Those of us who are PC gamers grow tired of the rhetoric with every console launch, where people scream from rooftops how this or that new console will "kill PC gaming." For those of you who echo that cry, here's a word of advice - give it up, it's not going to happen. And now, an exec at Blizzard is coming out to agree - it may even be consoles that go obsolete.
Blizzard's VP of Business Development, Ben Bassat, recently had an interview with the guys over at GamesIndustry.biz, and he had some interesting things to say. His basic theory is that for each step that consoles advance in technology, they become more like PCs anyway. And with the consumer uptake of media centre PCs, Xbox Live video services, streaming media, and wireless technologies, PCs are starting become true hubs of home entertainment.
"Consoles are becoming sophisticated PCs which sit in the living room... We'll have to see how all this develops, said Bassat. "Maybe in five years you won't need a console because you'll have one PC which delivers content all over your house." He went on to talk about the move to HDTVs and how much they are akin to a computer monitor, illustrating that it no longer requires a mess of complicated cables and setup to run a PC effectively in your living room.
Ben also stated that Blizzard's most popular title, World of Warcraft, will never see a console port. That doesn't mean that the company is totally out of the console market - it's keeping its eye on the new systems, to be sure. However, it seems that Ben is pretty confident that PC gaming is far from dead - it's just moving to the living room, albeit slowly.
One has to wonder how long that transfer will really take, since connectivity options are getting to be even more simple. As we speak, at least two graphics card manufacturers are working on HDMI 1.3 technologies that include sound, meaning the switch from a monitor to an HDTV could soon be as simple as plugging in the exact same cable. What an interesting twist of fate it would if PC ended up killing the console instead...
Have you got a thought on Bassat's statements? Do you agree? Let us know in our forums.
Blizzard's VP of Business Development, Ben Bassat, recently had an interview with the guys over at GamesIndustry.biz, and he had some interesting things to say. His basic theory is that for each step that consoles advance in technology, they become more like PCs anyway. And with the consumer uptake of media centre PCs, Xbox Live video services, streaming media, and wireless technologies, PCs are starting become true hubs of home entertainment.
"Consoles are becoming sophisticated PCs which sit in the living room... We'll have to see how all this develops, said Bassat. "Maybe in five years you won't need a console because you'll have one PC which delivers content all over your house." He went on to talk about the move to HDTVs and how much they are akin to a computer monitor, illustrating that it no longer requires a mess of complicated cables and setup to run a PC effectively in your living room.
Ben also stated that Blizzard's most popular title, World of Warcraft, will never see a console port. That doesn't mean that the company is totally out of the console market - it's keeping its eye on the new systems, to be sure. However, it seems that Ben is pretty confident that PC gaming is far from dead - it's just moving to the living room, albeit slowly.
One has to wonder how long that transfer will really take, since connectivity options are getting to be even more simple. As we speak, at least two graphics card manufacturers are working on HDMI 1.3 technologies that include sound, meaning the switch from a monitor to an HDTV could soon be as simple as plugging in the exact same cable. What an interesting twist of fate it would if PC ended up killing the console instead...
Have you got a thought on Bassat's statements? Do you agree? Let us know in our forums.
MSI MPG Velox 100R Chassis Review
October 14 2021 | 15:04
Want to comment? Please log in.