The Ten Year Console Life Cycle...

I got to thinking this morning about what primarily Sony has been touting about 10 year life cycles and their consoles. While I have nothing against it, I suddenly realized something. One of the main reasons that I am a console gamer is because it's (relatively) inexpensive, all i need is the console and a t.v. and i can play a game. Granted most of us that consider ourselves "hardcore" gamers need to have an HDTV and surround sound...and some of us might even go a little further and get "gaming" chairs or mini-fridges (so beer can be cold and quick). But what it comes down to, at least for myself, is convenience and, more importantly, money. By being a console gamer I only have to spend a large amount of money once, for the console. This one time expenditure then grants me all the latest games, and assuming i have even a measly 19" LCD HDTV capable of displaying 720p, then I can see nice crisp visuals, it's everything one needs to really enjoy gaming today.

However, if I were a PC gamer the expenditures would be a little different. I would need a high-end PC in order to play most games to their fullest extent, and if i wanted to keep playing those games I would need to upgrade some various pieces and parts of my PC's equipment every 6 months-a year, in order to stay on top of things. Now I'm not trying to incite riots from any PC gamers here, I enjoy PC games, I really do, I've just become more of a console gamer as the years have passed. But I'm straying from my topic.

My point here is that, if the current consoles (Sony isn't the only one that is supposedly thinking 10 year life cycles now) last for ten years, which would have them being phased out by around 2015ish, then what does that mean for our games? I know some developers are claiming they've already gotten all they could out of the 360 while others claim they've pushed the PS3 to its max, and most developers still arn't even attempting to use the Wii to its potential. If the current gen of consoles has another 6 years of life, then will that cause the industry to stagnate because of a lack of hardware innovation and improvement? Or will we see a replication of the Apple market? Will things like project Natal, PS3 Slim, the DSi etc. become more of the accepted norm.? If that becomes the case, will consumers actually be willing to (especially in times of economic downturn) shell out the cash for their Xbox 540's and PS3 v.2's? Will a more PC like environment be something that the average gamer is willing to accept, with each company Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, requiring full hardware upgrades in order to play the newest games?

All this talk about the end of this console generation annoys me. I feel like I've only started to really get used to it and people are already moving on.

I honestly hate how games are changing and how people are always going "PS4 is coming". We don't need anymore consoles, really. They should stick with add-ons. But take a look at what sony is doing with the psp and everything. Downloadable games, that's a good start into spending less money. They confirmed prices would be cheaper since you aren't going around buying the cases as well. I don't know, my opinion. Sorry if I don't make sense.

" All this talk about the end of this console generation annoys me. I feel like I've only started to really get used to it and people are already moving on. "

we are just now entering the "golden age" of the PS3. It is just gonna get better from here and this years exclusive line up proves it. 

At some point a PC game will raise the bar and a lot of hardcore gamers that are now playing console games are going to return to the source, Steam and Windows Live will continue to evolve and there are some awesome time deals, now you can get a 6 month old pc game for perhaps half the price using a free online service, of course, PC hardware ages and you will have to upgrade at some point, but this awesome digital game prices + mouse/keyboard + better graphics than consoles + free online service,  sounds really good.
I don't think this gen will last ten years, the 360 and the ps3 WILL be sold for more than ten but there are going to be a PS4 or a Xbox 720 (?) at some point, I also think the ps2 is going to last 5 more years at least in some markets and will disappear eventually with the introduction of a full ps2 backward compatibility firmware update, you can run a ps2 emulator in an old cheap pc and the ps3 has far more power than the needed to do it well 100% by software.
About a ps3 v.2 or xbox "540", the home console market is not big enough to force the customer to upgrade, we now have the DSi and the PSP GO but that market is very different, the target is people that like gadgets and they always want something better, that's why there is people that have upgraded their iphone 6 times .

I like the idea of 10 years, makes it seem like its worth the money really. What bugs me is the mindset that console gamers have in that they think graphics constantly need to be improving. Killzone 2 looks fantastic, as does Uncharted 2, i could play games with them graphics for the next 5 years with no problems at all. 

Unless they've got some genius innovation up their sleeve like controlling the game with your mind I hope we don't see the next generation of consoles for a while. Why would we need it? The graphics in games are as good as they will ever need to be.

if either Sony or Microsoft come out with something new in the next 4 years it will be the biggest mistake they could ever make

" we are just now entering the "golden age" of the PS3. It is just gonna get better from here and this years exclusive line up proves it.  "

" @Death_Unicorn said:

" @Akeldama said:

" we are just now entering the "golden age" of the PS3. It is just gonna get better from here and this years exclusive line up proves it.  "

People have been saying this year after year, please, no doubt the PS3 has some kick ass games this year, but so does every other single console. Does this mean they are entering their golden age?"

not to troll or anything, but i was close to buying a 360 until i realized it has nothing coming to it. Every game coming to the 360 is coming to the PS3 with the exception of Alan Wake (for now) and the halo games. The PS3 has Uncharted, GOW3, Heavy Rain, the new Ratchet game, MAG, MNR, Fat princess, GT 5, The Agent, The Agency, and a slew of others. What does the 360 have that can even begin to compete with such a solid line up? "

" a little further and get "gaming" chairs or mini-fridges (so beer can be cold and quick). But what it comes down to, at least for myself, is convenience and, more importantly, money. By being a console gamer I only have to spend a large amount of money once, for the console. This one time expenditure then grants me all the latest games, and assuming i have even a measly 19" LCD HDTV capable of displaying 720p, then I can see nice crisp visuals, it's everything one needs to really enjoy gaming today. However, if I were a PC gamer the expenditures would be a little different. I would need a high-end PC in order to play most games to their fullest extent, and if i wanted to keep playing those games I would need to upgrade some various pieces and parts of my PC's equipment every 6 months-a year, in order to stay on top of things. Now I'm not trying to incite riots from any PC gamers here, I enjoy PC games, I really do, I've just become more of a console gamer as the years have passed. But I'm straying from my topic.My point here is that, if the current consoles (Sony isn't the only one that is supposedly thinking 10 year life cycles now) last for ten years, which would have them being phased out by around 2015ish, then what does that mean for our games? I know some developers are claiming they've already gotten all they could out of the 360 while others claim they've pushed the PS3 to its max, and most developers still arn't even attempting to use the Wii to its potential. If the current gen of consoles has another 6 years of life, then will that cause the industry to stagnate because of a lack of hardware innovation and improvement? Or will we see a replication of the Apple market? Will things like project Natal, PS3 Slim, the DSi etc. become more of the accepted norm.? If that becomes the case, will consumers actually be willing to (especially in times of economic downturn) shell out the cash for their Xbox 540's and PS3 v.2's? Will a more PC like environment be something that the average gamer is willing to accept, with each company Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, requiring full hardware upgrades in order to play the newest games? "

" I honestly hate how games are changing "

"By being a console gamer I only have to spend a large amount of money once, for the console. ... displaying 720p, then I can see nice crisp visuals, it's everything one needs to really enjoy gaming today. However, if I were a PC gamer the expenditures would be a little different. I would need a high-end PC in order to play most games to their fullest extent, and if i wanted to keep playing those games I would need to upgrade some various pieces and parts of my PC's equipment every 6 months-a year"

" @Hamst3r: You are correct. I bought my PC two years ago, and no games have come out for the PC so I haven't had to upgrade it. "

" @Lind_L_Taylor: Obviously you've never played a game drunk, trust me it makes it makes the experience even better.

"

I think some of the new peripherals are going to help buoy the current consoles for a while longer, and I also think that there's plenty that can be done with the current hardware by giving updates to the software as all of the big three have done. But there will come a point in the future when the consoles' non user-upgradeable guts will be topped out and both devs and console manufacturers will be looking to a new console generation.

i have no desire for a new system yet.  3 years maybe but i usually get them after theyve been out a year or so anyways.  next time around ill be waiting for pricedrops again or until a massive selection of games is available.  still feel like the current crop has a bit to prove and their is still limits to be pushed, the jump from uncharted to its sequal is substantial and thats just one game.  hopefully in a couple years there will be several games of that calibur (the jump from mass effect to its sequal also comes to mind, granted the games arent out but from what weve seen/heard)...

i could see it more from xbox cause of the technical issues they have had but i really want to see sony push their system a bit more.  cant say much from the pc end i mainly use a laptop these days and many other people do too.  pc games are gonna be better off if they cater to people who dont have high-end pcs to keep their market wide, blizzard seems to have grasped that and are by far the most succesful developer for pc gaming

It almost makes me cringe when i see people saying that they think these systems are almost done and that we are ready for new ones. To say that even the 360 has been used to its full potential, let alone the PS3 is just plain nonesense. You may be right, perhaps graphics have been pushed close to the max of what the system can do, but something that i think people constantly forget is that video games are not all about graphics. If graphics is all you want you might as well just watch CG movies. The consoles are pushing on five years now and if it is only now that the creators are reaching the max graphic capabillities than that means thier should be another 5 years to go until the systems die. Now that the game makers dont have to concentrate as much on graphics now they can actually concentrate on the important parts of a game, THE CONTENT.

Think about all the past consoles, their life spans have gotten progresively longer, i atribute this to the fact that it takes a while for people to max out the graphics and then they spend 3-5 years or so after working on the content and perfecting their games. Does anyone really think that it took companies 5 years to max out the graphics capabilities of the SNES, N64, Playstation, or other older systems, i highly doubt it. Look at the games on the N64. Mario 64, a game that came out at the beggining of the console, has about the same quality graphics as do the later games. Another example of how content matters is Xbox/Sony Arcade. Think about how many games that have been rereleased online with mildely improved graphics. And they sell extremely well.

Now i know that no is gonna argue against the fact the content makes or breaks a game, but i think that we get caught up sometimes in how a game looks and not so much how it plays or how it runs. Game creators do the same thing, and the result is we get games that look great but can really get bogged down by glitches and shoty play. Take Gears of War 2 for example, great single player campaign and looks great, but when it comes to the mechanics and gameplay (especially online) things can get really really fucked up and anoying.

My point is companies seem to be straying away from giving us great content because they are trying to make games look great. Which makes me really hate seeing gamers want new systems. I hope this gen stays around for 5 more years, forcing the makers to compete, not with graphics, but by giving us cleaner, more imersive, exciting, personal, expansive, unique, and inovative games that become classics for the ages. Because as gamers, isnt that what we all want.

With the current crop of games & the game technology used, it doesn't seem that graphics need to be pushed further for 3D games.  The cell-shading technology that seems to be coming in new games is still compatible with existing technology.  Also, it doesn't seem that HD quality requires a more powerful gaming card to produce more color & motion.  I'd say that the current gaming technology has matured & game developers are working within the limitations of the system with astonishing success.  What game or technology currently exists that CAN'T be put on a console?  That's what I'd like to look at.

" @Death_Unicorn said:

" @Akeldama said:

" we are just now entering the "golden age" of the PS3. It is just gonna get better from here and this years exclusive line up proves it.  "

People have been saying this year after year, please, no doubt the PS3 has some kick ass games this year, but so does every other single console. Does this mean they are entering their golden age?"

not to troll or anything, but i was close to buying a 360 until i realized it has nothing coming to it. Every game coming to the 360 is coming to the PS3 with the exception of Alan Wake (for now) and the halo games. The PS3 has Uncharted, GOW3, Heavy Rain, the new Ratchet game, MAG, MNR, Fat princess, GT 5, The Agent, The Agency, and a slew of others. What does the 360 have that can even begin to compete with such a solid line up? "

I actually think the PS3 could last Sony 10 more years, plus I don't think they can afford to make another console anytime soon, and as they sell more PS3's and they get cheaper to produce they will start making money.

The PS3 has Uncharted, GOW3, Heavy Rain, the new Ratchet game, MAG, MNR, Fat princess, GT 5, The Agent, The Agency, and a slew of others. What does the 360 have that can even begin to compete with such a solid line up? "

Let's not forget...

Sony's 10 year life cycle doesn't mean the PS3 is going to be the only Playstation out for sale.

As with the PS2's life span, some of it will spill into the next console generation.


Hell, unless Microsoft is crazy about killing the 360 off when their next console comes around. I bet they'd still like to have that 360 income to a certain degree.

Then again, they did kill off the first X-Box with no remorse.


So I do believe there is a 10 year console lifespan. But I expect a new console at the end of those couple years.

Actually with the PC u barely need to upgrade. i still have a decent computer. i have had my computer for around 3-4 years now and the only thing that i upgraded was my video card.  i've had the same card for around 2 years, it was a Nvidia 6600gt 128mb. it played a lot of games great. then i upgraded which cost $150. it is great. idk why people say u have to upgrade every 6 months.

the 10 year life cycle only means they will support it for 10 years. they will still have games coming out for it, while the next console is out. i would want to see an actual 10 year life cycle where there is ten years. it would be good as it would also bring out more upgrades to the system. i would say look at a game that came out when the system came out now look at a newer game for it.

i usually wait for the system to drop before i buy it for example, when the 360 premium dropped to $350 and the rrod warranty upgraded to 3 years i bought it. i found a coupon for dell that had a 15% off of eletronics so i bought a ps3 for $360. soon hopefully the ps3 gets a price drop to around that price.

" All this talk about the end of this console generation annoys me. I feel like I've only started to really get used to it and people are already moving on. "