To guarantee that I will purchase the next Playstation and Xbox (I own both), complete backward compatibility is key. And i don't mean just games. . . Things that i think should be compatible for next gen consoles: 1) Controllers. I realize many people will say that microsoft or sony would not want to lose new controller sales, but hear me out. If i was told that i could use my old 360 controllers for the new console, i would buy it in a heartbeat. I hate buying new controllers, at $50 bucks a pop i feel that i could have purchased another game instead. 2) Gamertags. This will most likely happen on both platforms. 3) Downloadable content. Again, if i could easily transfer my old arcade titles to the next gen console, i would buy the new system. 4) Kinect or Move peripherals. It would be a crime if these were not incorporated into the new hardware. In a nutshell. . . both microsoft and playstation have a large install base. The more things i can bring over from the previous generation the more likely i am going to stay with their system.
As a gamer don't even act like you're not gonna buy the next gen system regardless of if they have ANY of those. C'mon bro.
I will certainly be purchasing a next generation console. . . however there is no guarantee that i will purchase them all this time. So i think it would be in sony's and microsoft's best interest to make the decision easier. If they say, "You can use your old controllers, gamertags, friend's lists, and downloadable content from your current system" that would give them an incredibly strong advantage.
This industry is hyper-competitive and it shocks me that they do not use every edge they can get to maintain their user base.
They will spend countless millions of dollars promoting their new systems, they will tell us about all their new bells and whistles, they will be arm wrestling with release dates, and they will push like hell to get out a decent launch line up. Then they will cross their fingers hoping that their existing customers will buy their new system. They will do all of this but they won't do the things that would guarantee me to switch over. Make it seamless and easy instead of starting from scratch. If i am starting from scratch there is a very good chance i will go to the competitor.
There is an expectation now that our downloads transfer over. We want to know that all of our network games and purchases are still belong to our base. It's too aggravating to let those purchases go. And in the future it's going to be less about the hardware and more about the cloud, so it makes sense those games and accounts continue on. That's the very near future too, not just some 2040 singularity prediction.
@skadave: I'd much rather they detach themselves and innovate on the hardware. Then sell the people the emulation for $60 for those who care.
I'm sure gamer tags will carry over. Also i'm prettysure controllers will too, but they'd be smart to upgrade the controller to the point which no one would want to use the old controllers.
@skadave: Ah gotcha, that makes a lot more sense. In that case It would definitely sway me if one had it and the other didn't, at least until the other developed a library of games worth getting.
Um no. Not at all. BC is a fun thing to have for the 6 months of transition between one console and the next one, that's about it. After that, nobody gives a shit about playing their old games cus any old game people give a shit about will get an "enhanced remake" that'll look better than software emulation.
Basically this. BC turned into a nightmare for Sony and Microsoft to the point where they eventually gave up on it this gen. There was a strong focus on it directly following the hardware launch but it slowly fizzled out. How many people do you see complaining about it now? It also doesn't hurt to remember that all content and peripherals for a given system will remain functional for that system even though a new version is out. My SNES/XBOX/N64/PS1 etc. still work just fine.
You see, he's claiming that you have a Wii because Wii games can't get updated and the consoles have low failure rates. He intended it to be insulting but you were just making a point in general.
You see, he's claiming that you have a Wii because Wii games can't get updated and the consoles have low failure rates. He intended it to be insulting but you were just making a point in general.
Insulting? I was saying that the Wii does everything he says he wants in a console. Nintendoes what Sony and Microsoft don't. I assume their next one will at least have a low-failure rate as well. They can't really help the patching thing with 3rd parties though, if they have a reasonable online this time around. Doubt Nintendo 1st party will go the patching route very often, if at all.
You see, he's claiming that you have a Wii because Wii games can't get updated and the consoles have low failure rates. He intended it to be insulting but you were just making a point in general.
Insulting? I was saying that the Wii does everything he says he wants in a console. Nintendoes what Sony and Microsoft don't. I assume their next one will at least have a low-failure rate as well. They can't really help the patching thing with 3rd parties though, if they have a reasonable online this time around. Doubt Nintendo 1st party will go the patching route very often, if at all.
When did I say that's everything I wanted in a console? I get that Nintendo does that now with the Wii, but that's not my point. I am just suggesting that it should be a standard among all future consoles. That would be nice. I never suggested that that's all I wanted out of a new console.
Backwards capability helps early on in a new consoles life as there isn't always a stellar selection of games on release and alot of people would finance the new console by trading in the previous model
Backward compatibility isnt really that simple, you cant expect every console to work the same for games made 5 or 10 years ago. If its such a huge issue you can just stick with PC.
@PrivateIronTFU: I really didn't mean it as much of an insult as you two seemed to take it. I'm saying it's great that Nintendo does those things, and likewise, I hope the others start doing it as well. That's all.
My guess is that if MS and Sony use motion controls it will be Kinect 2 and Move 2 which will have the same basic tech but improved sensors and emitters. Thus both companies will chnage the hardware, so it won't be BC. And, that's is how it should be, both half-baked now, and both need better cameras, sensors and emitters.
Secondly, if MS and Sony are going to have motion controls it makes sense that the standard joypads will have a way of being picked up by the sensors in some limited way. The Dual Shock 4 might have a glowing ball under or infront it so it can be held the same way but can also be picked up by the PSEye-2. The MS joypad might have something on it so that it too can be picked up (IR reflective coating?), so that any bit of its surface visible are easily picked up.
It not that I don't think you won't be able to use the old equipment, but my guess is that new games won't be best played with the old equipment and in some cases it just won't be possible at all.
No way in hell with the controllers. That's a key component of Sony and Microsoft's profit.
They will get ZERO profit from me if i don't purchase their new system. Microsoft has a great opportunity to get a majority of their current users to buy their next console. If they do not do any compatibility, between the old and the new, there is a good chance people will jump ship.
Controllers and Disc based games aside (i don't really care about old generation disc games and the controller issue is a pipe dream). . . i really hope that i can play all of my xbox live arcade games (i have tons) and my rockband music catalog carries over to the next generation.
The one point here that I really agree with is DLC. I have a ton of XBLA games and Rock Band songs that I really want to work in the next console generation.
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