Game Console Shapes Are Wrong

XBOX is laying off thousands. PlayStation is ending physical disk production. Prices are through the roof for traditional consoles.

So what shape should consoles be in the future? If you want new players in the future... certainly not what we have now.

But why not... this:

Or this:

Right now, the hottest games for kids aren't on consoles. Instead, they're on mobile devices, iPads, or hand-me-downs (with games like Roblox, Fortnite, Angry Birds, etc). So why would anyone be interested in a device that no longer looks like an evolution of the games they played when they were younger? The evolution looks more like the Game Boy than the Dreamcast (RIP).

One idea I have is that the future could look like the past. Look at CDs, the Walkman, mp3 players, etc... Those devices were sold at whatever price the market would bear, but the content was available to play on any device that could accept the format. Sony didn't need you to buy a Sony CD to play in a Sony Walkman. The format was the standard, and the hardware makers competed on making the best experience around that standard (Sorry 3DO, you were too early).

I'm not saying this is good or bad, but I think it's a real signal about which model wins when the format becomes commoditized. When the box can't gatekeep the content anymore, the device itself has to be a draw (Steam is a good example of this, with recent hardware sell-outs).

For a long time, it could be argued that console vertical integration was the best way to get games out, because the infrastructure to distribute games wasn't commoditized yet. But now... anyone can publish a game, almost anywhere. The tools and infrastructure are more accessible than ever.

I think the point is: gaming has to be financially accessible, and in a format that is familiar and fun to the players. For a while, the big console makers had the ability to make hardware and games accessible. But with growing game budgets, the desire for a greater return on investment, and exclusivity not mattering as much anymore... I think the future is in smaller, more portable devices.