It’s not exactly an easy time for the video game industry. Also thanks to the pandemic, with the semiconductor crisis and all the global geopolitical uncertainties that have complicated things, let’s say that the current generation of consoles that began in 2020 has failed to mark that clear break and those moments of unforgettableness that many would have liked .\r\nSony has already confirmed that the PS5 is entering the second half of its life cycle, while it is no secret that Xbox consoles are selling less – with Microsoft’s focus however being more on its subscription, Game Pass, which on the installed base of the console itself. \r\nNintendo, on the other hand, lives in a large niche of its own, where Switch could soon be followed by a new heir, considering that it has passed seven years of life, with the knowledge that what is played on Switch, usually, it is not found on other platforms.\r\nBut is the same still true for other consoles?\r\nInterviewed by IGN USA, industry veteran Peter Moore isn’t so sure. Known for his many positions of responsibility, which saw him at the helm of EA Sports, but also involved in the launches of the Dreamcast and Xbox 360, Moore reflected on the purchasing power of consumers, on the many layoffs and also on how a possible greater involvement of AI in development cycles could have an impact on the industry as we know it\r\nIs there a future for consoles?\r\nThe key point and question that all console manufacturers must ask themselves, now , «in Redmond, in Tokyo and in Kyoto» – underlines Moore – is whether they are ready to absorb billions in losses, because this is what the launch of new gaming hardware entails.\r\n«Everyone is working on this now as now, because when a new generation starts you have to be ready to absorb billions of dollars in losses. And is this industry, considering the layoffs and everything we’re experiencing right now, ready to deal with it? think of Sony firing 900 people – many of them here in the UK. My two eldest daughters work for EA, they’re fine, but they’re constantly looking over their shoulders” Moore admitted. “What can PS6 do that wasn’t already possible on PS5?” The key question is therefore understanding whether to develop new consoles again, for Moore, and also understanding what the approach will be with the ever-increasing popularity of generative AI models (which, let’s remember, are actually nothing new in the development environment, as we had it explained to us by a game designer).\r\n«Are these companies willing to do another multi-billion dollar round? And at that same time, they have to prepare for another cycle where gamers might not marry the console and just say – you know what? I don’t need it, times are hard, I already have my phone, I enjoy what I have on my phone, there are so many games I can play there.”\r\nAnd, for the users who don’t feel like they comfortable playing with your smartphone, computers make it more difficult in times like these to think about spending your money on a console – considering that it is a machine designed specifically for gaming, unlike the others mentioned.\r\n« I also have my PC and my Mac, I can do whatever I want with them. Do I really need to spend, I don’t know, $500 or $600, on a so-called piece of hardware that only lets me play games? Both companies and players will be asking themselves this question.”\r\nGenerational leap\r\nEven at the time of the launch of the Xbox 360, Moore confides, we were asking ourselves questions of this type, because imagining a life cycle of five, six or seven years we needed to understand where the technologies would arrive in that time interval.\r\nSince then, we know that the improvements, especially in aspects such as computing power and connection, have been notable. But now the leaps (as we have already seen with this generation) can be much smaller, making the question relevant whether and for how long there may be room left for a home console market.\r\n”What is it that the PlayStation 6 will be able to to do that wasn’t possible for the PS5, to convince PS5 users to buy it? And it’s the same for Xbox, the same for Switch, right? God forbid they are just incremental improvements. I think companies are thinking about it too: what can we do to extend the life cycle?”.\r\n”If you are Microsoft, and you are Phil Spencer, you have Satya Nadella coming to you and saying ‘ok, what is the future in this field, how does it fit into our broader cloud strategy involving Azure, or with AI? What will we do with AI game development? How are we going to make our games cheaper, faster in development, with fewer people?’ These are the questions that are being asked right now” concluded Moore.