Queue corrections music (33:22): Alex, They Might Be Giants did not write the song Istanbul (not Constantinople), Dan is correct that the original was an older 50s song by The Four Lads ;)
Edit: which now I see someone just pointed out above me haha. I used to love hearing that song in my dad's car when I was little for some reason.
@neozeon: Totally agree with you that this model makes sense. I think the longevity of last generation showed that the old console model just couldn't hold water with the frequency of hardware improvements; the previous systems were far outclassed at their EOF, and the new consoles were hardy enough at first, but are already a bit behind ~3 years in (though still demonstrating some awesome stuff!). As time becomes more and more of a premium for me, I almost certainly will stick with consoles due to their straight-forward, well-known, and comfortable delivery of games for me, but much love to those who play their games elsewhere! We're all here for the same reason :)
@williamflattener: That was super refreshing to get a response that was actually cordial! Much appreciated :)
While I totally understand some of the trepidation that some have (and this not necessarily being your view), I feel it might be a little misplaced. I don't know that this is shoehorning a marketing opportunity, and instead an admission that the rate at which hardware evolves nowadays leaves the consoles behind more quickly than in the past. I had a bunch of friends jump ship from console to PC last generation because the systems got too long in the tooth, something these companies surely want to stem. Of course MS and Sony are happy to sell more hardware, but these two companies don't make much on the tech (sometimes even taking a loss, making it up in software), especially in the early years with new hardware, so they don't stand to turn much in profits. The 2nd class customer notion would make sense if the new hardware became the focus and the older hardware was ignored, but again, that doesn't appear to be their goal (instead trying to bridge hardware iterations with old and new software); people with older hardware are still privy to the same games (which is why we all come to the table, right?).
I'm totally with you on the bandwidth part of dealing with PC. I have a job, family, responsibilities, and personally just want the simplest, direct, most comfortable way to enjoy my gaming. At this point in my life, I don't want to fuss with drivers, installing new hardware, troubleshooting, etc. but buying a more powerful version of consoles I know, understand, and enjoy while also bringing my game library with me sounds like a great in-between.
I'm confused with the reticence some have of moving to an incremental model. Having my older games come with me to new iterations of the consoles (Spencer has said he wants to see their games move across multiple devices, and Neo has the mandate that it must play all base titles, and vice versa)? Sounds good to me. An option to have a more powerful console for those who want it, and a cheaper base model for those who don't? Sounds good to me. Stopping trends like an 8 year console cycle (a la the X360) with severely outdated specs as computer hardware continues to update? Sounds good to me.
Seems like if someone doesn't want to get the updated console after ~3 years, they're probably safe for another 3 years (totally 6, the average console lifecycle) before I could see the platform holders abandoning support for the older system, and making the newer system the "base" version as they release another iteration. All of this looks to be a positive to me; I just can't see the downside, except that people resist changing the status quo.
I am loving what I've seen so far in the campaign; thought the executions might be an unwanted addition, but turns out they're actually fast and tactical (kind of like Bloodborne's Regain system).
Well, can't say that I'm not surprised, but I'm rather excited! The last generation went on way too long and the consoles for a bit musty after 5 years, so it's nice to see upgrades coming while keeping the old and new compatible.
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