The Evolution of Computing: From Desktops to Consoles and Beyond
It's hard to believe that just 10 years ago, when the last generation of consoles was released, computers were primarily used for work or school purposes, with laptops serving as secondary devices. Fast-forward to today, and it's clear that this landscape has shifted dramatically. Laptops have become the primary computer for many people, and processing power hasn't increased significantly over the past four to five years. Instead, we've seen advancements in miniaturization and power efficiency.
This shift has significant implications for the gaming industry, particularly when it comes to consoles. Eight years ago, consoles were running desktop-class hardware, such as the Cell processor or PowerPC processors found in the Xbox 360. These systems were equivalent to server-grade equipment and offered powerful performance that was unmatched at the time. However, with the introduction of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, which both utilize Jaguar-based processors similar to laptop CPUs, we're starting to see a decline in console hardware capabilities.
Looking ahead, it's likely that future consoles will struggle to keep pace with the processing power of laptops. In fact, I believe that by next generation, it'll be incredibly surprising if console developers can't find ways to deliver high-quality gaming experiences on tablets or even smart TVs, which are increasingly becoming hubs for entertainment and leisure activities. The shift towards more open and flexible platforms is already underway, with Android and iOS being prime examples of this trend.
One platform that's particularly well-suited for gaming is Google's Android, thanks to its openness and developer support. If game developers continue down this path, it's likely that the need for dedicated consoles will decrease over time. Apple, too, has been expanding its gaming capabilities with Apple TV, which has shown promise in delivering a seamless gaming experience. However, the latency issues that currently plague Apple TV mean that it still can't match the performance of dedicated consoles like PlayStation and Xbox.
The key to success lies in Android's openness and the fact that it's already supported by numerous hardware manufacturers. This makes it an attractive option for those seeking a more flexible and adaptable gaming experience. While Apple has been resistant to supporting standards like Miracast, which could potentially improve the TV streaming experience, it's unclear whether they'll eventually come around.
The Future of Gaming: From Consoles to Streaming Services
As we move forward, it's likely that consoles will continue to evolve towards more integrated solutions that blur the lines between gaming and entertainment. Microsoft's Xbox One has already taken significant strides in this direction, with a focus on becoming an all-in-one platform for live streaming, social media, and more.
The potential answer to the question of what comes next lies in the rise of streaming services, which are increasingly being seen as a viable alternative to traditional consoles. By providing high-quality gaming experiences without the need for dedicated hardware, streaming services like Google Stadia or Microsoft's xCloud have the potential to disrupt the console market and offer consumers more choices than ever before.
The prospect of having a dedicated box that can stream games from an open platform is no longer a pipe dream, but rather a tangible reality. With companies like Razer and Asus already pushing the boundaries of gaming on TVs, it's clear that this trend towards more integrated solutions will continue to gain momentum in the coming years.
Ultimately, the future of computing lies not just in consoles or laptops, but in the ability of platforms to adapt and evolve to meet changing user needs. As we move forward, it'll be exciting to see how companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and others navigate this landscape and find new ways to deliver high-quality gaming experiences that cater to diverse tastes and preferences.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthank you for watching liking commenting sharing and subscribing right now I'm sitting here in Hawaii's airport or one of Hawaii's airports not the only one with lus Sebastian again and we have been talking Tech go figure and we stumbled upon the topic of gaming and consoles and lonus suggested something bold that I've heard before from other people believing that this is the last console generation and so he started to explain why his perspective and I said hey can I record this video he said sure So why is the this the last console Generation Well I mean I think this is the last console generation because you look at the at the trend um on just Electronics in general where uh 8 years ago 10 years ago when the last generation consoles launched what was about 8 years ago um everyone used a desktop and then like a laptop was your secondary computer well now here we are 8 years later your laptop is your primary computer for a lot of people and now this is your secondary computer um and the the the the processing power available to us particularly in the last four to 5 years hasn't actually increased that much it's just gotten smaller so you look at something like has well on the desktop is really not that much more powerful than the mobile variants compared to how it used to be 8 years ago where you wanted like actual performance was on a desktop so that's the direction the hardware guys are all going to the point where nothing's really getting more powerful it's all just getting more miniaturized and more power efficient and so okay so let's go back to consoles for a minute so 8 years ago they were running what I'd consider to be desktop class Hardware whether it was the cell processor or whether it was the uh the power processor that was in the Xbox 360 and this was all it was it was something that would have been sort of server grade or or whatever else if you were to call it something else now we move forward to the two new consoles PS4 and Xbox One which are both running Jaguar which for all intents and purposes is a laptop CPU with like a slightly on roids laptop GPU so if we were to go 5 years or 8 years in the future from now I would go as far as to say um I'll be incredibly surprised if that nextg console experience can't be delivered on a tablet or um or or quite frankly with like a like a like a a dumb streaming Solution that's built into your smart TV anyway or or a little box that's just a streaming box and actually all the power comes from an open platform like Android or a platform with great developer support like iOS where that for all the game development which is what drives console adoption we all know this and if the game devs just continue to go down that path where they develop these platforms and it becomes more and more flexible more and more open with products like India Shield or Ouya um I don't understand why a dedicated box just for playing those games needs to exist anymore in years so do where do you think apple is going to go with Apple TV then is that the direction turning it into I mean you could use airplane during right now you could but the latency is not good enough uh I mean the Only Solution that's really been shown to be good enough is I forget who it was but there's um there's a hardware manufacturer that makes a mirrorcast dongle that they were showing off in packs that is good enough like you sat in front of it with shield and you're like yeah this works um and we're we're quite a ways away from that and I mean Apple it it feels like almost accidentally um they've become a great gaming platform um and I I don't see them like I I don't see them altering their strategy and their Hardware to really cater to that audience so I I see Android as as the way that that that's going to go because of the openness of it I think it's a matter of time before Apple supports mircast though as well because it is an open standard but then again you look at other Open Standards that theyve completely ignored um NFC they give exactly zero cares about clear about that why I mean Bluetooth LE works very well that's true okay so it's not really replacing or augmenting anything okay this is this is true um but then again from Apple's perspective does mirror cast augment anything if they already have airpl and that's good enough for them but if airpl doesn't work half as well as in terms of efficiency as mirrorcast might plus compatibility with devices that aren't necessarily Apple products but maybe mirrorcast supported then again they've dug in their heels many times in the past and go look support our standard or don't and whatever like Thunderbolt so or fire wire kind of what I'll say I won't say Apple's going to win or Google's going to win or who's going to win but I will say I think that a dedicated boss that's like this big that has to sit next to your TV is is is is done after this generation or I mean we might see something I mean here this might be this might be the answer maybe your set top box which is you look at where Microsoft's going with Xbox One it feels like an evolution towards your cable box and maybe your cable box becomes this connected Netflix enabled gaming enabled uh live streaming enabled all inone and then maybe a generation from there it's all integrated into the TV anyway it's just like a module you plug in um so that's that's the direction I see goingthank you for watching liking commenting sharing and subscribing right now I'm sitting here in Hawaii's airport or one of Hawaii's airports not the only one with lus Sebastian again and we have been talking Tech go figure and we stumbled upon the topic of gaming and consoles and lonus suggested something bold that I've heard before from other people believing that this is the last console generation and so he started to explain why his perspective and I said hey can I record this video he said sure So why is the this the last console Generation Well I mean I think this is the last console generation because you look at the at the trend um on just Electronics in general where uh 8 years ago 10 years ago when the last generation consoles launched what was about 8 years ago um everyone used a desktop and then like a laptop was your secondary computer well now here we are 8 years later your laptop is your primary computer for a lot of people and now this is your secondary computer um and the the the the processing power available to us particularly in the last four to 5 years hasn't actually increased that much it's just gotten smaller so you look at something like has well on the desktop is really not that much more powerful than the mobile variants compared to how it used to be 8 years ago where you wanted like actual performance was on a desktop so that's the direction the hardware guys are all going to the point where nothing's really getting more powerful it's all just getting more miniaturized and more power efficient and so okay so let's go back to consoles for a minute so 8 years ago they were running what I'd consider to be desktop class Hardware whether it was the cell processor or whether it was the uh the power processor that was in the Xbox 360 and this was all it was it was something that would have been sort of server grade or or whatever else if you were to call it something else now we move forward to the two new consoles PS4 and Xbox One which are both running Jaguar which for all intents and purposes is a laptop CPU with like a slightly on roids laptop GPU so if we were to go 5 years or 8 years in the future from now I would go as far as to say um I'll be incredibly surprised if that nextg console experience can't be delivered on a tablet or um or or quite frankly with like a like a like a a dumb streaming Solution that's built into your smart TV anyway or or a little box that's just a streaming box and actually all the power comes from an open platform like Android or a platform with great developer support like iOS where that for all the game development which is what drives console adoption we all know this and if the game devs just continue to go down that path where they develop these platforms and it becomes more and more flexible more and more open with products like India Shield or Ouya um I don't understand why a dedicated box just for playing those games needs to exist anymore in years so do where do you think apple is going to go with Apple TV then is that the direction turning it into I mean you could use airplane during right now you could but the latency is not good enough uh I mean the Only Solution that's really been shown to be good enough is I forget who it was but there's um there's a hardware manufacturer that makes a mirrorcast dongle that they were showing off in packs that is good enough like you sat in front of it with shield and you're like yeah this works um and we're we're quite a ways away from that and I mean Apple it it feels like almost accidentally um they've become a great gaming platform um and I I don't see them like I I don't see them altering their strategy and their Hardware to really cater to that audience so I I see Android as as the way that that that's going to go because of the openness of it I think it's a matter of time before Apple supports mircast though as well because it is an open standard but then again you look at other Open Standards that theyve completely ignored um NFC they give exactly zero cares about clear about that why I mean Bluetooth LE works very well that's true okay so it's not really replacing or augmenting anything okay this is this is true um but then again from Apple's perspective does mirror cast augment anything if they already have airpl and that's good enough for them but if airpl doesn't work half as well as in terms of efficiency as mirrorcast might plus compatibility with devices that aren't necessarily Apple products but maybe mirrorcast supported then again they've dug in their heels many times in the past and go look support our standard or don't and whatever like Thunderbolt so or fire wire kind of what I'll say I won't say Apple's going to win or Google's going to win or who's going to win but I will say I think that a dedicated boss that's like this big that has to sit next to your TV is is is is done after this generation or I mean we might see something I mean here this might be this might be the answer maybe your set top box which is you look at where Microsoft's going with Xbox One it feels like an evolution towards your cable box and maybe your cable box becomes this connected Netflix enabled gaming enabled uh live streaming enabled all inone and then maybe a generation from there it's all integrated into the TV anyway it's just like a module you plug in um so that's that's the direction I see going\n"
