With the Switch 2 set to usher the next big console launch this June, EA founder Trip Hawkins has commented on the future of gaming consoles.
In a blog post, Hawkins said he predicts cloud-enabled technologies to dominate going forward, predicting that the days of a "conventional" console selling 150 million units are over.
"As for the next generation of consoles, we're now in a glide plane where the cloud is everything and it will be far more convenient to have rack-mounted GPUs in data centers than to try to convince the public to buy more consoles, at higher prices, than they have in the past," he said. "We will never see another conventional console sell 150 million units, like the PlayStation 2 did."
Hawkins went on to say the "technical prowess" of PCs, along with existing current-generation consoles and newer smartphones, might be "good enough" for people.
"Even for Sony and Microsoft it will soon make more sense to focus on their game-streaming subscription services instead of losing money on hardware manufacturing and marketing," he said. "Brands like PlayStation and Xbox can be maintained yet will also be more easily available on PCs and billions of smart devices, for a win-win among the cloud providers, game brands and players."
The original Switch has sold more than 150 million units, and that number is going to climb higher when Nintendo releases its next earnings report this month.
As for the Switch 2, Hawkins said he expects it to clear 100 million lifetime sales, but given his earlier comments, he doesn't anticipate it reaching the heights of the original Switch.
Microsoft is working on a next-generation console that could also included a handheld, while Sony is believed to be working on the PS6. Release dates for both, however, remain unknown.
For its part, Microsoft is already heavily invested in game-streaming technologies, while Sony allows users to stream games as well. Microsoft has said that game-streaming is just one possible way forward; it will continue to release dedicated gaming consoles, too.
Hawkins left EA all the way back in 1991. Among other things, he was instrumental at EA in signing John Madden to a development deal for what would become the juggernaut Madden football series. A Madden movie is in the works, with John Mulaney set to play Hawkins. The veteran executive recently discussed the film, saying director David O. Russell declined to work with him.
After EA, Hawkins founded 3DO to create a new gaming console, but it never took off.
Source
In a blog post, Hawkins said he predicts cloud-enabled technologies to dominate going forward, predicting that the days of a "conventional" console selling 150 million units are over.
"As for the next generation of consoles, we're now in a glide plane where the cloud is everything and it will be far more convenient to have rack-mounted GPUs in data centers than to try to convince the public to buy more consoles, at higher prices, than they have in the past," he said. "We will never see another conventional console sell 150 million units, like the PlayStation 2 did."
Hawkins went on to say the "technical prowess" of PCs, along with existing current-generation consoles and newer smartphones, might be "good enough" for people.
"Even for Sony and Microsoft it will soon make more sense to focus on their game-streaming subscription services instead of losing money on hardware manufacturing and marketing," he said. "Brands like PlayStation and Xbox can be maintained yet will also be more easily available on PCs and billions of smart devices, for a win-win among the cloud providers, game brands and players."
The original Switch has sold more than 150 million units, and that number is going to climb higher when Nintendo releases its next earnings report this month.
As for the Switch 2, Hawkins said he expects it to clear 100 million lifetime sales, but given his earlier comments, he doesn't anticipate it reaching the heights of the original Switch.
Microsoft is working on a next-generation console that could also included a handheld, while Sony is believed to be working on the PS6. Release dates for both, however, remain unknown.
For its part, Microsoft is already heavily invested in game-streaming technologies, while Sony allows users to stream games as well. Microsoft has said that game-streaming is just one possible way forward; it will continue to release dedicated gaming consoles, too.
Hawkins left EA all the way back in 1991. Among other things, he was instrumental at EA in signing John Madden to a development deal for what would become the juggernaut Madden football series. A Madden movie is in the works, with John Mulaney set to play Hawkins. The veteran executive recently discussed the film, saying director David O. Russell declined to work with him.
After EA, Hawkins founded 3DO to create a new gaming console, but it never took off.
Source