Current Events > Ubisoft believes the next generation will be the last console gen

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://variety.com/2018/gaming/features/death-of-the-console-1202833926/

Some believe that the dedicated game console is an increasing hindrance to the growth of the gaming population and the works created for them. And leading voices in the game industry are starting to acknowledge that in some way too, thanks in part to the sudden rocketing success of full-blown, major game releases on smartphones and tablets and innovations in streaming technology.

Microsoft recently told Variety that gaming is becoming increasingly about having your favorite games available on any device you own. Ubisoft co-founder and CEO Yves Guillemot said he believes game consoles only have one more generation left in them before they fade away to be replaced completely by the ability to stream games to a multitude of platform-agnostic devices.

I think we will see another generation, but there is a good chance that step-by-step we will see less and less hardware, Guillemot said. With time, I think streaming will become more accessible to many players and make it not necessary to have big hardware at home.

There will be one more console generation and then after that, we will be streaming, all of us.

Guillemot told Variety in a recent interview that he believes that the ability to stream AAA games to more screens was one of the biggest innovations coming in the game industry.

It is going to help the AAA game industry grow much faster, he said. We have to work on the accessibility of those games, to make sure they can be played on any device, but the fact that we will be able to stream those games on mobile phones and television screens without a console is going to change a lot of the industry.

A big part of that evolution is the growing use already by game developers of cloud servers, where the heaviest work of a computer is being done by outside servers, not in a persons home or inside their console.

Guillemot believes that as more developers make use of that technology to personalize play for gamers, it will become more accessible to all developers and eventually become ubiquitous enough to do most of the work of a game console.
---

People have been saying this for nearly 10 years now though
---

Please no.

You will lose access to games all the time due to legal nonsense, server downtime, etc.
---

There are already a number of companies experimenting with different technologies that allow a person to play high-end games on basic laptops and other sorts of devices. Nvidias Geforce Now service is currently in a free beta. The graphics chip company said the technology transforms any mac or PC into a high-performance gaming rig.

Valve, which owns the largest online PC gaming store in the world, recently expanded its Link service from streaming a game from a high-end PC to a low-end one in a persons house, to include the ability to stream games to a smartphone.

There are quite a few people that are working on streaming, like Nvidia, Guillemot said. So, we think its a trend and that it will continue to evolve. Eventually, the technology will improve dramatically, which will allow us to have a very smooth experience in the big cities of the world.

While Ubisoft is one of the largest third-party game developers in the world, theyre not a company directly linked to any of the big three platform creators: Nintendo, Microsoft, and PlayStation.

Nintendo for its part doesnt see its consoles going anywhere anytime soon. The company is just a year into the incredible success of the Nintendo Switch a hybrid console that can be played on the go or off of a television. So in some ways, its following the same philosophy of ubiquitous gaming, but on its own platform.

Nintendo Switch is the only platform delivering console-quality games that can be taken anytime, anywhere, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said. The Nintendo Switch just celebrated its first year on the market, and it has much more to offer in terms of unique experiences.

PlayStation declined to comment, but earlier this year PlayStation chief John Kodera noted that the current PlayStation 4, which launched in 2013, is in the final phase of its life, indicating that a next generation of game consoles might be just around the corner. While he also talked about a continued interest in portable gaming, he didnt note what form that new generation might take.

The statements come as PlayStation 4 holds tightly onto a major lead in console sales. The company sold 20 million PS4 in 2016, 19 million last year and expects to sell 16 million this year.

Microsoft, which stopped releasing its Xbox One sales figures in 2016, seems to be evolving the way it looks at gaming.

Microsoft has a long history as a leader in the world of gaming, Phil Spencer, executive vice president of gaming for Microsoft, told Variety. That history starts back in the early days of Windows with titles like Minesweeper and Solitaire, and then advanced with the companys push into consoles with the original Xbox and then its support of online console gaming, streaming and game services. In 2013, Microsoft launched its latest console, the Xbox One.

Our focus right now is asking the question, What can Microsoft do for gaming? instead of simply how to stack up against the competition. Its why we look at expanding the audience with Xbox Adaptive Controller, or how we make sure games can be multi-generational with projects like backward compatibility. I care less that people play Minecraft on an Xbox One, but that people can play Minecraft no matter what console or device they have in front of them.

That notion is about as platform agnostic as a platform holder can get. Spencer notes that gaming is now one of Microsofts six solution areas, as defined last fall by company president Satya Nadella.
---

Ubisoft and Microsoft are just trying to push this games as a service bullshit. They can fuck off. The day you have to pay monthly to play new games is the day I say fuck your to new games and become a retro gamer.
---

Mobile gaming fucking sucks.
---

Doom_Art posted...

People have been saying this for nearly 10 years now though

the tech has gotten a lot closer to being mainstream now, with a few game streaming services from major players already existing instead of it just being a pipe-dream or some niche company trying to make it work

I dont agree that next gen will be the last of "traditional consoles" but its a much more viable proposition now than it was even 2 or 3 years ago
---

SquantoZ posted...

western gaming fucking sucks.

---

Games on PC will always be a thing. As in, proper games that you install and have access to the files
---

Sorry, but I like to have my games on my hardware at home and not streamed from a cloud server or what have you. The moment the company decides to pull the plug, or outright goes belly up, the game will most likely be gone forever.
---

foreveraIone posted...

SquantoZ posted...

western gaming fucking sucks.

So did you forget how much Japan loves mobile gaming?

OmegaShinkai posted...

foreveraIone posted...

SquantoZ posted...

western gaming fucking sucks.

So did you forget how much Japan loves mobile gaming?

Yeah, entire companies have completely transitioned into mobile gaming.
---

Pillowpantz posted...

Ubisoft and Microsoft are just trying to push this games as a service bullshit. They can fuck off. The day you have to pay monthly to play new games is the day I say fuck your to new games and become a retro gamer.

This. It's something that needs to be met with harsh backlash.
---

they've been saying "this is the last console gen" since i think the fucking late 90's. streaming isn't fast or reliable enough to eliminate the need to play games on your own hardware. Christ some areas of my state don't even have broadband.

also why would a fucking graphics card company be pushing this lol
---

lol that's a good one
---

They basically describe an apocalyptic hellscape for gaming consumers.

Games as a service, streaming... What a fucking travesty that'd be. Maybe the industry needs another crash because they need a metaphorical slap across the face at the very least by this point.
---

Asherlee10 posted...

I can't really see consoles going anywhere anytime soon. They are too convenient for your average gamer and that's the bread-and-butter.

the success of fortnite/pubg mobile worries me because it seems like devs are finally starting to bridge that gap between mobile & pc/console, and as we know mobile is where all the REAL whale money is at.

so that worries me that future games might start being developed with mobile in mind and then gaming will suffer as a whole, because everything about smartphone games is awful
---

Why do people get so upset by games as a service? I feel like they extend the lifespans of games a lot
---

pikachupwnage posted...

Please no.

You will lose access to games all the time due to legal nonsense, server downtime, etc.

This, streaming games will be the worst thing to happen to the industry. It's likely we'll see even more games lost forever than we see now.
---

Antifar posted...

Why do people get so upset by games as a service?

You lose control and ownership of games.

Extra hoops to jump through to even be able to play your game since servers can go down and the like, as can your internet.

Always online single player games are cancerous.

Not everyone can get especially fast internet where they live with no signs of that changing any year soon.

Data usage caps plague many people's internet service.

Overall, for a lot of people it would be a huge step down in quality if gaming became a streaming online thing, and some would outright literally be unable to even play games like that period. It's adding unnecessary extra requirements between you and playing the games you want as well as extra vulnerabilities that could stop you from playing.

Let's not forget dedicated shitstains have shutdown PSN for example before for awhile. Imagine if that happening meant you couldn't play video games period for days, that you paid for, or specific games for even longer.
---

Antifar posted...

Why do people get so upset by games as a service? I feel like they extend the lifespans of games a lot

the game basically turns into a platform for additional purchases.

at best you are just paying for additional expansions and stuff like that, but at worst, your game is basically a thinly-veiled digital storefront with a layer of "gameplay" on top. and as we all know, the worst option is the easiest to make and often the most profitable
---

If mobile GPUs continue to advance at their current rate, the diminishing returns gap will be so slim that it'll be hard to justify non-mobile consoles.
---

If this ever happened Nintendo would take over the console market.
---

pikachupwnage posted...

Please no.

You will lose access to games all the time due to legal nonsense, server downtime, etc.

This.

Doubtful.

I don't really pay attention to how much money they make or lose on a console sale so Microsoft and Sony might do anything as far as I know/care, but Nintendo is not leaving the console market anytime soon.
---

I know people who don't have the internet in their household, so this would force them to quit gaming altogether.

Doom_Art posted...

People have been saying this for nearly 10 years now though

---

fan357 posted...

Doom_Art posted...

People have been saying this for nearly 10 years now though

This. And they're always wrong. People like consoles.
---

Antifar posted...

Why do people get so upset by games as a service? I feel like they extend the lifespans of games a lot

You're an Xbox fanboy so of course you'd say that. You're content with a yearly Forza release and whatever trash lands on your console. You'd rather have piece of garbage like Sea of Shit with a "long lifespan" over single player masterpiece like of God of War.
---

halomonkey1_3_5 posted...

Doom_Art posted...

People have been saying this for nearly 10 years now though

the tech has gotten a lot closer to being mainstream now, with a few game streaming services from major players already existing instead of it just being a pipe-dream or some niche company trying to make it work

I dont agree that next gen will be the last of "traditional consoles" but its a much more viable proposition now than it was even 2 or 3 years ago

Companies with vested interest in mobile games and "games as a service" dooming and glooming consoles where games are still physical products.
---

Tmk posted...

Always online single player games are cancerous.

---

Coffeebeanz posted...

If mobile GPUs continue to advance at their current rate, the diminishing returns gap will be so slim that it'll be hard to justify non-mobile consoles.

Dedicated GPU's will always be vastly superior by the very nature of a GPU. Process doesn't matter, efficiency doesn't matter. You can cram more of the magical shit that makes a GPU run and you can clock a regular CPU three to five times higher in a dedicated PC or console.

Plus game consoles can be played offline.
---

Ubisoft should stop spending time thinking such silly thoughts and should spend more time making another Rayman game.
---

Fony posted...

Coffeebeanz posted...

If mobile GPUs continue to advance at their current rate, the diminishing returns gap will be so slim that it'll be hard to justify non-mobile consoles.

Dedicated GPU's will always be vastly superior by the very nature of a GPU. Process doesn't matter, efficiency doesn't matter. You can cram more of the magical shit that makes a GPU run and you can clock a regular CPU three to five times higher in a dedicated PC or console.

Plus game consoles can be played offline.

You know they put full blown GPUs in laptops now, right? Those aren't exactly small but they are portable and the tech keeps getting better.
---

Live services.
---

Master_Bass posted...

Fony posted...

Coffeebeanz posted...

If mobile GPUs continue to advance at their current rate, the diminishing returns gap will be so slim that it'll be hard to justify non-mobile consoles.

Dedicated GPU's will always be vastly superior by the very nature of a GPU. Process doesn't matter, efficiency doesn't matter. You can cram more of the magical shit that makes a GPU run and you can clock a regular CPU three to five times higher in a dedicated PC or console.

Plus game consoles can be played offline.

You know they put full blown GPUs in laptops now, right? Those aren't exactly small but they are portable and the tech keeps getting better.

Most laptops with full GPUs are big and heavy by the new "portable" standard. Especially if it's paired with a high end CPU. Most of them are even marketed as "desktop replacement" now since the battery life is so bad and they're only usable for more than one hour of gaming seated at a table plugged in.

Ultrabook and 2 in 1 is the new laptop standard and virtually 0% have a full fledged GPU inside. Most have low end shit or semi-customs.
---

Fony posted...

Coffeebeanz posted...

If mobile GPUs continue to advance at their current rate, the diminishing returns gap will be so slim that it'll be hard to justify non-mobile consoles.

Dedicated GPU's will always be vastly superior by the very nature of a GPU. Process doesn't matter, efficiency doesn't matter. You can cram more of the magical shit that makes a GPU run and you can clock a regular CPU three to five times higher in a dedicated PC or console.

Plus game consoles can be played offline.

Apparently you missed the part where my whole post was about diminishing returns in GPU power scaling.

Yes you can crank a desktop GPU much higher. The difference in visuals, especially at 1080p, are surprisingly minimal.
---

Coffeebeanz posted...

Fony posted...

Coffeebeanz posted...

If mobile GPUs continue to advance at their current rate, the diminishing returns gap will be so slim that it'll be hard to justify non-mobile consoles.

Dedicated GPU's will always be vastly superior by the very nature of a GPU. Process doesn't matter, efficiency doesn't matter. You can cram more of the magical shit that makes a GPU run and you can clock a regular CPU three to five times higher in a dedicated PC or console.

Plus game consoles can be played offline.

Apparently you missed the part where my whole post was about diminishing returns in GPU power scaling.

You must have missed my point in my first post about how that doesn't matter. Game consoles are the superior gaming experience along with the PC. That won't ever change, this is just smoke blowing by two companies who are steadily falling behind while pushing their own mobile platforms. The next logical step for Microsoft is to bow out of the console space. They already have a games as service platform and they have already destroyed to notion of Xbox exclusive games in favor of "Microsoft exclusive" so there's no reason to even buy one besides being a straight up fanboy. they're on the way out and they know it. Ubisoft is continual flopping out with missed profit margins due to their bad reputation and chasing Activision's ass for twenty years...and also putting their eggs in the mobile platform basket.

Don't read too much into it, and don't make an ass of yourself trying to explain it.
---

with already close to 1000 digital games on steam, i couldn't give a rat's ass about "proper" ownership.

people are screaming now but once it's rolled out properly, it'll probably be like netflix/amazon prime/hulu for games and the whiners left will become the loud minority like nolan and how his movies should be "properly" experienced in theatres etc.
---

*ignores the several valid points brought up for why turning gaming to an online streaming only thing is bad*

"lel loud whiners"
---

Well they're completely off based on this. Just like people are with the whole cable dying. Cable has more subscribers now that 20 years ago. The streaming numbers for live TV are not nearly as good as some people make them out to be.

I think they're over estimating streaming. It's one thing to watch a movie streaming. But playing it is different.
---

DifferentialEquation posted...

Antifar posted...

Why do people get so upset by games as a service? I feel like they extend the lifespans of games a lot

You're an Xbox fanboy so of course you'd say that. You're content with a yearly Forza release and whatever trash lands on your console. You'd rather have piece of garbage like Sea of Shit with a "long lifespan" over single player masterpiece like of God of War.

lol get a grip
---

Tmk posted...

*ignores the several valid points brought up for why turning gaming to an online streaming only thing is bad*

name one point ITT that isn't pure conjecture or holds no ground based on existing trend.
---

So eventually we'll have to have a monthly subscription to companies like EA, Microsoft, Activision, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Sony, etc just to play games?
---

imagine "buying" a single player game for $60 and all the dlc for another $60 and then losing access to it in two years because the servers get shut off
---