Former Xbox VP fears consoles nearing demise

The notion that dedicated consoles will eventually become obsolete is beginning to gain some support. The logic behind this belief is simple: video games are going to be available on umpteen devices and in forms never imagined before in the not-so-distant future. Sandy Duncan, former VP of Xbox Europe also is among those who subscribe to the game console extinction theory.

He told That Video Game Blog that in the next 5-10 years video game consoles will cease to exist. “The industry is fundamentally driven by technology. I think dedicated games devices i.e. consoles (and handhelds) will die [out] in the next 5 to 10 years. The business model is very risky and the costs associated with creating new hardware are incredibly high,” Duncan said.

He alluded to digital distribution when he talked about the widespread availability of high-speed internet connections reducing the clout of big publishers like EA. “Maybe you’ll see YoYo Games competing with EA in 5 years… [and] why not?”

Duncan also talked about how technology convergence will bury game consoles. “There’s hardly any technology difference between some hard disc video recorders and an Xbox 360 for example,” he said. The whole idea of consoles dying seems very repugnant for a religious gamer and video game writer like me. Yuck! It might be a disgusting thought for us gamers, but holds merit.

Read [That Video Game Blog]