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[Hohenheim]

Well, and without armies of cheaters online, without using 600W GPU alone to play games, without unoptimized software, without shader compilations akin to load a tape game on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum.

There could be space for a third competitor maybe, as in the PS360-Wii days, but it's true that aside that gen each time than more than two have been in the market, the third has suffered a lot and fourth have been obliterated.

There's only space for two. Most big tech enterprises won't try to compete seeing how MS has been slaughtered. I only see possibility if Sony keeps doing harakiri with their PC ports and Valve thinks that its vulnerable.

You don't need a 600w GPU to destroy current consoles.
Online cheaters is probably sadly a big thing for sure. I never play online games so I wouldn't know, but I'm sure there's loads of cheatin' cunts.
The shader compilation thing is like 5 seconds. Maybe a minute, max two the very first time starting a new game. It's definitly not a big deal.
And I haven't had any real issues with a PC game since trying out The Callisto Protocol at launch (the performance was the real horror in that one).
On the other hand I have had quite a few issues with the few console games i've played the last few years, but to be fair, those "issues" have mostly been low frame rate and a lack of graphical fidelity.

So yeah, the consoles feels like a mid-range PC's to me.
Except Nintendo, which feels like low end. (But which I still can't help but love, and actually somewhat feels like a "real" console still, like the machines from what I consider a golden era for consoles (ps2, gamecube, OG Xbox etc). Back when all the consoles had a real identity of their own, which was awesome.

 

[IDKFA]

Sega I believe still produce there own arcade boards, meaning they at least have some experience with modern hardware. It would be a very risky endeavour though, since Sega is a lot smaller than they were before the Japanese economic crisis

Correct. I doubt Sega have the financial muscle to bring out a new console. Why would they as well? They're doing fine as a 3rd party publisher. Why risk the company by going back to hardware.

Samsung is by far the most likely. There is a fledgling game industry in Korea and unlike most other companies are stable enough to make large investments in something like a console.

Samsung is very unlikely to step in. There isn't any reason for them to do so. It would cost far too much for very little gain.

Best they would probably do is a handheld PC that runs Steam. That's it.

Honestly, I doubt anyone will come into the market and try a traditional home console.

 

[jshackles]

Please not. Apple is terrible.. have they even made a game?

Why make a game at all, when you have enough cash to go the Microsoft route and buy Capcom, SEGA, and Ubisoft all at once?

 

[Hector Hall]

You don't need a 600w GPU to destroy current consoles.
Online cheaters is probably sadly a big thing for sure. I never play online games so I wouldn't know, but I'm sure there's loads of cheatin' cunts.
The shader compilation thing is like 5 seconds. Maybe a minute, max two the very first time starting a new game. It's definitly not a big deal.
And I haven't had any real issues with a PC game since trying out The Callisto Protocol at launch (the performance was the real horror in that one).
On the other hand I have had quite a few issues with the few console games i've played the last few years, but to be fair, those "issues" have mostly been low frame rate and a lack of graphical fidelity.

So yeah, the consoles feels like a mid-range PC's to me.
Except Nintendo, which feels like low end. (But which I still can't help but love, and actually somewhat feels like a "real" console still, like the machines from what I consider a golden era for consoles (ps2, gamecube, OG Xbox etc). Back when all the consoles had a real identity of their own, which was awesome.

Key words are "to you".
In real world and after Steam Surveys, most PC gamers are way below consoles, so I after your logic most Pc gaming is low end gaming.

 

[Ebrietas]

Apple is the only one who can. They kind of have all the pieces but just haven't put together a PS5-tier device.

They are already a hardware maker.
They already have the world's biggest software distribution channel in the App store
They have class leading custom silicon

They could hypothetically make an Apple TV style device but on steroids, optimized for gaming, and immediately get ports of third party titles.

The roadblock they would run into is that they don't have in house development and so they would not have anything to differentiate themselves from Sony and Nintendo in terms of games. But perhaps the Apple aura and synergy with the rest of the ecosystem could make up for that. If they play their cards right, they could even use this device as a springboard to enhance Mac gaming. Apple could simultaneously eat into both the console and PC gaming markets.

 

[yogaflame]

I'm a PS Sony fan but I want too see some good competition for Sony so that quality will not go down, and always strive for greatness and improvement. Ps1 to ps2 became a legend with great exclusives because of tough competition. How about Elon and Amazon?

Anyway, competition or none, I think PS is now a popculture brand and will become like iphone of console industry. PS has so many loyal and patient fans right now, and Sony does delivers from time to time even if they frustrate there fans sometimes.

 

[RoboFu]

No one is going to get into the console business. It's a dying market everything is moving toward multi-device.

 

[yogaflame]

No one is going to get into the console business. It's a dying market everything is moving toward multi-device.

Maybe for some companies but 75 million PS5 owners, says its not a dying business. And numbers of ps5 and ps5 pro is still growing. PS has so many loyal and patient fans just like Nintendo.

 

[RoboFu]

75 million PS5 owners, says its not a dying business. And numbers of ps5 and ps5 pro is still growing.

Yeah that's why Sony is putting out pc ports and looking into doing research into mobile gaming and streaming services.

Sony sells consoles because their games sell and they have legacy. The market isn't expanding there's no new console makers. There isn't even anyone new trying because everyone knows dedicated consoles won't last 40 years.

 

[Icymanipulator]

If apple would make a console, suddenly 90$ for games would feel like a steal.

Wouldn't be surprised lol

 

[poppabk]

Any console that's going to sell needs to break boundaries. So no, someone strapping a name to a cheap gaming PC with a controller in the modern day will not do well.

What boundaries?

 

[Beechos]

The only consoles sega and capcom will release are retro ones. 0 chance either will release a modern console.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

Imho, there is no point in another company trying to develop another console if there aren't going to be any major exclusives and to distinguish it from the competition.

 

[Games Bookstore]

The financial burden alone to release new hardware for a relatively unknown player in the console space would be enough to put most company's off releasing one.

What is more likely to happen is once cloud services and internet connections improve significantly for the masses then hardware agnostic services will start popping up more and more.

Something akin to Stadia but done right.

 

[DaleinCalgary]

The financial burden alone to release new hardware for a relatively unknown player in the console space would be enough to put most company's off releasing one.

What is more likely to happen is once cloud services and internet connections improve significantly for the masses then hardware agnostic services will start popping up more and more.

Something akin to Stadia but done right.

Yup, it take billions to have inventory and R+D to pull that off. Nobody is beating Sony

 

[Jigsaah]

I give consoles as a whole 2 more generations...so no one.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

No one is going to get into the console business. It's a dying market everything is moving toward multi-device.

Yep. SW2 will fail harder than Wii U to begin with.

 

[Radical_3d]

Ironic that Xbox will be the next console to come out after the Switch 2

Will it be something you could call a console?

 

[Mibu no ookami]

If we ever see another big-ass console manufacturer, it will be a Chinese one.

This is the only correct answer.

The only market in which a new console brand could thrive would be china.

A lot of people talking about Apple, which is just a joke. Please see Apple TV+ as an example. They're way too late to catch up in software development. So short of buying T2, they're not going to have a footprint. And they're not in a position to buy anyone with the government breathing down their neck.

 

[Kotaro]

I think Chinese company will enter console market soon, either Tencent or Huawei

 

[Fess]

Would be odd for Microsoft to still try and compete in the traditional console space, while also putting out their games on PlayStation and Nintendo systems.

Nothing odd about it. They just don't have all eggs in the same basket anymore.

People here seem to think that everybody is jumping ship but it's really not an easy move for Xbox-only gamers to invest big to build an all new library of old 3rd party favorites and often late Xbox ports and a handful of new Xbox releases and skip Gamepass and start over on PlayStation or Nintendo systems.

Some will do it but I know enough Xbox-only fans to know that the ports change very little regarding what console they prefer. Those who instantly move to other systems because of the new ports are already there. That's multi-console owners who see a way to skip the cost of one console.

And it's not like everyone is ready to invest in, or even want, a PC.

So I think the Xbox console business can find a spot to exist even with the new multiplat strategy. Wouldn't reach traditional console sales numbers but they don't need that when it's not their only thing. If they can bring the power or something new to the table and keep Gamepass intact plus have good BC they should be okay, they also get money from software sales on PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam, Windows, plus it's said that they have a handheld coming and cloud is growing.

 

[vodka-bull]

I give consoles as a whole 2 more generations...so no one.

I give them one. One more generation and then it'll be streaming only. Console manufacturers don't make any profit off selling consoles, rumors say even Nintendo will sell Switch 2 at a loss for them. So next will be a streaming service. And I'm ok with that, downlod an App on a smart TV, connect controller with the smart TV, don't need a box lying around. TBH I even wonder why Microsoft didn't release an Xbox Gamepass app on Smart TVs yet.

Edit: just googled it, Microsoft did release an app for LG TVs with webOS 24. Mine's just too old unfortunately. But that's a reason for an upgrade.

 

[Come On Tars]

It's hard to imagine another player entering the game. Seems like the console industry revenue is stagnant to declining? The pie doesn't seems to be growing so a new contender would only get a sliver. Idk

 

[MrCunningham]

My top guess would be LG. I always felt like this is a company from Korea that could actually make a gaming console.

Nvidia

They did it once with the Shield. They could do it again.

Elon Musk will start something maybe.

he could re-brand neuralink as the 'ultimate AR device'.

Amazon or Apple.

Amazon has been teasing a game console for a long time now. These days they could just make it an extension of their Fire Stick Pro, to be honest.

No way that Apple is going to make an independent console at this point in time. Seems stupid and very out of line with the company to make a product that does one singular task. They could literally bring back the iPod and put more emphasis on it as a gaming device, and just package it with an M5 APU and call it a day.

 

[MrCunningham]

Return of the King baby

As much as I would like to see Sega return to form... I'm not sure if they really can. In the past, when arcades were still their mainline business Sega could leverage their home consoles as 'arcade port' machines with home console originals as an extension.

The arcade market crashed quite a while back, and hasn't really seen a recovery. Sega doesn't have the the R&D and first party teams like they use to. They scaled way back.

I often thought that Sega could do an a la carte 'online service' console, that contains some sort of FPGA and ARM or perhaps RiscV CPU that connects online to a Sega service where they offer emulated arcade games, console games (SMS, MD/ genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast...) and may even deliver some original games for the platform as well. Or port stuff like Streets of rage 4, Sonic Mania, the new Shinobi. Include online play and leaderboards and such.

 

[Hudo]

If any Chinese company, then Tencent.

I can also see Tencent, NetEase et al. joining together for that purpose. Since going up against Sony and Nintendo is not a small feat.

 

[Felessan]

This was my thought as well. Also, Apple has a history of throwing money around just to piss off Microsoft, or at least they did back when Steve Jobs was still around. So I could see it happening.

They can't even make Arcade to be successful
Consoles are about games and Apple has no experience in this field (and consoles are mass-market, not premium Apple like to sell)

 

[DenchDeckard]

Nvidia
Apple
A Chinese company

I can't really think of any others...

 

[MrCunningham]

They can't even make Arcade to be successful
Consoles are about games and Apple has no experience in this field (and consoles are mass-market, not premium Apple like to sell)

Apple has had some indirect success in the videogame field. Top example, the iPod Touch:

Spoiler: old apple commercial.

Which was a success on a mainstream level. In the early years, Apple may not have directly marketed it as a gaming platform, but they certainly did market it to a teenage audience as an alternative to the DS and PSP handhelds. The iPod Touch did get phased out for the iPhone and ultimately the iPad. It was an iPhone without any of the phone components.

 

[Sintoid]

Something from China

 

[Ozzie666]

Sega or Capcom really? neither have the capital or cash on hand to dive into console manufacturing, research and development or survive the downfalls. Sega's long history of failures and mismanagement, people keep forgetting how terrible they were aside from creative games.

Capcom is interesting, because I think they could levelrage a PSP type handheld device with Monster Hunter. But I don't think their catalogue is enough to support a console.

It needs to be someone with alot of cash or the backing of the Saudi's or something.

 

[MayauMiao]

Apple is the only one who can.

Not with Apple Tax.

 

[Paasei]

Probably something Chinese.

But if it would really happen; It's going to be some shitty digital only console or Android based garbage nobody really wants. Like the Ouya and Stadia.

 

[MrCunningham]

Old game magazine article of the Apple Pippin from March 1996. Granted, the Pippin was a collaboration between Bandai and Apple, and was mostly aimed at the Japanese market. The machine has a PPC 66MHz CPU, and not much in the way of 3D graphics acceleration.

Apple didn't get into 3D hardware acceleration until 1998-1999 when they incorporated the OpenGL driver into their MacOS. The N64 is a much more competent piece of hardware overall than the Apple Pippin.

I will say this... that stylus, keyboard snes gamepad thing looked sick.

Current Apple does have their own custom GPU in their M4's and M5 APU's, they did develop their own API called Metal, they do have their own game pad API as well. Plus the development of Apple Arcade.

They do have a better framework for a gaming machine. It just seems weird that they would just make a dedicated gaming console. I'm not sure how it would fit in with all of their other products that could almost do the same thing. Unless they do decide to make a 'cheaper' device and make it more frugual. IDK.

 

[Avid Reading Horse]

GabeN Box
Gabe finally goes beyond Steam.
Powered by pure GabeN

 

[MrCunningham]

I think Chinese company will enter console market soon, either Tencent or Huawei

yeah, all the people saying the next gaming machine will be from China are probably right. China also has been throwing a lot of money at RISCV development. So a RISCV platform? You never know. China could take a page from the classic 3DO model of making a hardware spec that could be licensed out to multiple Chinese companies.

 

[intheinbetween]

Why would any company take the risk of competing against Sony and Nintendo? I believe it would be much better investing in gaming publishing or development instead of wasting money in R&D, manufacturing, building and acquiring studios and marketing among other business units.

It's not worth it.

Btw, Microsoft is still here to stay so this new platform would have first to surpass Microsoft, and that would require not only its own exclusives but also making sure it gets all versions of games being released by third-parties. I don't see this happening.

 

[awwr999999]

This is the only correct answer.
The only market in which a new console brand could thrive would be china.

China will be dominated by PC gaming. The govt. restricts game consoles while it allows unrestricted access to PCs.

 

[Felessan]

yeah, all the people saying the next gaming machine will be from China are probably right. China also has been throwing a lot of money at RISCV development. So a RISCV platform? You never know. China could take a page from the classic 3DO model of making a hardware spec that could be licensed out to multiple Chinese companies.

What's the point for them to license out hardware when they have more than plenty hardware companies
If anything I more believe that we will see hybrid phone in the same way we see switch hybrid than any new console from China
It makes much more sense given their market state

 

[vodka-bull]

I still believe in the KFConsole. It'd be a dream come to reality, imagine killing chicken in RE4 while you're grilling chicken with your console!

 

[awwr999999]

Current Apple does have their own custom GPU in their M4's and M5 APU's, they did develop their own API called Metal, they do have their own game pad API as well. Plus the development of Apple Arcade.
They do have a better framework for a gaming machine. It just seems weird that they would just make a dedicated gaming console. I'm not sure how it would fit in with all of their other products that could almost do the same thing. Unless they do decide to make a 'cheaper' device and make it more frugual. IDK.

Apple silicon's more interesting than anything Nintendo's doing with Nvidia or PlayStation's doing with AMD, period.
That said, Apple doesn't have a controller, can't make a console without one and can't make a new one without running into patents.

 

[JaxarGT]

So I think the Xbox console business can find a spot to exist even with the new multiplat strategy.

It'll be interesting to have this discussion mid next-gen, because I can see Xbox selling FAR few consoles now after having pivoted to third party.

Where does that leave them? IMO not in a good position as a console maker.

Is 10 or 20M sold enough to justify all of the costs associated with having your own console? Time will tell, but I'm guessing not.

 

[Cakeboxer]

None

 

[MrCunningham]

What's the point for them to license out hardware when they have more than plenty hardware companies
If anything I more believe that we will see hybrid phone in the same way we see switch hybrid than any new console from China
It makes much more sense given their market state

If there was an agreed on unified spec design for a game console that can run the same software across the boards, then I dunno... Alobabba, Temu, AliExpress, Tencent and Huawei could all release their own versions of the same console. Or variations on the same platform. Handheld, console, etc. China also is really pushing for open source chip designs like RISC-V.

A unified licensed design would work in a way that each Chinese tech company wouldn't be competing with each other directly. It would be like the old 3DO model, or the MSX computer model.

I know they could also do this with phones.

 

[Felessan]

A unified licensed design would work in a way that each Chinese tech company wouldn't be competing with each other directly. It would be like the old 3DO model, or the MSX computer model.

I know they could also do this with phones.

They already is and would be competing for sure
Console business now isn't about selling hardware, it's about ecosystem, and every big phone producer in China has their own (there is separate stores for Android based on producer). And possible hardware superiority just add to value proposition, if you can sell XSX level at XSS price, you have an advantage over competitors. And no one will agree to even out and standardize hardware, same as in phones right now.

 

[MrCunningham]

Apple silicon's more interesting than anything Nintendo's doing with Nvidia or PlayStation's doing with AMD, period.
That said, Apple doesn't have a controller, can't make a console without one and can't make a new one without running into patents.

I agree with Apples Silicon, their GPU is still a mystery to me, is it derived off of PowerVR tech? It is interesting that Apple rolls their own GPU's now. It does make their current hardware pretty unique. I honestly think about buying a Mac Mini for my daily PC.

Apple doesn't make their own game pads, But they do have the gamepad API that is like Microsoft's Xinput. It does support many different types on configurations and has official specs.

.

 

[MrRibeye]

Todd Howard is a game developer.
Kojima is a game auteur.

Nintendo is a console manufacturer.
Who is the next console manufacteur?

 

[I'm nobody]

With Xbox seeming to be on the backfoot and overall pretty low competition in the industry as a whole, I think it's worth speculating which company will be the next to enter the game console industry.

Personally, I believe the following companies could (could) create a games console and have a motivation to, from most to least likely:
Samsung
Capcom
Sega

Meta box is coming with VR

 

[I'm nobody]

This was my thought as well. Also, Apple has a history of throwing money around just to piss off Microsoft, or at least they did back when Steve Jobs was still around. So I could see it happening.

Apple should buy Xbox but I think Amazon will end up with it in the end

 

[dragonyeuw]

Valve seems like they've already got one foot in the door with the Steam Deck, the next logical hardware move for them is a 'Steam Box'. Not something that will compete head to head with Playstation and Nintendo, but more along the lines of the aforementioned Deck, a bespoke entry point into their ecosystem with an easy console-like interface. I'd buy that before the next Playstation at this point. PS5 for numerous reasons( really the console market in general nowadays) isn't providing many reasons for me to keep sticking with it.