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Preferred time for a console life cycle

How long should a console be the primary platform?

  • 5-6 years

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 7-8 years

    Votes: 4 44.4%
  • other

    Votes: 5 55.6%

  • Total voters
    9

mαrkαsscoρ

Mr. SidleInYourDMs
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I've been seeing a lot of people for a while now say it's time to move on from Switch and we need better hardware, even though we're barely coming up on 6 years. And maybe this is just Switch specifically b/c it was already pretty weak when it was new, but it's interesting to see the differences of people who want new hardware right away and people who can still keep going w/ the current hardware.

So I just came w/ the question of how long would you like a console to last? Older generations hovered around 5-6 but the 7th gen onward have been 7-8, except for the Nintendo ones.
 
6-7 years is a good amount of time. I felt that the Xbox 360's 8 years was a little too long as few notable games released in that last year. 5 years or less feels too short. The 4 years and 4 months between the Wii U and the Switch was a blink and you'll miss it moment.
 

twilitfalchion

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If the tech is robust enough to keep up with even cross-gen releases that may arrive at the end of its lifetime, then I think a console life cycle can last well into the 7-8 year range (PS4 for a very recent example). But in the case of something like the Switch, the necessary compromises to make third-party ports and even first-party games run on it have been fairly steep. Switch has been struggling for a while despite its ability to punch above its weight from a technical standpoint.

At the end of the day it depends, but I think this is solely dependent on hardware rather than software.
 

mαrkαsscoρ

Mr. SidleInYourDMs
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I agree it depends on how capable the hardware is, I think overall though I wouldn't mind if the Switch is still the main console for another year after this, so I'd be in the 7-8 camp
 

Chevywolf30

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As long as possible, because #1 y'all know how I feel about upgrading tech all the damn time, and #2, it's just more fair to the customer to keep a console around for 6-8 years. Less to keep up with that way.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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I'd say as long as the technology can stay relevant. Games are still released for the Xbox One and PS4 without Switch levels of compromise, so that technology is still relevant and the consoles themselves are turning ten years old this year. For something like the Switch I'd hope it's lifespan is set to expire in 2023. The moment it becomes unfeasible for games to be ported to your system it's probably time to move on.

If the tech is robust enough to keep up with even cross-gen releases that may arrive at the end of its lifetime, then I think a console life cycle can last well into the 7-8 year range (PS4 for a very recent example). But in the case of something like the Switch, the necessary compromises to make third-party ports and even first-party games run on it have been fairly steep. Switch has been struggling for a while despite its ability to punch above its weight from a technical standpoint.

At the end of the day it depends, but I think this is solely dependent on hardware rather than software.

Hey, I love seeing games being sanded down until they technically run on the Switch. Playing Doom Eternal and Wolfenstein: New Colossus at 360p with objects tactically placed in game to make skyboxes less taxing on the system? Sign me up. :eyes:
 
It's definitely rare in the history of gaming for a system to continue being sold for a good while longer when its hardware is outdated, but we've seen it with the Game Boy before thanks due to the Pokemon boost, and the PS2 because it still got a lot of games that were ported to Wii, so I don't think power is all that important for how long a system should last, especially with the diminishing returns of modern hardware. As long as the Xbox One and PS4 still get support, I see no reason developers won't also keep supporting the Switch, especially with its massive install base.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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It's definitely rare in the history of gaming for a system to continue being sold for a good while longer when its hardware is outdated, but we've seen it with the Game Boy before thanks due to the Pokemon boost, and the PS2 because it still got a lot of games that were ported to Wii, so I don't think power is all that important for how long a system should last, especially with the diminishing returns of modern hardware. As long as the Xbox One and PS4 still get support, I see no reason developers won't also keep supporting the Switch, especially with its massive install base.
Developers haven't stopped supporting the Switch, but we've definitely seen the limits of what people are willing or able to bring to the system. We won't be seeing any Elden Rings or Final Fantasy VIIs coming to Switch short of some awful streaming thing.
 
Last edited:

Mikey the Moblin

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I think console life spans in general are improving thanks to the relative price of high end tech going up

The ps5 is already several years old and Sony is forced to keep back porting games just to keep it alive because everyone still has a ps4 and ps4 is already good enough to run games
 
Developers haven't stopped supporting the Switch, but we've definitely seen the limits of what people are willing or able to bring to the system. We won't be seeing any Elden Rings or Final Fantasy VIs coming to Switch short of some awful streaming thing.

Completely true. But considering that we got a major port in the form of the Portal Companion Collection just last year, there are quite a few 360/PS3 era games that can still come to Switch.
 

Bowsette Plus-Ultra

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Completely true. But considering that we got a major port in the form of the Portal Companion Collection just last year, there are quite a few 360/PS3 era games that can still come to Switch.
True, but those aren't exactly newer titles. While seeing older stuff brought forward is nice, we aren't going to be seeing newer stuff on the Switch.

I think console life spans in general are improving thanks to the relative price of high end tech going up

The ps5 is already several years old and Sony is forced to keep back porting games just to keep it alive because everyone still has a ps4 and ps4 is already good enough to run games
The PS4 is certainly good enough to run game, but the age of the hardware still limits what games can be developed for the system and what those games can look like. If anything was responsible for stuff like God of War Ragnarok and Horizon: Forbidden West coming to PS4, it was the ongoing shortage of next generation consoles.

The PS4 and Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch were solid in their time, but none of them were high tech even back when they released.
 

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