Farrell: Hardware ‘cycle’ is no more

Speaking at a US event entitled the Pacific Crest 10th Anniversary Technology Leadership Forum, THQ president and CEO Brian Farrell has stated that the traditional console cycle as we know it is no more.

MTV Multiplayer quotes Farrell as stating: “We used to always think of this industry as ‘the cycle’. I think the reality now is there are several sub-cycles.

“It’s hard now to talk about the cycle — I think we have to talk about all of the cycles. The way we think about it at THQ is we plan our business around each of those platforms, not around the cycle.”

Farrell went on to explain that he now sees three distinct sub-cycles – the handhelds market, Nintendo’s Wii-driven casual-gaming revolution and the ongoing battle between Xbox 360 and PS3. He also stated that the online world could also been seen as an additional cycle.