The eighth generation of consoles--that is Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U--"could be the last generation of dedicated hardware." That's according to video game market research firm EEDAR chief product officer Geoffrey Zatkin, who made the claim during a panel called "Awesome Video Game Data" today at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.

　　Zatkin didn't say what might come next if it's not another round of consoles, but he's not the first to say that the current wave of consoles might be the last. Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada said last year that the future of gaming is not dedicated hardware, but rather services.

　　For its part, Sony said in October that the PlayStation brand will become more service-oriented going forward through cloud-powered programs like PlayStation Now. Microsoft's Xbox One also leverages the power of the cloud extensively.

　　You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

　　Click To Unmute

　　Ask the Experts: Xbox One or PS4?

　　How Alan Wake II Made Me Face My Fear of Horror Games

　　GameSpot's Top 10 Games of 2023Thompson: The Pop Culture Icon’s Strange Legacy - LoadoutFirearms Expert’s FAVORITE Weapons Of 2023State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023How Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreAsk the Experts: Upgrading a PS4 Hard DriveAsk The Experts: Kinect vs PS4 CameraAsk The Experts: Next Gen IncapabilityAsk The Experts: Headsets and Peripherals for Xbox One and PS4Ask the Experts: Xbox One and PS4 Streaming FunctionalityAsk the Experts: Xbox One vs PS4 Games

　　Share

　　LinkEmbed

　　Size:640 × 360480 × 270

　　Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

　　Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

　　Sign up or Sign in now!

　　Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

　　This video has an invalid file format.

　　00:00:00

　　HTML5

　　Auto HD High Low

　　Report a problem

　　Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

　　By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

　　Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

　　enter