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The console market is gearing up for big changes this year. The days of being stuck with the same level of hardware for an entire generation are fading away as both Microsoft and Sony are planning to launch beefier consoles soon. While there was some initial speculation over developer/publisher reaction to this news, we have already heard a few speak out in praise of the PS4 Neo/Project Scorpio and now, EA is joining the ranks, stating that the mid-generation console refresh is ‘great for the industry’.
During EA’s quarterly earnings call recently (via Videogamer), CFO Blake Jorgensen explained to investors that these new consoles should tackle the console backwards compatibility issue “head-on”, these new consoles should also “help the software side of the equation dramatically over time”.
EA CEO, Andrew Wilson also stepped in, offering his thoughts on Sony and Microsoft’s new upcoming consoles: “The reality for us is, again, in a networked world, liquidity of players is really, really important. And what we've seen over the last decade or more with respect to PC gamers is that community has continued to grow and it has grown a world where the hardware refresh cycle has been disconnected from the software refresh cycle.”
He added that by breaking down generation barriers with mid-cycle hardware updates, we will see a “much bigger global community” develop no matter which device you buy in a seven to ten-year timeframe. He also added that we could potentially see console cycles expanded to an “almost infinite level”:
“So on balance, we think this is great for the industry. It will almost certainly extend the console cycle almost to an infinite level if we get to a point where there's just constant hardware upgrades and constant software upgrades but we are able through the scaling of our games to keep the community always together.”
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KitGuru Says: The mid-generation console refresh seems to have support on the developer side, but we have yet to see how many consumers are interested in buying a more powerful console so soon. Especially compared to last generation, where many users stuck with their Xbox 360s for 7 years or so. What do you guys think of the PS4 Neo and Project Scorpio? Do you think consoles should be a ten-year investment, or would you like to see updated hardware come out on a more regular basis?
I agree with EA (never thought I would say that).
The consoles have been lagging behind software for well over a decade now and this is why you have the “pc master race”. What some games are achieving on mid range PCs are fantasy for the consoles. Plus with the rate of development of phone tech, consoles would have become obsolete if they hadn’t opted for this mid-cycle refresh.
Quick question: if there are constant console upgrades, does not mean PC? The only difference could be that Sony/MS determine the configuration options and thus the firmware. So less issues with compatibility. But with constant backward compatibility, developers will still have to develop for different setups. So consoles will barely have any advantage over PC, and for consumers PC will be a lot cheaper. You get the same, but pay 20 quid less.
this is going to kill the console market.
nintendo gets away with it because of their die-hard fans and the general cheapness of their hand helds. most phone companies get away with yearly hardware refreshes because of their buy back policies. microsoft/sony have neither of those. a ~$600 price tag is bad enough, but to tell someone that the console they bought a year ago is out of date is just a slap in the face.
all this does is pave the way for more phone gaming.
…and all you who just purchased a PS4 can go and f**k yourself! It’s gonna drop like a stone value wise.
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~$600 price tag is “bad”?
Console owners need to stop being poor and face reality with prices.The consoles were dated on release and with the speed tech is developing, they were going to be dead very soon (the couldn’t even do 1080p 60fps and yet 4k seems to have just been nailed for PCs).
Also people were quickly becoming fed up with generic gaming. How has gaming changed in the last 10 years? Bar slightly better graphics its still the same generic and dull games as the hardware has been too limited. VR is the future and if the consoles can’t do that then they have no future….