Blizzard exec: consoles to be obsolete in 5 years.

PC News | No plan to have WoW on consoles either.

Blizzard's vice president of development Itzik Ben Bassat believes that gamers may no longer have consoles sitting in their living rooms in five years time, suggesting that PCs will deliver all the content you need.

Reason being is that he believes consoles are slowly becoming PCs, observing that “The PC is becoming an entertainment hub - you use it to watch videos and TV, play games, listen to music. […] Consoles are becoming sophisticated PCs which sit in the living room. [...] Maybe in five years you won't need a console because you'll have one PC which delivers content all over your house." The PS3 and Xbox 360 are largely becoming PCs with each console providing a variety of entertainment purposes.

Despite the gaming transition, Bassat is still unconvinced that home consoles can handle the company’s massive online game World of Warcraft. "We are not going to develop WoW for consoles. […] Online console gaming is still in its very early stages" Bassat explained. "It needs to be developed further to provide opportunities of a scale which will be interesting to us."

While he believes that World of Warcraft wasn’t suited for consoles, he did however point out that the company is interested in the development of online console services, and in particular giving the thumbs-up to Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade. "Personally I love XBLA - I think Microsoft has done an excellent job developing it and there are lots of exciting things there. [...] I'm impressed by the people who do it, and the service is very easy, very intuitive. I love it."

These comments came from a two-part interview over at GamesIndustry.biz - part one can be found here.

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43 Comments

ObsoletE

3 years ago

he kinda has a point, though i don't think he meant "obsolete" in the negative connotation of the word.

the line between gaming PCs and consoles are becoming blurred and in all honesty, i also think that really the X720/PS4/Wii2 generation was really going to have to go more the way of a PC if they are wanting to keep up with the way the industry is pushing consoles now.

will it happen in 5 years?
imo, probably not. probably not even next gen (despite this being contradictory to what i said in the previous paragraph) but probably the gen after that.
i think we'll have one more gen of clear separation, then they'll merge much more clearly, OR there'll be a complete overhaul of the console structure.

---
i wonder if his praise for XBL is related in any way to Starcraft: Ghost?
i know that SCG is supposedly halted, but i watched the Blizzcon DVD that came with The Burning Crusade last night, and there's a part that seems somewhat out of place, mentioning that the multiplayer component of SCG features playable Zerg (Zerglings, Hydralisks and infested Terran), which is quite out of place and redundant, if the game has been cancelled altogether. why didn't they edit it from the footage, if it's redundant news?
(it's not a case of keeping the talks intact, as there are very obvious editting throughout the panels.)

a tenuous link, yes, but it's possible.

---
i could also never see WoW working on a console.

admeister

3 years ago

This is the sort of thing I've been fearing ever since consoles started having computer-like features (such as a HDD). This is part of the reason why I didn't like the Xbox. Games consoles are starting to merge with PCs, which I don't really like. I'd just like for games consoles to be games consoles and for PCs to be PCs. I don't think they should be one and the same, I much prefer having a seperate games console. Since gaming began, there's always been games consoles and that's the way I'd like things to stay. Lumping all gaming in with PCs takes away the special feeling that console owners have. Sure, PCs can play games, but I think most people like that idea of having a machine specifically desgined to play games.

Spanca

3 years ago

^ Your opinion is void given your praise of the Wii channels.

Oh noes! Have I said something 'harsh'?

The Brett

3 years ago

WoW won't work, not a chance. But, there definitely should be an MMO on the Wii, built from the ground-up for the console. That would be RAD.

I don't see consoles becoming obselete, but I do see their function changing. I see gaming becoming a part of convergence media, where the console acts as an entertainment hub for movies, games, and a number of other functions on the TV. On the other hand, I see computers actually working with consoles, rather than against them. The 360 is just beginning to offer real connectivity between the two platforms, which is an area that is, bizarrely, as yet untapped.

Nev

3 years ago

If anything, consoles are reducing our need to use the PC as an "entertainment hub."

Computers began their life as workstations, and only became used for entertainment when games and the internet sprang up around them.

Now that we're not tethered to the internet by the PC, the entertainment side of things is shifting towards consoles. Most of the "fun stuff" you can do on a PC (gaming, browsing the net, watching movies, etc) you can do in front of your television.

Yes, you can use your PC for all that as well. Just like you can use your PC to watch DVDs instead of using a DVD player. But how many of us do that?

Eventually, consoles will form the entertainment hub, while PC's are used more for work endeavours, image editing, accounting, word processing, etc. Things that computers can be tailored towards. Things that don't need to be on a television because no one else needs to see it.

It's all pedantics, anyway. Consoles ARE computers. They're just computers that are focused on entertainment, as opposed to work.

There's a reason they called it a "Playstation."

LeonJ

3 years ago

Load of rubbish. I have moved away from prue PC gaming because it's just to hard to keep up. I can't stand the graphic card wars and constant feeling of you are behind. With a console you are guranteed a static machine that is valid for every game you purchase. And nowadays console ports from the PC are almost flawless and there is no distinction.

BUT I do think what M$ is trying to do is integrate both. Ie having a games console for games, and using the PC as a meida hub. Which I think is a brillant idea.

EDIT - I agree, WoW will never hit the consoles. There is no business model and need for them to port the famous game. WoW is such a massive hit with so many subscribers there is no point spending money on integrating it with the consoles. I'm sure getting WoW 'LIVE' approved would cost a bucketload and be a massive headache for Blizzard in the long run. You know, hamppered by releasing patch because M$ hasn't approved it etc.

Crestfallen

3 years ago

leonmc wrote

the compromise being a much slower improvement in graphical technology.

ObsoletE

3 years ago

admeister wrote

i think you're in a minority.

most people seem to be embracing the way consoles are becoming more multifunctioned, through internet connectivity, or even through being able to play different media (Music CDs -> Video CDs -> DVDs -> HDDVD/BluRay) consoles ARE changing.

LeonJ

3 years ago

crestfallen12 wrote

leonmc wrote

the compromise being a much slower improvement in graphical technology.

You are correct, but consoles nowadays are packed with power, and it does take 2-3 years before the console really shines. 360 and PS3 are just starting to hit their straps. I'm sure Gears of War running on PC at that rez would need a heavy duty $3000+ PC right now to run as good.

In any case, upgrading your PC every generation is certainly most costly then upgrading your console. Although the PS3 is rather expensive...

Crestfallen

3 years ago

^ there's no doubt that graphics improve in a consoles lifetime. The jump from a launch title to a 5th gen title is quite large but pales in comparison to the jump that you get with a new console. Benefit of PC is that you don't have to wait that long for drastic improvements.

Unreal Tournament III is a good example of console and PC strength being in the same ballpark, however its not going to take long for the PC to start extending its lead over consoles. Supreme Commander and Crysis are starting to show that already and the PS3 hasn't even been released here yet.

LeonJ

3 years ago

crestfallen12 wrote

Aren't those two games dependant on mega expensive Direct X 10 cards running Vista?

Crestfallen

3 years ago

^no. But thats not saying PC gaming isn't expensive.

admeister

3 years ago

Spanca wrote

^ Your opinion is void given your praise of the Wii channels.

Oh noes! Have I said something 'harsh'?

It's times like this that I really hate you.

Your ban was too short IMO. What the hell does praising the Wii channels have to do with this? You're obsessed man.

renegadesx

3 years ago

This guy is an idiot

Marka

3 years ago

I though console gaming was more popular than ever these days. With number like 110 Millions ps2's sold and PC sections in game stores slowly shirnking.

Qbert

3 years ago

I see where's he's coming from. From the quotes in Mark's article, I interprited it to mean that in 5 years time PC's will be able to 'enter the ring' so to say and become the 4th directly competing 'console'. In other words, you don't have to own a PC and a console, it will be more convienient to just own a PC, which will still fullll your gaming requirements.

Agreeing is another thing alltoghter though.

?oe?oe

3 years ago

Does this mean we will be using the keyboard and mouse to play games in th future?

I'm serious. I said it before, I hate using the keyboard and mouse to play games. They will be losing audiences if it were just on PC. I know I wouldn't play those games.

Spanca

3 years ago

admeister wrote

Spanca wrote

^ Your opinion is void given your praise of the Wii channels.

Oh noes! Have I said something 'harsh'?

It's times like this that I really hate you.

Your ban was too short IMO. What the hell does praising the Wii channels have to do with this? You're obsessed man.

You're utterly stupid if you can't see that the Wii is providing (or at least attempting to) a significant amount of PC functionality. Photo viewing (and editing?), demo downloads, game downloads, web browsing, they're all features that you praise on the Wii, yet you say the idea of consoles becoming like PCs is terrible.

And my ban? WTF are you on about? I wouldn't be surprised if I am banned by the PALGN gestapo for calling you out on your idiotic and thoroughly inconsistent opinions though.

admeister

3 years ago

Spanca wrote

admeister wrote

Spanca wrote

^ Your opinion is void given your praise of the Wii channels.

Oh noes! Have I said something 'harsh'?

It's times like this that I really hate you.

Your ban was too short IMO. What the hell does praising the Wii channels have to do with this? You're obsessed man.

Oops, I do hate it when I get confused. I was thinking of Ugh..

I take back some of the nastiness of that post..
I know that the Wii is providing some PC like services, but Wii Channels are Wii specific which I do like. However, it's true that even the Wii is becoming a bit too much like a PC for my liking (however, I find this to be nicely off-set by the controller).

Spanca

3 years ago

How does any of that make sense?

- It's ok for the Wii to be PC-like because it's Wii-specific? err... Opera isn't. You hate the Xbox for being too PC-like, but it did nothing remotely PC-like compared to the Wii other than let you have custom soundtracks.

- The Wii's controller offsets any PC-ness of it all? What the hell does that mean? Is it because it's a different input method to a PC... perhaps like every other console controller is different to PC input?

ObsoletE

3 years ago

strangely, i feel the controller is bringing the Wii even closer to how a PC controls than the traditional gamepads do.

the Wiimote is quite close to a mouse in basic terms, and the nunchuck is basically it's WASD pad.

admeister

3 years ago

Spanca wrote

No, but I meant that the Wii controller sets the Wii apart from any PC (or even the other two consoles, really). That makes it unique. The Wii does not directly connect to a PC, unlike X360 for example, which means the Wii channels (aside from Opera) are only usable on the Wii (a gaming machine).

The Xbox had an actual HDD in it! You could take it out and stick it in a PC if you wanted. I also didn't say that I hate the Xbox, I just said I disliked it for being a little bit too much like a PC.

Spanca

3 years ago

admeister wrote

No, but I meant that the Wii controller sets the Wii apart from any PC (or even the other two consoles, really). That makes it unique.

Just as every other console has its own controller that is unique and separates it from any PC.

admeister wrote

The Wii does not directly connect to a PC, unlike X360 for example, which means the Wii channels (aside from Opera) are only usable on the Wii (a gaming machine).

The 360 connects to a PC to grab your photos/movies/music. The Wii only lets you grab photos from plugging things directly into the console. This isn't different functionality, it's just a half-arsed effort by Nintendo and actually accessing content. Other than that, all of the 360's functionality is "usable only on the 360".

admeister wrote

The Xbox had an actual HDD in it! You could take it out and stick it in a PC if you wanted. I also didn't say that I hate the Xbox, I just said I disliked it for being a little bit too much like a PC.

An actual HDD :O And the Wii has built in memory too, just an inferior implementation of it. Honestly, are you saying that built in memory, with significantly larger capacities than memory cards, was a bad move for consoles, or a loss of 'individuality' for them?

admeister

3 years ago

Spanca wrote

More of a loss of individuality. Anyway, if you haven't noticed I only mentioned the Xbox originally, the Wii is in a different gen. What I was saying was that back then I saw it as a bad thing because it was making games consoles a lot more like PCs, blurring the lines a bit. Now, it seems that there is no stopping it, we've gone from having a HDD in a console to fully linking up with a PC (as in X360 and PS3). They have become media hubs rather than games consoles (which was of course the natural step up from having HDDs in-built, if one company does it with successful results, the others will follow), which is what I disliked. That's why I was quite happy with Nintendo last-gen for staying true to wht a games console is in my mind. Now, they are branching out somewhat to mirror the moves of the other two, which I don't like so much, but I do like the innovative ideas which they have come up with recently, such as the Wiimote and the DS. The DS at least remains a true games console in my books.

I fear that the guy in the article may be right, and in the future all we'll have are PCs. I don't want games consoles to die.. Right now, I'd call the X360 and PS3 media consoles, even the Wii to an extent. I guess that it just goes to show that people just love PCs too much, they dominate everything these days. Where will we end up? I wonder.

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