"Modern Warfare 3" Will Mark the End of the Video Game Console Era

"Modern Warfare 3" will be one of the last hurrahs for the console-dominated gaming era as the world shifts toward new-school, alternative platforms.

[Nate-Dog]

I'm afraid I disagree, and I can't see myself being in a position in any of the next say at least 5 years where my mind will change. Social gaming is on the rise but it will not take over gaming consoles and the "core" gaming market will not crash anytime soon whatsoever because social gaming is gaining more attention than ever before. These studies and whatnot always seem to indicate that many of those people playing social games on the likes of Facebook and Google+ (well, soon enough at least) are ones that are also "hardcore" gamers too but I just don't believe it at all. It seems to me the mainstream media seem to love these sort of studies and whatnot because for some reason the gaming industry is always the one made to be a scapegoat for almost any reason possible and it seems to me that everyone keeps saying that social gaming will take over and conquer console gaming / core gaming because they simply just want it to happen and want to see the end of our type of gaming. They'll be sorry down the line if something like this ever does happen because they'll have to find something else to blame for things going wrong in society and whatnot. They're two vastly different animals at the end of the day yet social media seems to ignore that fact.

But a good article making some quite good points and facts and figures on the discussion though, compared to some of the usual drab that just simply says "console gaming going to hell - social games to take over the world" just because of Farmville and Angry Birds and with nothing to back it up. The gap isn't as wide as it first was perhaps but I still don't see anything changing anytime soon unless social gaming really becomes, well more than simple "social gaming".

[TopDudeMan]

Yeah, I agree, the hardcore crowd will always be here, and as long as we are, developers will keep making games for us. That's why we need to support good, hardcore games.

[N311V]

Yes, buy games new whenever you can, wait for them to be on sale if you need to. Bottom line, support the developers who make the games you love.

[thereapersson]

And get a breath of fresh air from a world called "reality". Real videogames aren't going anywhere.

[blackbeld]

"Modern Warfare 3" Will Mark the End of the Video Game Console Era?????

Bold statemend.

2y later MW5 will be the next.

[Dee_91]

I thought this was going to say "marks the end of the ModernWarFare" lol

[Shepherd 214]

Truthfully, i know too many people who are consumed with games like Angry Birds, yet they couldnt guide their way out of a brown paper bag with a dual thumbstick gamepad.

Its depressing, but thankfully there are just as many people out there who grew up with Playstation and Xbox consoles like me who will not just simply toss them aside. Just like how the Atari 2600 and NES were childhood staples for alot of gamers of that generation, the N64, PS1, and Original Xbox were the staples of mine and i dont think ill ever quit buying the latest console out. I imagine many feel the same.

[pixelsword]

The PC has been whipping on consoles and handhelds in terms of graphics for decades... and guess what's still here?

[mclarenf1lm]

The casual crowd may be affected, but not people buying hardcore games like Gran Turismo 5 etc. Right, a hardcore gamer is going to stop buying games just so they can play Farmville and Angry Birds, because that's what gets FPS junkies off, some good ol' Bejeweled lmao bahaahaaaa

[ProperFunked]

@1.1.4
when i read "ModernWarFare" i thought "ModernWelFare"

guess my mind is poor..meh

[HSx9]

Since when did Activision "GIVE" hardcore fans anything they wanted? Last time I checked they only respond to money.

[narked]

The core gaming market as it stands may be hardcore, but what social games are doing, they are making these easy nifty small games accessible to people who otherwise wouldn't play. and the fact is that these people outnumber the hardcore gamers. so hardcore gaming may stay the same, but social gaming will rise drastically.

[EVILDEAD360]

Not even remotely close to the truth..why waste energy even trying to explain this one..just laugh and maybe come back look at this next year and laugh even harder

Evil

[Spinal]

Funny thing is. Which some dont realize is the growth of the casual market has alerted many non gamers to become gamers an even slowly turn them into hardcore gamers as they become more hungry for better gaming experiences.

[ljh217]

Wait, CoD is considered as core?

[Nate-Dog]

Well, I suppose compared to Angry Birds it is. :P

[theEx1Le]

So because a game attracts lots of casuals its not core? I wonder if your opinion would be the same if it was any other game.

[ljh217]

It was just a light-hearted joke.

[Dee_91]

"Light Hearted joke"
.
..
..

n4g:DOES.... NOT .... COMPUTE

[FACTUAL evidence]

Rage, Dark souls, last guardian, uncharted 3, skyrim,twisted metal, FFvs13...hmmm I wouldn't say the last...not even the beginning.

[Auld]

Well said

[fluffydelusions]

minyanville?....never heard of it.

[morganfell]

I would love to see the personal investment portfolios for some of the clowns that make these predictions.

[scotchmouth]

Ha! Well said!

[eddvdm]

the good part is, we don't have to care about minyanville anymore. NEXT.

[josephayal]

Very funny article

[Oxymoron028]

I like mobile gaming, but there's no way in hell my Xperia Play or any other phone for that matter will replace the likes of the PSVita, the 3DS, the 360, PS3, PC or any other gaming platform.

[Flavor]

Well, conceivably, mobile devices will have as much horsepower as the enthusiast desktops of today. It all comes down to who owns the OS and the platform.

[Oxymoron028]

It's going to take a while for mobile devices to balance horsepower and battery life though. And even then they'd have to start implementing proper control methods (touch screen is a pain in the ass, Xperia Play is a step in the right direction).

I am surprised at what I've seen so far, N64 emulator running beautifully on the Xperia Play, and NullDC port working with little to no slow down.

[Spinal]

Me too i got my xperia play and that is for long train rides to work. When im home my pc/360/ps3 are what i game on.

[Vaud-Villian]

Yea, and this piece ends the era of embellished, overly dramatic attempts at traffic generating articles.

[Sabian187]

No...Sadly it doesn't. :(

[smashcrashbash]

Do these idiots think these things happen by magic or something? Even if this happens it will happen gradually. There will be at least a PS4 or Xbox 720 before anyone even thinks of going in that direction. I mean lets ignore all the non-gamers and 'casuals' for a second. What true gamer can play Angry Birds for more then 20 minutes without getting bored or use their tablet or phone as their main source of gaming?

Also lets not forget the main point is that family and friends cannot gather around the cellphone or handheld or tablet to play their favourite games. A console will always be the thing that sits in your living room so you can sit on your couch and kick your friends and family members' butts at games. Not phones or computers but consoles.
You can stream videos to your cellphone and computers but do you sit in front of them for movie night or to watch your favourite action movie or snuggle with your girlfriend holding cellphone or tablet in front of you. No. You buy TVs and Bluray or DVD players.

[supremacy]

lol what people come up with. i tell ya..

[theflyindutchman]

the day that i must play a fps on my phone will be the day i quit gaming.

[Sandmano]

Yeah whatever...

[ProperFunked]

your comment provoked me to go find this...

http://youtu.be/Xz7_3n7xyDg

i hope youre happy now

-__-

[jacksonmichael]

Ha. Nice.

[FunkMcnasty]

There will always be a distinction between folks who play Farmville or Angry Birds to kill time during mundane parts of their daily life, and the folks that take time out their mundane life to play videogames daily.

The only thing i could potentially imagine ending the console era is the rise of cloud gaming. And even that concept is too new to appeal to people who are used to traditional consoles and PC's.

My prediction is that consoles are here to stay for at least one more decade. But hey, I'm no Micheal Pachter.

[theonlylolking]

For cloud gaming to really take off most of the world needs korea download and upload speeds.

[DaTruth]

"My prediction is that consoles are here to stay for at least one more decade. But hey, I'm no Micheal Pachter."

I like your prediction, and if you're no Michael Pachter than your predictions aren't wrong 90% of the time with the other 10% being what is clear and obvious to everyone!

[N311V]

"There will always be a distinction between folks who play Farmville or Angry Birds to kill time during mundane parts of their daily life, and the folks that take time out their mundane life to play videogames daily. "

Very well said, bubbles for you.

[Sarcasm]

Well said.

I am one of those guys who like to play video games to have a good time, have experiences that cant be done in real life, and of course enjoy some good storylines time to time (Uncharted anyone?)

[solidworm]

Yeh and walking is gonna replace the car! My ass.

[Pl4sm4]

and catapulting people will replace airplanes

[Lord_Sloth]

THE GNOME FLINGER!!!

[narutogameking]

LMFAO!
"iPhone will kill the console market!"
Nope. It doesn't have buttons.

[LoneWanderer09]

Hardcore game will always live

[MorbidlyAbeast]

LOL UNBELIEVABLE. this guy is full of shit. Such a STUPID article

[Soldierone]

Why do we keep saying "handheld gaming" then following it with "phone games." Did we all forget the simple phone games that have been around for ages? Everyone that had access to games on their phones played them, period. All of a sudden Apple wants to market something and things change? These are not big budget games! They are simplistic time wasters and nothing more.

Fact is I don't know a single person that rushes through things or waits to get home to play Angry Birds. No. Instead they pull it out in btween meetings, waiting for class to start, when they are away and have nothing else to do.

I also like how the only example is the "failing 3DS" and thats it. Why not mention of Vita? Why is the fact that the DS, which is still on the market, being the highest selling handheld so insignificant?

Now console games. "Sales are down" Notice how sales are down for every single industry in our crap economy right now? Then they state a "rise" for every single company except Take Two and Activision. Now lets look deeper? Activision cut ties with Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero (the biggest money maker they had), Take Two has no GTA releasing from Rockstar. All this coming AFTER they mention COD will most definitely break records in sales AGAIN.

Fact is If I made a game that was readily accessible on every device you have and opens within seconds and takes less than 30 seconds to play, you will try it. If it has multiple levels you will keep playing it. Does that mean my game competes with the likes of big budget titles? no.
Its like saying Youtube will destroy the movie industry because more people are watching crap 3 minute videos than going to the theater.

[e-p-ayeaH]

A crappy article looking for hits move along.

[iNMyFiN4LH0uR]

Modern Warfare 3 is actually a testament to the dominance of the console era.

[Jack_DangerousIy]

....And then will come the Four Horsemen...

[PygmelionHunter]

...

[tickticktick]

?

[Phantasm]

I think we have a new champion for worst article ever on N4G.

Portable movie watching didn't destroy the theatrical or home theater experience.

Playing Angry Birds on a smartphone is nothing compared to playing a AAA game on a 50" plus sized TV in 5.1 DD.

Casual gaming is, well, for casual gamers.

I can't even believe that I'm trying to explain myself... this dude is fired!!!

[Axonometri]

There is and always will be room for both markets. Key word, "Markets" Not one but TWO. I love the quick pick up and play iOS games and the like... but I compare the 2 markets to a old hand held marble in a maze toy to a interactive paintball arena. They are two totally different experiences.

[NeloAnjelo]

It should have read "MW3 will end the MW franchise forever"

I guess I can only dream that Activision stop releasing the same old game every time. Glitches, broken online, inequality across the platforms, unbalanced gameplay, same engine, mediocre campaign and the same old look and feel to everything. No innovation or change.

[Axonometri]

I think at this point, they are taking the viewpoint... if it is still selling just keep adding those neat stickers and cool cases and it should keep moving off the shelves. *digital shelves too I better add.

[NeloAnjelo]

I don't understand why people keep settling for all the bull the franchise is now! I mean the last good game was COD4:MW. Everything now is just a rehash of that. Every year we get the "leaked" footage... obviously a ploy to generate hype and chatter. Secondly all these promises of a "better game" when the campaign is rubbish, with a poor story, no characters that any one can form a link with... the online is riddled with problems and by the time that game is fixed to the standard expected, another COD is launched. The game is even priced higher than the regular RRP. For what? Activision keeps shovelling out this crap and people keep lapping it up.

There are many better games out there that deserves attention, and have much more to offer. Games that offer new and intriguing gameplay and story, with better online. I just wish people would wake up.

[Blues Cowboy]

No, no, no. Core gaming and mobile gaming are both parallel economies - one doesn't thrive at the expense of the other. If one is rising while the other is faltering, it's not because people are buying Angry Birds instead of Gears Of War 3 or Resistance 3. No-one has ever said "I'm not going to buy a PS3 or Xbox 360 because I have a smartphone and Facebook." They're both sides of the same coin.

The exception is dedicated handheld consoles. Once tablets reach comparable levels of performance and onboard hardware (not long now), there'll simply be no need for portables. I reckon that the Vita could well be the very last.

[Axonometri]

Try to play Gears 3 or Resistance 3 or any other modern PC/Console core type game on a button-less device like an iPod/iPhone or similar. They are definitely not on the same side of the coin in my opinion.
That is like trying to play Star Craft II on the Kinect.. LOL

[CanadianTurtle]

Uhhhh....Halo 4?

[Organization XII]

sucks

[LakerGamerEnthusiast]

And the article has what to do with MW3? LMFAO what is happening to our society fellow gamers? This cant get any worse than it is now

[TyrannoTaurus]

Just because a billion people pay a buck each to play Angry Birds doesn't mean that consoles are going to die. Dumb article is dumb.

[clrlite]

I hope people don't actually believe this guy.

[ZILLA]

I want a disc that has value as far as playability and trade in value.i hate dowoadable games(period)

[bjh089]

games will always be for the hardcore when has the casual ever taken over in anything thing.

[MrChow666]

Finally something we can all agree on, cant wait to see what will come with the next gen, hope they dont let us down, the real gamers, they owe us that lol

[Enigma_2099]

"Modern Warfare 3" will be one of the last hurrahs for the console-dominated gaming era as the world shifts toward new-school, alternative platforms.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!

... wait, you're being serious?

[SpinalRemains138]

YEah this is pretty poor. He is claiming that because the smartphone gaming community has exploded, that consoles will disappear?

Yeah brilliant! There;s absolutely no way that a smartphone owner would ever want to own a console right> I mean it's one or the other.

Do people even think critically anymore, or do they just type?

[Vladplaya]

"one of the last hurrahs for the console-dominated gaming era as the world shifts toward new-school, alternative platforms."

Consoles ARE alternative platforms... while PC is THE platform.

[eARThRiot]

Until Dark Souls is playable on a tablet, i'll stick to the good ol' console...

[BlueEye]

I really don't see the appeal of playing such lame low quality flash games on Facebook or on your Ipad or smartphone or whatever.

Its one good use would be you waiting at a bus stop thinking "bored, playing Angry Birds for 10 minutes" then get home and not even consider it.

Like the first commenter said all these sales and popularity are by casual gamers, not hard-core ones who have spent years playing practically every day many different games. PC or Console. Even a handheld like the DS and PSP.

Console gaming meeting its end? Well excuse me Mr. Blogger but you can just suck on my fat hairy balls.

[optimus]

i can see what this guy is getting at seeing as with the recent boom of tablets and phones becoming "smart phones" costing as much as a console or pc getting these small "simple" games to a larger audience is a lot more profitable for game companies. as years go by all you "harcore gamers" will become casual gamers as you begin to have careers, wives, children, etc... suddenly you'll find that sitting down in front of your t.v. to play a game for hours at a time will become a bit of a task. I don't think consoles will die all together as they have also taken note of the casual gaming trend thus giving us those casual games that focus on motion controls. i fall somewhere in the middle so i'm good where ever it ends up.

[TheLastGuardian]

Even if we were nearing the end of the video game console era, how in the hell would a POS game like MW3 be our "Last hurrah"?

[SheenuTheLegend]

Lolz words are not enough to describe the author
hahaha

[sxbrady]

Ha and the world is square. This guy needs to shut the fuck up.

[RandomDude655]

Games Journalism is $hit, and that's the problem with n4g. It's a cesspool of aggregated $hit. Things like google translate, teenage boy blogs, and troll articles are keeping this website from becoming good.

[OooHJohnny]

Bullsh*t article

[El Nino]

Pretty sure we've seen these kind of statements before.

We ain't going anywhere!!!

[Donnywho]

I like the last comment. Dumb article is dumb. Sums it up.

[Donnywho]

I always confuse page 1 with the last comment, o well it was a good one.

[SnakeforPresident]

Whos approving this garbage?

[T3MPL3TON]

mm hmm... and next year they'll say the same bullshit and the year after and the year after and the year after. You casual 'gamers' are only important, for a ittle while longer, soon things like the iPad and other handheld devices will be able to play real games and guess what these companies will make. Oh right, they'll keep making those apps, instead because those will be so important. Pay attention to the trends. Nobody takes those games seriously. They had their buzz and it's already dead. Now companies that make real games are jumping on the free to play/micro transaction only build model. They aren't turning WoW into a facebook game. Activision wont stop churning out CoD games in favor of Farmville and Cupcake Corner for anyone to be so damn stupid and think other wise is just sad..

[Beastradamus]

I totally disagree. The smart phone gamer/ social media gamer isn't the same market as the core audience of males 10-35.

[Treyb3yond]

I'd much rather play 'down on the farm' on Facebook than skyrim or uncharted3. LOL!

What a load of poop!

[kevnb]

maybe, 5 years is a long long time in the game industry. Who would of thought the 360 would be leading the way right now? I think more realistically, games we play now will be accessible even easier on more platforms. im not big on the crappy faulty prone hardware sony and microsoft offer us, nor their peer2peer online play.

[deecee33]

You guys probably shouldn't get worked up over this article at all.

Analysts and would-be analysts who are really just journalists are always painting in broad strokes and writing with an air of certainty about industries they don't fully understand. From an investor's standpoint, the best video game developers/publishers (or just the best businesses in general) are the ones that show the greatest growth and potential for continued growth. This guy isn't commenting on the quality of games across platforms. He's talking purely dollars and cents and speculating based on the past financial performance of a few recognizable names in the industry. Yes, it's just speculation. The guy who wrote the article does get one thing right. He correctly described the console gaming landscape as more or less dominated by a few huge publishers who post ridiculous sales numbers with every major franchise release, while most others don't come close to that level of success as far as year to year growth is concerned.

That said, I definitely don't see consoles going anywhere anytime soon. Console hardware is generally not profitable by itself. But as long as there's money to be made in selling software for "hardcore" gamers, somebody will build a new console to serve as a vehicle to sell that software. As digital distribution becomes more widespread, games of all types can be delivered to people cheaper, like what has been done with the variety of games, big and small, on PSN and XBL. In the end, social games and games aimed at casual gamers can also be implemented on consoles. Also consider that game-changing ideas like the motion-based controls on the Wii, Playstation Move, and Kinect as well as the touch-screen handheld style of the Wii-U are also attracting more people to console gaming than in previous generations. I don't think the future of console gaming is going to play out as simply as this guy would predict. Console gaming is really just getting to the point of being viewed as mainstream by the average person, and there are many more innovations that can be made to cater to what people want in a game machine. The author of that article assumes that console manufacturers are standing still and not watching the trends, which they HAVE to be doing to stay in business.

[ConstipatedGorilla]

Mr. Comeau, have you played smart phone games?? Quite a difference from the quality of titles you'll find on the current gen systems. I stopped reading your article at that point because you are stupid.

[xfrgtr]

Just another noname journalist desperate for hits

[jay2]

Don't believe that for a second.

[Simco876]

Comedy

[iliimaster]

damn gears of war 3 is out! and resistance 3 is out..... o well let me fire up my angry birds. or better yet ill play some solitare on my tablet ..... <~~~~~~~ shoot me

[antiAntag0nist]

I'm not even going to bother reading the article. The one sentence after the headline is enough of an alert to let me know the story is quite stupid.

[upallnightgamer]

Riiiight. Console gaming ain't going anywhere. After Modern Warefare 3, we'll have plenty of big titles coming out. Skyrim, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and Mass Effect 3, just to name a few. It's only my opinion, but I don't think this writer is looking forward to anything after MW3 and is blowing things WAY out of proportion.

[sarshelyam]

"About 82 percent of the hardcore social gamers also play console games."

Yes, they play console games...casually. They won't be changing the market anytime soon.

[leahcim]

so stupid !!!!!!

...the end of the FPS ERA MAYBE......

videogames are so much more than the storyless, generic, and shallows kind of games related to warfare...

please be more clever, read, inform yourself!!!

[OrbMalmot]

Well, I read M.Comeau's article and it has some good points.
But I wonder why it is one-sided : the author explains how cheap or free casual gaming may hinder "hardcore" game industry, and totally ignores the reverse effect. True, not every world of tank player will go and buy a ps3/360/high-end pc to switch to Battlefield 3, but still the idea of "going hardcore" should be mentionned in order to complete his analysis.
I think the rise of browser-based games will lead people to discover new entertainment perspectives, and that "hardcore" game will always be around. It's a market which generates tremendous profits, which will always cater investors.
@+all!