Outspoken video game developer, David Jaffe, believes that the Nintendo Wii U, Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 will be the last generation of dedicated video game consoles.
The creator behind iconic series such as the God of War franchise as well as the insane vehicular combat series, Twisted Metal, David Jaffe’s opinion is one both blunt and taken seriously in the video game community.
Known to speak his mind, Jaffe has given his opinion on just about everything that has to do with the next generation of consoles. Earlier last year, he pointed out that next-gen consoles needed to be designed not just with better graphics in mind but should be focused on enabling new gameplay experiences.
For him it was less about the hardware itself than what the hardware could allow developers to create and provide gamers with fresh, immersive experiences.
However, even if the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 manage to do that, the God of War creator believes that the next generation of consoles will be the last of their kind.
Commenting on the video game console market, Jaffe said, “It’s a declining market, I think. That doesn’t speak ill to any of them as pieces of hardware – it just speaks about the fact that the industry has changed, the business models have changed and the world has gotten even smaller with smartphones and tablets and the internet, and stuff like Gaikai and streaming.”
Jaffe feels that at the rate Smartphones and tablet PCs are growing, they may very well be the future of gaming as they do provide fresher experiences. The developer also believes that the Nintendo Wii U will find itself competing with Apple on that front.
However, Jaffe does not believe that consoles are a thing of the past just yet and still have some life in them. He speculated, “Look, consoles are going away. I think in 10 years – probably sooner, but 10 years is always the safe thing to say so you don’t sound like an idiot – but here’s what I’ll say: I’ll go on the record and say that the next generation of hardware will be the last consoles.”
Bold claims by one of the most straightforward developers in the business and his thoughts come as no surprise as nearly every developer wants more than just raw power in the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720, instead they want to change the way games are played.
It seems that the video game market is maturing and the console developers need to be aware of that if they want to prolong their existence in the market, however it should not come as a surprise if the PlayStation 5 is an extremely powerful tablet capable of catering to both casual and hardcore gamers as well as being a complete entertainment package.
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