Is the console market heading towards it's demise?

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  • Sick BulletSick Bullet Posts: 20,770
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    thomas2400 wrote: »
    What is a hardcore gamer? i've been playing games since the megadrive/commodore 64 days when i was a kid and i've played on most console and played most big games since then, i game for a least a few hours a day and i wouldn't call myself a hardcore gamer

    I'm just pointing out that hardcore gamers are not only console gamers, I've spent most of my gaming years on consoles as a child through to my 20s and late 20s, but the last 4 years I spend so much on PC hardware trying to keep a mid to high end gaming PC and to stay way ahead of the console technology in terms of power and graphics, heavy PC gamers will spend so much on CPU's and GPU's to have the best so I see why we are classed as hardcore.

    To put it simply it's someone who plays many many hours a day, I actually don't like the term.
  • Jen-BJen-B Posts: 3,412
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    thomas2400 wrote: »
    So you are hardcore because you like to upgrade your equipment, these definitions keep getting more and more stupid

    Look at the post above mine. The ability to upgrade, the ability to keep up with latest stuff, or not, if you don't want to. The point is that you can.

    Anyway, the post above mine says it a lot better.
  • DSWNSMDSWNSM Posts: 1,801
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    I choose PC so that's not correct.

    I'm just saying that hardcore gamers will always pick a console over mobile gaming. I'm not saying you can't be a hardcore gamer because you prefer PC gaming.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 791
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    Someone earlier put it perfectly, iOS games are meant for 5 mins quick boredom kill on a phone or tablet, not to be played for hours on a large screen.

    They tried it with one of the biggest iOS games in existence, Angry Birds, when they brought it out on PS3. It bombed and was slaughtered in the reviews because it didn't work on the big screen.

    I mean come on, imagine playing "Cut the Rope" or "Where's My Water?" on a 42" HD TV, it would just be ridiculous! :rolleyes:
  • Vast_GirthVast_Girth Posts: 9,793
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    Jen-B wrote: »
    The PC gaming market tends to cater the hardcore. Why are they seen as 'hardcore' - well, they upgrade their hardware, or want the ability to upgrade their hardware, are willing to put up with a 'niche' games market, more hassle to install games etc.

    I don't think being 'hardcore' has anything directly to with hardware. I think a hardcore gamer is someone who actively follows games when not gaming, knows when all the best titles are coming out and what they are, even niche ones. They spend a lot of time playing games but also alot of time reading and talking about them and they know a a lot about games and their history. They may well be into hardware as well but i don't think that's the defining quality. You could be a hardcore gamer and only game on consoles, but admittedly your more likely to be on PC as well.
  • Jen-BJen-B Posts: 3,412
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    Vast_Girth wrote: »
    I don't think being 'hardcore' has anything directly to with hardware. I think a hardcore gamer is someone who actively follows games when not gaming, knows when all the best titles are coming out and what they are, even niche ones. They spend a lot of time playing games but also alot of time reading and talking about them and they know a a lot about games and their history. They may well be into hardware as well but i don't think that's the defining quality. You could be a hardcore gamer and only game on consoles, but admittedly your more likely to be on PC as well.

    Very true, but generally (and here I go making assumptions again) the ones interested in getting the best hardware for their PC are generally very passionate about the games as well. I see the interest in hardware as a symptom, as it were, of their interest.
  • MsLurkerMsLurker Posts: 1,843
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    Vast_Girth wrote: »
    I don't think being 'hardcore' has anything directly to with hardware. I think a hardcore gamer is someone who actively follows games when not gaming, knows when all the best titles are coming out and what they are, even niche ones. They spend a lot of time playing games but also alot of time reading and talking about them and they know a a lot about games and their history. They may well be into hardware as well but i don't think that's the defining quality. You could be a hardcore gamer and only game on consoles, but admittedly your more likely to be on PC as well.

    This. I love games I probably sent 100's on games, books and other merchandise. But I mainly play on my consoles.
    I will be getting a gaming PC in time only to play some custom maps for my favourite games. I like the fact console games I'm not worried if I can run it or need some plug in to play the game. That's the only diffidence for me between most PC and console gamers.

    I've seen some folks out there just love spending £1000s on a PC rig but never play a single game on it. It's just about building a great machine.

    Anyway back to the topic. I only play solitaire on my iPhone my mum seems to love her iPad but I can't get into it. To me they're more likely to be threats to puzzle book, board and card game companies than they will be to console makers.
  • InspirationInspiration Posts: 62,694
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    odie8391 wrote: »
    I mean come on, imagine playing "Cut the Rope" or "Where's My Water?" on a 42" HD TV, it would just be ridiculous! :rolleyes:

    You seem to feel these games are the limits of iOS. John Carmack would strongly disagree. His Rage for iOS disagrees. Also I'd argue WII games disagree. Perhaps the future living room won't be dominated by big games. Maybe the largest piece of the future market will just want to have quick blasts of fun with games the whole family can enjoy. It's a changing market. Who is best placed to exploit it? An easy to dev for platform or a dinosaur console industry.
  • HotbirdHotbird Posts: 10,009
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    Jen-B wrote: »
    The PC gaming market tends to cater the hardcore. Why are they seen as 'hardcore' - well, they upgrade their hardware, or want the ability to upgrade their hardware, are willing to put up with a 'niche' games market, more hassle to install games etc.

    LOL at the idea of my mom and sister been hardcore gamers because they game on a PC, on Facebook games :o . I think the PC has a huge casual market just like consoles do.
  • cat666cat666 Posts: 2,063
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    Hardcore V Casual gaming has been a sticking point for years. In reality there is no right or wrong definition as the words can mean different things.

    Hardcore essentially means you game a lot. You can spend 6 hours a night on Facebook games and be refered to as a hardcore SongPop player quite correctly. However "proper" gamers who follow the latest releases and the industry won't class it as hardcore as it isn't a new or big game and doesn't require a massive amount of processing power.

    On the flip side you can own a hardcore gaming machine which will run everything under the sun in high detail and still use it for 1 hour a night to play CoD. More casual than hardcore in my eyes.

    Going back on topic, the console market isn't going to die. It is going to change, but it certainly isn't going be killed off. The bog standard PC and laptop are not suitable for gaming. Sure they work, but the games are often not written for PC and just ported, meaning there are lots of errors just waiting to be discovered. Plus how many people actually have a PC in the living room? Very few, and the part of the joy of consoles is playing on a big TV. The console market is bigger than the PC market for gaming, so it isn't going away anytime soon.
  • PinSarlaPinSarla Posts: 4,072
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    Another thing is the amount of time sinks there are nowadays. Sure they've existed before, but never in such abundance. Various COD games, Minecraft, BF3, numerous MMORPGs, LoL, DOTA2, TF2, the latest FIFA and other sports games.

    I don't think the problem is console sales, but more the games that are on them not selling as well as they did a few years ago.
  • boxxboxx Posts: 5,335
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    thomas2400 wrote: »
    So what you are saying is there is no such thing as a 'hardcore' gamer and it just people who spend money on PC gaming and hardware trying to give themselves a title for absolutely no reason

    Pathetic just pathetic

    13 kid who stays who stays awake for 36 hours to play COD on 360- hardcore

    20 year old who got 100 stars on super mario galaxy within a week - hardcore

    40 year old who rips the innards out of Skyrim so he can fight giant pumpkins - hardcore

    60 year old who has a 1000+ turn game on the go on Civ 5 - hardcore

    It's all relative, and none of it matters.
  • DEADLY_17DEADLY_17 Posts: 9,262
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    No way.

    Casual Gamers might go for Apple.

    But for the Majority of Hardcore gamers then Consoles will always be around.
  • Jimmy_McNultyJimmy_McNulty Posts: 11,378
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    It depends on what the consoles will actually feature. If all the rumours are true (which i very much doubt), i can't see that many people being happy with 1)always online drm, 2)no 2nd hand games, 3)always on kinect.

    If all 3 come true, it doesn't matter if both consoles incorporate them or just 1, we will see a crash.

    TB mentions this in one of his videos. If the PS4 allows you to play 2nd hand games, but the XBOX720 doesn't, that could create a divide for the publishers, with one console being favoured over the other. And seen as the publishers would be getting alot more money from the console that doesn't allow used games (because every used game is a lost sale), they will side with XBOX720.

    And that will create a crash, no doubt about it.


    Also, a 1000 turns in civ v? What a noob!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,784
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  • RedSnapperRedSnapper Posts: 2,569
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    Unfortunatley there are a hell of a lot of stupid people in the world - so this might happen.

    Sales of laptops and PC's have dropped since the development of tablets and better mobiles - so clearly many people think they are capable of the same thing - seems like we get what we deserve.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 844
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    That sounds like he has a beef with Microsoft and wants to use Apple to get back at them. I can't see Apple taking over console gaming anytime soon.

    Also I don't see such a distinction between consoles and PC's anymore. Consoles are multimedia centres now and can do much more than bang a cartridge in and make beeps and whistles like they used to.

    The boundaries between the two are getting blurred and if anything I think the introduction of the steambox will level everything up as far as console vs PC arguments go.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,813
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    RedSnapper wrote: »
    Unfortunatley there are a hell of a lot of stupid people in the world - so this might happen.

    Sales of laptops and PC's have dropped since the development of tablets and better mobiles - so clearly many people think they are capable of the same thing - seems like we get what we deserve.

    Wanting a tablet and not a laptop doesn't make you stupid what a silly comment

    I only use my laptop for watching stuff and surfing the internet, therefore a Tablet would be 'capable of the same thing'
  • jjesso123jjesso123 Posts: 5,944
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    RedSnapper wrote: »
    Unfortunatley there are a hell of a lot of stupid people in the world - so this might happen.

    Sales of laptops and PC's have dropped since the development of tablets and better mobiles - so clearly many people think they are capable of the same thing - seems like we get what we deserve.

    Nothing to do with 'stupid people' more do with an evolution in the market. Most general things people did on a daily basis on their computer/laptop can now be done on a IOS/android based tablet that cost as low £80. Not only can it be done, it can done faster and more conveniently. That's far more usability and affordability for people. As result PC sales and laptop sales suffer, but that is just an effect of more options in market nothing at all to do with ''stupid people''.
  • 2dshmuplover2dshmuplover Posts: 8,271
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    ^ Long time no see young Jesso. :)
  • Jimmy_McNultyJimmy_McNulty Posts: 11,378
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    GabeN said exactly the same thing last month. If Apple moved into the 'living room space' they would destroy the establishment, Sony and Microsoft won't be able to compete I think. Even though multiple times Apple/Jobs was called anti-gaming.
  • InspirationInspiration Posts: 62,694
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    RedSnapper wrote: »
    Unfortunatley there are a hell of a lot of stupid people in the world - so this might happen.

    Who's to say the 'stupid' people don't already make up the console market.

    Let's look at the situation. The hardware is old. It's taken 5-7 years for Sony and Microsoft to produce a new console. That's shockingly bad when you consider how often other technology is upgraded now. What were they doing for 7 years? Milking the cows it seems. How? By selling games at £40+ a pop.. quite often for content that is completed in a few sittings. And is the content new? hardly. A large % of the new games coming to market now are just rehashed content sold as a sequel. Where are the new game titles? Why is everything a sequel? Probably because the game market is dominated by the big developers and small developers find it near impossible to develop for consoles and get their games into the stores. You gotta hand it to them.. it must take skill to create 3 games for the same console based in the same game world and claim each one is massively better than the last. And when you add in that you need to subscribe to a service to run apps on at least one of the consoles.. you have to ask what is going on here.

    In short I think Sony and Microsoft have collectively been taking the p**s. They've been sitting on their backsides milking the cows while other companies like Apple have been constantly progressing and it looks like they may be caught with their pants down. If you think about it Microsoft should be hanging their heads in shame. The XBox was meant to shake things up but they seemed to just take their place next to Sony and hit the brakes.

    I'm sure people will cheer when the new consoles are finally announced and people will go buy them but I certainly don't think Sony or Microsoft will enjoy over the next 5 years what they've enjoyed over the past 5 years.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 844
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    Who's to say the 'stupid' people don't already make up the console market.

    Let's look at the situation. The hardware is old. It's taken 5-7 years for Sony and Microsoft to produce a new console. That's shockingly bad when you consider how often other technology is upgraded now. What were they doing for 7 years? Milking the cows it seems. How? By selling games at £40+ a pop.. quite often for content that is completed in a few sittings. And is the content new? hardly. A large % of the new games coming to market now are just rehashed content sold as a sequel. Where are the new game titles? Why is everything a sequel? Probably because the game market is dominated by the big developers and small developers find it near impossible to develop for consoles and get their games into the stores. You gotta hand it to them.. it must take skill to create 3 games for the same console based in the same game world and claim each one is massively better than the last. And when you add in that you need to subscribe to a service to run apps on at least one of the consoles.. you have to ask what is going on here.

    In short I think Sony and Microsoft have collectively been taking the p**s. They've been sitting on their backsides milking the cows while other companies like Apple have been constantly progressing and it looks like they may be caught with their pants down. If you think about it Microsoft should be hanging their heads in shame. The XBox was meant to shake things up but they seemed to just take their place next to Sony and hit the brakes.

    I'm sure people will cheer when the new consoles are finally announced and people will go buy them but I certainly don't think Sony or Microsoft will enjoy over the next 5 years what they've enjoyed over the past 5 years.

    Technology might seem to move along a lot quicker in other areas but you wouldn't go out and buy a new TV every year or a new computer every year just because it had a slightly better spec.

    And with the exception of a few first party titles Sony and MS aren't the ones making money from all the game sales either.

    I really don't understand all the anti-console arguments on here. It's a consumer product in an established market and people will buy one or not based on cost and alternative options.

    I'll be looking at the PS4 but I'm not certain to buy one at any cost. If it's too expensive then I'll look at a steambox maybe. If the two of them are both reasonably priced I might get them both. I'll just see how it pans out but I don't see huge changes just yet.
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