Next generation games consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are so 'complex' to use that they are alienating gamers and are destined to struggle in the market. That's according to a big name in the games industry.
Yoichi Wada, CEO of the company behind smash hit games such as the Final Fantasy series, said that the big consoles face missing the next wave of keen gamers because they're doing things too complex.
"There is a new breed of gamers in the market - we have to make games for all kinds of people," the Square Enix boss said in an interview with the Financial Times .
"In the old days, we could just focus on the PlayStation or the GameBoy , but the environment has changed completely."
Too complex for you?
"There are too many specs, and you also need a high-definition TV, a broadband connection and a deep knowledge of gaming. These consoles are mismatched to today's environment. In a year or two years they will fare better."
Wada told the FT that what gamers really want is to be able to pick up a handheld device and just play it. This, he says, has led to the Nintendo DS handheld gaming console selling 35 million units worldwide.
The DS, while being graphically inferior to its Sony PSP rival, has two screens and a touchscreen interface. Similarly Nintendo's Wii console has shunned high-resolution graphics in favour of accessible and affordable gaming.
