The days of the dedicated games console could be numbered, according to Amazon's head of gaming Jeff Gattis, who has predicted that rising hardware costs will push players towards streaming their games online.
"As hardware becomes more expensive, and as streaming technology continues to improve, I think you'll naturally see more people asking whether they actually need that dedicated device," Gattis told the BBC.
“Amazon's Jeff Gattis predicts cloud streaming will replace consoles as hardware costs rise.”
His comments come as Amazon integrates its cloud gaming service Luna into the Prime Video app, placing a new "Games" tab alongside its shows and films on Fire TVs in the US and UK. Luna has been available to Prime subscribers for some time, but previously existed as a separate destination.
Cloud gaming allows players to stream and play games from a remote server using a phone, tablet or controller, rather than downloading and running them on a PC or console at home. Gattis argued there is a huge untapped audience beyond traditional console owners, noting that "there are somewhere between two-and-a-half and three billion people who play games around the world, but only a fraction of those own dedicated gaming hardware."
While cloud gaming has long been billed as the industry's future, previous efforts have failed to gain widespread adoption — most notably the high-profile closure of Google Stadia in 2023. Many firms, including Sony and Microsoft, already offer cloud gaming as part of their subscription services, but consumers continue to favour installing games on their own machines.
Recent years have seen the price of gaming hardware climb as the cost of components rises. Sony and Microsoft have increased the cost of their consoles, while Valve priced its new Steam Machine from £879.
Christopher Dring, editor-in-chief and co-founder of The Game Business, said there is likely an audience of people looking to play high-end games like the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 "but are put off by all the technical requirements." However, he warned that streaming still faces obstacles, including the fact that many high-end games still require a controller, and that the subscription model could be a sticking point for big publishers concerned about its impact on traditional sales.
Gattis acknowledged that some people will still buy their own hardware, but insisted that streaming technology has developed a lot in recent years, making it more viable than before. Whether subscription fatigue and technical hurdles will slow the shift remains an open question.