The evolution of video games as entertainment is a wondrous thing. What started out as a simple “hobby” has become a full-on industry that makes billions of dollars and extends to virtually every aspect of visual media, and music. And with each new generation, something new happens that makes video games even more special. That being said, some are wondering if the time of consoles are in the past. One of which is Shawn Layden of Sony.
Talking with Game Informer, he believes that while consoles are going to be here a little while longer, he also believes that entertainment in the industry is shifting into another direction:
“I don’t want to put too fine a point on this because it might upset some of the people I work with, but I think effectively, we’re looking at kind of a post-console world where you can have quality gaming experiences across a variety of technologies. Sure, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro provide what, of course, we think is the best gaming experience, but the other consoles out there, be it Nintendo Switch, Xbox One X, or tablets, or phones — there are great experiences across all these.
He went on:
“What we need to do is recognize all that. We’re not little gaming ghettos that are not federated or aligned at all. We’re all part of the same gaming community, we just come at it through different doorways. I think the future will be an extension of that metaphor. Your platform is not your hideaway. It’s just your doorway to all these other gamer folk.”
It’s an interesting insight, especially since Sony has been one who has restricted access to certain gaming tropes like Cross-Play. But, it is in line with what Nintendo is doing with Switch and what Xbox is doing with some of their services. So maybe a post-console world isn’t out of the question.
