Home Gaming EA: Tablets could out-power consoles by 2018

EA: Tablets could out-power consoles by 2018

2 min read
29

Killer ipad

Apparently the 2015 Technology, Internet and Media Conference is underway. I honestly can’t even keep track of all these conferences and events, but EA CFO Blake Jorgensen was there and he made some rather controversial remarks that might be totally on target.

Jorgensen believes that tablets will grow in popularity as gaming devices. As they get more powerful, he thinks that they will be able to offer a more console-like experience. Combining this with the portability of tablets, it could be a really big new horizon for gaming’s future.

What gets us the most excited is the power, the computing power, of mobile devices and the speed at which that’s growing. What that might mean is that a tablet, three or four years from now, has more power than what a typical console has. And that will open up a whole new set of people to console-style games that are much more immersive, much deeper, much more character-driven than simply a static mobile game that you might play for a small burst of time while you’re waiting for the bus.

And so we’re looking for ways that we can essentially blend those two models to have a more immersive but movable game experience. Could be in your living room, could be on the bus, or it could be in a friend’s house. Much more portable than it is today. And that for us is a huge opportunity.

Of course EA also assured us all that games will continue to come for the consoles we know and love. It is intriguing to imagine the state of technology – it’s not so outlandish to imagine a tablet that is more powerful than the Xbox One in a few years’ time. It would be nice to see deeper story-telling and gameplay on mobile devices. There are already some excellent experiences for tablets, but most simply aren’t that deep. Then again, deep experiences aren’t easily modified into micro-transactions, so I’m not really sure what EA is thinking. I don’t trust them at the best of times, but on mobile we know that they tend to break our hearts.

Last Updated: February 10, 2015

29 Comments

  1. Blood Emperor Trevor

    February 10, 2015 at 10:32

    Just the other day I read something about tablet sales declining. I’ve always considered them an extra, optional device that’s nice to have, but not required or a replacement for anything else.

    Reply

    • Captain JJ the crafter

      February 10, 2015 at 10:35

      I have one because I got it for free. Otherwise I probably wouldn’t have bought one.
      I have also used it at least four times this year.

      Reply

    • Sgt. M

      February 10, 2015 at 10:47

      Agreed. It really works if you’re a student and you use it mainly for viewing or making notes. But you still need a computer or laptop for majority of the things you need to get done.

      Reply

    • Tosh "Did he just say that?"

      February 10, 2015 at 10:56

      I use my ipad to check mail and twitter in the mornings. And play a few games while the power is out. But if given the choice, I will ALWAYS choose a console or PC over a tablet for anything. Literally, for anything.

      Reply

    • Lardus-Resident Perve

      February 10, 2015 at 11:02

      I got one for my Warhammer 40K Codex, Rulebook and the army building app (BattleScribe). Other than that – not interested in them at all.

      Reply

  2. Captain JJ the crafter

    February 10, 2015 at 10:34

    Not in SA. Since, you know, you need electricity to charge it.

    Reply

    • Blood Emperor Trevor

      February 10, 2015 at 10:40

      Not true, in the next few years we’ll have an orbital power array collecting sunlight & beaming it down via satellite. Peter Molyneux told me all about it.

      Reply

      • Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7

        February 10, 2015 at 10:41

        You do realise they actually are working on tech for that?

        Reply

        • Blood Emperor Trevor

          February 10, 2015 at 10:42

          Yes, actually I did – that’s why I gave an unrealisable time frame.

          Reply

          • Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7

            February 10, 2015 at 10:48

            aaaah. Ok I getit. Lol. GG

      • Captain JJ the crafter

        February 10, 2015 at 10:42

        Our government will find a way to charge us for it though. Which will be exorbitant.

        Reply

        • Blood Emperor Trevor

          February 10, 2015 at 10:42

          exORBITant. tee hee.

          Reply

          • Captain JJ the crafter

            February 10, 2015 at 10:44

            XD

        • Mossel

          February 10, 2015 at 12:02

          The light will need to get an etag and get tolled on its way to earth.

          Reply

  3. Ryanza

    February 10, 2015 at 10:39

    The next few years there is going to be a big push to up the ante concerning these gpu’s and cpu’s for the smart phones and tablets. It’s all about how much power and performance one can get out of these small chips and keeping the watts at a minimum. So that’s what they challenging themselves with now a days.

    I just wonder as these smart phones and tablets gets bigger. Then will it turn into a laptop.

    Oh yes. EA article. Fuck EA. Don’t Support EA.

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      February 10, 2015 at 10:48

      I think people already look a bit of a spanner using a phablet as a phone and now they go bigger?

      Reply

  4. Raptor Rants A Lot:Original #7

    February 10, 2015 at 10:40

    Lol. So much for next gen console gaming

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      February 10, 2015 at 11:21

      When’s that happening again?

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief

        February 10, 2015 at 11:25

        When TLOU comes to PC

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          February 10, 2015 at 11:34

          Almost but not quite next gen FTW

          Reply

  5. Jac7

    February 10, 2015 at 10:52

    Pffft, EA probably doesn’t even compost its own feces. Tablets are a commodity, not an essential component for everyday use. It could serve as an extension to the fun of gaming, like the Xperia Z3’s remote play. That shite is off the chain!

    Reply

  6. Nahuel Graziani

    February 10, 2015 at 10:56

    Touch-screens will never be able to replace physical input devices. In order for it to be able to compete with consoles, you’re going to have to use a tablet with a physical input device of sorts.

    If you’ve gone as far as started using a controller on your tablet, then it hinders on it’s portability. Might as well use a gaming laptop instead.

    Stop trying to make tablet gaming happen. It’s not going to happen.

    Reply

  7. CAE9872

    February 10, 2015 at 11:01

    I can see that – not sure 4 years is reasonable. But why not? Imagine having a device that hooks up to ones TV (does already if e.g. iPad and Apple TV); get a controller connected via Bluetooth; and hey presto, you good to go. So yes it is entirely feasible.

    Will people buy that device is the big question. If made by Apple, and does everything a console does, I would happily buy such tablet. Best of both worlds, because if I want bigger picture I have the TV and when I am on the go I play on the tablet (ala WiiU).

    Reply

  8. oVg elfroot slayer

    February 10, 2015 at 11:30

  9. RinceThis

    February 10, 2015 at 11:32

    I think you’d have to be taking some rather suspect tablets if you wanted to believe this nonsense.

    Reply

  10. oVg elfroot slayer

    February 10, 2015 at 11:33

    THIS,

    Reply

  11. RinceThis

    February 10, 2015 at 11:42

    Don’t believe this for a second. People like a real controller vs the slide my thumbs all of the screen and get is messy type.

    Reply

    • CypherGate

      February 10, 2015 at 12:07

      EXACTLY. They should actually be concentrating on making better batteries cause thats what these things and smartphones need. BETTER BATTERIES.

      Reply

  12. CypherGate

    February 10, 2015 at 12:05

    Only thing i ever use my tablet for is for my graphic portfolio. When going to interviews its a nice piece for displaying it instead of carrying around bags of artwork. Also they can talk about how graphics on Tablets will surpass consoles etc etc, but honestly gaming on smartphones and tablets are mostly boring. Like really boring. I tried many games and it just feels bleak and weak. It doesnt grab my attention. So they can talk about how graphics will surpass console etc etc all they want. Also Tabs gets updated constantly just like PC’s do or similar. If consoles did the same thing we wouldnt have this convo. Anyway consoles and PC’s are still top on my list for gaming.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Check Also

Xbox Series X Restock Update Today: Track on Twitter, Walmart, Best Buy and More

New consoles are on the horizon, and while Sony and Microsoft have spoken plenty about wha…