Should Home Theater Embrace Gaming to Save the Industry?

[Replicant 7]

I do know of 3 home's that are geared up for Full All Out PS4 and PS5 setups. 5.1 and 5.2.4. All 3 home's have flagship line gear Yamaha AVR's, RBH speakers, SVS Subs Top-End Sony OLED 70" TV's and up. These guys are very serious gamers. Only one of them are into movies and music use (dual) use. The two that are mostly 95% gamer use, got their setups for that purpose. I myself have sat in on more than a few of these online gamers where a bunch are online communicating back and forth. Gotta say I found it pretty fascinating and very entertaining.

 

[Replicant 7]

A resounding “yes,” here.
While I’ve had many gaming systems over my lifetime (ye olde 2600, original NES with the robot and light gun, SNES, PS I-IV, some version of an X-Box, Wii, a couple renditions of GameBoy…), it was the PS3 bundle with Metal Gear Solid when we also stepped into the “future” with our first flat screen 1080p and an Onkyo HTIB.
Out went the old Sony CRT, Sony Stereo Receiver and old Rat Shack Optimus Speakers.
I was in heaven!
But it was also a double edged knife that cut deep…
As amazed as I was at Surround Sound, the HTIB was flat and lifeless with music. So in this age of iPods, I turned away from listening and enjoying music the way I always had centered around that old Sony.
Fast forward to 2018 when I upgraded my entire system from that old Onkyo HTIB.
Just, Wow!
I know I’m not the only person that has gone through this progression, even if you take the consoles out of the equation.
But gaming with a properly set up surround field blew me away.

In my mind, gaming is an entertainment industry, and with the use of a single HDMI cable, you are able to plug in and go just like with any other digital device.
Either way, it seemed until SU and Yamaha went face first into the 2.1 mud in 2020 that video games were an afterthought in the market. However, the latest gen of consoles drove the release of 2.1. (For better or worse! )
Regardless, the production efforts behind blockbuster releases on a console deserve the same respect as film and music often get. More continuity in connecting whole home entertainment is a win across the overall entertainment industry, of which our beloved audio is a part.

Pretty much nailed it, I know of a few that between them thousands of dollars in games thats just the games,! Some are as real looking as moves and are very good. Case in point I walked in on one and thought I was watching a movie untill he paused it.lol I concur big resounding yes!

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

minor nitpicking with this part "One of the main reasons that I sold my industry-leading home theater magazine in December 2019..."
Not hard to find that Jerry was the founder/owner of
https://hometheaterreview.com/, http://www.audiorevolution.com/ (RIP), and https://audiophilereview.com/

Here are a few of the snapshots of website popularity (rank - lower=better) of these sites:

hometheaterreview.com Traffic Analytics & Market Share | Similarweb

hometheaterreview.com is ranked #270 in the Computers Electronics and Technology > Consumer Electronics category and #164869 Globally according to January 2022 data. Get the full hometheaterreview.com Analytics and market share drilldown here

www.similarweb.com

audiophilereview.com Traffic Analytics & Market Share | Similarweb

audiophilereview.com is ranked #829 in the Computers Electronics and Technology > Consumer Electronics category and #504885 Globally according to January 2022 data. Get the full audiophilereview.com Analytics and market share drilldown here

www.similarweb.com

Let us compare it to few other similar sites:

audioholics.com Traffic Analytics & Market Share | Similarweb

audioholics.com is ranked #243 in the Arts & Entertainment > Music category and #72649 Globally according to January 2022 data. Get the full audioholics.com Analytics and market share drilldown here

www.similarweb.com

stereophile.com Traffic Analytics & Market Share | Similarweb

stereophile.com is ranked #314 in the Arts & Entertainment > Music category and #63147 Globally according to January 2022 data. Get the full stereophile.com Analytics and market share drilldown here

www.similarweb.com

Ok, not so these "magazines" weren't entirely unknown, but at the same time calling them "industry-leading home theater magazine" is a "bit" of a stretch to put mildly.

As for the author's idea - sure, AV shops should embrace gamers and their specific requirements - that ought to generate both healthy margins and hopefully to make it easier to select better A/V equipment specific for gaming. I rather see gaming-specific stuff in A/V shops rather than snake-oil cable pushers.

 

[Trebdp83]

I remember one of the more interesting and hilarious mixes of home theater and gaming was Netflix Party on XBOX 360. You picked something to watch while on XBOX LIVE and invited friends who were online and also had Netflix to watch with you. Your avatars could interact in the theater. I seem to remember being able to flick the avatar next to you.

 

[lovinthehd]

I remember one of the more interesting and hilarious mixes of home theater and gaming was Netflix Party on XBOX 360. You picked something to watch while on XBOX LIVE and invited friends who were online and also had Netflix to watch with you. Your avatars could interact in the theater. I seem to remember being able to flick the avatar next to you.
View attachment 48988View attachment 48989

I remember when one of our friends went from bike mechanic/goofball (but very good rider) to an exec position with a startup that specialized in on-line avatar world. We thought it was pretty nuts at first, just the avatar part alone; had no idea it was even a thing most of us, he had to explain it and that just made it sound sillier to us, but he's been very successful and now we're just jealous

 

[Trebdp83]

This is footage of somebody else’s fun, but I danced as Chewbacca many times. You can see the names of players above their avatars. Think of Playstation Home as a primitive version of the world created in Ready Player One.

 

[Trebdp83]

 

[lovinthehd]

This is footage of somebody else’s fun, but I danced as Chewbacca many times. You can see the names of players above their avatars. Think of Playstation Home as a primitive version of the world created in Ready Player One.

Yeah that's uh, well, interesting...

 

[Trebdp83]

Yeah, well, I guess it's one of those “You had to be there” things.

 

[Auditor55]

I do know of 3 home's that are geared up for Full All Out PS4 and PS5 setups. 5.1 and 5.2.4. All 3 home's have flagship line gear Yamaha AVR's, RBH speakers, SVS Subs Top-End Sony OLED 70" TV's and up. These guys are very serious gamers. Only one of them are into movies and music use (dual) use. The two that are mostly 95% gamer use, got their setups for that purpose. I myself have sat in on more than a few of these online gamers where a bunch are online communicating back and forth. Gotta say I found it pretty fascinating and very entertaining.

If they have Sony OLED over LG, they're most likely not hardcore, avid gamers. LG OLED is the preferred choice of the avid gamer. Sounding suspect to me.

 

[Trebdp83]

Ok, getting good now, but it's too damn hot to fire up the Denon and make popcorn.

 

[Auditor55]

Grown adults that are gaming after 30 years are the ones saving the industry. Kids are still useless idiots regardless. With their online shooters and headphones they contribute nothing to the industry.

Personally, I don't like this gaming trend into the A/V hobby. I have my concerns. I don't think it's been a good thing for displays, as TV manufacturers have sought to make displays for that segment of the market, resulting in lots of poor displays being introduced to the market. I have a hard time believing kids or young adults, mostly males, playing games for 6 hours a day, in their mother's basement, could care less about quality A/V experience. Also, I don't think it's a good trend for society in general, because a lot of those males are having a difficult time relating to young women.

 

[Trebdp83]

Valid concerns, but don't forget that while there are boys staring at small screens in the basement, their are female siblings upstairs staring at even smaller screens and taking selfies to show off perky new "assets." But, that is another issue and their parents' responsibility. Caring grandparents can step in anytime if dad is passed out drunk, again, in his man-cave and mom is popping pills, again, in her she-shed. A quality OLED TV with variable and high frame rate capabilities for gamers is not the ruin of home theater or society.

 

[Auditor55]

Valid concerns, but don't forget that while there are boys staring at small screens in the basement, their are female siblings upstairs staring at even smaller screens and taking selfies to show off perky new "assets." But, that is another issue and their parents' responsibility. Caring grandparents can step in anytime if dad is passed out drunk, again, in his man-cave and mom is popping pills, again, in her she-shed. A quality OLED TV with variable and high frame rate capabilities for gamers is not the ruin of home theater or society.

Really, most gamers don't know what inaccurate colors are, ISF calibration, black crush, lack of shadow detail, etc. all that helps or ruins the HT experience.

 

[Pogre]

If they have Sony OLED over LG, they're most likely not hardcore, avid gamers. LG OLED is the preferred choice of the avid gamer. Sounding suspect to me.

MAYBE... they just preferred the pq of the Sony. Why can't someone be an avid gamer and prefer the pq of the Sony over the LG?

You sure do seem determined to throw shade at us gamers. No matter how many of us tell you that pq is important you seem to think otherwise. Did you get picked on and beat up by nerds when you were a kid or something?

 

[Trebdp83]

Really, most gamers don't know what inaccurate colors are, ISF calibration, black crush, lack of shadow detail, etc. all that helps or ruins the HT experience.

I wouldn’t know that as I’ve not consulted with ALL of the gamers to get any real numbers. Have you?

 

[Trebdp83]

Take all of the gaming features out of currently equipped TVs and all of the other picture issues that existed before them will remain. That is the fault of TV manufacturers and not gamers.

 

[ryanosaur]

Clearly, no argument will sway Friend @Auditor55 ... he clearly knows better than any of us. But I will say this... I'm pretty certain he is not too disimilar from that neighbor that sits on the porch and yells, "get off my lawn!" to anybody that strays to close... Just he does it about gamers encroaching on his TV technology!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The only game I play is the Wii "Table Tennis" every time I run on my treadmill. I think it's 480p.

 

[Trebdp83]

The only game I play is the Wii "Table Tennis" every time I run on my treadmill. I think it's 480p.

It might be 480p. Using composite or component cables with progressive scan on?