The Next Generation

[DANGERMAN]

Yeah it'll be interesting to see how that goes. Last gen I had a Dreamcast, then a gamecube, then an xbox and ps2. At the start of that gen the first 2 were all in needed, by the end I was almost exclusively on the ps2.the xbox got used for Panzer Dragoon and Outrun, I can't really remember playing it apart from that.

This gen the Wii was first choice for a few years, the ps3 and 360 were pretty even. Now the 360 never gets turned on, neither does the Wii anymore, the ps3 every now and then when I can't get something on the pc.

It's been a long generation I guess, but as things stand I'd only need the one, but I suspect I'll still end up with at least 2 consoles next gen

[HandsomeDead]

I'm not sure I'll be buying multiple consoles this year just because in this generation we have seen the PS3 and the 360 become incredibly similar things over time. There was an element of uniqueness between them at first but then it wasn't long before most great games became multiformat.

Right now, I'm not excited about the new consoles as all we have been getting is statistical willy waving which does nothing for me so I'm still waiting for a reason to why I should give a shit. And I hate how Microsoft operate now, and I don't trust Sony to make a good operating system as the PS3 is a joke, I don't care what the apologists have to say.

But Sony may just pull it off, I just need to be convinced first. I mean Nintendo even managed to right a lot of their wrongs with the Wii in that regard so stranger things could happen.

Thinking about it more, and getting to the core of thins I just don't trust the gaming industry to do the right thing, even if the consoles are great. When I think of the Wii all I see is a great potential that just wasn't met because of how stuck in its ways the industry is. There was a gaming system in so, so many homes and all the industry did was patronise its potential new audience. Just because the usual tricks didn't work they abandoned it. A metric fuckton of potential new and enthusiastic gamers not catered to because of the fearfull and gutless games industry doing nothing but latching on to anything they know may sell, and of course it didn't work so they blamed the market and left.

The Wii proved there was loads of people who don't really care a great deal about tech and just want entertainment, but they couldn't cater to them.

So now we have these beasts on the horizon, with their crazy development costs, and they only know how to cater to core gamers and no-one else. So I predict we'll have even more spectacle based games that look awesome but have as much depth as a spoon (as they have to cater to as many as possible to cover the cost) and we'll be getting even more of an empty gaming experience from these consoles.

I don't want that kind of stuff at all, and while I don't believe there will be some worldwide gaming crash like some of the naysayers predict, I do think the next Sony and Microsoft consoles will be an uninspired place to be. A real dreary place.

Essentially, I guess I don't like the philosophy around the creation of games, or how I speculate the creation of games will be on those consoles. It's why I do have faith in the Wii U. While not too many games exist on it now, I like the philosophy of the console and how developers are approaching it. That stuff interests me so much more.

But what is never considered in the talk about the next generation is the new Steam console we still haven't seen. Valve are a company with a genuine appreciation for the art of gaming so I have so much more trust in what they have to offer than Sony and Microsoft. ut what they'll do will only be bought by the core-est of the core gamers... the proper fuckin' nerds, and I can only see it having Wii U-like sales; just something for the fans. But I hope it's enough for them to do what they do.

And of course there is the Ouya which no-one talks about when it comes to the next generation, too, but I think that if the planets align in a certain way then that could have Wii-like success. Out of all the consoles coming out, that would be the one I'd put money on being a massive success. I like risky bets that still have an air of possibility to them.

It has a low entry price and with the right marketing and the right games I could see a bunch of people trying it out. I'll try it out. They have said they will have an iPhone/iPad style yearly upgrade and even if I was into it I may buy the next one; if not I may buy the third or fourth. I think that could work. Maybe if it gets successful enough to be built into future TVs we'll really have something.

I guess I have no trust in the industry as it is so the whole Sony/Microsoft thing can die in a fire as far as I'm concerned. I'm not interested in what they'll offer.

[Craymen Edge]

I ended up with all 3 consoles from this generation and all 3 from the last gen, usually after a couple of price drops and there being a bunch of games already out that I really want to play.

So it's possible I might do the same again, but it's far from decided right now. The new Xbox and Playstation might yet turn out to be restrictive pieces of shit.

This gen I paid for a chunk of the Wii with £100 of vouchers from work, and I had a clear out and traded/sold enough games to pay for the PS3 outright - I guess that might not be possible again if the rumours are to be believed.

[Sly Reflex]

So how close did Sony get with my wishes?

On the actual console itself.

No bright lights.

Fan noise should be at a minimum.

Optical out should be on the console. No cables should be needed to give an optical out.

Wireless in as standard.

Minimal moving mechanical parts.

No proprietary HDD. You can buy any compatible HDD, put it in the system and it'll format.

Ability to read all media file formats, with an option to update should newer standards emerge.

Wireless charging mat for charging peripherals.

Ability to control system with smartphone.

Controllers.

No obtrusive lights.

Programmable grips or shoulder buttons as standard.

Adjustable tensions on analogue sticks.

Adjustable lengths on analogue sticks.

Ability to recharge rechargeable batteries by plugging in or standing on charging mat.

Operating system and configuration.

Web browser.


Camera and video recorder.

Facebook, Google, Twitter photo sharing and Youtube integration.

Community walls within friend lists.

Friend wall for open messages and comments.

Message chaining similar to how text messaging works now.

Theatre mode so you can watch others play.live.

Less intrusive notifications.

Standard controller loadouts for the most popular genres.

Clean user interface with no adverts.

Cross platform play between consoles.

Ability to play games purchased on previous iteration of console.

A better feedback system for undesirable players.

Clan support.

Notifications from games you have followed. News on updates and new DLC.

Cloud saves as standard.

Game framework.

Games must run at 60fps minimum.

Games must have full ability to customise controllers.

Games must have a colourblind mode.

Games must have standardised theatre modes.

Games must have a standardised lobby system.

Games with cut scenes must skippable and have rewind functions.

Games must have subtitles.

Games must have tracking for unlockable rewards.

Games of a violent or mature nature should have an option to turn off mature content.

They didn't really show anything that covered the other parts I mentioned, and I left out parts that are up in the air.