Enough already! (see why that's in the title?)
I feel like I've seen 20 articles this week about how mobile is the future and consoles are on the way out and how mobile is going to replace consoles — just calm the f*ck down. Swipe swipe tap games are no where near the experience of a console game. And I don't see that happening any time soon.
Just in the past few days I've see: Is Mobile Going to Replace Consoles? from Somofos.com; Move over, consoles — mobile is the future from Venturebeat; and Game consoles will be extinct after next-gen, says Jaffe from Gamesindustry.biz. Isn't this argument always being made? Just like the death of PC? Yet a PC game, Diablo III, was #1 in sales for May.
David Jaffe wasn't impressed by the Wii U. Well get in line Jaffe. That doesn't mean that mobile is the future. You know what mobile is? Mobile games are bathroom games. Here's a picture from a Venturebeat article that talks about the Smartglass and tablets and phones; just take a moment and take it all in.
Holy sh*t! I wouldn't have guessed that people that own consoles also probably have a phone or tablet with a game on them!!! Just because you own a console and also have a smartphone or tablet that you play a game on doesn't mean it offers an equal experience. It just means you like games and as a human race we need to be entertained constantly. If you think for one second that I'll choose the iPad version of Madden over a console version, then you're crazy.
Mobile just offers a quick solution to your gaming needs at your convenience. Yes, there are good gaming experiences available for mobile, but console gaming will always reign supreme because it can offer more immersive and varying games.
The Somofos.com article seems to be undecided whether or not mobile will truly replace consoles, saying that there are too many variables. The Venturebeat articles and the David Jaffe one more directly state that consoles are in trouble. But seriously, think about what they're saying. Can you ever get more excited over a phone for your game than a AAA game for a console? Angrybirds is fun and it has brought a bunch of people into the casual gamer category, but I'll never choose that over a new Naughty Dog game.
Mobile is missing too many things to gamers: a dedicated controller; a large screen; big titles that offer an equal experience to the console version; battery life.
Jaffe is outspoken, but his claim that next-gen consoles will be the last is absurd. Here's his quote from the Gamesinudstry.biz interview:
Look, consoles are going away. I think in 10 years – probably sooner, but 10 years is always the safe thing to say so you don't sound like an idiot – but here's what I'll say: I'll go on the record and say that the next generation of hardware will be the last consoles. And they should be […] So this is the last generation of consoles coming up. I'm going to go out on a limb, because why the f**k not? I don't care if I'm wrong, I'm not a business guy. I think next-gen consoles are going to do 40 percent of [the sales volume] of the current gen hardware.
You should really read the whole interview, because he continually makes predictions and then states that he has no f*cking track record of guessing this sh*t. He also goes on a little Wii U rant. Just read it. He makes some great points about streaming games, but the big three aren't going to give up on consoles.
If consoles were dying, much like the PC was supposedly dead 10 times already, then why is everyone clamoring for the next generation of consoles? Mobile games work because you always have your phone on you. They're easy and accessible. You're taking it everywhere. But that's why I think they're bathroom poop time games. You play them when you're bored or on a bus or whatever. But that's like saying there's no point to PCs or Macs anymore because you can browse the internet on your phone and edit pictures and go on Facebook.
Mobile games have a huge ways to go before they can come close to a console game experience. If anything, the argument should be consoles vs streaming, but that's only hinted at.
I may be repeating myself, but mobile games are a nice compliment to a true console/PC gaming experience. If you don't own a console and your only gaming experience is on your phone, then fine. You're a casual mobile gamer, but you were never the target audience for a console anyways. I'll make a Jaffe prediction that we can revisit this conversation in another 10 years (so I don't sound like an idiot) we'll be having this conversation again about the death of consoles after the PlayStation 5 and Xbox 1080 are being talked about.
So there you have it. The coffee poops are hitting me, so I'm gonna go take a sh*t and play some Bejeweled Blitz.
You can follow Lance Liebl on Twitter @Lance_GZ. He also like t-shirts… send him t-shirts. KCCO.
