Is This The Last Console Generation?
As the end of 2020 draws nearer, the new wave of consoles is set to be released to the world. The PS5 and Xbox Series X are here, at last, and gamers are eager to see what the future holds. But, at the same time, this may well be the last console generation.
It almost seems too bizarre to be true, but a quick look at technological advancements paints a very clear picture. Namely that there really is not much reason to keep building physical console hardware anymore. It just doesn’t make any sense to keep doing so.
Why? Because the future is very clearly online.
The Future Is Online
The video game streaming service Stadia may have been a pretty abysmal disappointment, with the vast majority writing it off as a bad joke almost immediately upon it being released. Very simply put; Google promised the world with Stadia, and failed to live up to those promises in almost every regard.
4K resolutions were advertised, for example, and running at 60 FPS no less. Needless to say Stadia was not capable of coming close to those lofty benchmarks.But, just because Stadia was a failure, it doesn’t mean that the concept isn’t still sound. What isn’t to like about doing away with physical hardware entirely, yet still having instant access to gaming on virtually any device in your home?
The Limitations
With that being said, there are still some pretty major hurdles to overcome before a service like Stadia is broadly available, or even possible. Or at least, before it is available to more than the extreme minority in a few key metros.
It is, after all, good and well to visit this site and get instant access to online betting, but streamed video games is another beast entirely.An incredibly fast, reliable, and stable internet connection is needed, if a streamed game is going to come anywhere close to meeting the standards set by physical hardware.
Needless to say the vast majority of the world does not have the connection required. But it really is probably just a matter of time before that changes.
5G Is The Key
As 5G rolls out around the world, and gradually becomes mass adopted, streaming games will not just be probable, it will be easily possible. So Stadia may have simply jumped the gun attempting to launch before 5G, with the results of that braveinitiative being a resounding flop.
But 5G is inevitable, and with it very likely comes an end for the end for the need for physical hardware. It will, naturally, not be a quick transition, given how accustomed gamers are to using hardware. But it doesn’t take a genius to see that the future of gaming is still very much online.
It will still be some time before 5G becomes standard, and so by extension it will still be some time before streamed gaming becomes the norm like streamed TV.
But it isn’t an exaggeration to say that this may well be the last physical console generation, if technology continues down the path it is currently on.