Numerous publishers and companies are working on refined game streaming, and projects like Microsoft's xCloud and Google's Stream are close to making that a reality. Where do consoles fit into this? What will the future look like? PlayStation Chairman Shawn Layden recently sat down with Game Informer to discuss exactly that.
Layden said that he sees a "post-console" world where all gamers are connected. Think of it as an extension of game streaming, cross-play, and cross-progression. He said the following.
I don't want to put too fine a point on this because it might upset some of the people I work with, but I think effectively, we're looking at kind of a post-console world where you can have quality gaming experiences across a variety of technologies. Sure, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro provide what, of course, we think is the best gaming experience, but the other consoles out there, be it Nintendo Switch, Xbox One X, or tablets, or phones — there are great experiences across all these. What we need to do is recognize all that. We're not little gaming ghettos that are not federated or aligned at all. We're all part of the same gaming community, we just come at it through different doorways. I think the future will be an extension of that metaphor. Your platform is not your hideaway. It's just your doorway to all these other gamer folk.
Layden's comments are interesting and it'll be fascinating to see who comes out on top. Will it be Microsoft? Google? EA? Only time will tell. However, given the push for streaming, it's clear that that is the future of the industry.
What do you think? Let us know.
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