, but VHS tapes are so out of touch with today’s technology that it’s nearly anathema to wireless 21st century living.
Sony is betting that social media has a greater reach and depth than just Facebook, Google + and Twitter, that people are really going to want to engage on a “World of Warcraft” scale (or approach), where sharing and communicating is part of the gaming experience. However, as intriguing and popular an idea as Xbox Live! and other features, gaming is a solitary affair. And when it’s not, your opponent is usually sitting across from you, not across the world with a headset on.
Fact: Not everyone wants to share.
Another fact: some people actually like their privacy.
And this new unit seems to be throwing your gaming life in front of the social media world. But this isn’t all bad. The smart TV approach to gaming consoles has yielded favorable results, so that in addition to playing “Halo,” you can also check out the latest TV episodes on Hulu Plus, Netflix, and there’s even a music streaming service available. Fair enough, but is it really enough?
Back when the game console was the only game in town, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo could feel secure in knowing they had a type of job security that really wasn’t budging.
But the clock is running out as game enthusiasts supplement their experiences on their tablets and other mobile devices. And, with more services moving online, and the physical game going digital just like music (downloading straight to your console without walking into a store), this may be the twilight of the video game console as we currently know it. Microsoft will soon announce its own next-gen Xbox, and as we’ve seen, the fate of Nintendo’s Wii U seems all but written.
I love my game consoles (an Xbox 360 and Playstation 2), but I’d bet that the future of hardcore gaming is going to be tucked in my pocket, or perhaps filtered through Google Glass, a virtual experience that travels with you, not idly at home waiting to be fired up.
VIRTUAL Feedback: Why game consoles are soon to be a relic of the past
