Consoles haven't been a "single device for a single function" for a while now. Even as a core gamer, I split my time between gaming & other apps (Netflix, xbox music, hbogo) pretty evenly.

Why is getting 8 years of quality gaming out of a console worse than only getting 3 or 4?

The main bottleneck in gaming today is not the hardware, it is the sheer time and effort required to create beautifully rendered games with engaging plots.

While my PS3 mostly serves as a Netflix device...and my next PS will be...a computer. I will always hold a flame for the gaming console if only for that comforting feeling of sitting down, turning it on and holding the controller... *sniff*

And now I want to play the original Zelda games..and maybe Shining Force 2 for Sega Genesis .

(And yes I chose the Genesis over Super NES! Get off my back! I lived through enough shame...)

I'm not sure why the end of the console is sad. It just means that it no longer makes sense to have dedicated low-power computers for specific purposes around your house when people already have regular computers, media computers, and computers in their backpacks and briefcases and pockets. This is happening because PC (and HTPC) gaming can now do anything that console gaming can, and that's awesome.

With the rise of cloud gaming and "always on" games, not to mention the death of the used gaming market and the popularity of horrible concepts like "free-to-play", I for one certainly mourn the death of console gaming. This is one area where I don't see the future being an improvement.

@3 also, that's only for the XBox. PS1-PS4 release dates are 1994, 2000, 2006, 2013. That's a consistent 6-7 years each.

@4 Shining Force 2 is such a great game - there aren't enough great tactical RPGs. Check out Final Fantasy Tactics and Valkyria Chronicles if you haven't.

I just can't get past their ad that presents an image of the three parts (console, kinect, and controller) with copy that reads "The all-in-one entertainment system."

Kinect, or privacy, is NOT an option with xBox One.

One box to rule them all
One box to find them
One box to take their rights
And in the darkness blind them

There didn't seem to be anything to get excited about in the announcements about XBox or PlayStation. They are faster of course and have some components that were add-ons in this generation built-in.

However, I do think consoles will continue to prove popular among a lot of gamers and families. They are still considerably cheaper than a PC rig which can play comparable games.

@7 I fear that my gaming days are mostly over...mostly... Thanks though!

(Man, I played Shining Force 2 so many times...my favourite part was when my characters reached level 20 (?) and then seeing them grow up and change into new classes, with some having a different option based on certain items you found.)

Finally! A corporate paywall and DRM utopia all in one!

I can't wait.

Seems kinda like saying it's the end of phones because people don't talk on the phone as much anymore. My phone does all these other things now, it's the end of phones. In another ten years, no one will carry a phone anymore, they'll just carry a small computer that plays games and music and videos and connects to the internet and that they can use to communicate with people.

Poor old phone, going extinct like that.

If you have time to watch TV shows or movies, you have time to play video games.

@14 wins

If you didn't read up about or watch the release event, all the ridiculous bullshit to look forward to on the Xbox One can be found in one hilarious four-minute rant from "Francis". Thank you, big man.

@14 Exactly.

"The end of _______ gaming" is a regular feature in gaming publications. Game journalists have little imagination when it comes to change, so they perceive every shift of current as the complete end of things. This year we talk about the end of console gaming again, next year we talk about the end of PC gaming again. Who knows, maybe the year after it'll be the end of mobile gaming. Gaming's forever dying and yet it's still here, making lots of people lots of money.

Even if the console becomes an entertainment hub device (much like it already is), it will never stop playing games.

The new XBOX is boring and not forward-thinking at all, but the nice thing is, the OS can be updated eventually to include things people want on it. Microsoft's good at playing catch-up, after all.