Next gen is killing multiplayer.

[BD2003]

You are living in the past, and yes. They aren't making a billion dollars if they are spending 500million to make it. Angry Birds by comparison wipes the floor with AAA returns.

What BD is saying is not at all out of the question in the next few years. I admit, I am not exactly excited by that change, but on the plus side, the PC is actually a VERY good candidate, however I think mobile is where everything is going to go. Why spend 500 million for 5-6 million customers when you can spend less than a million and make much much more.

The problem is companies are greedy and want to control everything. Is there truly a reason to have a Xbox One vs a PS4 when 95% of the games are exactly the same across them and PC (and figure that the money you save on buying them on PC will outweigh any overage costs for a PC). Most companies don't want to tie themselves to one platform anymore because 5-6 million sales is no longer considered successful (and I have to laugh at that).

In the Nintendo/Sega era, multiplatform games actually had completely different dev teams and outcomes. There was a reason to be biased. That hasn't been the case in awhile and has come to a complete waste of time with this gen. it is as outdated a mindset as the 2 party system.

Right...the trend in recent years has been towards cross platform games, both big and small. I don't believe in a unitary future where games are all mobile, and consoles and PCs as we know them have ceased to exist. I think consoles especially will continue to remain important for quite some time, but they're not going to be as influential as they used to be. In light of that, it seems more and more silly and unsustainable that they're sectioned off like they are.

 

[cmdrdredd]

No mobile game has made a billion in 3 days. That's why it isn't taking over. Again money talks and there is not close to the same money being moved for mobile games.

It's not that hard to see that. PS4 and XB1 setting sales records, games with record sales at release (actual retail sales), record numbers of people buying new IPs. Console gaming is arguably stronger than before with more money being made than before. Even with more expensive hardware and accessories.

 

[BD2003]

No mobile game has made a billion in 3 days. That's why it isn't taking over. Again money talks and there is not close to the same money being moved for mobile games.

It's not that hard to see that. PS4 and XB1 setting sales records, games with record sales at release (actual retail sales), record numbers of people buying new IPs. Console gaming is arguably stronger than before with more money being made than before. Even with more expensive hardware and accessories.

You're letting those few blockbusters and some early hardware sales skew your perspective. Consoles have been declining for years while mobile and PC have been growing. There's no guarantee that trend continues, but there's no guarantee next gen turns things around either.

 

[TheSlamma]

What the heck does 4k TVs have to do with consoles? Even the beefiest PC has a tough time getting playable frame rates at 4k let alone 60fps.

Keep in mind the PS4 and XBone will probably be around till 2020 - 2022. If they can't even get 60FPS at 1080P now then yeah, it's a problem.

 

[ImpulsE69]

No mobile game has made a billion in 3 days. That's why it isn't taking over. Again money talks and there is not close to the same money being moved for mobile games.

It's not that hard to see that. PS4 and XB1 setting sales records, games with record sales at release (actual retail sales), record numbers of people buying new IPs. Console gaming is arguably stronger than before with more money being made than before. Even with more expensive hardware and accessories.

Are you actually doing any research or just thinking you know? Console game sales are down 70% this year. You are putting out numbers that pretty much every report about says otherwise. You are right money talks, and if people are only buying 1 game of 100, then the whole concept is not sustainable or you end up with 100 clones of that game. Either way, that's what leads to a crash.

That's the extreme version though. This is all speculation, but your "billion dollar" number is a very narrow scope of the pie.

 

[purbeast0]

BD2003, i dont' mean this in an offensive way or anything, but you just seem totally out of touch with the reality of the console gaming market, currently and the past decade or so.

 

[purbeast0]

The problem is companies are greedy and want to control everything. Is there truly a reason to have a Xbox One vs a PS4 when 95% of the games are exactly the same across them and PC (and figure that the money you save on buying them on PC will outweigh any overage costs for a PC). Most companies don't want to tie themselves to one platform anymore because 5-6 million sales is no longer considered successful (and I have to laugh at that).

please tell me where i can play killer instinct, forza horizon 2, sunset overdrive, halo, hot shots golf, god of war, uncharted, the last of us, resistance fall of man, and ratchet and clank on PC? i'm all ears.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Keep in mind the PS4 and XBone will probably be around till 2020 - 2022. If they can't even get 60FPS at 1080P now then yeah, it's a problem.

We knew this before release though. In fact I remember almost 9 months or so previous to the announcement(s) people on VC&G right here on AT talking about the AMD apu being used in dev kits.

 

[cmdrdredd]

You're letting those few blockbusters and some early hardware sales skew your perspective. Consoles have been declining for years while mobile and PC have been growing. There's no guarantee that trend continues, but there's no guarantee next gen turns things around either.

With each generation, hardware sales go up. Removing outliers like PS2 over it's 10 year or so life which had people buying numerous systems because of a high defective rate (I had to buy 4 of them over the time I owned it).

 

[BD2003]

With each generation, hardware sales go up. Removing outliers like PS2 over it's 10 year or so life which had people buying numerous systems because of a high defective rate (I had to buy 4 of them over the time I owned it).

Past performance is not a guarantee of future success.

 

[BD2003]

BD2003, i dont' mean this in an offensive way or anything, but you just seem totally out of touch with the reality of the console gaming market, currently and the past decade or so.

I don't mean this in an offensive way either, but you'd be surprised how much more interesting forums can be when you don't assume everyone else is an idiot. I grew out of that childish attitude years ago, hopefully one day you do too.

 

[purbeast0]

I don't mean this in an offensive way either, but you'd be surprised how much more interesting forums can be when you don't assume everyone else is an idiot. I grew out of that childish attitude years ago, hopefully one day you do too.

not knowing about the industry does not mean you are an idiot. it just means you don't know about it. no one is calling you an idiot.

 

[BD2003]

not knowing about the industry does not mean you are an idiot. it just means you don't know about it. no one is calling you an idiot.

Feel free to assume what you wish.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Past performance is not a guarantee of future success.

past? this is now....are you even paying attention?

 

[ImpulsE69]

please tell me where i can play killer instinct, forza horizon 2, sunset overdrive, halo, hot shots golf, god of war, uncharted, the last of us, resistance fall of man, and ratchet and clank on PC? i'm all ears.

Are you dense, or just being purposely dense? I'm all ears. Also, you equal a pretty extreme end of the market. I think that has been fairly established.

 

[BD2003]

past? this is now....are you even paying attention?

It's the new hardware boom, it's to be expected. Even nintendo had a good first few months with the Wii U. It's a good indication that consoles are sustainable for the foreseeable future but not enough data to predict with confidence that this generation will outsell the last.

 

[ImpulsE69]

It's the new hardware boom, it's to be expected. Even nintendo had a good first few months with the Wii U. It's a good indication that consoles are sustainable for the foreseeable future but not enough data to predict with confidence that this generation will outsell the last.

Back in Nintendo's heyday, no one thought they could do wrong either. Look where we are now.

As stated, early sales (especially after coming off such a long cycle) really doesn't say much just yet. The next couple of years will really say. Many people who bought last gen, are skipping this gen all together, and went straight to mobile (casuals). The hardcore (or let's say pure, and cmdr) do not seem to understand what that means because they think everyone is like them.

Again, no one is saying "OMG we're doomed" guys. You tend to get bent out of shape for no reason. It's just a discussion. There is a valid reason to be concerned with where gaming is heading. That doesn't mean there aren't good things during the ride.

 

[Topweasel]

Are you actually doing any research or just thinking you know? Console game sales are down 70% this year. You are putting out numbers that pretty much every report about says otherwise. You are right money talks, and if people are only buying 1 game of 100, then the whole concept is not sustainable or you end up with 100 clones of that game. Either way, that's what leads to a crash.

That's the extreme version though. This is all speculation, but your "billion dollar" number is a very narrow scope of the pie.

That's due the transition period. People who haven't purchased a new console purchase less titles, specially if they are available on the new console, under the theory that they will get the better version of the game then. Most of the time they don't. The record sales is compared to release periods these consoles are way ahead on adoption compared to last gen or previous.

 

[zerocool84]

It's the new hardware boom, it's to be expected. Even nintendo had a good first few months with the Wii U. It's a good indication that consoles are sustainable for the foreseeable future but not enough data to predict with confidence that this generation will outsell the last.

Umm no, the WiiU did not sell like the PS4 and Xbone have so no not comparable at all. Even just the PS4 itself passed WiiU sells in a matter of months.

 

[BD2003]

Umm no, the WiiU did not sell like the PS4 and Xbone have so no not comparable at all. Even just the PS4 itself passed WiiU sells in a matter of months.

Not in raw numbers, but if you looked at the initial sales and extrapolated from that and took into account their history, you'd assume they'd be selling a ton of them. When in reality there was the initial rush of hardcore nintendo fans and it dropped like a rock shortly thereafter.

These new consoles are selling well despite having fairly thin libraries, so it's still quite possible that there's a well of hardcore fans that might eventually start to dry up. It just might take longer. I'm one of those people that had to have it day one, and I swear I haven't turned my PS4 on to play a game since december. And I know several people who've abandoned consoles for PC or are perfectly happy playing games on their 360/PS3 or ipad. iOS/Android didnt even exist when the last gen launched, and hooking a PC up to a TV was pointless. Things are SO different now.

There is absolutely no guarantee this gen sells as well as last gen.

 

[Topweasel]

You have no proof it's not either. Again as you mentioned they have been selling great already considering their small library. All new consoles have an early lull in in usage due to game availability. By the end of 2015 game development and usage should be very similar to last gen. The fact that both have been selling particularly well even with a light inventory of games suggest that you couldn't be farther off base.

 

[Anubis]

if anything killed multiplayer it was the multiplayer community
ive never met a more angry group of pissed off asshole dudebros anywhere else

 

[cmdrdredd]

if anything killed multiplayer it was the multiplayer community
ive never met a more angry group of pissed off asshole dudebros anywhere else

True, just go to any forum where someone makes a legitimate complaint about some online game and you'll see a bunch of "lol get gud".

Granted I do think some people complain about MP when they just aren't good at it or don't understand it. However, there are some really seasoned people talking about how one thing or another is broken or needs adjustment and someone else who exploits it gets mad.

 

[Tweak155]

if anything killed multiplayer it was the multiplayer community
ive never met a more angry group of pissed off asshole dudebros anywhere else

Haha. This is mainly why I game with people I know. I definitely don't do competitive online gaming against others I don't know... although I might get back into it with Halo 2.

 

[TeknoBug]

I generally don't play online unless it's an MMORPG or shooter like Call of Duty or Battlefield (of which I have stopped playing), consoles this time around has games I'm interested in so I have both the XB1 and PS4 for certain titles while I will still play Planetside 2 (until it's released on PS4) and Guild Wars 2 on PC for now.

As a matter of fact, my gaming PC's has been gathering dust, I haven't turned them on since early August, I'm typing this from my Linux Mint laptop.