I don't think anyone will take Microsoft's place in the Gaming Industry.

[PhaseJump]

What if Panic took Microsoft's place with a home Playdate and a full-size crank

 

[Dodgykebaab]

I think we're watching the slow death of consoles. At least as we know them.

Like... what even is a console these days? Back in ye olden times, you had to develop for hyper specific custom hardware (arcade games were the epitome of this).

You could quite easliy apply that train of thought to PC's though.

Is a peronal computer a piece of hardware that you type lines of code into anymore or has it evolved into something else?
-------
A console is a type of computer designed to play platform specific software. Always has been, always will be.

 

[medisinn]

I feel like people are conflating them personally not liking newer consoles with those consoles being unpopular in general.

According to VGChartz, as of July 2025 the Switch 2 has sold 7 million and the PS5 78 million, in 2 months and a little under 5 years respectively.

Consoles aren't going anywhere. Are they lacking innovation? Yeah. Is Sony's output lacking this gen? Yep. Is Nintendo getting greedy as hell? Absolutely. These things are still selling though, Xbox excluded.

 

[PhaseJump]

You could quite easliy apply that train of thought to PC's though.

Is a peronal computer a piece of hardware that you type lines of code into anymore or has it evolved into something else?
-------
A console is a type of computer designed to play platform specific software. Always has been, always will be.

That argument comes down to what platform specific even means. Most games are built on game engines and middleware platforms that run portable between standardized, off the shelf, largely cross-compatible hardware options.

Consoles used to take the custom design route and cobble together a benchmark for game publishers to meet. They made their money patenting, controlling, and gate keeping their platform and supply chain around cartridge chips, peripherals, the retail space to sell it all. Copy protection and DRM kept them viable.

Now and further into the future of the open PC market, everybody is racing to the bottom on cost, going with AMD or Nvidia for new graphics, diminishing returns from Moore's law has people needing to upgrade less often, competition on the low end is showing up from powerful embedded processors being in everything from TVs, tablets, to disposable toys. The internet is everywhere, and fast enough to handle streaming to cheaper devices.

Complexity is coming to games and consoles, simplicity is coming to PC ecosystems. Everything is overlapping and making dedicated consoles (and even dedicated gaming PCs to a lesser extent) more irrelevant than ever, and a bigger risk to get into.

PCs stopped the hugely competitive hardware market of the 80s and early 90s, settled into a few standards, arcade boards switched to being PCs in the early 2000s, consoles became slightly customized PCs in the 2010s. Now open PCs are configured and being sold as easy to use, turn-key appliances which negates consoles.

The whole dedicated console monopoly thing could and probably should be demolished by consumer advocates getting governments to mandate cross platform portability for published game software. Like buying a movie on a tape or disc, you aren't locked to 1 hardware vendor for the VCR, DVD or BluRay player.

If there were stronger consumer production and public domain laws around, Nintendo would likely be the only ones going to war over it.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

You could quite easliy apply that train of thought to PC's though.

Is a peronal computer a piece of hardware that you type lines of code into anymore or has it evolved into something else?
-------
A console is a type of computer designed to play platform specific software. Always has been, always will be.

What made consoles convenient was that exclusives were made with that hardware in mind and that most games were plug 'n play (no install, no drivers needed, no patch to make it work properly and no need to find a program if the game is a bit old).

 

[Don Patch]

My thoughts: the next contender is/would be Valve.
Though, they'll probably not compete in a "traditional" console cycle as we [used to] know it. They've a dedicated OS and software ecosystem that can reasonably be slapped onto just whatever.
IMO, MS' wants to do the "STEAM" with the Xbox brand. IE: "you can turn your device into an 'XBOX'".
Streaming is going to be a BIG part of that.

And realistically, it's only a matter of time before a Chinese company of some sort swings into the market as well. Keep your eyes peeled for that.

Edit: peeps keep saying Sega and, as much as I'd love to see that, I don't see it; it's not in their best interest. They make bank throwing their games on everything and they don't have the resources or assets to leverage to design and build competitive hardware. Especially now-a-days.

 

[moonbits]

It's hard to snuggle yourself between Nintendo and Playstation, I think it's fine if we just leave those two. Playstation for enthusiasts, Nintendo for casuals and PC for dorks.

 

[Spyrone]

The Saudi Prince is going to come up with something, give it time.

Everyone will have NEOM in their house in the future. You better learn to sit down to pee, you effeminate westerners. /s

 

[SpikeSlania]

I don't think Microsoft is jumping out of the console market yet. But I think they're going to pivot towards the 3DO model were they make the OS and get the software while letting other companies like ASUS design and create the hardware. But since they arent making money off software the 3rd party consoles will be even more expensive then current Xbox prices.

Sega definitely won't throw their hat back into the console market. They make good money now without having to risk hardware development costs and marketing for a new system. Atari did release a new system, the Atari VCS, and it didn't light the world on fire. Google tried with Stadia which failed due to no exclusives and Google giving up a couple of months into it. Amazon has it's Luna which exists.

Valve won't enter the console market, but they are on the path of the revival of the Steam Machines. They won't release a console but they will give you an OS and a new Steam Controller for it. They learned from their previous mistakes and SteamOS is shaping up rather well that Microsoft is starting to copy it with their Xbox handheld OS.

Just to cover my ground, Evercade will definitely not fill in that gap of Microsoft drifting away from Xbox hardware. A nice niche system with nice collection of games, but isn't lighting the world on fire. At least it's more successful then the Intellivision Amica :P

If anyone jumps into the console market while Xbox is faltering, I would have to put money on China or Saudi Arabia. I wouldn't be surprised if a company from South Korea threw their hat in the ring either.

 

[PhaseJump]

Valve won't enter the console market, but they are on the path of the revival of the Steam Machines. They won't release a console but they will give you an OS and a new Steam Controller for it. They learned from their previous mistakes and SteamOS is shaping up rather well that Microsoft is starting to copy it with their Xbox handheld OS.

Fremont APU

 

[SpikeSlania]

Fremont APU

Yup, I'm sure on that. Fremont is pretty much the steam deck in a box with a dedicated GPU. So the next era of the Steam Machines as I mentioned instead of a console console. Like how the Steam Deck is considered a PC handheld. SteamOS has a desktop mode so you can use like a PC if you're tired of being in Game Mode (updated version of Big Picture mode). Then probably the first company after Valve releases this Steam Machine to release their own will probably be Lenovo since they're the first company to release their own PC Handheld running SteamOS. Might become a war between Valve and Microsoft to see which hardware manufacturers they can get on their sides with so far looks like Lenovo is on Valves while Asus is on Microsofts.

 

[PhaseJump]

Yup, I'm sure on that. Fremont is pretty much the steam deck in a box with a dedicated GPU. So the next era of the Steam Machines as I mentioned instead of a console console. Like how the Steam Deck is considered a PC handheld. SteamOS has a desktop mode so you can use like a PC if you're tired of being in Game Mode (updated version of Big Picture mode). Then probably the first company after Valve releases this Steam Machine to release their own will probably be Lenovo since they're the first company to release their own PC Handheld running SteamOS. Might become a war between Valve and Microsoft to see which hardware manufacturers they can get on their sides with so far looks like Lenovo is on Valves while Asus is on Microsofts.

I own 2 generations of the Alienware SM, the Steam Controller, and got a Steam Deck when it launched.

Deck is on a custom Valve APU hardware, in a console shell, running a stripped down and immutable SteamOS build dedicated to gaming, without all of the features and libraries found in typical desktop environment focused Linux distros.

For all intents and purposes, it is a console. An appliance sold as a turn-key solution that boots up into Steam's client.

Fremont is another custom Valve APU, and it only makes sense that they put it in their own console. Lenovo, Asus, all the chinese OEMs making mini-PCs, they don't need to roll with that custom APU. It serves them no real purpose considering they are already flooding the market with similar or superior hardware options.

Call it a reference hardware kit if you want, but if it makes it to market, it'll still probably be a dedicated piece of gaming hardware pushed by Valve itself, designed for under the TV. It will probably still be stripped down and not made for PC desktop users.


It will very likely be marketed as a "console console."

 

[bfinch]

Maybe Steam will have another go at the Steam Box project,

This aged well lol

 

[PhaseJump]

All the news outlets are buzzing about Valve entering the console wars. Valve are over there telling us it's a PC, while trying to weed out Half Life 3 leakers. No price, all hype.

Gaben has the wild potential to become a Bond villain on his yacht, or fulfill his destiny as Santa Claus. He can push a launch button and trigger emotional breakdowns all across the industry.

The question is, was all of it worth the weight?

 

[MrYesterday]

Time for the Souljabox!!

 

[moonbits]

I'm actually working with SEGA to bring them back into the console race. Working with Nvidia to create a custom chip based on RTX, alongside custom chips for decompressing textures, spatial audio and an insane 128mb of CPU cache.

A pure gaming experience at an affordable price of $350.

We'll announce it at CES and release it the same day, stayed tuned.

 

[PhaseJump]

I'm actually working with SEGA to bring them back into the console race.

Sonic fans out there secretly building an army of console warriors.

 

[moonbits]

Sonic fans out there secretly building an army of console warriors.

sonic fans have no time for shader compilation and crappy amd nvidia drivers

 

[PhaseJump]

sonic fans have no time for shader compilation and crappy amd nvidia drivers

Intel graphics. Incel gameplay.

Sanic Adventure 3 included.

Your move, Gaben.

 

[moonbits]

Intel graphics. Incel gameplay.

Sanic Adventure 3 included.

Your move, Gaben.

Incel gameplay? we ain't playing Ys 4

 

[PhaseJump]

The best thing Sega could do for gaming right now would be to print this on a Steam Machine face plate, sell it officially, and then provide the list of all the paying customers to the FBI so they can be watched.

 

[moonbits]

The best thing Sega could do for gaming right now would be to print this on a Steam Machine face plate, sell it officially, and then provide the list of all the paying customers to the FBI so they can be watched.

and not remove their dreamcast ports.

 

[Dodgykebaab]

Yup, I'm sure on that. Fremont is pretty much the steam deck in a box with a dedicated GPU. So the next era of the Steam Machines as I mentioned instead of a console console. Like how the Steam Deck is considered a PC handheld. SteamOS has a desktop mode so you can use like a PC if you're tired of being in Game Mode (updated version of Big Picture mode). Then probably the first company after Valve releases this Steam Machine to release their own will probably be Lenovo since they're the first company to release their own PC Handheld running SteamOS. Might become a war between Valve and Microsoft to see which hardware manufacturers they can get on their sides with so far looks like Lenovo is on Valves while Asus is on Microsofts.

This post couldn't have gone worse!

 

[Guinea]

Just wait until Soulja Boy drops another one of these:

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

SEGA making a new console would be nothing short of paradise.