Do you guys think that Smart TV's will be the future of gaming?

SELCOUTH

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I feel as if the age of console gaming is going to come to an end within a generation or two. With cloud gaming already on the rise, is it far-fetched to think that we will be streaming video games straight from the tv as our main gaming outlet in the near future? I feel like if this were to happen, Sony will be the first company to do this, since they create consoles and TV's simultaneously. With 8k OLED Tv's about to drop in price and become more affordable I can see the next generation of "consoles" being all in one tv's that have an online service for games built in. I hope this isn't the case however, since it already saddens me to see that there will be fewer and fewer disc based games in the future, and the idea that our TV's will be the sole source of gaming means that we will be paying for online subscriptions rather than simply owning the games. I also know it's already possible to game on a smart tv with no console with features like game pass on certain tv's.
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The majority of gamers are vocal against cloud gaming (take Google Stadia's commercial failure for example) and Sony stopped making video games with Playstation surviving just from the brand name alone and support from third party companies.
 

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I can't see the input delay problem being solved ever. I think it was doomed from the start, even for turn based RPGs, navigating the menu is a nightmare.
You also have to take into account that people have been getting more and more demanding, for example they want more resolution and more FPS on their consoles. 300ms delay on inputs + dogshit TV delay on the latest FIFA or COD? Even the most casual player won't allow that when you can pay some more and have a console at home.
This is all assuming that you live in a city with very good fiber or whatever, in most countries not even half the playerbase has that.
I don't know if the guys who thought of Stadia were retarded or they simply wanted a commission for a new project or something, the nerds that actually programmed and designed the thing had to know what was going to happen. :p
 
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Collision

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To start with, no I don't think that "Smart TVs" will be the future of computer games. All-in-one PCs have been available for a very long time and Laptop computers are essentially the same thing in a portable configuration. The screen-that-also-has-an-os model has been available for too long to call it the future of anything. I could, perhaps, imagine that Sony or Microsoft will build a screen into future units. There's no point in speculating if Nintendo will do that because, obviously, they already have. Reading your post though, it sounds like you have other concerns.

I feel as if the age of console gaming is going to come to an end within a generation or two.
Perhaps this should be addressed by someone older and more knowledgeable than me but I've felt this was inevitable for a very long time. The primary benefit of video game consoles over general purpose computers in the 80s and 90s was their use of specialized hardware. The software industry, in general, was also smaller and less concerned with application portability. As a result, it made a lot of sense to have a special Nintendo specific console with games made, principally, in a Nintendo hardware specific way. Even by the early 2000s though, the benefits of specialized hardware were becoming less clear cut. The market was also larger and application portability was becoming a more important focus for commercial games. I was told, sometime around 2006 or 2007, by an employee of Telltale that it was simply impossible for a system exclusive game to make money. They're defunct so make of it what you will. Today, I think, it's increasingly clear that specially designed hardware for games is no longer particularly compelling. Microsoft's success has, somewhat, proven that out I think. Basically, I think that specialized game consoles are on the way out, if they aren't already dead, but consoles as a product probably aren't.

With cloud gaming already on the rise, is it far-fetched to think that we will be streaming video games straight from the tv as our main gaming outlet in the near future?
Well, I suppose this could happen but I think there are many reasons why "cloud gaming" is less than desirable. As long as the vast majority of games are not designed with the remote processing model in mind then I think it will have limited success. Also, I think, if this was a great model people would already be doing it with X11.

I can see the next generation of "consoles" being all in one tv's that have an online service for games built in.
I think the main issues with this would be price and form factor. With some notable exceptions (i.e., the Nintendo Wii) video game consoles are sold at a subsidized price. The basic idea is that a hardware manufacturer will recoup the cost of the subsidy somewhere else. Maybe it's through Visual Studio licenses, maybe it's through selling an expensive developer kit, maybe it's through a sort of Nintendo Seal of Approval but at the end of the day it has to come from somewhere. I don't think it's reasonable to, for example, subsidize the additional cost of the monitor away. The types of computers that do get bundled in with "Smart TVs" are generally not going to run the kinds of games that the market is really interested in. These machines have the additional advantage of being much smaller and lighter than, let's say, a Sony Playstation. There are probably other issues too. The serviceability of the All-in-one comes to mind.

it already saddens me to see that there will be fewer and fewer disc based games in the future, and the idea that our TV's will be the sole source of gaming means that we will be paying for online subscriptions rather than simply owning the games.
I don't see why it would sadden you that games aren't released on disks. Disks suck. They get scratched, they get greasy, they rot, and, if you're me, your little brother can put them in front of a radiator and let the heat warp the plastic. No one is lamenting the end of blowing on cartridges or punching in source code from a magazine line-by-line either. There's certainly something to be said for publishing media on some kind of durable ROM device but disks suck for this. They simply suck less than a number of other options and are pretty cheap to make. Either way, I don't think it follows that everything in the future will be a subscription service. That level of nickel-and-dime rent seeking is untenable. Regardless, you never really owned any of the games you bought. Unless you were buying SuperTuxKart all of those games came with a nice shrink wrap agreement saying exactly how you could use it and transfer it.

Is there something that you think is special about console hardware or disks? I haven't been a serious console gamer since 2011 and, honestly, I think I'm a lot better off for it. I'm sure I've missed a big title here or there but there are many, many more games I can play on my PC.
 
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I don't see why it would sadden you that games aren't released on disks.
Disks allow you to physically own the game, making games more satisfying to collect, (typically) usable on different models of the same console, and are (usually) harder for developers to get rid of, allowing the preservation of deleted games. Really people don't use discs, because they specifically like discs, they just happen to be the most common physical option on the market.
or punching in source code from a magazine line-by-line either
While it did take Fucking FOREVER, it was still a great way to learn coding. That's why I still think it should be kept around, albeit only for teaching.
 
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SELCOUTH

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To start with, no I don't think that "Smart TVs" will be the future of computer games. All-in-one PCs have been available for a very long time and Laptop computers are essentially the same thing in a portable configuration. The screen-that-also-has-an-os model has been available for too long to call it the future of anything. I could, perhaps, imagine that Sony or Microsoft will build a screen into future units. There's no point in speculating if Nintendo will do that because, obviously, they already have. Reading your post though, it sounds like you have other concerns.


Perhaps this should be addressed by someone older and more knowledgeable than me but I've felt this was inevitable for a very long time. The primary benefit of video game consoles over general purpose computers in the 80s and 90s was their use of specialized hardware. The software industry, in general, was also smaller and less concerned with application portability. As a result, it made a lot of sense to have a special Nintendo specific console with games made, principally, in a Nintendo hardware specific way. Even by the early 2000s though, the benefits of specialized hardware were becoming less clear cut. The market was also larger and application portability was becoming a more important focus for commercial games. I was told, sometime around 2006 or 2007, by an employee of Telltale that it was simply impossible for a system exclusive game to make money. They're defunct so make of it what you will. Today, I think, it's increasingly clear that specially designed hardware for games is no longer particularly compelling. Microsoft's success has, somewhat, proven that out I think. Basically, I think that specialized game consoles are on the way out, if they aren't already dead, but consoles as a product probably aren't.


Well, I suppose this could happen but I think there are many reasons why "cloud gaming" is less than desirable. As long as the vast majority of games are not designed with the remote processing model in mind then I think it will have limited success. Also, I think, if this was a great model people would already be doing it with X11.


I think the main issues with this would be price and form factor. With some notable exceptions (i.e., the Nintendo Wii) video game consoles are sold at a subsidized price. The basic idea is that a hardware manufacturer will recoup the cost of the subsidy somewhere else. Maybe it's through Visual Studio licenses, maybe it's through selling an expensive developer kit, maybe it's through a sort of Nintendo Seal of Approval but at the end of the day it has to come from somewhere. I don't think it's reasonable to, for example, subsidize the additional cost of the monitor away. The types of computers that do get bundled in with "Smart TVs" are generally not going to run the kinds of games that the market is really interested in. These machines have the additional advantage of being much smaller and lighter than, let's say, a Sony Playstation. There are probably other issues too. The serviceability of the All-in-one comes to mind.


I don't see why it would sadden you that games aren't released on disks. Disks suck. They get scratched, they get greasy, they rot, and, if you're me, your little brother can put them in front of a radiator and let the heat warp the plastic. No one is lamenting the end of blowing on cartridges or punching in source code from a magazine line-by-line either. There's certainly something to be said for publishing media on some kind of durable ROM device but disks suck for this. They simply suck less than a number of other options and are pretty cheap to make. Either way, I don't think it follows that everything in the future will be a subscription service. That level of nickel-and-dime rent seeking is untenable. Regardless, you never really owned any of the games you bought. Unless you were buying SuperTuxKart all of those games came with a nice shrink wrap agreement saying exactly how you could use it and transfer it.

Is there something that you think is special about console hardware or disks? I haven't been a serious console gamer since 2011 and, honestly, I think I'm a lot better off for it. I'm sure I've missed a big title here or there but there are many, many more games I can play on my PC.
Thanks for your reply. I suppose I'm lamenting the death of collectors media. I understand that it's something that eventually has to be done for the sake of our planet. But I'm going to miss being able to collect more games to display. A console is something I can collect yes, but in the same way people collect books, it's also fun to collect games.
 
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aYEOEt41yr

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Cloud gaming relies on the consumer to generate ideal conditions for the experience to be good, which they oftentimes don't know how to do.

For a consistently good time when cloud gaming you need either a hard line connection or 802.11ax wifi. When a lot of consumers generate these conditions it's by happenstance, and for that reason, I believe it will remain a bit more niche.
 
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I do think a subscription model is where the industry is headed long-term, but I think it looks more like Xbox game pass as it currently is. Streaming will be an option, but most will download the games and play them, with your console/pc locking you out if your sub lapses.
 
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This transition of the majority of the vidya industry becoming cloud/subscription based is something that's more or less inevitable, but not everyone will be willing to accept it, and lots of people won't have the required network speeds/bandwidth. Don't most consoomers have enough subscriptions already? But of course, there's always pirating heheh...
 
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But of course, there's always pirating heheh...
The things is that cloud games are not piratable by desgn since its a client that interact with a server. Unlike with music and movie were it is a finite and defined consumable thing.
 

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I feel as if the age of console gaming is going to come to an end within a generation or two. With cloud gaming already on the rise, is it far-fetched to think that we will be streaming video games straight from the tv as our main gaming outlet in the near future? I feel like if this were to happen, Sony will be the first company to do this, since they create consoles and TV's simultaneously. With 8k OLED Tv's about to drop in price and become more affordable I can see the next generation of "consoles" being all in one tv's that have an online service for games built in. I hope this isn't the case however, since it already saddens me to see that there will be fewer and fewer disc based games in the future, and the idea that our TV's will be the sole source of gaming means that we will be paying for online subscriptions rather than simply owning the games. I also know it's already possible to game on a smart tv with no console with features like game pass on certain tv's.
Smart TVs are very powerful nowadays.It would have been unheard of to be able to browse the web or access a basically infinite library of videos on your TV 20 years ago. I don't think it'll happen. Although the slow death of disc-based games is sad.
 

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Cloud gaming (aka thin clients) do little to no processing on the local device and instead everything is rendered on the server and streamed to your device. This allows a TV, your cell phone, whatever to play AAA games no problem. This also makes gaming cheaper since you no longer need a console or gaming PC to play games. Also cheaper because you don't have to store a 100GB game anymore so your storage costs go down.

As for input lag that might be a problem but it isn't as much anymore. For a year I was doing cloud gaming on my PC and my girlfriend was on her iPad and it worked great and without lag.

Will it replace consoles and gaming PCs? Probably not. Will the average person opt to pay $15/mo for cloud gaming with hundreds of games included instead of $500 console and $30-70 a game? Probably.
 

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In the near future? No. A TV with console guts stuffed in would be a hard sell, so that's just out of the question completely and for it to make sense to buy it would need to have some beefy specs but also be affordable enough. Cloud gaming and streaming has been tried many times in many ways and always fails in some way, whether it's latency or just that fact that it isn't profitable. Corpo ghouls would love it though, it would further push the "subscription based system" that seems to be pushed for most modern software. I have tried it before, worked well enough so I expect it to stay an option but it won't overtake physical hardware.
 
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vulonkaaz

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it's all a matter of whether or not companies are able to keep up with server costs i guess, + whether or not they put in the effort to make the thing accessible to normies, corporations like pushing for subscription based services where consumers don't own anything anymore cloud gaming really is the next step

what i can see happening is like someone like Netflix adding cloud gaming to their app and this becoming the Next Big Thing™, it has to be preinstalled on the TV somehow or else it won't take off, normies won't just search up an app on the TV's play store, and the TVs should come bundled with some kind of bluetooth gamepad, without that normies won't bother and will still buy consoles because that's what they're used to, that's the path of least resistance to them
 
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If streaming to "smart TV" becomes the future of gaming, then I'll remain in the past until people learn the hard way that local processing and autonomy is superior to a centralized experience over which you have no control. It's not like I've beaten nethack yet.
 
If streaming to "smart TV" becomes the future of gaming, then I'll remain in the past until people learn the hard way that local processing and autonomy is superior to a centralized experience over which you have no control. It's not like I've beaten nethack yet.
Yessss. This is a great point. Unfortunately, though, TV manufacturing is now dominated by a handful of companies that increasingly want long-term control over user data, not just at the point of sale. That means ending the production of traditional TV setups. It's realllly hard to find a non-smart TV in the typical size and price point consumers want. I recently made a whole Substack post (or rant, lol) about the exact point you made here (https://shannoncuthrell.substack.com/p/the-illusion-of-consumer-choice).