Speaking at the GCDC in Leipzig, Germany, Silicon Knights' Too Human creator Denis Dyack outlined his vision of the gaming future, suggesting that the evolution of other industries hints that in future console cycles we could see a unified console 'standard' emerge. He added that this could be as early as the next console cycle.

The designer explained that such a de facto standard might evolve, "just like a DVD, just like a camera, everyone would know what those specs are."

"If you talk about commodification to a hardware manufacturer, they usually turn white," he added, conceding that his views are more than a little controversial in some quarters of the industry. Dyack explained that in the future hardware makers like Sony, Microsoft, Toshiba, Dell, et al, might all create similar systems conforming to one standard. He added that this would aid the software development process.

Cheaper development, lower prices, simpler approval routines and a lack of uneconomical market fragmentation were all cited as reasons for the unified format. "We're starting to reach a perceptual threshold where the average consumer can not tell the difference between the next-generation consoles," Dyack added. "I think this trend's going to continue."

In a lengthy address, the designer also questioned the long-term appeal of the Wii, and argued that PC gaming could be all but finished. More from GCDC as we get it.

By Luke Guttridge

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  1. Luke 1 year ago Staff

    Nice idea, certainly, but can we really envisage the major players sitting down together and agreeing to make this happen any time soon? It's hardly Microsoft's style, in particular, is it?