Why the next gaming console war will be around handheld devices

A gaming expert thinks the next console war will be around handhelds because of how younger players now access games and the different platforms they're able to play their favourite titles on.

Traditionally, gaming consoles are thought of as either devices that plug in to a TV where players have to sit and dedicate time to play specifically or handheld where players can play on the go.

But the Nintendo Switch came along in 2017 and bucked that trend; it was the first successful hybrid model, where players can enjoy the best of both of these worlds, and has since become the second best selling console of all time.

This seems to have then influenced the industry with more handheld consoles being developed and more games becoming multi-platform, without the need for a traditional console at all in some cases, so they can be enjoyed pretty much anywhere at any time.

George Osborn is the creator of Video Games Industry Memoand the managing director of Half-Space Consulting with 15 years' experience in the industry, having also studied at the University of Cambridge.

Speaking to indy100, he said: "If there is going to be a console war, it's going to be around those handheld devices.

"What Nintendo did successfully early was realise people wanted to be able to play video games with the flexibility they were accessing content on other platforms.

"We have to think really carefully around something like GTA 6 coming out, if we are assuming people are playing the game when they're 18, you're going to have people who were basically born in 2007, grew up with smartphones and the big games they'll have played will be things like Fortnite.

"The way they are thinking about games content is completely different to the way audiences have traditionally thought about it.

"We've always thought about being locked in one place, sitting in front of the TV, but for them they've been accessing the games they want on any device they want in whatever way they want.

"The big problem that's been facing the console space is that you're telling people they have to sit in one place in front of their TV, spend a significant amount of money to just even enter the game and then wondering why this younger audience is not engaging with what you're doing."

A video games expert thinks more gaming companies will prioritise different platforms following the success of the Nintendo Switch / iStock

This is why Osborn thinks handheld devices will play a much bigger role in the industry going forward.

"You're going to see more handheld devices anyway, especially if you've got the ability to dock or the ability to stream up to a bigger screen, I just think that fits much more naturally with how people want to access content," he said.

"Handhelds are much more likely to be the future for what the battle around the console wars will be, it's more like the platform wars.

"That will probably be more around the traditional console companies but also things like Roblox and Fortnite being in that space."

Osborn'sVideo Games Industry Memo is sent out every Thursday and he's writing his debut non-fiction book called Power Play, a look at how video games are changing the world.

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