Blizzard: consoles soon obsolete, becoming one with PCs
Blizzard VP of business development Itzik Ben Bassat is keeping a watchful eye on console progression, supposing that the gaming devices could become obsolete in as few as five years. "The PC is becoming an entertainment hub ... Maybe in five years you won't need a console because you'll have one PC which delivers content [including games] all over your house," Bassat mused in a conversation with GamesInustry.biz.
Bassat's thought is far from a radical one, as we're already witnessing the evolution of consoles into specialized computers that serve a variety of entertainment purposes. Similarly, we're seeing Microsoft take lessons learned from the Xbox project and apply them to Windows Vista. Consoles becoming PCs; PCs becoming consoles. It's happening -- and the line will only become more blurred. So much so, that Bassat and Blizzard are content to hold off attempts to port World of Warcraft onto consoles.
While WoW might not be a perfect fit, Bassat admits that he's interested in the development of online console services, with a particular attraction to Xbox Live Arcade. "I'm very impressed, I'm impressed by the people who do [XBLA], and the service is very easy, very intuitive. I love it." You hear that Microsoft? Sounds like Blizzard's making a pass.
