Will we actually still have physical game systems in 2013?

[Anthony1]

Think about this......


10 Years from today, will be October 23, 2013. Do you think we will even have physical games systems then? What I mean by physical game systems, is an actual game console sitting in front of our TV's, that we actually put game discs into. Personally, I don't think so. I think the XBOX 2, PS3 and GameCube 2 will be the final physical pieces of hardware that we will see. Other then Set top boxes from the cable and satellite companies that have chipsets from Microsoft and Sony and Nintendo imbeded in them. And Hard Drives in these set top boxes. That is the way I think we will be playing our games. Comcast might sign a deal with Microsoft to have XBOX 3 hardware, built into their latest cable box, that features a 200 gig hard drive. Cox might have a deal with Sony, to have PS4 hardware built into their cable box. Direct TV, might have all 3 chipsets built into their box. Maybe Dish Network would sign a deal with Nintendo. They would all have broadband access and huge hard drives built into the cable or satellite box, with the special hardware in there to download games from Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo's servers.

Will Electronics Boutique exist in 10 years?

[Retsudo]

I'll tell you 10 years from now LOL

[Charlesaway]

I certainly hope we have actual hardware consoles in 2013! I don't think I can get used to the idea of renting/owning only 'content'. I like my game cases, and my game manuals, and my disks/carts.

I think they will still exist. It's just like the rumor of the paperless office since the late 70's. Has it materialized? Not really. At least not at my work.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

In the future, games will be beamed directly into our brains.

And only Wesley Crusher will be able to save us before we're all taken over by some mildly hot redhead trying to hijack the Enterprise. (http://www.thelogbook.com/log/tnglog5.html#tng105)

Gee, thanks, Ensign Crusher. LOL

Seriously, I fear for the probable phasing-in of "rented" content too, whether it's video games, DVDs, music, or what have you. I like to hold the shiny round thing in my hands that contains these multimedia wonders, and know that it's mine to play whenever I like.

[Kevin Listwan]

The Phantom is the future, but it has come to soon. Physical games "CD" are not as economical as just downloding a game. The music and movie industries are/will be going this way as well.

[Sotenga]

I like things as they are now. The future had not better be drastically altered when I grow up. I still need to go to a Rush concert, and I don't want any of their members dying! But that's beside the point. I think VG systems where you input a disc or a cart will still be around, and I don't see why they wouldn't be. People grew up on these things, and if they change too much, a bloody riot would occur. Well, let's not go that far, but there will be many complaints here and there. So yes, actual consoles will still exist in the year 2013. I can't say the same for the year 2112, but it's all up to the Federation and the priests of the Temples of Syrinx to dictate our entertainment. Of course, humans will have left the planet long ago, us elder race would still learn and grow! :D

[Flack]

Slightly off topic, but recently I had to go down to the cable store to get a box so I could rent a PPV boxing match. Even though they KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE, there's still a deposit, two forms of ID, and a monthly charge for renting THEIR box to get THEIR service. I can't imagine what security would be like if that thing had a PS4 in it as well.

I think there will always be consoles. So what if Sony makes a deal with the cable company to broadcast games into your system? You think Nintendo will up and quit? I doubt it. My guess it, they'll still be selling you games on CD.

[punkoffgirl]

I certainly hope we have actual hardware consoles in 2013! I don't think I can get used to the idea of renting/owning only 'content'. I like my game cases, and my game manuals, and my disks/carts.

I think they will still exist. It's just like the rumor of the paperless office since the late 70's. Has it materialized? Not really. At least not at my work.

I agree. I'd hate to see everything be "cable access only", and I'm not sure if it would work very well. At least now if your cable/satellite/etc goes out, you can still play your games.

[Duncan]

Here's three ugly compound words for you to ponder:

PlayCable (for Intellivision)
GameLink (for Atari 2600)
SegaNet (for Genesis)

Wave of the future, of course. If so, how come I'm still buying my games the old-fashioned way? ;)

Duncan :D

[jonjandran]

It would take a drastic change in broadband to accomplish this.
As of now the latest technology just keeps up with the size of the downloadable data.
Remember the 2400 baud modems. They worked just fine for the size of the files at that time.
DSL - Cable Modem work alright for the games and movies right now if the connection on both sides are perfect.
We need a HUGE technological leap though for it to be convient enough for the consumer to use. We want it now . Streaming works all right but it's still not fast enough.

[Ed Oscuro]

Yes, ten years from now I'll still have my game systems :)

[Dr. Morbis]

Have you guys already forgotten about DiVX? I think this scenario has already played itself out. Regardless of technological advances, people like to own a physical copy of what they are paying for. Technologically speaking, Blockbuster video stores, cd stores and the like shouldn't even be around anymore. It's like the picture phone: sure the technology is more advanced, but do you really want to have to comb your hair or put on make-up in order to have a 2 minute conversation? Better technology is not always 'better'.

[Anthony1]

Guys, this is a serious topic. You really need to take this question seriously. 10 years is an extremely long time from now. Do you know that just 10 years ago from today, we were playing Super Nintendo's and Sega Genesis, an we were wonderng what the 3DO and Jaguar would be like.


10 years is a freaking long time. I'm sure that people will still be playing their XBOX 2's and PS3's and GameCube 2's, but the modern systems that will just start to be coming out around then, wll likely be embeded into cable and satellite boxes, and there will no longer be a physical media that we put into the machines.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I think the (serious) concensus here is that the paradigm isn't going to shift that fast.

20 years, maybe. But hey, it's not something I look forward to any more than you do.

[Duncan]

And I repeat, from my previous post in this topic:

PlayCable (for Intellivision)
GameLink (for Atari 2600)
SegaNet (for Genesis)

Those were all cutting-edge at the time, and everyone thought that the process of physically buying a game would soon be outdated.

But as others have said, people like to actually own stuff. And, on a slightly deeper level, it's better that the public owns and controls the flow of information as they see fit -- rather than leaving it in the hands of some megalith Intel-EA-Comcast combination. (God, that sounds scary. X_x )

I can see the creation of more (and hopefully better) cable or satellite game link systems, perhaps as a better way to play online games. But I don't see the physical game console and discs (or other storage media) going away any time soon.

Ain't opinions great? :)

Duncan :D

[Sylentwulf]

DVD's produced, complete, boxed, and shipped cost game companies what, $1.50? $2.00? each, IF that.

Setting up servers and maintaining the bandwidth needed for the entire country to download 10gb game files at the same time is not only not feasible, it's downright ludicrous.

[Raedon]

Isn't the world suppost to end on Dec 2012? dur! 8-)

[hydr0x]

Guys, this is a serious topic. You really need to take this question seriously. 10 years is an extremely long time from now. Do you know that just 10 years ago from today, we were playing Super Nintendo's and Sega Genesis, an we were wonderng what the 3DO and Jaguar would be like.


10 years is a freaking long time. I'm sure that people will still be playing their XBOX 2's and PS3's and GameCube 2's, but the modern systems that will just start to be coming out around then, wll likely be embeded into cable and satellite boxes, and there will no longer be a physical media that we put into the machines.

10 years a long time?? holy shit, what the fuck has REALLY changed in the last 10 years, things have improved but nearly none NEW technologies have been discovered

as Sylentwulf mentioned, producing the game to sell it as they do now is cheaper than maintaining servers for downloads, and this will always be that way (ok, not always but a looooong time). another thing is, stores have to be included into selling games and other stuff, i mean, noone wants to miss the "looking-through-all-the-games-feel" that you get in stores, people just wouldn't accept a technology that would not allow you to hold a game in your hand, and more important, READ the manual while holding it in your hands, e-bookz don't get accepted right now, and noone wants to have the manual on-screen-only!!

[Jorpho]

Perhaps by 2033 everything will be sorted out, and only the most necessary of barriers will exist between consumers and the content they think they desire.

But 2013? No, there will still be plenty of people then to whom the easiest sell will be a pretty box on a shelf.

[Kid Ice]

Think about this......


10 Years from today, will be October 23, 2013. Do you think we will even have physical games systems then? What I mean by physical game systems, is an actual game console sitting in front of our TV's, that we actually put game discs into. Personally, I don't think so. I think the XBOX 2, PS3 and GameCube 2 will be the final physical pieces of hardware that we will see. Other then Set top boxes from the cable and satellite companies that have chipsets from Microsoft and Sony and Nintendo imbeded in them. And Hard Drives in these set top boxes. That is the way I think we will be playing our games. Comcast might sign a deal with Microsoft to have XBOX 3 hardware, built into their latest cable box, that features a 200 gig hard drive. Cox might have a deal with Sony, to have PS4 hardware built into their cable box. Direct TV, might have all 3 chipsets built into their box. Maybe Dish Network would sign a deal with Nintendo. They would all have broadband access and huge hard drives built into the cable or satellite box, with the special hardware in there to download games from Sony and Microsoft and Nintendo's servers.

Will Electronics Boutique exist in 10 years?

I utterly disagree. It comes down to what I've been saying for years now...people want consoles to play games. They don't want to sit at their computer and do it, they don't want to do it on their VCRs, DVDs, they don't want it built into their TVs. And they don't want their consoles to do a million things. EA is bragging because the other night 7000 people were playing Madden online at once. 7000? Big deal! All these alternative functions like internet and DVD movies are soundly rejected by consumers EVERY time they try this nonsense. Games will remain on consoles, which will be primarily dedicated to playing games, for at least another 20 years.

[gamegirl79]

I sure hope that consoles are still around in 10 years. I'm really not liking this new trend of an "all in one" machine that some companies are steering towards. I think Nintendo was smart when they made the Gamecube...it plays games and that's it. I don't need or want my game console to play DVD movies, MP3's, DIVX, etc. I have a computer for that, and a standalone DVD player to watch movies on.

I'm just afraid that someday, our only option is going to be something like a Microsoft XBOX Plus Enterprise Edition 3000......an all in one television, cable box, computer, game console, media player, video phone, etc.

I really hope something like that never happens. :)

[Ed Oscuro]

Personally, I think that the sort of stuff Nintendo has been experimenting with like the e-Reader is much closer to the spirit of the hobby, whereas computer games seem more or less stuck on artsy games. I think that the future will bring better games than the past (remember that the market of yesterday was flooded with a billion sidescrollers and that wasn't the greatest diversity either) especially as arcade-style hardware (motion sensors, direct-to-TV and newer uses of current game controllers hithero undreamed of) gains a following.

Just being hopeful, but I think that game developers really need to try to break out of the "gotta fill a DVD" mentality that's plaguing many at this moment. It's just too expensive.

[Sylentwulf]

I think Nintendo was smart when they made the Gamecube...it plays games and that's it. I don't need or want my game console to play DVD movies, MP3's, DIVX, etc. I have a computer for that, and a standalone DVD player to watch movies on. :)

Panasonic Q.

[zmweasel]

Here's three ugly compound words for you to ponder:

PlayCable (for Intellivision)
GameLink (for Atari 2600)
SegaNet (for Genesis)

Wave of the future, of course.Duncan :D

More like "ahead of their time." Cart-based consoles weren't suitable for storing large quantities of downloaded data, and modem connections were too slow. Now we have broadband access and (soon) two consoles with multi-gig hard disks. What A1 describes as the future is already happening in the present with Xbox Live and its downloadable content. It's hardly a stretch to envision a future in which the increasingly unnecessary middleman of storage media is phased out.

That being said, however, there's something VERY appealing -- almost magical -- about the physicality of cartridges (and CDs, to a much lesser extent).

-- Z.

[Ed Oscuro]

I think Nintendo was smart when they made the Gamecube...it plays games and that's it. I don't need or want my game console to play DVD movies, MP3's, DIVX, etc. I have a computer for that, and a standalone DVD player to watch movies on. :)

Panasonic Q.

Made by Philips.

[Mr. NEStalgia]

I believe there will always be physical systems and games. People feel more comfortable being able to hold their game in their hands. It frees them of the worry of losing a game due to some mechanical or electrical problem in their system (if the game is just on the hd). Besides, I'm sure that it's easier to bring a physical game to a friend's house than to somehow send it to them electronically.

-=Mr. NEStalgia=-

[Anthony1]

I just want to say, that I definitely DON'T want this to happen, I'm not a fan of this happening, but I just think it's inevitable.

We all know that in 2005, 2006 and 2007, we will see new systems from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. So that would suggest, that in 2010, 2011, 2012, these companies would need to again release new systems.

Now it is certainly possible that the XBOX 3, PS4 and GameCube 3, will all be physical consoles, like we know today, in 2011, and 2012, but I think 5 to 6 years after that, in 2016, 2017, there isn't any chance we will still see consoles like we have today.


I hate to even ponder this thought, it's a very ugly concept to me, but unfortunately I see it as a runaway train that can't be stopped. If not by 2013, then by 2018 for sure.

[dr mario kart]

Arent console games harder to pirate than PC games? Its not enough to download it and play it, you have to make the console recognize it. If there was no gamecube broadband adapter, There would still be no effective way of pirating cube games. I like my pure stand-alone consoles