The PlayStation 4 (PS4) was launched in 2013 and 10 years later many gamers are still using this console. A decade of validity, in part because Sony and the developers continue to release video games for the device. This is a good example of a game console being able to hold its own for this amount of time.
However, the video game industry, historically, has been very changeable. In the blink of an eye we went from wired to wireless controls, from cassettes to records, from records to digital games, and as time goes by it continues to evolve.
Currently, gamers probably have a PS5, a Nintendo Switch, or an Xbox Series S or Series X at home. But these consoles, as they are today, could be gone in 10 years.
Why consoles could be gone in 10 years
According to a report published on the website of Alpha Beta PlayIt was Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, the parent company of Xbox, who questioned the future of the video game industry and the presence of consoles.
In a press conference about the purchase of Activision Blizzard, Smith was asked about the 10-year agreement for Call of Duty, exactly if after that decade the agreement would be renewed.
The president of the Redmond company responded doubtfully, clarifying that neither he nor anyone else can know if the consoles as we know them will continue to exist in 10 years, so he can confirm the extension of the agreement.
Certainly the gaming industry seems to be looking elsewhere, like the cloud gaming experience, in the case of Microsoft with XCloud, or Nvidia’s GeForce Experience. This type of technology for video games could spell the end of video games in 10 years.