Many believe the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles are worth the hundreds of dollars it takes to purchase one simply because they look at it as an investment in the next decade of their life as a gamer. Sure each company is dolling up their respective console with entertainment and media streaming features to make the device appeal beyond the realm of gaming, but the fact of the matter is that the next-gen consoles are here to stay. However, that doesn't mean companies like Microsoft are finished building consoles.
Xbox One and Microsoft executive Phil Spencer took to Twitter over the weekend to discuss a little bit about what comes next after the Xbox One. When a fan sent a messages asking "Tough question, but do you think Xbox One is the last console as 'we know it'? You know, running on local hardware?"
"I don't," the head of Microsoft Studios responded. "I think local compute will be important for a long time."
Another user then mentioned, "If everything went into the cloud, I think people wouldn't care much if they chose Sony or Microsoft."
"You can look at mobile, connected to faster networks, more cloud services but local power still increases each gen," Spencer replied.
According to IGN, both Microsoft and Sony are increasing their respective interest in cloud gaming. There has even been speculation that the PS4 and Xbox One could be the last consoles people will ever see. As the site notes, if you throw Valves recently announced Steam Machine consoles, geared toward bringing the PC gaming experience to the living room, the future of home console marketing becomes a little bit more unclear.
It's likely that Microsoft is not currently working on a follow-up to the Xbox One just yet as the time between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One filled the better part of a decade. In other words, there's time for both companies to see the direction cloud technology takes.
