AnotherDayAnotherDollar
Banned
I was talking to a buddy about this today. We know Microsoft and Sony are taking it one step further from the PS3/360 and really trying to cater to different audiences this generation. My buddy thinks they should take it one step further and introduce a tablet SKU to take your games on the go (like switch/gamevice). I think they should take it one step further and introduce a discless version for a cheaper price (like apple/fire/android tv). We both think these should come at the end of the life of the console, i.e. between now and when they launch PS5, next xbox. It should support major features (psplus/now, PSN, XBL, games with gold) and all games.
Right now we know they are going after the hardcore gamer with Pro and Scorpio (with Pro controller) while keeping a SKU for regular gamers on a budget. It seems like both companies are more comfortable releasing mid generation machines with different specs. They seem to be following Apple and Androids model and mudding the generational aspect of consoles. That means the games are now scalable on consoles; that is, Scorpio/PS4 Pro can scale up games up to 4K and introduce HDR, up fps, higher res textures, etc whereas the regular model provides lower framerates/texture models, etc.
All PS4/X1 games are available on their respective online stores, making it feasible to ditch the optical disc drive for those who 1) Have chosen to go download only and 2) want a smaller device with a cheaper entry point or 3) Want to play their PS4/X1 games on the go. Sony and MS have recently been doing steam like sales where you can get AAA games for under 10 bucks. People are much more comfortable with a DL only console gaming machine today than they were even 2 years ago. A lot of people have chosen to go "digital only" this generation, so one could easily justify the existence of such a SKU.
A DL only super slim has been talked about for the Xbox 360 many years ago (I cant find the link except for some message boards talking about it, IIRC it was circa 2012/13, DL only, $99). Microsoft has thought about it. Sony has thought and half assed about it twice with PSP Go and Vita TV. What would ideally happen is, we would get the base PS4/ X1 model specs (i.e. not Pro or Scorpio) at a mini size with no disc drive. It would provide an entry level, low energy hogging machine for casual users (maybe someone who just wants to play Madden, Fifa, COD, or GTA) and for people who want to go all digital. How small it would be depends if they go with a smaller internal storage (like in Apple TV) or the regular HDD found on consoles, the latter would be better IMO due to games sizes. It would presumably allow for a USB connection to an external HDD. Sony half assed it and MS scrapped its plans, but I do think theres a legit market for such a machine, if the entry level is low enough (i.e. $149 or below) and you can find AAA DL games for cheap prices. It would complement MS and Sonys strategy to cater to your regular and hardcore gamer by trying to reach out to the cheapass and casual gamer.
On the portable front, its a little more complicated as I dont even know if the tech is there today to provide such a thing, but if its not, it will be there sometime in the future. Looking at this thread, Sony has a patent for a mobile like device with detachable controllers like gamevice or nintendo switch. The very successful launch of the NSwitch probably turned some heads as well. I think one of the main complaints I heard about the switch is that its way less powerful than XB1 and PS4, systems that came out nearly 4 years ago. Less ram, less flops, etc. I actually read its flops performance (docked or undocked) is closer to PS3/360 than PS4/XB1, though admittedly I dont know if thats really true, I just know its less powerful than other 8th gen consoles. Maybe concessions were made for better battery life and a cheaper price. Sony/MS would have to come out with a more powerful tablet to play all PS4/X1 games and it wouldnt be cheap. The games would also possibly have to scale back to 720p or 900p. It would require at least what the latest high end tablets offer + more ram (4-6+GBs LPDDR4 of RAM, maybe even the whole 8? IDK) and a more powerful GPU. OS functionality would be more limited, and I am guessing it would cost what a high end tablet costs today, i.e. five hundred and ninety nine dollars or more. Storage would have to be flash/NAND and presumably with a MicroSD/SD slot for extra storage. I have a hard time thinking of a market beyond a niche one for this, but I thought the same for the switch and it is proving me wrong. I think the way to do this and to help justify the large cost would be to have an Android tablet with a PS4 app that would launch the PS4 OS for the games or a Windows tablet that would pay the XB1 games. It would definitely cater to high end gamers and/or people who want a tablet where they could also play the latest games.
Both of those, especially the mobile one, would have refreshes every year or two due to the nature of that market.
TLDR: Would you support/want a mini sized download only X1/PS4? Would you support/want a tablet like device with detachable joysticks PS4/XB1? I personally would support the former as I don't play as much as I used to and a cheaper/DL only version would suit me perfectly. I am iffy on the latter, it would depend on how they implement it.
Right now we know they are going after the hardcore gamer with Pro and Scorpio (with Pro controller) while keeping a SKU for regular gamers on a budget. It seems like both companies are more comfortable releasing mid generation machines with different specs. They seem to be following Apple and Androids model and mudding the generational aspect of consoles. That means the games are now scalable on consoles; that is, Scorpio/PS4 Pro can scale up games up to 4K and introduce HDR, up fps, higher res textures, etc whereas the regular model provides lower framerates/texture models, etc.
All PS4/X1 games are available on their respective online stores, making it feasible to ditch the optical disc drive for those who 1) Have chosen to go download only and 2) want a smaller device with a cheaper entry point or 3) Want to play their PS4/X1 games on the go. Sony and MS have recently been doing steam like sales where you can get AAA games for under 10 bucks. People are much more comfortable with a DL only console gaming machine today than they were even 2 years ago. A lot of people have chosen to go "digital only" this generation, so one could easily justify the existence of such a SKU.
A DL only super slim has been talked about for the Xbox 360 many years ago (I cant find the link except for some message boards talking about it, IIRC it was circa 2012/13, DL only, $99). Microsoft has thought about it. Sony has thought and half assed about it twice with PSP Go and Vita TV. What would ideally happen is, we would get the base PS4/ X1 model specs (i.e. not Pro or Scorpio) at a mini size with no disc drive. It would provide an entry level, low energy hogging machine for casual users (maybe someone who just wants to play Madden, Fifa, COD, or GTA) and for people who want to go all digital. How small it would be depends if they go with a smaller internal storage (like in Apple TV) or the regular HDD found on consoles, the latter would be better IMO due to games sizes. It would presumably allow for a USB connection to an external HDD. Sony half assed it and MS scrapped its plans, but I do think theres a legit market for such a machine, if the entry level is low enough (i.e. $149 or below) and you can find AAA DL games for cheap prices. It would complement MS and Sonys strategy to cater to your regular and hardcore gamer by trying to reach out to the cheapass and casual gamer.
On the portable front, its a little more complicated as I dont even know if the tech is there today to provide such a thing, but if its not, it will be there sometime in the future. Looking at this thread, Sony has a patent for a mobile like device with detachable controllers like gamevice or nintendo switch. The very successful launch of the NSwitch probably turned some heads as well. I think one of the main complaints I heard about the switch is that its way less powerful than XB1 and PS4, systems that came out nearly 4 years ago. Less ram, less flops, etc. I actually read its flops performance (docked or undocked) is closer to PS3/360 than PS4/XB1, though admittedly I dont know if thats really true, I just know its less powerful than other 8th gen consoles. Maybe concessions were made for better battery life and a cheaper price. Sony/MS would have to come out with a more powerful tablet to play all PS4/X1 games and it wouldnt be cheap. The games would also possibly have to scale back to 720p or 900p. It would require at least what the latest high end tablets offer + more ram (4-6+GBs LPDDR4 of RAM, maybe even the whole 8? IDK) and a more powerful GPU. OS functionality would be more limited, and I am guessing it would cost what a high end tablet costs today, i.e. five hundred and ninety nine dollars or more. Storage would have to be flash/NAND and presumably with a MicroSD/SD slot for extra storage. I have a hard time thinking of a market beyond a niche one for this, but I thought the same for the switch and it is proving me wrong. I think the way to do this and to help justify the large cost would be to have an Android tablet with a PS4 app that would launch the PS4 OS for the games or a Windows tablet that would pay the XB1 games. It would definitely cater to high end gamers and/or people who want a tablet where they could also play the latest games.
Both of those, especially the mobile one, would have refreshes every year or two due to the nature of that market.
TLDR: Would you support/want a mini sized download only X1/PS4? Would you support/want a tablet like device with detachable joysticks PS4/XB1? I personally would support the former as I don't play as much as I used to and a cheaper/DL only version would suit me perfectly. I am iffy on the latter, it would depend on how they implement it.
