Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the rise of Ivan Nova, the latest iPhone 5 rumors, or your favorite painkiller, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
While we were talking about the digital future of consoles, I was intrigued by one of RPadholic smartguy’s comments. He believes that the next generation of consoles will use solid-state storage instead of disc-based media. It’s an interesting argument. There are great reasons to do it and great reasons not to. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Publishers love that cartridges are better than discs at combating piracy. A combination of anti-piracy measures on the cartridge (that can be updated) and online authentication would be tough to beat. Solid state would also mean sturdier products. As smartguy mentioned, the less moving parts a console has, the longer it will last. That’s great for the consumer.
On the downside, cartridges will always be more expensive than discs and digital downloads (obviously). Future games will require at least 16GB flash cards and some will require much more than that. While the price of solid-state memory will surely go down over the next few years, it will still be more expensive than a Blu-ray disc.
Speaking of Blu-ray (and DVD), one of the reasons disc-based gaming took off is that movies used the same format. Lots of people used their PlayStation 2 as their primary DVD player and the PlayStation 3 is still on of the best Blu-ray players around. While digital movies are becoming more and more popular, discs aren’t going away just yet. It can be argued that console manufacturers — especially Sony — still want to offer the ability to play disc-based movies on their consoles. Then again, it might be easier and cheaper to set up an exclusive deal with a digital movie partner. Or maybe they’ll have their own service, like the rumored Orapa for Microsoft Xbox.
Do you see cartridges coming back to home consoles? Why or why not? Would you prefer cartridges or discs for the next generation of videogame consoles?
Either way, I might know Microsoft's answer in about a week. >_>
Solidstate would do a lot more than reduce moving parts. It would reduce heat emission and allow consoles to play with higher ghz processors or even slim them down more as less airflow would be required. It would also increase read times for game loads and eliminate/reduce the need for hidden load screens. Cost effectiveness isn't there yet, but I'm sure Sony and Microsoft have enough power to increase that process.
Perhaps the NGP is a testbed for both solid state cartridges and day one digital downloads….
Microsoft is already started day one downloads with Games for Windows Marketplace. As part of their Live infrastructure, I'm sure they are using it as a testbed for the rest of Live.
PC games are relatively safe, since they don't do nearly as much business at retail. It will be interesting to see how Microsoft handles its relationships with Gamestop, Best Buy, Wal-mart, etc., if it goes with day one digital releases for Xbox 360.
Actually with Gamestop's recent acquisitions, I wounder if Microsoft will be forced to open up their tight grip on Live. Valve has already stated how much they want Steam on consoles and it looks like Gamestop is preparing to go in that direction as well. If more retailers follow Gamestop, Microsoft will have to change its policies.
Indeed. I see a lot of these companies having to loosen grips on who can have stores on their machines. Apple, Google, etc will all have to open up some.
I don't see Apple allowing it. They make way to much money off of it and retailers don't have a foothold in that market to use. Google has Sony and Amazon selling apps now and that will probably grow over time.
they might not have a choice down the road.
In an unrelated to this article note—amazon won't let me place any orders. I'm a little disappointed, or I should say my fiance is disappointed that it won't work right now. Every time I hit the place order button it restarts the ordering process again.
Sounds like you're blocking cookies.
nope everything is allowed except for pop-ups. I'll try again later.
I just got the order to go through on firefox. I'm still not sure what was wrong with Chrome and Amazon. Either way, the order is placed!
Weren't you also having problems with Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball on Chrome? It sounds like you're blocking something.
Yeah I had a similar problem with the fantasy baseball account setup. I'm not sure what I would be blocking though, I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary or unusual in any of my settings.
At least my wife can take a cartridge into the other room and still play it on the other XBOX. Good luck doing that with something off of XBLA without having to pay for it twice.
We all know the future of gaming is really bionic implants. We will all have a surgically implanted memory unit and another unit that uses our optic nerves for monitors.
This same unit will have RFID chips to track us.
On the plus side… you will also be able to make love to your significant other while playing FFXXXVIII.
Families being torn apart because Daddy can't stop playing WoW… thing of the past. Now you can play MMO's while playing catch with Junior!
A HUD would be tits
I can't tell if you are referencing the eyePhone from Futurama or George Orwell's 1984.
-M
Or Huxley's Brave New World, which deals more with what N8R described since 1984 is about the lack of options rather than the excess of options.
You're both wrong.
I was influenced by both that movie Strange Days as well as an Alex Jones YouTube video I saw.
I think most consumers think that discs are the better option and would be apprehensive about going back to cartridges, and they also wouldn't like the extra cost compared to discs either. Solid state does seem like it could be a viable option, but I think discs and blu-rays will be around for a while longer.
You think most consumers care or are informed? They'll buy whatever is marketed well.
I would agree with that, but it doesn't matter how informed they are. They see a natural progression: The NES used cartridges and it is old. Xbox 360 and PS3 use discs and are newer. Therefore the discs must be better because they are newer.
It's faulty logic but that doesn't mean consumers wouldn't think that way initially, because as you pointed out they are not informed. If they think it is old technology and link older with being worse than the consumers will logically conclude that the cartridges are not as good as the discs their current 360's and PS3's run.
I was just surprised that you used the word "most". I don't think most consumers know or care.
"most" consumers probably don't think about these things consciously but that doesn't mean that they have no opinion or knowledge on the subject. That is why I think "most" people would probably follow the logic I mentioned in the second post, it's more of a subconscious thought than something they actively think about.
@BSU
Burning a CD or DVD was the norm a few years back. Then flash drives took over and cloud storage is in its infancy. A spinning disc is antiquated technology for a high end device and even low end devices now.
The last time I used the disc drive on my iMac was to rip my DVDs to iTunes. Now I stream everything.
Cartridge is just a word though. SD, memory stick, compact flash, whatever Olympus uses, flash drives are all cartridges in a sense.
@Smartguy
I completely agree and understand where you are coming from with that line of thinking, and I know that technology usually has a way of going beyond our expectations—I'm just not sure how soon we will actually move away from discs. It's a great idea, and there are certain people out there who already have moved away from that in many ways (you as a prime example), and the number of other people like you who move away from discs will only increase as time goes on. I am simply unsure of the rate at which that will occur.
What do you think discs will still be used for five years from now? Digital music is more popular than CDs. Streaming and downloading movies/TV is growing at a tremendous rate.
In five years: probably still music and movies—just less of them. Yes I know that digital is growing at a tremendous rate, but I don't think that enough people will be prepared to go all digital as quickly as you think they will. The only reason that I think that games could go all digital next generation is because the items are obviously for gamers, who I think we can all agree are generally tech. savvy people and more prepared for all digital than the rest of the more casual consumers. The problem with determining whether or not the next gen. will be all digital or not comes from not knowing when the next gen. will actually arrive. If it really doesn't come for another 5 years then I think the chances of an all digital gamin system is more likely. If it's two years from now that might be a little more of a stretch for me.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/05/streaming-tv-800…
That article is primarily about streaming television. Add movies and music in there. There's a reason why music stores and movie rental shops are disappearing.
The next generation of consoles will be here before five years. Will they have discs? Probably. I'd bet that at least one company will take a gamble and go heavy with digital out of the gate, simply becauses discs are old business.
Ok so one of the big three might take a gamble and go with digital. It's not a gamble if everyone is ready and willing to go all digital.
I'm not denying that digital is the way of the future, that it will be how everything works in the future, that there is already a huge number of people anticipating all digital—I am just saying I'm not sure that a console is ready to go completely digital. There are still going to be holdouts who cling to their physical media because it is always there and is reliable. Will I be one of the holdouts? Not at all, but I do know that they exist and that there are a lot of them out there. Like I already mentioned, the fact that gamers are generally more tech savvy could definitely help increase the odds of an all digital console, but I am apprehensive of saying all digital will definitely be next gen.
All digital was yesterday's column. As I said, that'll probably be the generation after next. Today's column is about the next generation. smartguy's prediction of flash storage is interesting because it would be a good stopgap between discs and digital. It's still physical media, but it's much faster, more durable, and easier for publishers to control.
@BSU
In contrast I am thinking that consumers won't have the choice. For example, if you want to get a very high quality panel from Samsung, Panasonic, or whoever you have to buy their model that has 3D. Their models that do not do 3D are not their best picture qualities. I don't care to have a 3D tv in my house that uses glasses, but if I want a high quality panel for my next TV, I have to buy the 3D model. Would that encourage me to check out 3D at home? Possibly. Much the same with moving on from discs. I don't think you'll have the choice.
@bsu
I'd think next gen to be honest. Discs have powered 3 generations so far. Time to move on :)
@Smarguy
Like I just told Ray, it depends on how long we have to wait for the next generation of consoles to arrive. If the next gen. comes in five years then there is a good chance of going discless, earlier than that and I'm still skeptical.
@Everyone
Anyone else having issues with Google Chrome browser??? My windows 7 build can't keep Chrome open longer than a second and then Chrome crashes, if it restarts it immediately crashes again. I have gotten calls from at least 4 other people saying their computer must have a virus because it keeps crashing on theirs too (all XP builds)
Nothing going on for me on Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Chrome is working beautifully.
Hmm. Odd. I am using Win 7 64bit Pro and it is just killing me. Googled it and it seems to be a big issue currently.
I think it is almost E3 prediction time.
i can't stay and hang out today. I am attending a Food Show in Dallas. later
@Slicky
That sounds awesome. Have fun.