Tekken Dev Wants One-Console Future

[Marshall Honorof]

Tekken Dev Wants One-Console Future

Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo could team up to compete in the changing market.

Harada San, the man behind fighting game mainstay Tekken, may have based his game design career on constant, brutal competition, but he favors cooperation and collaboration in real life. Take his view on console gaming, for example. He believes that a broadening media market has made videogame consoles just one more device that can play host to a wide variety of entertainment. By pooling their resources instead of fighting over an increasingly narrow niche, San argues that Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft could create an unparalleled core gaming experience.

"People are able to not be tied down by consoles," says San. He explains that game developers used to compete only amongst themselves, but now must compete with the broader market that includes phones and tablets as well, most of which feature a fairly robust gaming component. "And it doesn't stop with phones, we have browser gaming and all these different platforms." If, on the other hand, the three biggest names in console gaming joined forces, each company could bring something unique to the table and focus on unique gaming experiences instead of competing hardware. "I think it would be interesting if Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo got together just to make one console. It makes me very happy to think about all the possibilities that could occur because of that."

The big three console manufacturers are not likely to jump into bed with each other any time soon, but given the increasingly stiff competition from phones, tablets, browsers, and streaming services, they may eventually decide that cooperation is better than extinction. Twenty years ago, the idea of Sega and Nintendo teaming up was beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and yet here we are [http://www.amazon.com/Mario-Sonic-Olympic-Games-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B000R3BNE2].

Source: news.com.au [http://www.news.com.au/technology/gaming/tekken-designer-harada-san-says-that-gamers-are-no-longer-slaves-to-console-makers/story-e6frfrt9-1226442382050]

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[Darkmantle]

So he wants to break into PC gaming? lol

 

[RaNDM G]

I feel like this song is relevant.

 

[sethisjimmy]

Pretty bad idea. One console means less consumer choice, thus less overall satisfaction, and with no competition whatsoever, prices could soar, and consumers would essentially be at the "big three"'s mercy.
Nothing wrong with those companies working together once in a while, but the "one console" idea just spells disaster from my point of view.

 

[Kapol]

increasingly narrow niche

Did I miss something? While game sales are down, I hardly think that the console market is becoming an 'increasingly narrow niche. Yes, they have to compete against new forms of gameplay. But phone games and many browser-based games are hardly replacements for an actual console. They might have some intersecting customers. But for the most part each has it's own seperate market. Most 'core' gamers might play 'casual' games as well, but that doesn't mean they play less (or at least significantly less) core-type games.

 

[oldtaku]

No they couldn't, any more than the Democrats and Republicans can team up on anything significant, and for the same reasons.

The reason Nintendo + Sega 'works' is that in this relationship you have a clear demarcation between The Guy in Charge (Nintendo) and The B@tch (Sega). It's only possible because Sega and Sonic flamed out hard and lost the game, so there's no longer any competition between the two.

 

[Legendsmith]

Honestly, we just need AMD to listen to this guy [http://swixel.net/post/16283500685/dear-amd]. What he's proposing is essentially where consoles are headed anyway, except without crappy restrictions.

 

[gigastar]

While a single console made in coalition with M$, Nintendo and Sony could rake in astronomical sales figures if it had no competition, it simply would not happen because Nintendo is too paranoid with its IP's and M$ and Sony would not be content with merely sharing the profits.

It would be nice, but it just wont happen.

 

[thesilentman]

Inb4 Communist comments. There will be some.

OT- I think choice is definitely needed so I'm kinda against it and that's why I cheered when I heard that Valve's taking Linux seriously as a gaming platform (and proving Linux is very capable: [link]http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/linux/faster-zombies/[/link]). Not a bad idea, just that I would like choice when offered.

Captcha- do unto others

Exactly NOT my preference.

 

[Easton Dark]

I'd love it. Microsoft handles online and interface, Sony handles the hardware, and Nintendo handles game certification (Notice how games on the Wii run so well so reliably?) and the gimmicks.

If it wasn't for the monopoly and customer abuse to follow that I'd be all for it.

 

[Adon Cabre]

Yeah, great idea. In fact, with one console, we can portion out the $ to each developer in order to, well, like Obama said, "share the wealth".

Bolshevism!!

 

[Steve the Pocket]

I like the idea of a single console brand for the same reasons I like the format war between Blu-Ray and HD-DVD being over (even if I was rooting for the losing side). But the Blu-Ray technology can be licensed out to any company that wants to make a compatible device. The same would absolutely have to happen with game consoles. And, if anti-trust laws still have any weight anymore, it's also the only way this team-up would be legal.

 

[Rednog]

I'd love it. Microsoft handles online and interface, Sony handles the hardware, and Nintendo handles game certification (Notice how games on the Wii run so well so reliably?) and the gimmicks.

If it wasn't for the monopoly and customer abuse to follow that I'd be all for it.

Damn right, you know when you see Nintendo's seal of quality on a game it has to be great.

Wait let me zoom out on that...

Spoiler

 

[Kapol]

You haven't missed anything. More units of software (read games) were shipped last year than any year prior on consoles. The rise of mobile gaming has given some the perception that consoles are less important then they historically have been but that is not true.

That's kind of what I was getting at. Though I think overall console software sales has declined a bit based on various financial problems (though that might be because of the cost of producing games rather then how much they sell). But yea, I would hardly say it's in any way a 'niche' market overall to begin with.

Of course, that line likely didn't mean that much. It just seemed like it was trying to make it out as though the consoles are fading out when they really aren't.

 

[WanderingFool]

Oh ho...

The idea of just one console is not good. Competition (in theory) is suppose to drive down prices on goods, which is good for us the consumer. If the big three were to join forces, there would have to be some major shift in the Videogame market to either cause such a unity, or to compensate for said unity.

If not, there would have to be something in place to prevent such a union from fucking us in the ass, cause considering who we are talking about, that is a possibility (the fucking over the consumer, not the union between them, they hate each other enough to make that impossible, at least for now...)

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Monopolies!

It is the best for everyone!