Kojima: Consoles to end in "the near future"

[tinman]

http://www.neowin.net/news/kojima-consoles-to-end-in-quotthe-near-futurequot

Hideo Kojima, the mastermind behind the Metal Gear Solid franchise, has stated his belief that videogame consoles will be phased out at some point “in the near future.”

Speaking during a press conference in Japan earlier today, the celebrated developer said that players should have access to their experiences “on the go”.

"In the near future, we’ll have games that don’t depend on any platform,” said Kojima. “Gamers should be able to take the experience with them in their living rooms, on the go, when they travel — wherever they are and whenever they want to play. It should be the same software and the same experience.”

In response to this, SCEJ's Hiroshi Kawano suggested that Kojima’s remarks were “a bold prediction,” though nonetheless respects his opinion on the matter. “We hope he continues to develop for platforms, but we deeply respect his sense of taking on a challenge,” said Kawano.

Earlier in the morning, the developer announced a new collaboration with Capcom to include a bonus mode in metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker that would see Monster Hunter included in the game.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is set to hit store shelves on April 29 in Japan, June 11 in the United States and June 18 in the United Kingdom as a PSP exclusive.

[E-Day]

I don't think so. As long as there is more than one game company, thee will be more than one game console.

[Gnash]

Dedicated consoles are already dead if you think about it. Xbox360, PS3 and Wii offer multiple entertainment forms not just games.

[Redstar]

This is coming from the guy that said video games can't be art. He just has a dated, skewed perception of the industry. If we had the same companies we did 20 years ago, or it was the same kind of situation, I might agree. But we seem to get a switch-up of companies and the consoles they create every 10 years or so, so the industry is constantly being redefined. I might see a point where consoles become nothing more than specialized computers, or even "expansion packs" for actual computers, but there will always be a need to play at home.

[Gnash]

I guess the he would have to specify what he considers to be a console first.

[Mister Zero]

Kojima said video games can't be art? And he's always the one making games that play like movies...

I think he's right, though. It will be a console if you want it, but you'll be able to take it with you and use it for various things as well. Think of an iPhone type deal(music player, phone, etc.) with the capability of being hooked up to a TV to play if you want, or standalone on the device itself. It's not that far-fetched, and I believe that's what he means. I don't LIKE the idea, but it's probably what will happen at some point. Whether it'll be a fad or not is another thing.

Man, I'm really getting behind. I haven't looked into anything about Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. I hope it doesn't mean Snake is so old he's using a walker to get around.

[Gnash]

Then like I said consoles are already dead, because they are now multimedia devices. Consoles for playing games were dead when the PS1 came out since it could play music. If you watch the PS3 commercials Sony wants you to stop thinking of it as a game console.