How Small Will Game Consoles Get?

It seems to be the basic rule of computer technology:  as technology advances, it gets smaller.  With the ability to store more in less space come new, minimalist devices that improve the quality of our lives while becoming cheaper and more available to a greater degree of people.  Of course, many of the gamers reading this are thinking "what does this have to do with my game console?"

Good question.

As it turns out, game consoles are a prime example of how technology gets smaller and smaller.  As you'll see in CNet's article "The shrinking game console: A history," PlayStations have slimmed way down and Super Nintendos have become smaller.  They say that looking at history will help you understand the present and possibly predict the future, so how small exactly can we expect gaming systems to get?

You're already aware of the various game consoles that are built for the hand, from Nintendo's Game Boy to its DS.  But what's interesting about game consoles is that they are somewhat limited by the technology they have to use - their medium.  Old "Game Boy" games, for example, were tiny and it made for a handheld gaming experience.  Today's video games are still essentially CDs, which means that any game system still has to be able to handle them.

If the world of music has taught us anything, it's that going to a more digital medium might be inevitable for entertainment technology.  Today, many people don't even buy CDs - they simply download albums onto their computer and link them up to their iPod.  Since there are games available for download already, you can expect this trend to continue, especially as gaming systems become more internet-capable.

Game systems, of course, will always need to interact with us, which is why controllers themselves have generally stayed the same size.  With a new decade - the 2010's - here, it's interesting to imagine the type of interaction we may have with our games by 2020.  Will we still use controllers or will be in a new virtual reality style of gaming in which we are fully immersed with the gaming environment?  Only time will tell.

For now, we know that technology generally makes our gaming systems less clunky and more sleek - which is great for anyone who loves to take their systems while they travel.  With the ability of some consoles to log you onto the internet, expect to need to take less and less hardware with you when you bring a gaming system with you.