Kojima Predicts the End of the Console

nathanielinbrazil writes "Konami founder and developer Hideo Kojima predicts gaming console is a dying breed. Anticipates gaming on demand via Internet. 'It's a bold prediction,' Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Hiroshi Kawano told reporters nervously. 'We hope he continues to develop for platforms, but we deeply respect his sense of taking on a challenge.' Kojima launches his follow-up game Heavy Metal Solid Gear: Peace Walker in late April designed for the PSP."

Gonna go out on a limb here

[Pojut]

I know the guy is widely respected in gaming circles, but...is there anyone out there other than me that can't stand most of his gaming work?

Not so certain...

[Drakkenmensch]

Many people have predicted the move toward either One Single Console To Rule Them All, or in this case none at all. The problem with this sort of prediction is that it does not account for the profitability of such systems. As long as money CAN be made by putting out a console, someone will. And as long as someone does, others will want a share of that pie, thus competition. It's the reason why Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo could fold eventually and still we'd end up with a multiple console market competition.

Consoles, VMs and the Internet

[NonSenseAgency]

The console itself may not be dead, but will just become one more internet "appliance", doing precisely what Konami says, accessing the net on demand to play the users game of choice. With VMs becoming more and more prevalent it is only a matter of time before they start to appear on consoles. It would not be very hard to do it now in fact. So a console could run a VM to appear to be any machine....or a PC could run VM to appear to be a console, hmmmm.

Re:They're killing themselves.

[geekoid]

So your solution is to make console more PC like?

heh.

Re:Not so certain...

[99BottlesOfBeerInMyF]

Many people have predicted the move toward either One Single Console To Rule Them All, or in this case none at all. The problem with this sort of prediction is that it does not account for the profitability of such systems.

Actually, I believe it does to some extent. Right now, most console makers profit primarily upon game licensing revenue. Nintendo makes some money on the hardware as well. So what happens when a company decides to undercut the existing players and just sell the hardware at a profit, while making game licensing as cheap as possible. We're looking at an iPhone store model here, where developers pay next to nothing and the hardware maker is content to profit on their own apps and the hardware profit. It's the profitability of the current model that will keep existing players from adapting fast enough, opening the way for the "one true console" maker to gain enough momentum to dominate the market. Once established, such dominance is hard to shake.

I'm actually surprised none of the major TV makers have gone this route, providing a built in console for little added cost, perhaps even opening up the spec to competitors, just as a way to get a head start and grab some more market share. Apple is certainly considering such a market, although they might have too much going right now to do it.

Yes, and in 2015 we'll have flying cars.

[Ordonator]

The big theme at GDC this year was social platforms, with the evangelists insisting that hardcore gaming is going away forever within 5 years. 5 years ago, these same guys were using absolutes to describe the total decline of PC gaming. Nobody said a word about Facebook. The only prediction worth putting stock into is that the future will continue to become more unpredictable.

Re:Doubtful

[binarylarry]

As a long time PC gamer, I'd say games are easier to play now than they ever were on the PC. Games tend to support the vast amount of hardware out there, even low end stuff. I haven't had a driver issue in a long time, you may want to upgrade to computer made after 2000. DRM can be an issue but it's only invasive on a small number of titles that I don't buy (they're usually console ports anyway).

And to me, the experience is dramatically better than a console (although I only play PS3 and Wii). You get more varieties of games, not just action and party games. Vastly better multiplayer, better graphics, more challenging types of games (from indies to AAA), etc.

PC gaming is awesome.

PSP is not the same thing...

[stewbacca]

Why do people keep insisting that PSP and iPhone games will supplant full-blown console games? They aren't even the same thing, to start with. I mean, unless I can hook up my wheel and pedals to my iPhone, then hook it up to a large screen display and into my surround sound, this is like saying the Sony Walkman will replace live concert audio systems.

Re:Gonna go out on a limb here

[MikeBabcock]

I enjoy his games but I often wish he worked under another manager who would help direct his work a little more smoothly.

Notably, this is the same Kojima who didn't think HD was that big of a deal for games and didn't see the point in going all super high resolution for MGS4 ... and didn't.

Consider that MGS4 has load times worthy of watching an entire sitcom episode when other PS3-specific games like R&C or Uncharted have stream loading and almost no delays between levels as a result.

I can ignore the writing and bad jokes and horrible timeline issues as standard low budget Japanese fare (try reading some manga sometime), but the production quality really wasn't there for me, except on sound.

Oh well. He can have his opinions but they're not valuable to me.