Next² Generation Consoles

[gdf]

Holy shit. Even though I fully agree it's sad that a console is "outdated" just as the really "good" games for it start to come out, but I think six more years with Xbox 360 is a bit much.

I suppose by then they'll all have just stopped working. Perhaps simultaneously.

It could happen you kno- oh wait.

[Cigol]

None of the current consoles are good enough

The PS3 is often touted as the best of the bunch hardware wise but from a PC gamers perspective it's still fairly crap. The same applies to them all naturally, and as much as you might like to praise the virtues of something like xbox live it's still just a service tacked on in much the same way as the media capabilities of the PS3, or the waggle function of the Wii... and in all cases easily replicated on the PC.

The only true defining feature of a console is its software.

I love my PS3, and I'm sure some of you love your 360s and your Wiis, but come on, they are shit. If all the games were available (as is) on the PC then what'd be the point in buying a console just to play them in a hamstrung environment? I honestly can't think of any compelling argument* that isn't undermined by viable solutions. The PC is at the forefront of technology innovation, and the control you have is intoxicating. Who'd have thought a fellow thumb user would be controlling his games using the power of thought. Come on, get those games on the PC and have done with all this console malarkey. Enough's enough.

*that doesn't involve money, at which point it gets messy.

[gdf]

I like playing certain games on PC (Fallout 3 is so much better with smooth framerate and mouse and keyboard, and it's the only real option for serious RTS and FPS games), and if I can play console ports with my wired 360 controller then by all means I will. It just seems there's no option because such a minority of developers are interested in it as a market. Remember, the barrier to entry is significantly higher than a box that you buy and get everything with; accessibility is key to the appeal of the console in the first place. Arguably, the Wii is just taking this concept to the next level. Although the PC can at times feel like the last bastion of the true hardcore gamer, there really is no option other than to spend a fuckton of money getting every system.

[toblix]

Seriously R all of you stupiD. Xbox 360 is far better than the PS3 in the following ways… 1-BETTER games, need i say more. 2-BETTER equipment including, 120GB hard drive,web cam,vibration(witch the ps3 dosen’t have), intercoolers, wirless headsets and controllers that are actually ergenomicly desinged, customizible face plates. 3-4 USB ports. 4-the high def DVD player better than stupid WAL-mart Blue ray CRAP!… blue ray is OVERRATED. oooh it can store more so What. 5-XBOX LIVE,including downloadable content, freinds list, gamer score, msn through the dashboard… yeah MSN . 6-The best reason of ALL……………………HALO 3…ooh does your stupid bulky ps3 have that didn’t think so…halo 3 file sharing , includes sharing screen shots, filmclips,and maps, all taken from theater mode were u can watch every second of gameplay in perfec ction and take and record screen shots and clips of cool stuff you did…Also PS3 is Gar5bage why you think they lowerd their PRICE duh! because they wern’t SELLING any.

[Marek]

Hahaha oh man. What the fuck toblix. Have you been studying console fanboys like some kind of online anthropologist? It's far too realistic for me to handle.

[gdf]

http://www.gameplayer.com.au/gp_documents/XboxFanboy.aspx

[toblix]

God no, it was just a copy&paste. If I could write that well I'd be publishing.

[Cigol]

...but in response to what?

[gdf]

...but in response to what?

Pretty sure it was Marek.

Go ahead, ignore me.

[Cigol]

http://www.gameplayer.com.au/gp_documents/XboxFanboy.aspx

"all PlayStation fans are paedophiles."

"Given the frequency of Xbox console malfunctions, don't be surprised if you witness a Red Ring of Death system failure right in the middle of your flame war. Once an X-bot has had to face the shame of running for the fire extinguisher, with barely the time to type BRB RROD, could he ever dare to return to the console wars again?"

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiidge Racer!"

[Nachimir]

lol Toblix

I could go for 7 year cycles: Longer testing and R&D, more reliable consoles, a more relaxed pace for developers, and several extra years of markedly better games.

One downside to that is that new hardware launches are a better environment for launching new games rather than sequels and franchises, though 2 1/2 years in some big publishers have seemed happier taking more risks on new things than usual in the past year.

Another thing that has really interested me for a while is that some of the poorest people I know have been buying second hand PS2s and even Master Systems along with huge libraries of games for next to nothing. They play a lot, but nothing new or up to date. There certainly seems to be room for lower end hardware, such as Zeebo.

[Scrobbs]

I like the idea of that - but it also makes me sad, as I think about what a bunch of dupes we are in the western market.

[Marek]

On this topic:

http://www.videogaming247.com/2009/01/12/greenberg-we’re-not-even-thinking-about-the-next-generation-at-this-point/

[ItsMeYourFriend]

i'm fairly disappointed in this current console generation as a whole right now. I don't feel like there have been many (any?) really compelling experiences that we got last generation with things like rez or ico or katamari or half life 2. Most things feel like rehashes and well worn territory and i can't bring myself to care about them at all.

I'm sort of hoping the next generation somehow fosters this massive creative output from developers, but i'm not entirely sure how that would happen!

[Erkki]

Well, I didn't really play much on consoles before this generation (only a few games on the PS2), but it seems like this generation we have some good online capabilities (especially on Xbox), and thanks to that, indie/smaller games on consoles that were previously only possible on the PC. To me, that is the defining quality of this console generation *

* HD graphics is nice too

[Cigol]

I probably bought more games this generation than last - and I honestly didn't pirate anything worthwhile for my PS2.

[LetterT]

My brief console history:

NES - 1986.

XBox - 2004.

360 - 2007.

Edit: Wii 2008. Sold 2008. Bought another one 2009.

I missed a lot in the middle as you can see. What is in store next? I think that's a really tough question to answer and I would bet, for that reason, we see the next systems later, rather than sooner.

With the current economy, I see Sony/MS/Nintendo being a little more cautious with their next releases. To make people spend money they really don't have, they are going to need to have amazing products.

Maybe we'll see a move toward 3D, with the new monitors that are just now coming out (and I believe I saw an article on a stereoscopic TV - Samsung maybe? I'll have to dig the link back up). I can see games shifting to 3D if they can get the Tech cheap and accessible enough.

There's really no reason to expect "Better Sound." I mean, seriously, do we really need more than 7.1 surround?

Motion control? Maybe. Nintendo has it, and PS3 somewhat. . . but there's not many games, other than Boom Blox where you really feel the need for it. With most of them it comes across as a novelty.

It wouldn't surprise me if Sony and MS tried to make their systems more "family friendly" like the Wii, while maintaining their online capabilities. We are going to end up with social networking consoles. Not game consoles.

Might be time to shut down CS3 at home and dust off gaming keyboard.

Edited January 17, 2009 by LetterT

[ItsMeYourFriend]

I probably bought more games this generation than last - and I honestly didn't pirate anything worthwhile for my PS2.

last generation you had things like rez and ico and shadow of the colossus and katamari damacy and god of war and that's just on the ps2 (although i guess rez was on the dreamcast first). I don't feel that many of the current generation's games measure up to those.

[DanJW]

last generation you had things like rez and ico and shadow of the colossus and katamari damacy and god of war and that's just on the ps2 (although i guess rez was on the dreamcast first). I don't feel that many of the current generation's games measure up to those.

Several of those were late-generation though. We know that the best games come later on in a console's cycle, once developers have learnt the ins-and-outs of the hardware and have existing code and solutions to build on.

A lot of us are expecting to see similarly great games on the current generation... in a couple of years.

[Nick]

I would like to say that I was patient and waited to see which console turned up trumps, but in all honestly I would have bought a Wii on release day if I had the money, in fact I think I tried and failed due to not pre-ordering. I would likely have ended up with the Wii60 combo at some point. As it goes I never got either of those consoles and only got a PS3 when I finally had a little cash and a friend was selling his practically brand new.

I am now totally convinced that the PS3 is head and shoulders above the other two consoles. I'm really looking forward to seeing what masterpieces arrive in the next 3 years, as previously mentioned some PS2 only titles were awesome and I can easily see the same sort of thing coming to the PS3 - only with more tassels and a stick in the spokes to make it sound like a motorbike.

Already we have Little Big Planet and I'm sure more serious and cinematic titles are on their way.

[Cigol]

Already we have Little Big Planet and I'm sure more serious and cinematic titles are on their way.

Oh you better believe it.

[gdf]

People on the internet are such moaners. This generation we've truly been spoiled by so many Triple A titles and the appearance of so many great new franchises. The resurgence of 2D and variety of publisher and developer locales and sizes means we see some great creative output from all facets of the industry.

[Roderick]

The amazing thing is that one of the stand-out titles of this generation, to me, still remains Assassin's Creed. Despite all its flaws (fuck, I don't even OWN it, I've just played a shitload on other people's consoles), it's the atmosphere and the visuel next-gen polish that really does it for me. It seemed like such a novel type of game, with the subtle control scheme, masses of people on the street, lush atmosphere in a setting that wasn't explored really well yet... superb.

On the topic of buying consoles; I fear that at one point I still may buy a PS3, even though that'd be more for the Blu-Ray player than anything else. There's still dismally little I really want to play on the PS3, besides LBP. Everything else that's interesting is usually available on the 360 as well, which defeats the purpose of buying any other console. Note that I'm not giving preference to one over the other in any fanboyish way. The 360 is to me the more interesting console because of the array of games that have been brought out on it, but even it doesn't see a lot of play anymore nowadays. The DS, however, continues to shine.

[toblix]

I think Assassin's Creed is the T-1000 of games. It's technologically perfect, but has no soul. The graphics and controls are awesome and showoffable, but when you start to converse with it it has nothing to say.

It's promising, though, with this exact technology being available for longer than the previous generations were, as there'll just be more awesome games as time passes.

And, I'll be able to purchase all the next² generation consoles at once without feeling I'm buying something that's already outdated.

[MrChaz]

I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see the next x360 in 2-3 years. Anything MS can do to shorten the generation puts more pressure on Sony as they're really struggling with the PS3.

Now if they release an incremental upgrade to the x360 in a couple of years that is 'cheap' then they'd still be in a position to match the PS4 another 4-5 years after that.

You'd think it would be easy for MS to add a blu-ray drive, another CPU and upgraded graphics. Heck they might even be able to SLI the current GPU. That way they'd maintain 100% backwards compatibility and there'd be nearly no R&D cost.

It's a bit of a stretch but possible I think. Also I think in the long term they'll start putting new games up on Live to download.

Here's another thought do you think we'll see a return to cartridges? Given how cheap flash memory is these days and that the transfer speed is faster (?)