Ex Sony Exec: Tablets Could Replace Consoles

I think we now know why he's an "ex" sony exec....

Tablets are at PlayStation 2 graphics if that, calm down. And besides the only thing I'm going to drop more than $100 on is a new graphics card.

Tablets are becoming an every day item, But for little more than convenient web surfing AT HOME, The novelty is wearing off very quickly, As much as I would like to see Consoles get their asses kicked it just isn't going to happen.

Tablets could only overlap with the handheld consoles, and even then I imagine Nintendo and Sony's offerings will both continue to go towards more of a tablet/touchscreen style anyway. Tablets will never replace TV gaming consoles.

But what do I know, I'm a PC gamer so screw you console kiddies >

Replace consoles, are you kidding? You can't do nearly as much without a controller. Absolutely never going to happen.

I'm sure tablet gaming is going to only get bigger, but it's never going to replace consoles. Constant hardware updates every year is the exact opposite of the point of getting a console; stnadardisation. I can't believe that people are that stupid, nor that this is even being given any credability by a site like Tom's.

I wish people would stop quoting that Bolt Creative guy as if he knows anything.

NGP has double the CPU and GPU cores of the iPad 2, with dedicated VRAM for the GPU, and feeding a lower resolution, with much lower level access than is available in iPad. The result, all else being equal, ought to be a big disparity in capability for games in favour of NGP.

Maybe with iPad 4 the hardware will beat NGP; maybe by iPad 5 or iPad 6 the games will begin to make NGP's look older. Not that this is the be all and end all - look at 3DS, it is much less powerful than any of these devices, but it'll have a role to play - like NGP - because it is targeting a very different end of the market, the $40 handheld game, and the market for those games won't evaporate overnight.

Okay. I think I'll just wait and see if that comes true. Course that could be a while, still waiting on my pre-ordered flying car.

This would be great because EVERYONE would know where to go for the "Best" gaming experience.. the PC.

So, let me get this straight. This guy think that tablet will eventually replace the multimedia experience found in home consoles? The same consoles that have input methods that have been refined for over 30 years? The same consoles whose billion-dollar designs is solely for gaming? And people are going to pay a premium just to own these little tablets? Who in their right mind would buy a $500(for a stripped down iPad) tablet over $300 PS3 or Xbox 360 or $200 Wii?

I know he's thinking about the future of tablets, but he talks like he's assuming that consoles won't become more powerful and versatile in the future. Silly rabbit.

I think our former Sony-ite fails to grasp the nature of the market. While tablets may augment gaming consoles, they will never be as robust and visually immersive as consoles and therefor will never replace them.

Not on my watch!

its not so much "replace" as it is "evolve into"

just like the walkman, PDA, and telephone evolved into one. none replaced the others.

hand-held gaming and console gaming will soon combine. neither "replacing" the other.


thats my opinion.

its fine just as long they still let you connect it to a bigger screen and better sound system. i don't always like playing on a small screen

This dude is a moron.
The PS4
The XBox 480
The Wii 2
Will all have MUCH better graphics than any hand held at the time. In 5 year tablets still won't be able to pull off the graphics of these new systems. Major advances in technology would need to be made in order have comparable graphics.

Problem 1: Power consumption...
I don't know about you but my video card requires at least a 500W power supply and more amps than any battery could push.

Problem 2: Cooling...
Newer gaphics cards need plenty of cooling. Because these chips run hot. Since tablets are thin, that means the ability to cool these chips is very limited.

So lets say these technologies advance HUGE and you can put what would currently be an GTX 580 in to a tablet and allow for tons of battery life and suffiecent cooling. It would not matter because while the 580 is great in that new tablet, by the time that technology comes out a NEWER high end video card that DOES need intense cooling will be the new performance king offering graphics that, at that time will seem amazing compared to the old 580.

The only way this would happen is if console/tablet gaming went into the cloud.

Nothing beats the feeling of a controller in your hand. All these touch screen and magical wand games are just a fad.

I can see it now. Folks come over to play Halo or whatever and we all sit with tablets in our hands.
As somebody said, you can understand why this person is an EX vice president.

I don't see Sony or Microsoft sitting on their laurels, but it's not hard to imagine a tablet down the road that can compete, as well as include a similar controller connected by bluetooth, etc... I don't see why Sony or Microsoft doesn't include a touch interface in their next controller scheme, similar in effect to a Nintendo portable.

Saying tablets will replace consoles is the same as saying laptops will replace desktops. While laptops may become replaced (mostly) by netbooks, as they fill the same mobile market, desktops and laptops are entirely different markets. Same is the case for consoles and mobile devices. We don't want a mobile device to replace a console, because a fixed device will be more powerful at the same price, and thus be a better option (not to mention the obvious deficiencies in touch format controls). Tablets may replace the mobile market, but unless they condense to only a few competing companies (so theres less differences to worry about), and they include methods of input usable for games (i.e. a d-pad, analog stick, buttons, making them not tablets anymore), they won't even replace the mobile market because of simply being inferior to systems designed with games in mind. Once we hit a technology (or heat) ceiling, this may change, but that's a long way off.

Companies don't seem to realize that the market for things like the wii, kinect, move, flash games, and games for tablets has nothing to do with the market for ps3, 360, and (traditional) pc games. Microsoft is not gaining converts from normal games to kinect, and no one is dropping a psp for a tablet. These products are gaining customers who aren't interested in "video games". They are two entirely different categories, that in many cases don't overlap at all. Most people that would play crysis are not even remotely interested in bejeweled, and vice versa.

There's a larger market for casual games, but casual games are a completely different product than normal games. Just because they're both vehicles does not mean Ferarri should start producing dump trucks while CAT starts producing supercars. Videogames and casual games are the same way, and companies should realize that.

I see tablets being used to play games from the older generation of consoles. I don't see how they will ever match whatever the current generation of consoles happens to be at the time.

a gamepad will always be a better input solution than a touchscreen. this is also why many smartphone/tablet games are so basic. unless i want to play some angrybirds i'll stick with a controller.