One day earlier last week, I decided to go to my local Gamestop to grab some nonsense games such as Borderlands 2 and Shadows of the ****ed. There, I noticed they were selling entire video games on little cards. All Blizzard nonsense, but it got me thinking about the streamlined nature non-physical gaming has turned to. It's not bad by any accounts, but as a console gamer, I was a bit put off.

Streaming content, the power of the mobile game industry (they put Bastion on the iPad. THE IPAD), the higher profiles cheaper, easier-to-run indie games are getting, and on a much more negative note, the discontent publishers have with the used games industry all point towards the sooner-than-realized eradication of the physical console.

Just something to ponder, but I put a dollar on the fact that the world isn't going to see a Playstation 6, heck even a fifth incarnation of the black box seems pretty far-fetched.

In defense of consoles; people like to have the physical product to hold in their hands, and enjoy the security of knowing that when the disc goes into that machine, you're gonna play the game, regardless of specs, or internet connection (non-multiplayer considering), or dumb luck.

-Chillz

Well, slowly almost every piece of technology is going to turn into a more closer form of a computer.

I believe that PS is going to be formatted with most Sony TVs, and XBox with PCs/Computers.

I agree that having the console is comforting, but some people will prefer a console-less world.

I don't mind it. My Xbox is synced with my computer. My iPod is synced with my computer and TV. I can play almost any type of media anywhere in my house. Hell, I have some awesome splitter cables so I can play Xbox and Wii in any room in my house without moving the consoles. I did that through all that computer stuff.

I hate using discs. Whenever I get a new game I immediately install it into my console. They're fragile, can be lost, and don't have that convenience. Bored with Red Dead Redemption? Hit 3 buttons and you're playing Plants Vs. Zombies. Never have to move again. You just need to spend few extra bucks on some extra storage space. When I'm done playing a game and won't play it for a few months, I delete it and put something else there that I might want to play. It's made me lazy.

I can't stand how Nintendo hasn't started doing this. The Wii and DS can't be synced together, while the PS Vita and PS3 can be synced so much they're interchangeable. Nintendo needs to get into this business. The Wii doesn't have enough memory to install modern games, but it has enough for vintage games, which is a plus. The DS can have most games installed into it, but most games that are worth playing on it require those little tiny cards to be switched out.

Consoles won't die out because they can do things you really can't substitute with computers. They're built for games; you can play a game on a console with no other memory on it much better compared to playing it on a computer with thousands of songs, movies, and all that other stuff. It's simpler.

I don't like simple, which is why I've moved on.

as long i can play games whit a keyboard and mouse or a controller on the couch or on whatever "pocket" device.
i don't care how they pack it.

I don't think that consoles will stop. We are now at the 7th generation and moving towards the 8th and still the console market is still growing.
Alright, the growth will eventually become less and maybe even decrease but I think this will take longer than everyone thinks. Because the biggest advantage of a console is that as soon as you buy one you know you can play every Xbox, PS and Wii game for as long as the generation will last. Which in this case is 10-15 years. And admit it, there aren't much computers which last this long.
I don't try to bash pc-players but it is just how I feel.

About the physical discs. I hate it that digital stuff. If I want my games digital I could just as easily download them but I choose to buy them and have a awesome collection of cases and some Collectors editions.

there aren't much computers which last this long.

mine is working since 1996. just keep it updated (hard and software)
(the floppy drive is still original and working ^^ )

Consoles will eventually fade away most likely, but that won't be for another 25 years.. hopefully.  Eventually you will download games onto your phone and you just sync the phone with your TV.  No, that's just something that came to my mind right now but in all seriousness consoles will probably eventually be the about the size of an iPad with giant storage and 3g connectivity to download games, to use the console you simply need to wireless sync it to your TV. The console will have no inputs or outputs besides a USB charging port, or whatever new port we have in 30 years.  The consoles will also become almost like computers where each one has one and only one specific account almost like a computers IP address, except.. Well, let me put it this way; it will be a console specific XBL GT. I repeal my statement that future consoles will have giant hard drives because if you were to drop your ipad sized consoled and it breaks all your game downloads are gone, all games will store on your computer and stream to your TV through your console via satellite (I say satellite to solve the "What if im using my console at a friends?" delima)

mine is working since 1996. just keep it updated (hard and software)
(the floppy drive is still original and working ^^ )

Yes but without updates you wouldn't be able to play today's games on console settings.