What do you want in the Next-Gen consoles?

I'd like to be able to finally have 64-player matches that the PC-gamers have.

A disk changer. I have been saying this since the PlayStation 2.

And FUCK YOU if you say "all digital future" because I don't want an all digital future.

New games.

Honestly, I don't know. I'm still pretty happy with the current generation. I'm not sure improvement for improvement's sake is always a good thing.

Sorry Dagbiker, but an all digital future, at least in terms of most full price retail games being available for download as well. And save states at any time, like in most emulators.

I'm going to be a MASSIVE lame-ass and say...better graphics.

The only things that I find lacking in the modern console experience are related to marketing and interface. Those things will never be fixed, so I'll take more prettiness.

I guess that additional processing power is also important for AI and various other neat game functions. So overall, give my damned TV-dedicated box as much horsepower as my TV-ocassional PC.

Yeah it's hard for me to even think about the next gen. This generation of systems pretty much implemented everything I've wanted. If anything I want to be able to transfer all of my digital purchases to the new system without any hiccups. I also want more concrete release dates for downloadable games.

I don't care if it still have an optical drive, but I'd like to be able to download all games released including retail. Aside from that I'd just like a jump in graphical fidelity.

To make pizzas.

I don't mind downloading some of my games, but i like to buy some of my games on disk too.

@AcidBrandon18 said:

I'd like to be able to finally have 64-player matches that the PC-gamers have.

me too

I know this will sound weird, but with all the hoops you have to go through to play a damn game on consoles, you might as well go all the way to be like a PC and include more widespread mouse and keyboard support.

Games?

I'd like full 1080p and the option to either download or buy physical games.

@nintendoeats said:

I'm going to be a MASSIVE lame-ass and say...better graphics.

I really don't understand why this is a lame thing to ask for. For anyone with half a brain, this is a logical expectation for next generation hardware. So much more can still be done in regards to graphics and anything that enhances the presentation of games, from more processing space to accomodate larger numbers of animated models on the screen, to more room for AI routines to make the worlds feel more dynamic than this generation. That's just barely touching what still needs to improve in the visual aspects of games.

@Dagbiker said:

A disk changer. I have been saying this since the PlayStation 2.

And FUCK YOU if you say "all digital future" because I don't want an all digital future.

Not that necessary really. Changers tend to brake more often then a single disc drive and also tend to take way too much room espacially if you're trying to keep the price as low as you can and not having a huge console. Second, BD will make sure developers will have enough room.

@Video_Game_King said:

Games?

This. More to the point, I want developer to invest as much time with refining and innovating on gameplay as they did with graphics on this gen. Maybe a return to the middle to late 90's and early 2000's when developer experimented with a lot of gameplay elements.

Adjustable field of vision. Even at a distance, the silly low fov to reduce things on screen makes my head hurt. I am sure gamers who have very large tvs or projectors would like the option too.

@mordukai said:

Maybe a return to the middle to late 90's and early 2000's when developer experimented with a lot of gameplay elements.

I'm not entirely sure that time will ever come again. In fact, it only came because an extra dimension forced developers to rethink a lot about how they design games.

@Video_Game_King said:

Games?

My thoughts exactly. Screw the technology, just make GOOD games.

New game franchises and spin-offs of the ones in this generation that I liked ( Mass Effect , Uncharted ) and be able to retain my trophies and all that crap.

@Video_Game_King said:

@mordukai said:

Maybe a return to the middle to late 90's and early 2000's when developer experimented with a lot of gameplay elements.

I'm not entirely sure that time will ever come again. In fact, it only came because an extra dimension forced developers to rethink a lot about how they design games.

True a lot of developer had to rethink how they make games because of the added dimension but a lot of it came from more gameplay-to-narrative relationship. Games like Fallout, Planescape: Torment, System Shock 2, Thief 2, Baldur's Gate, and all those bad boys of games. I mean so much of the gameplay elements that are used in almost every game today were set way back then. I am not trying to discount current innovations but damn those were some great times.

I want to see a fully-developed, easy to use set of developer tools to be built and a system that is easy to program for.

A digital store with full control given to whomever is publishing a game. By that I mean if a publisher wants to sell their game for $1.56 for ten minutes, they have that power to do make that change instantly.

More measures to enforce a standard for quality on the platform. For example, all games must run at a minimum of 1080p at a constant 30fps.

A controller that doesn't suck. Imagine a 360 controller with a d-pad that does works even better than the Japanese saturn d-pad (I wish somebody other than Nintendo could use the cross-pad), operating wireless with less lag and a better battery life.

@mordukai:

I think it's worth noting that those are all PC games, so it would be pretty stupid to apply these lessons to anything that isn't a PC game. As such, I'll bow out of this argument and leave it to somebody more experienced in PC gaming.

@Jrinswand said:

Honestly, I don't know. I'm still pretty happy with the current generation. I'm not sure improvement for improvement's sake is always a good thing.

Console games are running on SEVEN year old hardware. Even more so since they have to finalize hardware quite a bit before release. Graphics will look much better, performance on games will be better, high res textures, more capabilities. I mean, look at The Witcher 2, or Battlefield, look at Skyrim with a high res texture pack.

The thing I'm most excited for is new IP's. It seems like a lot of dev's are extending their franchises until new consoles, holding off their new stuff until the next gen. The more power will allow games to add a lot more stuff in their games. Even if games don't look much better, they'll have better performance.

I'm also excited to see Microsofts update to achievement system (if they update it).

Also, I'm just looking forward to the operating system being designed around the modern market. Think about how much this industry has changed in the past 7 years, There are a lot of things current consoles can't take advantage off because they're so old. Free to Play arcade games for example. I would REALLY love a mod system. Let it go through a certification process, fine. I know it will never be as open as a PC's mod scene, but I've seen some amazing mods for games that I wish i could have.

@Jrinswand said:

Honestly, I don't know. I'm still pretty happy with the current generation. I'm not sure improvement for improvement's sake is always a good thing.

Console games are running on SEVEN year old hardware. Even more so since they have to finalize hardware quite a bit before release. Graphics will look much better, performance on games will be better, high res textures, more capabilities. I mean, look at The Witcher 2, or Battlefield, look at Skyrim with a high res texture pack.

@mordukai said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@mordukai said:

Maybe a return to the middle to late 90's and early 2000's when developer experimented with a lot of gameplay elements.

I'm not entirely sure that time will ever come again. In fact, it only came because an extra dimension forced developers to rethink a lot about how they design games.

True a lot of developer had to rethink how they make games because of the added dimension but a lot of it came from more gameplay-to-narrative relationship. Games like Fallout, Planescape: Torment, System Shock 2, Thief 2, Baldur's Gate, and all those bad boys of games. I mean so much of the gameplay elements that are used in almost every game today were set way back then. I am not trying to discount current innovations but damn those were some great times.

It also doesn't help that games cost WAY more money to make these days.Taking risks can have far larger consequences, and safe bets are bringing in good profits. However, there's an entire new iOS market that has a lot of innovation, sure it's all casual games, but dev's get to throw out ideas and try new things. Hopfully console makers will look at this when developing the next gen. If they can find I way to incorporate this kind of process everyone wins. They make money, Dev's can try new things without taking huge money risks, and consumers get new and fresh games.

@Video_Game_King said:

@mordukai:

I think it's worth noting that those are all PC games, so it would be pretty stupid to apply these lessons to anything that isn't a PC game. As such, I'll bow out of this argument and leave it to somebody more experienced in PC gaming.

Not so true. A lot of features that were invented and used in PC gaming back then are being in game across the board. Especially with the PS3 and the 360 which are more dedicated, locked hardware, PC's then an old fashioned console. Personally I think the Wii is a more gaming console then any of the two as the Wii does offer a gaming experience that you can't really find anywhere else no matter how much Microsoft and Sony wants you to think. Seeing how the next round of consoles are even closer to being PC's then I think the lines are gonna get blurred even more.

I think the real roadblock developers have today is fear. In this market where gaming studios live and die by the power of a single flop then developer are scared taking a chance and publishers are afraid of taking a risk on an "innovating project". Look at Heavy Rain. Doesn't matter what you think of the game but by all means this game could have turned out to be a massive failure for all parties. But give creds when it's due because the developer took the risk and Sony gave them enough trust on a project they could have pulled the plug at any point no matter how much they invested in it.

On a somewhat related subject I recently came across a little unknown Irrational Games project that never came into fruition. It's game they worked on after they did SWAT 4 and would have been the next game from them and would have used many features from SWAT 4. Take a look at it and tell if it ring any bells.

Games, new Intellectual Properties specifically. Better graphics, and hopefully a better card than the rumored equivalent to an AMD 6770. I would like for Microsoft to adopt blu-ray's (and they most likely will). Significant mass storage at launch instead of 60-80 gig nonsense, and hopefully keep the removable HDD's. Also, the ability to purchase digital copies of all games thru the console's marketplace/network. I know it's too much to ask for but if both Sony and Microsoft could develop something comparable to Steam as far as digital distribution that would be fucking awesome.

I realize this is all pretty goddamn wishful thinking, but I don't think any of these are impossible tasks to ask for a next generation. Also for a price-point under $600.

@Jason_Bourne said:

@mordukai said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@mordukai said:

Maybe a return to the middle to late 90's and early 2000's when developer experimented with a lot of gameplay elements.

I'm not entirely sure that time will ever come again. In fact, it only came because an extra dimension forced developers to rethink a lot about how they design games.

True a lot of developer had to rethink how they make games because of the added dimension but a lot of it came from more gameplay-to-narrative relationship. Games like Fallout, Planescape: Torment, System Shock 2, Thief 2, Baldur's Gate, and all those bad boys of games. I mean so much of the gameplay elements that are used in almost every game today were set way back then. I am not trying to discount current innovations but damn those were some great times.

It also doesn't help that games cost WAY more money to make these days.Taking risks can have far larger consequences, and safe bets are bringing in good profits. However, there's an entire new iOS market that has a lot of innovation, sure it's all casual games, but dev's get to throw out ideas and try new things. Hopfully console makers will look at this when developing the next gen. If they can find I way to incorporate this kind of process everyone wins. They make money, Dev's can try new things without taking huge money risks, and consumers get new and fresh games.

The iOS platform offers more casual play in the same vain as the old arcade parlors. Most "hardcore" type gaming on it kinda tend to fall flat on it's face mostly because of the input device. IMO the true innovation is coming from the indie scene. Seems like these guys are more open to taking risks and truly innovating. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Frankly I think that many main stream developer are in a better position to truly experiment because of their statures in the industry but for some reason are not willing to take that risk. People like Ken Levine, Ted Howard, John Carmack, and many more. Can you imagine what these guys will do if they try doing something outside of their comfort zone.

Moar games. If a change in gaming platform is the only way to get more games, I'm down with that.

I honestly don't know at this point. There's too much speculation and too many things I don't care about, I want them to wow me when they announce them!

Better hardware so designers can start pushing boundaries again.

@mordukai said:

@Jason_Bourne said:

@mordukai said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@mordukai said:

Maybe a return to the middle to late 90's and early 2000's when developer experimented with a lot of gameplay elements.

I'm not entirely sure that time will ever come again. In fact, it only came because an extra dimension forced developers to rethink a lot about how they design games.

True a lot of developer had to rethink how they make games because of the added dimension but a lot of it came from more gameplay-to-narrative relationship. Games like Fallout, Planescape: Torment, System Shock 2, Thief 2, Baldur's Gate, and all those bad boys of games. I mean so much of the gameplay elements that are used in almost every game today were set way back then. I am not trying to discount current innovations but damn those were some great times.

It also doesn't help that games cost WAY more money to make these days.Taking risks can have far larger consequences, and safe bets are bringing in good profits. However, there's an entire new iOS market that has a lot of innovation, sure it's all casual games, but dev's get to throw out ideas and try new things. Hopfully console makers will look at this when developing the next gen. If they can find I way to incorporate this kind of process everyone wins. They make money, Dev's can try new things without taking huge money risks, and consumers get new and fresh games.

The iOS platform offers more casual play in the same vain as the old arcade parlors. Most "hardcore" type gaming on it kinda tend to fall flat on it's face mostly because of the input device. IMO the true innovation is coming from the indie scene. Seems like these guys are more open to taking risks and truly innovating. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Frankly I think that many main stream developer are in a better position to truly experiment because of their statures in the industry but for some reason are not willing to take that risk. People like Ken Levine, Ted Howard, John Carmack, and many more. Can you imagine what these guys will do if they try doing something outside of their comfort zone.

I was thinking less about the actual games coming out on iOS and more about the system of releasing those games. I was thinking about how MS and Sony could implement a system that allows those indie devs a way to put their games out easier. A service the better...serves those innovative people. They need to allow dev's to decide their pricing to what exactly they want. And they need to get rid of the 1 game a week crap. Let dev's put out their games the day they want to. Basically, I just want the Steam service on a console to sum everything up.

@Jason_Bourne said:

@mordukai said:

@Jason_Bourne said:

@mordukai said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@mordukai said:

Maybe a return to the middle to late 90's and early 2000's when developer experimented with a lot of gameplay elements.

I'm not entirely sure that time will ever come again. In fact, it only came because an extra dimension forced developers to rethink a lot about how they design games.

True a lot of developer had to rethink how they make games because of the added dimension but a lot of it came from more gameplay-to-narrative relationship. Games like Fallout, Planescape: Torment, System Shock 2, Thief 2, Baldur's Gate, and all those bad boys of games. I mean so much of the gameplay elements that are used in almost every game today were set way back then. I am not trying to discount current innovations but damn those were some great times.

It also doesn't help that games cost WAY more money to make these days.Taking risks can have far larger consequences, and safe bets are bringing in good profits. However, there's an entire new iOS market that has a lot of innovation, sure it's all casual games, but dev's get to throw out ideas and try new things. Hopfully console makers will look at this when developing the next gen. If they can find I way to incorporate this kind of process everyone wins. They make money, Dev's can try new things without taking huge money risks, and consumers get new and fresh games.

The iOS platform offers more casual play in the same vain as the old arcade parlors. Most "hardcore" type gaming on it kinda tend to fall flat on it's face mostly because of the input device. IMO the true innovation is coming from the indie scene. Seems like these guys are more open to taking risks and truly innovating. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Frankly I think that many main stream developer are in a better position to truly experiment because of their statures in the industry but for some reason are not willing to take that risk. People like Ken Levine, Ted Howard, John Carmack, and many more. Can you imagine what these guys will do if they try doing something outside of their comfort zone.

They need to allow dev's to decide their pricing to what exactly they want. And they need to get rid of the 1 game a week crap. Let dev's put out their games the day they want to. Basically, I just want the Steam service on a console to sum everything up.

I think you just made Steve Ballmer feel a disturbance in the force or at the very least get a heartburn or a good laugh.

Open source and modding... just kidding.

Just better hardware, more video games etc. which I would say is a given, and I would like for it to have an optical drive as well. I know there's a lot of talk about full on digital distribution, but I honestly can't imagine not having at least SOME physical copies of new video games.

keyboard/mouse support,

here's something revolutionary:

QUICK SAVING.

For them to go back to being focused on the real player base. Getting away from all that "holy shit the Wii made sooo much monies.. we better gear it towards 8 years and mom and dads!"... also.. Hire professional Interface Developers, do some market reasearch on it.. the 360 dash is horrible.. It actually feels like it's a chore to just find new arcade demos.

1080p, 60FPS games as a mandate. It will never happen, because there's always some company wanting to push the graphical limits of a system, and that always means sub 30FPS settings. Also, the very odd PC port.

Having all video games available for download at retail-competitive pricing. WIll also never happen... I mean, have you seen the pricing on current digital options across all systems? They gouge the shit out of you and only crazy people buy that way.

A new Persona game and a new Half-Life title.

Ability to play with a mouse and keyboard and a steadi framerate. More ease for publishers to get more small indie games

Blu-Ray.

Release date download options for most major releases.

No motion controls. (This will never happen)

Better media apps(Netflix, HBOGO etc.)

Better graphics, processors etc.

Better market place systems. Both 360 and PS3's suck.

Less clutter on homescreen.

Unchanged controller design.

I would like to see hardware in my next-gen consoles. That is a must for me

Next Xbox - Needs better graphics and blu-ray.

Next Playstation - Needs better graphics and controller.

I'd very much like them to be console games and not watered down pc games. Which is what the xbox360 is for the most part. The PS3 not so much. The Wii, thats a console.

Something that makes me think I can't play a better version of this on a semi-decent gaming PC.

I want to pair profiles with controllers. If I turn on the system with the black controller, sign in my profile. If the white controller is turned on, sign in to my girlfriend's profile automatically. Include a couple of colored stickers or something to slap on the controller to tell different ones of the same color apart. It's not a big deal, but it'd be handy.

I want an ethereal dream-like state. Also a decent sized hard drive would be nice.

• Controller-wise? More shoulderbuttons. A mousewheel or two. Higher fidelity analogsticks with as little deadzone as possible. A touchpad/touchscreen on the gamepad too.
• Perfromance-wise? Standard Rendering Resolution being 1080p. Developers aiming for 60 FPS in general.
• Other speccs? 1 TB SSD, at least 4 GB RAM, architecture perfectly suited for data streaming
• Special Gimmick/Innovation? Abilty to remote access the console and all its functionality with a 4G mobile platform, an affordable platformspecific tablet device suited for gaming on the move (and watching movies etc.). Even more inexpensive BlueTooth model for homeuse too. My console becoming my personal cloud computing service.
• Cool shit like Netflix for non-US markets. Similar pricing.

Support for those 2k TVs and better coded games.

I want them to figure out the goddamn NAT garbage (I'm looking at you Sony), I haven't been able to play anything console wise online yet without some sort of problem while my PC has absolutely no issues.