John Riccitiello, former EA boss believes that PS4 and Xbox One will both be successful, saying, “I believe that console gaming is going to explode on the scene of consumer electronics with this next generation of consoles.”
He goes on to identify four key areas the console companies will need to get right in order to achieve this success, thanks to MCVUK.
The first of these areas being that the companies remember that it is gamers that bring them their success in the first place and not to put too much emphasis on “value add” experiences in both the user interface and the story they tell consumers.
Following on from that they will need to meet supply demand, where consumers are now used to getting what they want immediately. Then of course there is the always debated price, which in the past has been somewhat determined by supply and demand. And finally how certain new features are handles by the console companies, such as always-on connection and playability of previous generation games.
If they handle all of those things in the right way, Riccitiello believes the new consoles will thrive. “Console gaming is very different. I don’t have the fastest thumbs, so playing with any skill at all requires my focus. I am fully engaged. The room with the biggest TV is the most important entertainment room in my house. And there, console gaming rules. In the room where the entertainment stakes are the highest, console gaming wins.”
“Almost everyone says they see games on smart phones and tablets taking over the game biz. They see the multi-year decline of console software at retail, as reported by NPD, and they think the console gaming is done.
“Sony and Microsoft absolutely need to deliver new boxes that really impress us,” he added. “They need to deliver platforms that enable game experiences that are not possible on current consoles. None of us has seen the future. But based on everything I know and what I have seen, most everything is pretty much in place to put console gaming front-and-centre again. I see 2013 as the year that brings gaming pizzazz back to the living room, where it all really started.”
