Consoles: The Final Hurrah?

Tangible. It is defined as: 1.) capable of being touched; discernible by the touch; material or substantial; 2.) real or actual, rather than imaginary or visionary; 3.) definite; not vague or elusive; or 4.) (of an asset) having actual physical existence, as real estate or chattels, and therefore capable of being assigned a value in monetary terms.  When something does not have tangibility, at some point we doubt and question everything about it.  From its authenticity, to its abilities, to the feeling of our own legitimate possession; without tangibility, your mind becomes clouded with doubt.  If you own something-you own it. It is yours. This further increases when your possession has tangible qualities; you can hold it, transport it, display it-and in most instances-visibly enhance it.  There is no doubt to be had.

With this 8^th console generation just a few months away there has been an “elephant in the room” of sorts amongst gamers, analysts, and even investors alike: with consoles being pushed to limits we have never seen before; with so much processing power being emitted from (tangible) boxes, will this be the last console generation?  Any gamer will tell you that such a reality is one that they could never even imagine.  Any conscious gamer will tell you that it’s one that they’d never like to witness, but with the way the industry has changed its focus from providing an excellent gaming experience, to nickel and diming consumers, it’s a reality that may inevitable.  Why?  Although the number of American gamers has risen from 205.9 million in 2012 to 209.9 million in 2013, these gamers are not flocking to consoles.  Instead they are embracing mobile and free-to-play platforms; and these numbers continue to grow.  Factor that the average household has 3-5 screens to occupy their attention: TV, mobile device, computer, tablet.  Because of such division, where does a console fit in as a major time-consumer? Aside from your moderate/hardcore gamer, a console does not occupy much time for your casual gamer.  Furthermore, because this reverse correlation of casual to hardcore gamers continues to trend, console makers claim to see the bigger picture and have implemented more content on a downloadable platform; (this is seen by some as preparation to console-less gaming.)  Looking at a recent study by IDC and App Annie, consumer spending on mobile games has grown to three times that of gaming devices like Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita; an easy indicator as to why console makers have made it easier to collaborate tablets as second screen options.

Will consoles be present 8-9 years from now when we reach the 9^th console generation? No one can be quite sure. Personally, I think a console-less world of gaming would void the gaming experience.  The possession of a console partnered with amassing a collection of games is a rite of passage of sorts; it is the recovering of Samus Aran’s powers, the attaining of Mega Man X’s abilities, it is the maturation of Link becoming undoubtedly focused to battle Ganondorf.

Otherwise, without consoles, we’ll be stuck in a world where we continuously press “B” when Pikachu reaches a certain phase in life-failing to evolve. (Not that’d we’d let Pikachu evolve anyway.)

:D

The End of an Era: Hardcore Gaming

When I was 5 years old, my mother bought my Nintendo Game Boy with assortment of 10-11 games in addition to the already included, instant classic Tetris. My mind was immediately put into overdrive.  Here I had, (what I at the time), thought was the most advance portable gaming system on the planet.  I didn't have to share with friends. I didn't have to share with any siblings. (My only sibling was almost 18 years older than me with one child at the time.) I didn't have to worry about being made fun of because I didn't have a system; I had a system and it was one to call my own.  It was from that moment on that my love, my passion, my absolute sincerely appreciation of video games began.

Fast forward some years later-1996 to be exact-I still cherished my Game Boy and all of its bland stock gray color and bulkiness accentuated by the necessity of four AA batteries required to play even for a fraction.  It accompanied me on every road trip, on every errand that Mom or Dad had to run, even when I was sure I wasn't going to play it was there; along with the economy size of AA batteries to make sure I never missed an instant of Super Mario World or Donkey Kong.  However, by this time, I had delineated my time to other, more advanced systems: Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, PlayStation. Afterwards, PlayStation 2 Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, then PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii.  With each passing console generation I felt my bond with the gaming community strengthened to a point where the integrity of the games/consoles meant more than just being content with a graphical update.

 
Such is the dilemma that many will face with this upcoming 8th console generation.  As technology progresses, so does our use for it.  That being said, where a console's original purpose was to play video game software, it is now expected to do the aforementioned along with playing various forms of optical media (CDs/DVDs/Blu-Ray), connect to multiple cable outlets, and have a constant, reliable connection to the internet.   Sony and Microsoft both acknowledged that they have new consoles in production due this coming holiday season. And while both succeeded in amassing enormous amounts of attention (namely via social media sites like Twitter) towards their new systems, they both failed to capitalize on the needs of the audience that helped propel them to gaming greatness: hardcore gamers.

This genre of gamer has one requirement: absolutely excellent quality of the games they play.  They are the group who will stand in line for a midnight release of "Call of Duty" and run through a good portion of a 24-pack of Mountain Dew during that feverish first night of learning spawns points.  They are the select few who will complete a game only to complete it again to uncover any glitches or points where improvements could have been made.  They are the group who does not care for any mass produced novelty gaming accessory (i.e. Wii tennis racket), but rather crave innovation in the purest of forms; they desire a gaming world an immense as The Elder Scrolls or any Grand Theft Auto series and with a story as compelling as Miyamoto's The Legend of Zelda or Kojima's Metal Gear Solid series.

At the time of this writing, Sony has yet to even display their latest console, but has given much detail as to what it can do.  Conversely, Microsoft has shown the Xbox One to the world, but it has been met with severe backlash, ridicule, and overall disappointment from industry analysts and hardcore and casual gamers alike.  From the generic (backdated) naming of the system, lack of emphasis on gaming, "banning" of used games, to the sneaky "implementation" of always-on DRM, the Xbox One has failed to create a direct path to the pockets of gamers everywhere as they so illustriously did with 2005's Xbox 360  release. 

To be fair, I will give Microsoft credit; they are slowly trying to establish a form of horizontal integration that spans beyond their current gaming ecosystem. Taking a page from Nintendo's book, by targeting a specific genre of gamer-the casual gamer-Microsoft decided that it will go one step further by not only capitalizing on that type of gamer but also people who rarely play games at all. This was a fatal error. Look at past Microsoft products (i.e. Surface), it’s easy to see that the marketing department in Redmond continues to jump the gun.  Like the Surface wavering over whether it wanted to be a tablet or a minimized laptop-(that dared using Windows 8 at that; which is still very unsure of its own true identity)-the Xbox One alienated hardcore gamers by destroying their outlet to legitimate gaming by focusing on multimedia and trying to be the center of your entertainment domain. 

While noble in gesture, this may prove catastrophic to the Xbox name.  Even if Microsoft's latest console does sell moderately well, the resentment that the gaming community will harbor towards them will linger for generations to come. Don't believe me?  Ask those Blackberry executives how business is doing.

The Purpose Must Hold Credence

     As a feverishly knowledge-discovering technophile, one of the blossoming trends I notice in society is the lack of effort exuded towards understanding technology and its changing trends.  Specifically, I'm referring to consumer laziness.  Having worked in the retail environment for several years, it is easier for a consumer to ask (what might be deemed amongst myself and my peers) asinine questions than to do a sliver of research before attempting to purchase the latest "novelty" item by Apple.

     This bothers me for numerous reasons:
          1.) Electronic devices (computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.) are tools that were created to facilitate our lives and to help us achieve our lifestyle goals. When a customer comes in to a retail environment with little knowledge of what they're trying to buy, it shows that the customer was not truly vested in the potential purchase and most likely wanted a quick fix to a dilemma. (These are the consumers with the highest rate of return by way of what is termed "buyer's remorse.")

          2.) As a technology advocate, I am often referred to when higher-level tech questions arise; due to the nature of the question, I do my best to break the answer down to its elemental form. Most times, that isn't satisfactory enough and I'll be left with an irate customer because they're convinced the source of their computing problem isn't the fact that they're using a cable modem during peak hours but rather is the pristine (I don't know how) Compaq computer from 2008 that is fully functional and because of such have vowed never to buy Compaq (HP) products again.

          3.) They don't read. Simply put, if you are unsure about something-research it.  This will save you, and everyone else involved in the experience time and energy. 

     With that being said, I've created this blog with the purpose to educate, enlighten, and entertain (notice that alliteration) with the full intention that you'll be able to be confidently immerse yourself in any technological realm and hold your own. 

     Stay tuned-you'll notice the change in yourself.