For a very long time now, the gaming industry has speculated about the possibility of an all-digital future free from the need for expensive gaming machines, and for many, cloud gaming has been the focus of the conversation. The last few years especially have seen major advancements, like the recent launch of Google’s Stadia game-streaming service, that make it seem like we could finally be on the verge of a post-console era in this coming decade. But Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa feels differently, and he recently took the opportunity to share his thoughts on the matter.
Speaking with Japanese publication Nikkei (as translated by Nintendo Everything), he stated it’s possible for cloud services like Stadia, PlayStation Now, and Microsoft’s upcoming xCloud to “capture the public’s interest,” but he believes it won’t happen anytime soon. At the very least, he predicts, it will take another 10 years at least before the technology is strong enough to entice consumers away from dedicated gaming machines like the Nintendo Switch.
That’s not an unreasonable estimate to make in light of the current state of cloud gaming. Google Stadia definitely has the makings of a great console-free gaming platform, but at the moment it’s held back by heavy data usage, low internet speeds for much of its consumer base, and the severe lag that can result from those things. Also not helping its case right now is the fact that games on Stadia can be missing much of the content found in their PC and console versions.
Despite believing gaming consoles and PCs aren’t becoming obsolete this decade, though, Furukawa acknowledged that it won't work for Nintendo to focus on them exclusively in the long run. “It would be pointless to solely focus on methods of play that can only be had on dedicated hardware,” he said. “Once your audience starts saying they can play on other consoles or smartphones instead, you’re finished.”
Given the context of him talking about cloud gaming, this suggests that Nintendo could be considering increasing its presence there. Nintendo has certainly expressed interest in cloud gaming, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility, but even then, it stressed how the technology to make it a practical pursuit isn’t readily available yet.
Furukawa isn’t the only prominent Nintendo-related figure to share his thoughts on this topic recently. At The Game Awards last month, former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime had a slightly more optimistic timeline for cloud gaming, saying that streaming technologies will likely become the norm within the next decade as internet speeds increase. This, he said, will result in “something that's really meaningful for players.”
Source: Nikkei, Nintendo Everything