Ex Sony Exec: Tablets Could Replace Consoles

[mlopinto2k1]

[citation][nom]xambron[/nom]Tablets are at PlayStation 2 graphics if that, calm down. And besides the only thing I'm going to drop more than $100 on is a new graphics card.[/citation]PSP2.... PLAYSTATION PORTABLE 2. Ugh.

 

[captaincharisma]

[citation][nom]WyomingKnott[/nom]yep, he got when he saw the ship was going to sink.[/citation]

LG?

 

[mlopinto2k1]

[citation][nom]Nexus52085[/nom]So, let me get this straight. This guy think that tablet will eventually replace the multimedia experience found in home consoles? The same consoles that have input methods that have been refined for over 30 years? The same consoles whose billion-dollar designs is solely for gaming? And people are going to pay a premium just to own these little tablets? Who in their right mind would buy a $500(for a stripped down iPad) tablet over $300 PS3 or Xbox 360 or $200 Wii? I know he's thinking about the future of tablets, but he talks like he's assuming that consoles won't become more powerful and versatile in the future. Silly rabbit.[/citation]This argument is based on......? They are strictly speaking on hardware refresh rates. The trend is on a yearly basis and it keeps getting better.. and better.. and better. Consoles are not on this same trend and quite frankly it HAS to be that way. So, your stuck with it until something better comes out... in 4-5 years.

 

[captaincharisma]

[citation][nom]dark_lord69[/nom]This dude is a moron.The PS4The XBox 480The Wii 2Will all have MUCH better graphics than any hand held at the time. In 5 year tablets still won't be able to pull off the graphics of these new systems. Major advances in technology would need to be made in order have comparable graphics.Problem 1: Power consumption...I don't know about you but my video card requires at least a 500W power supply and more amps than any battery could push.Problem 2: Cooling...Newer gaphics cards need plenty of cooling. Because these chips run hot. Since tablets are thin, that means the ability to cool these chips is very limited.So lets say these technologies advance HUGE and you can put what would currently be an GTX 580 in to a tablet and allow for tons of battery life and suffiecent cooling. It would not matter because while the 580 is great in that new tablet, by the time that technology comes out a NEWER high end video card that DOES need intense cooling will be the new performance king offering graphics that, at that time will seem amazing compared to the old 580.The only way this would happen is if console/tablet gaming went into the cloud.[/citation]

so close minded

apple will have the tech you mention in the next couple years just like the console makers. just because the top GPU's are heaters today doesn't mean they will be heaters in the future

FAIL

 

[Guest]

Nothing beats the feeling of a controller in your hand. All these touch screen and magical wand games are just a fad.

 

[Timberwolf_CLT]

I can see it now. Folks come over to play Halo or whatever and we all sit with tablets in our hands.
As somebody said, you can understand why this person is an EX vice president.

 

[Guest]

I don't see Sony or Microsoft sitting on their laurels, but it's not hard to imagine a tablet down the road that can compete, as well as include a similar controller connected by bluetooth, etc... I don't see why Sony or Microsoft doesn't include a touch interface in their next controller scheme, similar in effect to a Nintendo portable.

 

[mikem_90]

[citation][nom]speedemon[/nom]This would be great because EVERYONE would know where to go for the "Best" gaming experience.. the PC.[/citation]

Well, considering a lot of games are modeled on Consoles for their design, I would be more afraid that PC games designed around originally crappy tablet restrictions with some PC widgets stuck on.

 

[AnUnusedUsername]

Saying tablets will replace consoles is the same as saying laptops will replace desktops. While laptops may become replaced (mostly) by netbooks, as they fill the same mobile market, desktops and laptops are entirely different markets. Same is the case for consoles and mobile devices. We don't want a mobile device to replace a console, because a fixed device will be more powerful at the same price, and thus be a better option (not to mention the obvious deficiencies in touch format controls). Tablets may replace the mobile market, but unless they condense to only a few competing companies (so theres less differences to worry about), and they include methods of input usable for games (i.e. a d-pad, analog stick, buttons, making them not tablets anymore), they won't even replace the mobile market because of simply being inferior to systems designed with games in mind. Once we hit a technology (or heat) ceiling, this may change, but that's a long way off.

Companies don't seem to realize that the market for things like the wii, kinect, move, flash games, and games for tablets has nothing to do with the market for ps3, 360, and (traditional) pc games. Microsoft is not gaining converts from normal games to kinect, and no one is dropping a psp for a tablet. These products are gaining customers who aren't interested in "video games". They are two entirely different categories, that in many cases don't overlap at all. Most people that would play crysis are not even remotely interested in bejeweled, and vice versa.

There's a larger market for casual games, but casual games are a completely different product than normal games. Just because they're both vehicles does not mean Ferarri should start producing dump trucks while CAT starts producing supercars. Videogames and casual games are the same way, and companies should realize that.

 

[loomis86]

I see tablets being used to play games from the older generation of consoles. I don't see how they will ever match whatever the current generation of consoles happens to be at the time.

 

[loomis86]

[citation][nom]gnookergi[/nom]Nothing beats the feeling of a controller in your hand. All these touch screen and magical wand games are just a fad.[/citation]

I think thumbsticks are a 25 year fad and will be continuously slipping in popularity from now on.

 

[ssddx]

a gamepad will always be a better input solution than a touchscreen. this is also why many smartphone/tablet games are so basic. unless i want to play some angrybirds i'll stick with a controller.

 

[robochump]

Current battery technology will keep tablets from taking over and remains a huge bottle neck. The horse power (CPU, GPU, RAM, etc) to run modern high-end games on a tablet will eat batteries alive!

But companies cannot over look tech trends and tablets can possibly take over consoles OR fade away. This is why companies spend millions on consumer purchasing habits and marketing!

 

[starryman]

Waiting out for now... tablets aren't a have-to-have item. Just fun and different. It will only take 2 years when one can get a tablet 4X faster for 1/3 the price. That's when it will be fun and cheap. Not going to pay for the "different" part when netbooks are clearly superior and more functional.

 

[a_wal]

I think he must be meaning that its going to overtake handheld gaming, not beefy high graphics, high powered gming PCs and consoles.

why couldnt companies make some standard portable controllers that work via bluetooth or even wired for tablets, why does it have to be crappy touchscreen controlled gaming? I would be down for a tablet instead of a psp2 if it had the power and controls of a handheld.

 

[jj463rd]

This reminds me of the Desktop PC being replaced by the Laptop crowd.
The fact is the larger the machine (with the same era technology) the more capable it will be.
However tablet gaming might be a good option for mobile game players.

 

[Vladislaus]

[citation][nom]znegval[/nom]And you think that's not a lot for a product that only went mainstream less than a year ago?[/citation]
The original psp has almost ps2 graphics and it was launched more than 6 years ago.

 

[Vladislaus]

[citation][nom]mlopinto2k1[/nom]This argument is based on......? They are strictly speaking on hardware refresh rates. The trend is on a yearly basis and it keeps getting better.. and better.. and better. Consoles are not on this same trend and quite frankly it HAS to be that way. So, your stuck with it until something better comes out... in 4-5 years.[/citation]
So you're saying that people needs to buy a new product every year so that they can play the latest games? Doesn't this deviates from the purpose of a gaming console, having a system that is cheap and isn't always changing?

Still 4-5 years is more than enough to keep ahead of any portable device. The PS3 has more than 5 years and the new PSP2 won't be able to beat it. It will take some time for tablets to catch up the psp2 in terms of graphics let alone current gaming consoles we have in the living room.

Then there's another issue. Lack of proper controls. Unless they add buttons and controllers to the device but that would stop being a tablet and become a portable gaming device.

 

[f-14]

took long enough, i called this as the next step with amd's new apu processor with onboard graphics and low power with performance that rapes sandy's

 

[virtualban]

To replace console or desktop, any device needs to address these issues: Screen size, computation power, input methods.
Let's accept computation power will grow, bandwidth caps will not be there etc.
Input methods might be brain computer interface.
Screen size will never be replaced by resolution increases, even if they reach retina level. What would you be playing on? Small mirror or big mirror? So the only way portable screens will replace a big screen is in glasses form, or projected to the retina or optic nerve. Otherwise there will always be people seeking big screens.