Gaming has come a long, long way since the days of coin-operated arcade games in the 1980s. Massive developments in the gaming industry, from the development of high-performance equipment to the creation of ultra-realistic, cinematic storylines in video games have catapulted this once niche activity into the mainstream.
Since Y2K, gaming manufacturers have continually pushed the boundaries of technological advancement, with each new gaming title and generation of consoles outdoing the last in terms of performance and playability.
In recent years, the industry has made a seismic shift towards the virtual space, with cloud gaming emerging as the newest tech to both disrupt existing trends and offer a new direction for gaming experiences. However, with consumers adopting online content streaming as a daily habit, could the gaming world’s equivalent signify the end of console gaming?
A Gaming Tradition
Video game consoles are iconic, there’s no doubt about that. Is there anyone born in developed countries since the early 1980s whose youth wasn’t been defined by the games console they played? For over a decade, you were either a SEGA fan and Team Sonic the Hedgehog all the way, or you veered more towards Nintendo and the Super Mario Bros. Even when new upstarts like the Sony PlayStation came along, gamers were still fiercely loyal to the consoles of their choice.
The high demand for the recently launched “next-gen” Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 consoles proves that consoles are still highly sought-after amongst the world’s gamers. But, in much the same way that physical video game titles have dropped in popularity thanks to game streaming platforms and services like Steam, there are those within the industry who believe we won’t see another generation of today’s popular consoles.
A Fluid Industry
Gaming, by its very nature, is a fluid, ever-developing industry. As long as the demand from consumers to play games is there, developers, production houses, manufactures, et. al will continue to find new and ever-improving ways to meet that demand. New technologies will be discovered, and the gaming industry will find new ways in which to leverage them.
In many ways, cloud gaming is simply a manifestation of the transformation of gaming into a mainstream, home-entertainment activity. Tracing the development of the console will show that each new generation offered up smaller, stronger, and lower energy processors with increasingly realistic and immersive game graphics and audio.
Despite this, the versatility of the console was still limited to its hardware. Cloud gaming transcends these limitations, or, as one industry expert puts it cloud gaming is “remotely borrowing resources from other machines to play on a less powerful machine”.
The Death of the Console?
For a few years now, interactive technologies like VR and Augmented Reality have been hailed as the future of video gaming throughout the industry. As yet, and aside from the odd gaming phenomenon here and there, VR and AR have yet to revolutionize gaming in the way they were predicted some four or five years ago.
With cloud gaming lauded as the latest thing, how will the growth of this sector impact console gaming in the future and does it spell the end for consoles as we know them?
Statistically, there’s some evidence to support the drop in popularity of gaming consoles. Industry research group Newzoo recently published forecasts in the console market, concluding that it will experience a slight decline of 8.9% by 2023 – largely due to the global chip shortage.
Add in significant investments into virtual gaming by powerhouses like NVIDIA, EA, Microsoft and even Amazon, and the pressure to keep consoles relevant and accessible becomes even greater. Even loyal console gamers will be more likely to switch to remote resources that can be played on any machine if manufacturers aren’t able to meet their demands for new hardware.
Aside from any estimated shortages in gaming consoles in the next few years, there’s another, more important factor, that could see cloud gaming push consoles into eventually becoming obsolete.
Console gamers have been conditioned to accept the business decisions of the people behind their favorite consoles (namely, Microsoft and Sony). Price regulations of digital markets, multi-platform support, cross-play features (or no cross-play), console-exclusive titles, high RRPs in excess of $500 are all factors that consumers need to take into consideration each time a new version is released.
Cloud gaming removes the necessity to choose between one way to play games or another, instead offering multi-device support for every game on that particular platform at a much lower, monthly subscription cost. In everyday terms, it gives consumers the choice to play what they want, when they want, and, with 5G likely to become the next global standard, on whatever device they want too.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
