What On Earth Is The Future Of Gaming Anyway?
Another new console generation is now upon us with the Xbox Series X and the PS5. You can bet that Nintendo is preparing for their next step in the console wars too. It’s fair to say that both of the latest consoles are going to have some impressive advancements. The Series X is expected to be the most powerful gaming console ever created. The PS5 has been designed to ensure that you can gain the benefits of 3D sound, regardless of what display you are using, although will likely start by ensuring that this works with headphones. Ray tracing is a big buzzword right now due to the impact it’s going to have on the graphics of the games. There’s also a rumor – it’s unconfirmed – that long load terms will be a problem of the past.
While this all sounds rather impressive, it’s worth noting that this is where gaming is right now. We’re just a couple months away from these consoles hitting the market. But it’s interesting to think about where the gaming world will be 1 or even 5 years down the line when the next generation of consoles hits. Let’s explore some of the possibilities by diving into the latest trends on the market.
The End Of The Consoles
Before we explore this possibility, it’s worth noting that the idea of ‘the last console generation’ has been around since the PS3. It seems every year, industry experts and insiders question whether we are going to witness the end of the gaming console. The concept that is usually thrown around is that instead of a new console, there will be a console that is continuously updated with new hard drives and software. That’s an interesting possibility and we do seem to be a step closer to it this year.
The new Xbox, for instance, does have the option of being able to upgrade the hard drive. This is expected to cost a tremendous $200 which rivals the cost of the console itself. That’s just one of the possibilities and you can bet that there will be more expensive options further down the lifeline of the console. For their part, Sony has been adamant that they will not stop making new consoles. Instead, they have suggested that what we could see is a reduction in the years between different console generations. This happened with the Xbox One and the PS4 Pro. Interestingly, there have already been leaks surrounding a PS5 Pro which could be announced as early as next year. It seems then, at least for now, the consoles are here to stay. Despite the fact that they are already years behind some of the latest gaming PCs available on the market.
Goodbye To Disks
Gaming companies were no doubt shocked and slightly dismayed when both console giants announced digital-only versions of the next generation. This means that players do have the option of abandoning discs completely for a far cheaper price. Whether they do this remains to be seen. Experts are already suggesting that the price difference between the digital-only PS5 and the one that provides a disc drive will not be enough to sway buyers. Despite this, both versions of the console are currently sold out. Of course, there is another factor that will undoubtedly make people question whether they want to buy a hard copy of the game. The price of games seems to have risen for the next-gen. They now cost roughly $70 each. It’s unclear how buyers are going to respond to this particular change and whether digital versions of the games will end up being significantly cheaper.
What About Mobile?
The rise in mobile gaming was one of the reasons why people have suggested that we could see the end of gaming consoles. That’s understandable because mobile games are popular. If you look at this augustafreepress.com article you’ll see that they are also quite varied in terms of genre and concept. Mobile platforms are also becoming more advanced and can play a lot of the games that you can access on your console. Fortnite for instance plays roughly the same on an iPhone as it does on a PS4. Although there are certainly questions surrounding how much longer this will be the case.
Mobile games do have extra advantages too with different tech options – specifically AR. For a while, there were rumors swirling that both Sony and Microsoft would commit to creating AR games from their top IPs for mobile platforms. This was due to the massive success of Pokemon Go. However, these rumors never actually came to fruition. Instead, it seems that both brands have abandoned this concept completely and shied away from mobile gaming entirely. Although, that’s not to say that mobile games need the support of the console giants. They do fine with ports and indie titles.
Is VR Still The Future?
Star Wars Squadrons was recently named as the breakthrough game that VR enthusiasts had been waiting for. It’s possible that this is the case however, it’s also fair to say that the level of games available for things like the PS VR is lacking, to say the least. Indeed, there were hopes that there would be a massive boom in VR games over the past couple of years but this hasn’t happened. The VR games that have been released also feel more like tech demos rather than fully-fledged cames. There has been a suggestion that both Microsoft and Sony could support VR more in 2021 but neither tied the tech to the announcements of their new consoles. This has led many to believe that VR could be abandoned soon, similar to 3D gaming.
As you can see, it’s clear that the world of gaming is changing rapidly and heading towards some fascinating developments. It will be interesting to see what the future reveals for gaming over the next couple of years and where the next generation of consoles will take us if they do end up hitting the market.
