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Let's talk about things in the future based on current trends. I want to hear your predictions for upcoming games, trends, consoles etc. What direction are games going? When are the consoles launching? Are the consoles launching at all? What will prices be and so on...

I'll start with a couple upcoming predictions:

1. GTA VI will indeed cost more than $70 at launch. I think it'll be $90 with a caveat. That extra $$$ will get you "early access" to the game by a week or so. That way they make millions extra without any revolts taking place because of the obscene price. Other games have done this recently and GTA VI will follow that example. Are you going to wait an extra week to play the biggest game release ever and save ~$20 to do it? Good for you! Many....many people will not!

2. Switch 2 will have a Pokemon game announced which will be perfect to go along with the current Pokemon card craze (yes it's happening again) and it will help push the system to be the biggest console launch of all time, even though the Switch 2 will be a $450 system.

3. Edit for one more: The next consoles will all be like Switch. Dockable handhelds.

 

[Trilobit]

1. Not a wild guess, but I think Xbox and Sony will get handheld consoles just to fill that niche that Nintendo has. Same with how they went with Kinect and PS Move back in the days.

2. I think Nintendo will have a very good output of games during the S2 gen due to them not chasing hi-fi graphics. There'll be more games with the standard of Mario & Luigi: Brothership and Zelda Echoes of Wisdom. And I think that'd be awesome.

3. Mario Kart 9 will be a live-service game. Might even be crossplay with Switch 1, but that depends on how demanding the game will be and on whether they are aiming to have a big gamerbase or if they want people to upgrade to S2.

4. Sony will cancel even more games for some reason.

5. Xbox will get back in the game due to the next Xbox possibly releasing in the near future which will make them the kings of console power, for a time.

 

[Badlucktroll]

Konami shall rise like a phoenix

 

[saintjules]

The only thing I thought about recently was the PS6. I wonder if Sony will have a disc drive already in the machine (not removable) or they will do a drive as an option.

 

[Parazels]

1) Dawn of handhelds, running on Steam OS.
2) Steam Machines (second attempt).
3) Xbox OS for consoles and handhelds.
4) No PlayStation handheld.
5) GameCube emulator for Switch 1 & 2.
6) First handhelds with ARM processors from Qualcomm and Nvidia/Mediatek.

 

[Magic Carpet]

1) Dawn of handhelds, running on Steam OS.
2) Steam Machines (second attempt).
3) Xbox OS for consoles and handhelds.
4) No PlayStation handheld.
5) GameCube emulator for Switch 1 & 2.
6) First handhelds with ARM processors from Qualcomm and Nvidia/Mediatek.

4: Maybe a handheld released alongside the PS6?
Not sure about the Gamecube emulator. I think Nintendo will just resell you remakes.
But I also think Handheld PC's are going to be the new musthave gaming devices.

 

[Parazels]

4: Maybe a handheld released alongside the PS6?

I don't understand how Sony can release PS6 and handheld, sharing the same library, aside from indie games. Too big performance gap, too high price IMHO.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

1.) Rumors of Sony’s handheld targeting PS4/PS4 level graphics is intentional and not compatible with PS5, is intentional and TRUE! It allows Sony to resell everyone first party ports. But Sony would benefit with comparable specs to Switch 2, to develop a stronger ongoing 3rd party support.

2.) Sony PSP3 / Xboy / Steam Deck 2 and NS2 are indeed the NEXT GENERATION and will connect to the tv. There is no tv only consoles coming other than Steam. The rest will be canceled or phased out. X-Boy and Steam deck 2 will launch in 2026 / PSP3 in early 2027.

3.) Nintendo will NOT have the same level of output with NS2 as they did from Nintendo Switch. Nintendo will try to target a new release every 2 months going forward. Somewhere around 6 releases a year including ports.

 

[intbal]

Pinball machines will reconquer the gaming landscape. Consoles will be dumped in landfills. Nvidia will be sold off to Chick-fil-A.

 

[Hudo]

Elon Musk ordering X/Twitter to make a gaming studio to produce a PoE-clone and other online games that require an X-Account (and have deep X integration)

 

[semiconscious]

this'll be the first playstation generation in which more than one major sony developer will release a single game...

 

[JimmyRustler]

I can somehow see Elon getting into gaming business big time and perhaps even making his own console down the road.

But generally, I have a very grimm outlook on gaming. The state it’s currently in, there is no reason for much hope of it attracting some real talent.

 

[clarky]

Xbox fart out some hardware.
Sony go day and date with PC.
Bethesda have management buy out.

 

[clarky]

Pinball machines will reconquer the gaming landscape. Consoles will be dumped in landfills. Nvidia will be sold off to Chick-fil-A.

This the same timeline where Jimmy Savill wasn't a peado?

 

[Mhmmm 2077]

we want wild, unbelievable stuff, right? okay, let's go:
-No One Lives Forever comes back!
-Timesplitters comes back!
-you guessed it - F-Zero comes back!

and the cherry on top:
-Nintendo releases a PC game during the lifetime of Switch 2.

edit: eh, should've said that's it's gonna be a USB dongle that lets you play Switch games on PC (literally a physical nintendo branded emulator), but nah, that would be too good I guess.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

1) Dawn of handhelds, running on Steam OS.
2) Steam Machines (second attempt).

That'd be all I need, thank you.

 

[KàIRóS]

Avowed will fail.
Assassin's Creed Shadows will fail.
Intergalactic will fail.
Mass Effect 5 will fail.
GTA VI will not fail but it will be the most divisive entry in the franchise and it will definitely be woke.

 

[IFireflyl]

1. GTA VI will indeed cost more than $70 at launch. I think it'll be $90 with a caveat. That extra $$$ will get you "early access" to the game by a week or so. That way they make millions extra without any revolts taking place because of the obscene price. Other games have done this recently and GTA VI will follow that example. Are you going to wait an extra week to play the biggest game release ever and save ~$20 to do it? Good for you! Many....many people will not!

If they charge more than $70 (USD) for the base game, they're absolutely retarded.

3. Edit for one more: The next consoles will all be like Switch. Dockable handhelds.

No they won't. Too many people want a graphical powerhouse. You aren't getting that in a handheld/hybrid device.

1. Not a wild guess, but I think Xbox and Sony will get handheld consoles just to fill that niche that Nintendo has. Same with how they went with Kinect and PS Move back in the days.

This seems more likely than the above post that thinks all future consoles will be hybrids.

4. Sony will cancel even more games for some reason.

This happens with everyone, all the time. This isn't much of a prediction.

5. Xbox will get back in the game due to the next Xbox possibly releasing in the near future which will make them the kings of console power, for a time.

It feels like they are actively trying to get out of the (first-party) game.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

• Future consoles and handhelds will all be digital going forward (after Switch 2)
• Games will be $80 for most base versions
• Digital purchases will become less available, with some being tied to subscription services only

Let's welcome our dystopian overlords with welcome arms.

 

[AtomicStarving]

GTA VI will not cost more than $70. You've got to love these stupid people making clickbait articles and nonsense discussion. GTA VI will be massive, and they need players to play it. Setting that price will 100% limit sales, no matter how big the game is. Also, don't be surprised if GTA VI Online is free to play and goes heavy on shark cards

 

[begotten]

Xenogears will get a full scale AAAA re-imagining. It will sell millions of copies and sweep all awards in its release year. A genuine masterpiece.

Yet Square Enix will come out and still say it did not meet expectations.

 

[Parazels]

GTA VI will not cost more than $70. You've got to love these stupid people making clickbait articles and nonsense discussion. GTA VI will be massive, and they need players to play it. Setting that price will 100% limit sales, no matter how big the game is. Also, don't be surprised if GTA VI Online is free to play and goes heavy on shark cards

These people literally encourage Rockstar to increase prices, signaling, that they are ready to pay more.

 

[Calico345]

 

[Firestartah]

1.Xbox as a hardware platform will die, even if they release a next one, people will not buy it due to fear of the ecosystem dying and losing access to their library, they will migrate towards PC and PS6. Microsoft as a publisher will do decently but a good number of current studios will get closed, such as Ninja Theory and the people with South of Midnight.

2.As Millennials continue to age, the demand for traditional games will be lower and lower, since gen Z and gen alpha are into gaas games or simply watch games. This will be massive for the industry with many studios not adapting and getting closed. The few AAA traditional games that will still come out will have huge budgets and be in development for the entire length of a console generation, leading to even more problems, as hype and demand for IPs is not met (not striking while the iron is hot) and barely making any profit due to high cost of development for such a long time and such fidelity.
Millennials will become even more jaded due to all these problems and go back to replaying the classics of previous generations through PC either native or emulation, leading to even less demand for new traditional AAA and AA games.

3.Ubisoft is gone and its IPs get sold to various publishers.

4.EA becomes basically EA Sports (Bioware closed, next BF is received better but not making any dent in the market and people move on quickly from it).

5.Take Two becomes a GTA Online and Sports factory, as new Mafia game barely makes a profit, next Bioshock from Cloud Chamber implodes and Judas barely makes a profit after a decade in development.

6.Sony continues to dominate the console market but will also continue to have problems software wise as a good number of their studios have their games cancelled or not finding success. Marathon will be a big disappointment profit wise as there is no mainstream appeal for extraction shooters and the artstyle doesnt help it gain any kind of popularity. This will lead to Bungie imploding and become a much smaller studio making more traditional games (akin to Halo, both campaign and multiplayer mode).

pretty bleak but my honest opinion, not trying to be a doomer.

 

[hinch7]

GTA VI delayed to 2026 in time for new 'Xbox' hardware
Xbox will kickstart the next generation with new Xbox OS (PC). New updated controller with haptics + triggers ($800+ premium handheld)
Valve will be close behind with Steam Machines and possibly Steam Deck 2 in 2027 (SD2 $600+)
Switch 2 refresh in 2027 (Lite)
Blizzard announces World of Warcraft 2 in the next few years
Marathon will be a huge game and massive success for Bungie/Sony
FFIX Remake announcement, target release date for next year
Half-Life (Untitled), 2026

I can see a big upsurge in people buying handhelds as the big players are all in on it. Nintendo may even lose some marketshare to Sony in this regard with games like Astrobot and more platformers and quirky games in the works that were sorely missing this generation. Xbox too may find its niche here with a proper dedicated OS and support and compatibility - Linux still has issues with anticheat.

AMD will come back swinging with UDNA in the DGPU space and take flagship performance for the first time in generations. Which will be the Ryzen moment for them.