Will Gaming Console Makers Integrate Hardware Into PC’s?
By: John Vinson
As I was reading various video game articles today, I came across one that really stood out to me. On Gamepolitics.com, there’s an interview with PC Gaming Alliance President, Randy Stude. The entire interview is very interesting, and is a very insightful look into the future of PC gaming. I want to talk about one major point that Randy brings up in the interview.
Interviewer - “Could the outrageous development cost of new consoles bring PC gaming back to the mainstream?”
Randy Stude - “The guts of every console should tell you that the capability is there for the PC to act as the central point for all the consoles.
If you bought a PC and as part of that equation you said, Okay, when you’re on the phone with Dell, “Hey, Dell, on this PC, this new notebook I’m buying, can you make sure it has the PlayStation 4 option built into it?â€
Well, why not? Why shouldn’t that be the case? [Sony is] certainly not making any money on the hardware. I mean, can’t they create a stable enough environment to specify that if Dell’s going to sell that notebook and say that it’s PlayStation 4 [compatible] that it must have certain ingredients and it must meet certain criteria? Absolutely they could that. Are they going to do it? I don’t know. I predict that they will. I predict that all of the console makers over time will recognize that it’s too expensive to develop the proprietary solution and recognize the value of collapsing back on the PC as a ubiquitous platform.”
That’s quite a bold statement to make, but with the perception of PC gaming that most people have it’s smart. Dare I say he has me somewhat convinced that it could happen.
Microsoft, and Sony lose money on every gaming console that they sell. The money they make is through markup on software, and accessory sales. So, is it such a crazy idea to put hardware on PC’s?
First, it would save the need of building an entire console and therefore saving production dollars. Second, it’s another option to give consumers who want to enjoy your products. Also, you could still sell accessories for the PC, which could still help you generate your profit.
Although it’s an idea that’s quite a ways from happening, I agree with the point Stude has made. If Sony, or Microsoft are looking to up their profits, they might want to start looking into it themselves. Nintendo need not apply, because of the juggernaut they are, profits are sitting pretty. Considering they actually make money on their console sales, integrating with PC’s is a moot point.