Are we ready for next Gen Consoles?

Oh god yes!! But even if Sony or Microsoft announced a new console tommorrow it would be 2014 be us guys in Europe get a taste.

Since most of us are consumers that are extremely interested in the industry who would almost certainly define gaming as a hobby rather than simply a thing to pass the time, then generally most of us are. PC developers are (as it means they can begin to increase their entry level requirements quite a bit again). Most game developers are; but only to a point - quite a lot however fear that with the next jump will not be a big enough gain to way off the likely increase in cost of making the games (many publishers have clamped down on Triple-A titles they are greenlighting each year already - a new console generation could make those costs even more of a questionable risk). General consumers are mostly indifferent but I suspect that they are leaning further to being against it as I think that on-the-whole the general public is happy with the level at which games are already made at (and those that aren't already buying them probably won't be brought in by improved hardware; we are instead starting to reach a saturation point of the number of people willing to play the types of games that are being made and different ones might be needed to bring them in like how the Wii brought in a whole new audience by making games appealing to them - I don't think it is as clear-cut as 'hardcore and casual titles' this time though).

On the whole, I think that the industry does need some new consoles to start coming out but I think it would do the manufacturers a world of good by taking some of the money they would put into the hardware launch into making a lot of different types of games for the system and release the console 6-12 months later than they are planning to make for one massive launch rather than a dilluted one over a year.

Bonesaw is READY!!!!

You can have your consoles. I'm jumping across to the PC boat as soon as possible.

@Akeldama said:

@xSuperGirl said:

In todays hard economy, prices going up, people losing jobs etc and also with our current consoles, have they been used to their full potential?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Modern_Warfare_3#Sales_and_revenue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Rises#Box_office

http://blogs.computerworld.com/18550/apple_2011_ipad_sales_hit_40_million

Pretty hard economy we have, guys.

Yeah, no one ever buys escapism in a down economy.

I'd love to see consoles jump into "next gen" since it'd likely and absurdly also mean PC graphics getting a boost as well. No more unreal 3.0 please.

If they had launched new consoles last year I would've been there day 1. However since then I've become so disenfranchised with console games that they're gonna need to really convince me to make me invest again. I guess in some way it means I'm even more ready for a new generation, but at the same time it might just be too late. The cinematic revolution this generation had was exciting for a while, but if they just keep on trucking that way I'd rather just stick some good old fashioned gameplay focused PC gaming.

I've been playing PS2 games for the last month or so. So you know, my opinion probably doesn't count.

Bought my 360 in 2009. The arcade edition at $199.00 and have had it for 3 years. I think I'm ready for an upgrade.

I played Bayonetta and Darksiders in the past week, and maybe I'm crazy but I don't really need games to look better than this. The framerate can chug at times (particularly in Darksider's case), though. But overall I'm not getting the feeling like I really need better hardware to play games on like I was going from the PS1 to PS2 era.

@Hippie_Genocide said:

@Akeldama said:

@xSuperGirl said:

In todays hard economy, prices going up, people losing jobs etc and also with our current consoles, have they been used to their full potential?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Modern_Warfare_3#Sales_and_revenue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Rises#Box_office

http://blogs.computerworld.com/18550/apple_2011_ipad_sales_hit_40_million

Pretty hard economy we have, guys.

Yeah, no one ever buys escapism in a down economy.

A movie ticket or game, sure. A prohibitively expensive device, no.

Da.

Pretty sure anything a next-gen console could do I could do on my current PC. I only want the next generation of consoles to come out so that developers stop holding back because of the outdated console hardware. In short, yes, hurry the fuck up.

@xSuperGirl said:

If the next Xbox/Playstation/Nintendo was announced to be released in a few days, do you think it would be the 'right' time? In todays hard economy, prices going up, people losing jobs etc and also with our current consoles, have they been used to their full potential?

Personally I am quite happy with my current consoles for the next 3 years or so.

We aren't talking about a big ticket item here, we are talking about a novelty electronic device. It's an entertainment system which will be around $200-500, hardly breaking the bank for anybody looking to get it. The "hard" economy and price inflation does not change the fact that we've had the same consoles for almost a decade, several years beyond their intended expiration date. Developers have hit the plateau with the tech and are demanding bigger and better, and by all accounts the market is well ready for it.

Let this gen rest, it's well past it's time to retire.

@Akeldama said:

@Hippie_Genocide said:

@Akeldama said:

@xSuperGirl said:

In todays hard economy, prices going up, people losing jobs etc and also with our current consoles, have they been used to their full potential?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Modern_Warfare_3#Sales_and_revenue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Rises#Box_office

http://blogs.computerworld.com/18550/apple_2011_ipad_sales_hit_40_million

Pretty hard economy we have, guys.

Yeah, no one ever buys escapism in a down economy.

A movie ticket or game, sure. A prohibitively expensive device, no.

You mean like a $499 iPad in the example above that you just quoted?

I just bought a new computer which is pretty powerful but I would still like to see the new consoles come out rather soon. I need my next-gen XBLA exclusives, dammit!

Yes, or just, y'know, PC.

At this point, I'm asking myself, what could the next gen offer that the current gen cannot? Graphically, I think I'm quite comfortable with what this current gen is offering. You could argue that this was the exact line of thought when I was on the PS2. For example FF12. To me that game represented such a huge improvement graphically for the PS2 to the point that I didn't think the PS2 was capable of such feats. But I could also see possible improvements in terms of graphics for the PS2.

I guess the overall performance of the next gen consoles could be improved, better frame rates and what not. But again, I'm already content with the current gen. Going from the PS2 to the PS3, I had expectations. For the next gen, I don't think have any. I'm hoping I'll be blown away though.

For the first time in my life I have an actual good gaming PC, and it's been enlightening. Even more so when it was out of action recently and I dusted off the 360. Maybe I've just shifted to dreaded elitism without even realising it, but things like anti-aliasing, solid 60+ frame rates and even all the anisotropic filtering-type wankery make a world of difference. It's not needed, granted, but it has made certain games that much more immersive to me. I'd also like to think a new generation of consoles might help push the boundaries of map sizes, crowd numbers, AI routines and all that.

I plan on getting a Wii in the next few months and then spending the next couple of years playing PC games (Steam backlog) and working through the Wii games I want to play (mainly Mario games, a few JRPGs). Hopefully by that time the new consoles have stopped exploding, there are a few decent games out and maybe even a price drop.

@Korwin said:

@Akeldama said:

@Hippie_Genocide said:

@Akeldama said:

@xSuperGirl said:

In todays hard economy, prices going up, people losing jobs etc and also with our current consoles, have they been used to their full potential?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Modern_Warfare_3#Sales_and_revenue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Rises#Box_office

http://blogs.computerworld.com/18550/apple_2011_ipad_sales_hit_40_million

Pretty hard economy we have, guys.

Yeah, no one ever buys escapism in a down economy.

A movie ticket or game, sure. A prohibitively expensive device, no.

You mean like a $499 iPad in the example above that you just quoted?

Exactly. It seems pretty hard to claim the economy is fucked and everyone is broke as we have record sales of Ipads. That's all I'm getting at.

Are we ready? People still buy consoles duder, adding a bit to the price wont stop them. They might have to save up, but if people are still building PCs for $800 I'm sure you'll see people happy to invest a few hundred dollars. Over ten years, that's not a lot of money really. $400 is a pretty good value for something that gives you that much potential entertainment. The economy isn't so bad in most major markets that it won't support the launch of a new platform. Will it be like this generation, with people willing to buy even the insanely expensive OG PS3? Probably not. But I also think that they've figured out how to make a cheaper system on both sides of things, and that's going to be very beneficial for everyone.

This generation has hit a wall. Games aren't going to get much better looking or running or more complex from here. Unless you believe shit like that MGS demo being basically the PS3 version, because it very clearly wasn't considering it was rendering at a much higher resolution (look at it this way, the max render resolution of the PS3 is 720p, and the demo was running at 1080p. That difference is the difference between Alan Wake at Max settings running smooth as butter and being unplayable on my PC.So to say it'll look that clean and sharp and crisp and run that well? Silly. And even that didn't look THAT much better than console games, it just looked like what it was: the PC version of a multiplatform title.

I'm totally ready for new consoles and looking forward to it. The 2005-2006 era was an exciting time for the industry, I'd like to see some of that excitement come back to the Giant Bomb staff and community alike.

@Akeldama said:

@Korwin said:

@Akeldama said:

@Hippie_Genocide said:

@Akeldama said:

@xSuperGirl said:

In todays hard economy, prices going up, people losing jobs etc and also with our current consoles, have they been used to their full potential?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Modern_Warfare_3#Sales_and_revenue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Rises#Box_office

http://blogs.computerworld.com/18550/apple_2011_ipad_sales_hit_40_million

Pretty hard economy we have, guys.

Yeah, no one ever buys escapism in a down economy.

A movie ticket or game, sure. A prohibitively expensive device, no.

You mean like a $499 iPad in the example above that you just quoted?

Exactly. It seems pretty hard to claim the economy is fucked and everyone is broke as we have record sales of Ipads. That's all I'm getting at.

Don't look at the unemployment rate, iPad sales are the real indicator of the state of the economy.

@Akeldama said:

@Korwin said:

@Akeldama said:

@Hippie_Genocide said:

@Akeldama said:

@xSuperGirl said:

In todays hard economy, prices going up, people losing jobs etc and also with our current consoles, have they been used to their full potential?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Modern_Warfare_3#Sales_and_revenue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Rises#Box_office

http://blogs.computerworld.com/18550/apple_2011_ipad_sales_hit_40_million

Pretty hard economy we have, guys.

Yeah, no one ever buys escapism in a down economy.

A movie ticket or game, sure. A prohibitively expensive device, no.

You mean like a $499 iPad in the example above that you just quoted?

Exactly. It seems pretty hard to claim the economy is fucked and everyone is broke as we have record sales of Ipads. That's all I'm getting at.

You can't fucking be serious.

"It seems pretty hard to claim the economy is fucked and everyone is broke as we have record sales of Ipads."

I want to frame that quote and send it to you in the mail so you have to live with it.

On topic, it's pretty clear the global market is open for new consoles. I know it's really hard for most people in this thread to conceive, but the US actually isn't the only landmass on the planet with consumers. Whoever the first console manufacturer to break into Brazil big with the next generation is going to be raking in the dough.

@Akeldama said:

@Korwin said:

@Akeldama said:

@Hippie_Genocide said:

@Akeldama said:

@xSuperGirl said:

In todays hard economy, prices going up, people losing jobs etc and also with our current consoles, have they been used to their full potential?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Modern_Warfare_3#Sales_and_revenue

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Knight_Rises#Box_office

http://blogs.computerworld.com/18550/apple_2011_ipad_sales_hit_40_million

Pretty hard economy we have, guys.

Yeah, no one ever buys escapism in a down economy.

A movie ticket or game, sure. A prohibitively expensive device, no.

You mean like a $499 iPad in the example above that you just quoted?

Exactly. It seems pretty hard to claim the economy is fucked and everyone is broke as we have record sales of Ipads. That's all I'm getting at.

Lol I wouldn't go that far, how ever there is plenty of evidence to support that people are always willing to shell out for something if they wan't it enough.

Yes, for fucking years already. When were we never ready?

I'm ready for the next Xbox. Wish it was coming out this year.

Absolutely. I think the current gen is still capable of making a strong showing but yes. God yes bring on the next ones. I can't wait.

I'd certainly buy one tomorrow if there was a system and game tomorrow. But that is the crux of the issue, all of the support would have to be ready...and it not. I wouldn't buy a system that has no games on the horizon worth having or doesn't substantially improve over current systems (cough cough Wii U).

I'll be happy to wait a year or two for the next generation of system as long as when they come out they come out well.

Well since I'm" not the demographic that they target, I would just guess that others are certainly ready from what I've read. More than anything I'm" surprised that people have that kind of disposable income considering the overall state of the economy. I keep hearing people say that next gen home consoles will sale like hotcakes, but the 7th gen consoles came out before the mass recession hit, this generation won't have that luxury.

Yes, we've reached the technical limits of both consoles. PC games look and perform better than console games. If consoles want to stay relevant, they best evolve. As long as they aren't priced at 600$, people should have no problem buying them. Sure, mom and dad might not get their son one for christmas due to the price but their are enough hardcore fans and spoiled brats out there to make a new console in today's economy profitable.

@BaneFireLord said:

Yes, I am ready. However, short of the next Bethesda RPG or Just Cause game being a console exclusive, I don't see myself buying a 720 or PS4 while I still have a gaming PC.

Bethesda games are incredibly popular on PC and Just Cause 2 seems to have made a solid name for itself as both a really good port and a fantastic game, so I don't think either of those will be console exclusives.

There isn't anything on consoles that I can't do without and, honestly, the only game on consoles that I really want anymore is Halo 4. Bring on the new ones!

They have been needed for a long while now.

Personally, my biggest issue with the average console game is simply the lack of resolution. We are now to the point that the average household have upgraded to HD televisions, though most console games don't even render in true 720p. It's time for some new tech. Developers shouldn't have to restrict their games to sub-hd just to make most games run at a "smooth" 30fps. I would rather them dumb down the overall graphical fidelity of their games if it meant they can run them at a higher resolution. Though, when you get to the point where you have to make such restrictions, it's time to consider moving on to bigger and better things, really.

Well new consoles don't nessarily mean better games...right?

I mean the last generation had some titles that really stuck with me and are even great to play today,like ffx,god of war 2,metal gear solid2,3,ico shadow of collosus,wind waker and others,but this generation there hasn't really been that many AMAZING CLASSICS that make me feel i want to go back and play them because they just function so good,i think through the improved but more complex hardware,originality and overall cohesiveness have declined over the years.

When i look at last of us,last guardian,gta v,halo 4,assasins creed 3 amoungst others i don't feel myself saying 'oh i really can't stand these consoles anymore and there boring the crap out of me,give me new consoles now',all that new consoles generally bring are better graphics,and graphics don't make great games.

I honestly hope they don't release new consoles, because I want to see what will happen when technology stalls for no goddamn reason.

@LikeaSsur said:

Ugh, I'm dreading having to shell out $500+ for a new system and games as much as the next person, but it's about time.

When they announce a release date I will be ready 12-18 months later.

These consoles have more than run their course in my opinion but I'm more than happy to catch up on some PC gaming until I inevitably get fed up with it for some reason or another and go back to the consoles - but I always wait a year or so to avoid potential launch hardware issues and to let the library build up a bit.