Game consoles will be extinct after next-gen, says Jaffe

[Blacksite]

The God of War and Twisted Metal creator sees the next round of hardware as the very last

David Jaffe is never one to hold back an opinion, so after we talked in depth about the free-to-play market and his next project at his new San Diego studio, we also decided to pick the designer's brain on the Wii U and how the console market is shaping up. As it turns out, Jaffe isn't very excited by Wii U and he ultimately thinks consoles in general will soon be dinosaurs.

"I don't see the Wii U and say 'oh my God I have to have that.' But with new hardware that's usually the case; the software's going to drive it. Or it's like Apple and the hardware is so elegantly designed that it's like, 'Oh they make toilet plungers? I'll buy it!' I played some games, I enjoyed Rayman... it's not like I'm knocking it but I would say that I wasn't blown away by any individual piece of software that was exclusive to Wii U," Jaffe commented.

"But their audience isn't necessarily core gamers like you or the analysts you talk to, so I could still see Wii U being mainstream. But honestly though, if I had to put money down, I think that the iPhone and the iPad has basically taken the market that was so excited by the Wii and so I think Wii U is not going to be anywhere near the success of the Wii. But I don't f***ing know - I mean I thought PSP was going to clobber the DS. I'm in the industry, I make a living in the industry, but I have no track record of guessing this shit."

Jaffe wanted to make it clear that he's not bashing Nintendo. "Nintendo's a great company and they're creative and artistic and I wish them well. They're forward thinking and I always want people like that to succeed," he continued.

The bottom line is that Jaffe believes consoles are on their last legs.

"So while I don't think it's going to do as well as the Wii, I don't think any of the consoles are going to do as well as they used to. 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."

"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. And they should be," Jaffe asserted.

"It doesn't mean you won't buy a piece of hardware from Sony, but you'll probably buy a television that streams the stuff. And you'll still have Sony, loud and proud and strong making these great, big, epic games like God of War and Uncharted, and they'll be making great little games like Sound Shapes, but they'll become more like movie studios for video games. I'll be able to stream in the next Uncharted and Plants vs Zombies and you won't even think about it. It'll just be like I can watch a public access show on my TV or I can watch Avatar."

Jaffe concluded, "So this is the last generation of consoles coming up. I'm going to go out on a limb, because why the f**k not? I don't care if I'm wrong, I'm not a business guy. I think next-gen consoles are going to do 40 percent of [the sales volume] of the current gen hardware."

"The asteroid has hit the Earth, the dust cloud is covering the sun and the dinosaurs are on the way out - but not the games! We'll always have great games and bleeding edge graphics... it's just going to be a new delivery mechanism."

Source

I hope not. I love the concept of buying a shiny, new video game console.

[Two4DaMoney]

Nope. It ends with the ps5.

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Nope. It ends with the ps5.

It ends when Sony says it ends.

[Kuro]

Man ain't never gonna end.

[Ghost-Rhayne]

Haha I don't know...I think we will have another 2 gens before the technology arrives that will somehow make the traditional console obsolete. I don't know what that tech is, I don#t mean cloud gaming either. haha. Something else, but I don't think it will come till PS5 has run it's course.

[Kuro]

Like virtual reality with holograms? Lol that actually be pretty sick

[itachi73378]

I agree with him sadly.

Next gen will be even longer than this one so in 8-10 years, streaming will be the next playstation

[mooninites]

I'm going to have to disagree with him. Unless there is a new gaming experience and a new way to deliver that experience then traditional consoles aren't going anywhere. On that note i think it would be one of the big 3 that'll deliver that experience.

Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2

[DarkVincent07]

I also disagree. With consoles also doubling as media hubs and with so many apps and stuff, it seems they are becoming increasingly MORE relevant


Via Tapatalk

[itachi73378]

I also disagree. With consoles also doubling as media hubs and with so many apps and stuff, it seems they are becoming increasingly MORE relevant


Via Tapatalk

TVs are becoming more and more of media centers with wifi and apps. Soon games will be streamed to the TV and 10 years is the perfect amount of time for it.

[keefy]

Did they swap "PC gaming" for "game consoles"

[BoyBettaKnow]

I hope they don't. As just like blacksite i love the feeling of buying a brand new console and seeing it start up for the first time. There's something really special about seeing the start up intro for the first time when powering it up. Maybe that's just me though

[TGO]

I saw this on gaf and I'll say the same thing I did there
This ain't the 16-bit era, we don't have two consoles that have sold 30/40mil, we have 3 that have sold a combined nearly 300mil, gaming is huge now, not like it was in the early 90's, sales have not declined they have increased immensely and to say people are suddenly gonna stop is absurd
No iPhone, Smartphone or iPad is gonna change that over night, regardless of how good people think they are or will be in the near future.

Sent from my Xperia Ray

[Sub-stance1]

It will happen people. This gen may be the last one for hardware in its form.

[Silver_Knight]

Unless Sony has it's own version of a Mayan calendar then we don't have to worry about gaming getting a game over sign.

[AaronSOLDIER]

I predicted this years ago. I think after next gen Sony and Nintendo will simply focus on having handhelds, its just like how laptops and tablets are replacing PCs, 10 or so years from now the handhelds will be doing what next can do. This also will be where discs are dropped and everything will be stored on the devices which you'll just simply plug into the TV or play on the go. Nothing will be sacrificed.

[Sub-stance1]

It's mostly the software that is keeping the industry alive not the hardware. There are more pluses than minuses IMO.

[iplayonlysony]

Jaffe is correct I think. Developers will no longer be able to create bigger and prettier games after next gen because they will not be able to afford it. It seems the consumer is already tired of paying $60 for a game. So unless the games start downsizing, I don't see many more games being made for future consoles.

[AaronSOLDIER]

Jaffe is correct I think. Developers will no longer be able to create bigger and prettier games after next gen because they will not be able to afford it. It seems the consumer is already tired of paying $60 for a game. So unless the games start downsizing, I don't see many more games being made for future consoles.

Yep exactly, we're getting to the point now where graphics are at a level where they'll improve very little, so it'll be all about downsizing the components for smaller consoles and within SMART TVs. I think Jaffe is bang on, it might not happen after next gen (I think it will), but it'll certainly happen eventually.