Alex St. John: We're playing the 'last generation of consoles'

by James Ransom-Wiley { Aug 18th 2008 at 6:15PM }

Congratulations! You're now a part of history ... or at least, a part of Alex St. John's alternate reality. Spend enough time with "the guy who talked Microsoft into the console business" and you might start seeing a big red countdown -- the kind that ends in KA-BOOM! -- tattooed on your gaming console, the UK's Telegraph reports. "I think we're looking at the last generation of consoles. There's not going to be an Xbox 720 or a PS4, I'll make that bet, not going to happen," St. John predicts.

Not surprisingly, St. John's grim prophecy doubles as a convincing plug for WildTangent's forthcoming virtual console: Orb. Orb will offer "enthusiast" games (BioShock and Assassin's Creed are two "possible" examples) for free on an ad-driven, session-by-session basis. In theory, this kind of digital platform could one day replace disc-based consoles, as it offers "free" gaming through an advertising model that consumers have accepted in other markets and cuts out the huge economic losses that console manufacturers can't seem to avoid (um, except for Nintendo!). "I'll take the heat if I'm wrong and don't mind being mocked in the future with people going 'Wow, was he wrong,'" St. John says of his market forecast, "But it doesn't happen to me very often."

Tags: alex-st-john, orb, wildtangent

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Haggard @ Aug 18th 2008 6:19PM

He actually can't be that stupid. It's surely a plug.

I mean, what, are MS and Sony gonna forget to make the next generation or something?

Markez @ Aug 18th 2008 7:31PM

Well, being a moron is one way to gain attention for yourself.

At least it's not another "Pacther sez this: " article.

They may very well both be idiots, but this guy has figured out how to get his name out there :)

Ahem, stay tuned for my own press release on the subject; "Consoles will not exist in the future, all games will be available through a unified, bar of soap, connected to American's TVs going foward. That's correct, Bar of Soap, will win the next generation in console gaming. That is all"

Tiptup300 @ Aug 18th 2008 10:19PM

Consoles are changing. We no longer have

- PC
- Consoles

We will have

- PC
- Wii
- Consoles

The Wii doesn't really need a sequel, it defeats the point!

J.Goodwin @ Aug 19th 2008 11:02AM

Alex was part of the team that made the original Xbox, which was supposed to kill consoles by being the PC that infiltrated the living room.

Not so much.

I guess it kind of depends how you define a console. If your next console is a set top box with a tru2way card that can act as your cable box and DVR, not to mention your distribution hub for your netflix account and purchaseable television and movie content, and you have the option of either directly downloading your games or buying them on disc and registering them with your live account using a key in the box (ala steam), then is it still a console?

It is to me, but maybe not to some people.

Tiptup300 @ Aug 19th 2008 10:35PM

I don't understand why I was voted down. Do we really need a Wii 2? The Wii has some graphical prowess, but nobody uses it to the max. Why charge more for something that would never be used up to it's full potential. I wasn't insulting the Wii, I was just saying that it's main "thing" isn't being a media center, having insane graphics, or being able to do any thing and toast bread. It's just a party game toy, doesn't make it a bad thing, just a different thing.

RabanastreRat @ Aug 18th 2008 6:19PM

Wow, will he be wrong.

Dash @ Aug 18th 2008 6:24PM

Considering Sony already has plans for the Playstation 5 (not a typo), and Epic and other developers are already creating engines for the next generation, I highly doubt he's right.

KeenCommander @ Aug 18th 2008 11:22PM

And we've noticed just how well Sony's plans tend to go, haven't we...

Whether or not he's right, he certainly raises some interesting ideas - and it a shame "teh hardc0r3 gamerz" are so quick to dismiss them without any real thought.

Arttemis @ Aug 18th 2008 6:26PM

C'mon guys, he's the head of WILDTANGENT! Clearly this guy isn't a fucking filthy piece of shit with no concern over quality.

Oh, wait...

Mr.ESC @ Aug 18th 2008 6:51PM

WildTangent

Oh that brings me memories,those are the guys that filled my PC up the ass with Spywares.I used to like Cannonballs though.

Jacksons @ Aug 18th 2008 6:26PM

Nobody will ever need more than 640k RAM.

(yes, I know it was apparently a misquote)

ck @ Aug 18th 2008 10:32PM

You sir ~

Your avatar is eerily similar to mine. I hope that someday we shall meet and a duel shall commence.

And Darby Crash will win, damn you.

spddrcr @ Aug 18th 2008 6:37PM

tell me one "DECENT" ad driven advertisment model that has actually worked and the company is making money.

ck @ Aug 18th 2008 10:45PM

There's this thing called television. It's quite revolutionary I've heard.

Mike M. @ Aug 19th 2008 1:01AM

Well, ck has you there.

spddrcr @ Aug 20th 2008 3:27AM

wrong, if you pay for cable or any other type of subscription for your Tv viewing it's not ad driven. your not getting a free service due to ads being shown. good try though.:)

kingofwale @ Aug 18th 2008 6:30PM

okay, I will take that bet. How about $10K sound?

somebody leave us this Alex St. John's contact info so I can collect my money?

Mr Khan @ Aug 18th 2008 6:30PM

Given Nintendo's operating methods, they wouldn't stop making consoles until well after the others found them to be obsolete, as that's the way they roll

However, the allure of power that a successful console brings to a manufacturer means that we will see the closed-platform standard for some time, at least for one more generation

The effects of the DTV transition will leave enough bandwidth open for very high speed WiFi (measured in the Gbps) that could allow PC's to stream full-size games as we know them, but again, first we need to wait 6 months for that to go through, then wait for an infrastructure to build around that

A digital distribution standard when most American companies' definition of "Broadband" is 1.5 Mbps upstream and 750 kpbs down is laughable, quite frankly

ck @ Aug 18th 2008 10:42PM

Yes, I quite agree on that sentiment. "Digital distribution is the future! Disc media is dead! The movie going experience is dead! Books are useless! Join us or suffer the consequences of knowing how secure your filthy packaged media is compared to digital bits and pieces on a hard drive that could easily crash! Hahaha, we know you can't resist NEW technology! Now pay us $20 in service fees!"

Markez @ Aug 19th 2008 12:01AM

I agree with your argument, and rest my cast.

John @ Aug 19th 2008 6:33AM

@ck

Why do you tards always cry about crashing hard drives? when's the last time you had a hard drive crash? I have 8 computers with multliple drives and have had 1 crash in the last 7 years.

Besides, Solid state storage is coming faster than you think and crashes will be a thing of the past.

MC Double Def DP @ Aug 18th 2008 6:32PM

There will be an Xbox 3 and a PS4 and Orb will fail. How do you like those predictions?

juju187 @ Aug 18th 2008 6:35PM

love em!

Mr.ESC @ Aug 18th 2008 6:53PM

You my good Sir should be an analyst.

Kizzle @ Aug 18th 2008 11:53PM

OMG IS THAT U MICHAEL PACHTER!!?!

Nick the Hero of Canton @ Aug 18th 2008 6:33PM

Yes, because even if digital downloads were to replace discs next generation, we would still need a platform to download and play them on...

DangerMouse @ Aug 18th 2008 6:34PM

That's what you're supposed to say when you want to make headlines.

FYIan @ Aug 18th 2008 6:35PM

Isn't console gaming stronger than ever?

That's not to say that I think consoles are headed in the right direction. I'm totally disinterested in the 360 and the PS3 because they step on my PC's toes to much. My PC will always be around, but the consoles are optional. The Wii is at least on the right track because its not trying to be a supercomputer. Everything I play on my Wii either wouldn't work for or isn't available for my PC, and on top of that, it's cheap, and I can even convince my non-gaming friends to play it.

I know how much people hate the casual revolution, but I think that game consoles should be casual - That's the point of putting them on a television in the living room.

Haggard @ Aug 18th 2008 8:52PM

Yeah, I can't play serious games on my PS3 and feel anywhere near as involved with the game as I do on the PC.

nealbailey @ Aug 18th 2008 9:31PM

Nah, I can't seriously play games on my PC since PCs are made to read email and edit spreadsheets. Just the thought of playing a triple-A title on a PC gives me chills, all the freezing up and terrible frame-rates. No thanks.

Bass Masterson @ Aug 18th 2008 6:37PM

This guy is an idiot. And I don't mean just because of this article. He's always been an idiot.

He used to write an article for PC Gamer which essentially was him bragging about how rich he was. I remember one was a long story about him and some MS exec getting stuck in the mud in his Hummer. Oh, and in another article he bragged about finding a way to compress some data 20% more, and how the guy who gave it to him as an interview test was apparently slackjawed with awe that he was so awesome he could figure it out.

He has called himself the father of DirectX, the father of the Xbox, the father of everything. Yet, strangely, the only thing he's actually fathered - WildTangent - is a colossal failure.

Yipcanjo @ Aug 18th 2008 7:11PM

So true...

Shogan @ Aug 18th 2008 7:50PM

I remember this guys articles as well, and he was incredibly annoying. I had hoped he'd faded off into oblivion, but here he is being a douche once more.

AirIntake @ Aug 18th 2008 9:55PM

I read in boot mag that he got the Hummer stuck in a parkade and then decided it was time to sell it. After causing $20k worth of damage to it first, of course.

j.howlett @ Aug 18th 2008 6:44PM

i don't mind advertising, in fact i find a fair amount of it entertaining, i like owning games however because if not alot of people like a game i do advertisers won't stop me from playing it. plus i won't want to deal with the bull if i just want a quick game. it might work one day but i wouldn't hold my breath. he can feel free to hold his.

E.J. @ Aug 18th 2008 6:45PM

Ah the Telegraph... the rag the employs the likes of Brendan Gallagher who thinks that Michael Phelps doesn't deserve 8 gold medals.

I guess Alex St. John couldn't find a legitimate press outlet here in the US to take his statement.

Haggard @ Aug 18th 2008 8:55PM

Well, it's a British national newspaper. I've not cared for patriotism for decades but the newspapers here are to appeal to the lowest common denominator, and sadly the majority of proles here in the UK are of the opinion that Phelps shouldn't win the medals because he's nor British.

I don't know what anybody's complaining about. My country, or your country being the best at a sport isn't going to solve world hunger, global warming, rescue the economy or raise the average man's standard of living. I hate patriotism. It distracts people from what matters.

meatee @ Aug 18th 2008 6:46PM

It's not like there isn't any room for growth for a new generation. Even now, the vast majority of big-budget console titles run natively in 720p/30, so there'll be future consoles that every game will be able to run silky smooth at 1080p/60.

Haggard @ Aug 18th 2008 8:56PM

And graphics this generation are still far from photo-realistic.

carl.abrams @ Aug 18th 2008 6:52PM

Wild Tangent - the worst piece of adware known to man, which when geeks at Best Buy do a system optimization only, is the first thing removed.

"I think we're looking at the last generation of consoles. There's not going to be an Xbox 720 or a PS4, I'll make that bet, not going to happen," St. John predicts.

"I think you're a freaking idiot and a moron for making that prediction." Certainly they may not call it Xbox 720 - but there will be more consoles.

AoE @ Aug 18th 2008 6:55PM

I think you're all missing the point:

"There's not going to be an Xbox 720 or a PS4, I'll make that bet, not going to happen."

See what he did there? You may think he's talking about the end of consoles, but *REALLY* he's just talking about the naming of them! ;)

BigD145 @ Aug 18th 2008 7:00PM

Get your advertising away from my eyes, ears, mouth, and other holes in my body.

totoro @ Aug 18th 2008 7:01PM

Wild Tangent is the Real Networks of gaming :p

Luke Stapley @ Aug 19th 2008 6:00AM

Real Games is actually a pretty good company. Check out Super Collapse and other games they do. This in contrast to the player...

Corbo @ Aug 18th 2008 7:01PM

People always forget why the console market arose in the first place - PCs were too complicated and fractured as a gaming platform. Sure, you might be able to draw more performance out of them with enough tweaking but most people don't have time for that. They want to walk into a shop, hand over some cash and walk away with something that'll play the latest iteration of FIFA for the next 4 years.

I can see downloadable games becoming more prominent over the next few generations but the vast majority of them will still be getting downloaded on to consoles.

SonicRift @ Aug 18th 2008 7:54PM

I would also add that consumers don't want to have to install software, and be responsible for disk space management and knowing how to optimize a game to their specific hardware. While I'm sure most Joystiq patrons know how to do the later, Joe Everygamer probably doesn't.

Mike M. @ Aug 19th 2008 1:01AM

Heh, I actually actively enjoy tweaking game settings to squeeze out extra frames on my computer. I also enjoy calibrating TVs just for fun. But then, I'm a CompSci major and a nerd rather than your average couch potato.

Tiptup300 @ Aug 19th 2008 3:13AM

No the number one reason was, every single console is supposed to be the exact carbon copy of the other ones, so developers don't have to worry about differing configurations. Plus you never have to upgrade. People would buy a console and get to keep that console for about 6 years and keep buying the latest games.