by B. Ender

Created on: July 22, 2008

What type of game consoles will we be offered in 2011/2012? The question is difficult because hardware and software changes rapidly in the world of gaming. However, I will attempt to see what is in store for us in the future...

One thing that I believe will change: pricing. With the success of the relatively inexpensive Wii, and the faltering of the more expensive PS3, I believe game consoles will top out at $350 on launch day. The norm might actually be around $300, however. Arguably, the main problem with the PS3's launch was its large price. Seeing how the PS3 was impacted the most by price, I believe the PS4 (as its expected to be called) will be launched at a much lower price. Same thing with the 360, and of course the Wii, because their strategy for a more casual, inexpensive console paid off.

Another thing will be the demographic targeting. Just as the Wii's price could impact the prices of future game consoles, I believe how the Wii attracting non-gamers will impact the future consoles as well. Although there will still be plenty of hard-core games (Microsoft's Xbox is mainly considered for the hard-core, and so should still support that demographic), there will probably be more emphasis on other potential gamers: the moms and sisters of all those hard-core gamers. This widening demographic is also healthy for the gaming industry, because with more gamers coming into the mix, each game console company will enjoy a larger share of customers. This will ensure that gaming will remain profitable, because there will be more gamers coming in then leaving.

Although many people would like to disagree, I believe in the future that the PC will truly become the "fourth console". Although the Games For Windows Initiative didn't exactly work out as well as planned, I believe another more focused attempt will expand the PC gaming industry. One problem with PC gaming isn't the fact that there's not that many PC gamers (on the contrary, PC gamers outnumber console gamers)its the fact that many people BELIEVE that PC gaming is dead. One reason is the fact that sales figures for PC gaming don't include games bought online, where more and more games are being purchased (in case you were wondering, one site to buy games is Steam). Taking online sales into account, PC gaming is growing at just about the same rate as Consoles. Add in a little marketing in the future, and the PC will be on its way.

Yes, there will obviously be better graphics, sound, and physics effects, but I am also excited for something that actually isn't much of a big deal: more co-op. Games are just about undeniably more fun when playing with friends, so when in the future, more and more games will support co-op, allowing you to enjoy the game with one or even more friends. Tied together with co-op is game play. I saw a debate here on helium on which is better: game play or graphics? In the future, there won't be a trade-off: game developers who mainly made fun games but with mediocre graphics will improve their graphics, will developers who made very good graphics will now turn to game play to improve their games.

Well, that about sums it up. Although I'm having fun right now playing the current-gen consoles (including the PC, which I also game on) I am even more excited at what the next generation will bring.

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