Video game visionary predicts console-less future

no wiiHideo Kojima, one of the world’s most famous video game creators, thinks consoles will be extinct “in the near future,” thanks to server-based systems like On Live.

“We’ll have games that don’t depend on any platform,” the former NES developer and long-time PlayStation man said at a news conference this week. “Gamers should be able to take the experience with them in their living rooms, on the go, when they travel — wherever they are and whenever they want to play. It should be the same software and the same experience.”

PlayStation boss Hiroshi Kawano was in attendance and seemed “rattled” by the remarks when responding “with a nervous smile,” according to Reuters. “It’s a bold prediction,” Kawano said. “We hope he continues to develop for [our] platforms, but we deeply respect his sense of taking on a challenge.”

Kojima made a name for himself with the release of Metal Gear in 1987 for the NES. His fame skyrocketed, however, after moving the series to PlayStation in 1998.