Do we REALLY need a new generation of game consoles?

THIS IS THE PART WHERE I MAKE A LOST REFERENCE

Nintendo first announced the Wii in 2004 and I'm sure that is what lead the race to the new Generation of Consoles. A year later, not only did the Wii was officially shown, but Sony showed of the Playstation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. 2005 was the year the 360 came out and it was released with one of the worst things that could happen to a new system. The breaking down of consoles, Something that is currently happening with the Playstation Vita, once the 360 becomes too hot it will break. This forced Microsoft loosing a lot of money in damages. It wasn't until a year later where they made another model of the system. Even with the new model the failure rate was still pretty high.

Sony, on the other hand, released the PS3 a year after the 360 with an unbelievable price point. $600. That is way to high for a console. The other problem Sony had with the PS3 was that the PS2 was still selling like crazy. The library the PS2 has was phenomenal and they still had games coming out for it. Persona and God of War II being the last games it had. Sony killed the PS2 almost 3 years after the PS3 was released. Now, after some time has passed, you can buy it less than half the original price. Not only that, along with the 360, it's been better built. Some mistakes was corrected and the price is just right.

When it came to HD Nintendo was dead last. They were just using a slightly updated version of the Gamecube's graphic chip. The games looked better, yeah, but it didn't look like anything the 360 and PS3 was doing. So instead of focusing on that, they looked at the way to play the game. Hence forth, the Wii-Mote. Motion control was on it's way, but will it last?

That was a resounding yes. I don't think anybody, outside of Nintendo, had any idea that this would change gaming. The way it handled and the way it allowed other people to join in on the fun. At it's peak the Wii was everywhere. You could not escape from it. But there was something missing. Besides Zelda and Mario, it didn't have that third party support to reward all the hardcore gamers that has been with them from the very beginning. It did have No More Heroes, MadWorld, House Of The Dead: Overkill, and the Resident Evil lightgun games. But it wasn't enough. Where are the Halos, Gears of Wars, Uncharteds, and Metal Gear Solids? This is something that I hope the Wii-U can do.

THE FUTURE PRETTY MUCH LOOKS THE SAME

The Wii-U could come late this year. It's doing what a next generation game console should do.Upgraded graphics, new accessories, and a new way to play the game. While a new way to play the game is certainly is new, everything else however is not. Sure, they showed off the controller on last year's E3. Yes, everything from that video was impressive, but is it enough to call it a Real Next Gen system?

Last year's E3 showed off a video showcasing what the Wii-U's controller can do. From the demo alone it looks fantastic. Using it as a second screen for menus, maps, and even as something for aiming. The other cool thing that can do is the ability to use the screen as a main screen away from the TV. As someone you know watches TV you can use the controller to continue playing the game.

Even when they are showing off the Controller's capabilities, they even showed off some of the big title games they will have. And unlike the first Wii this system will support 1080p HD graphics. To show this off they used footage from the PS3 and 360 games. Games include Batman: Arkham City, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Darksiders II, and Metro: Last Light. To keep that WiiU twist each game will, theoretically, allow the use the controller in exciting ways. It's all very exciting. So, why do I want Sony and Microsoft ignore all of this?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEW AND OLD

Because they are still trying to capture that audience the Wii has had for years. The WiiU is just a HD gaming platform. Is that a bad thing? No. I would love to see a Mario and Zelda HD game. I think games like that would make the game feel more alive than ever before. The Wii U, to me, is just away to capture that "hardcore" crowd. It's Nintendo's way of coming full circle. They started the motion controller craze. Sony and Microsoft used it. One half, Nintendo is following the footsteps of the other companies. The other, Apple and what they are doing to the iPhone.

Then it raises another question, should Microsoft and Sony start a new Generation of consoles because Nintendo is coming out with a new console?

WHEN IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING

I don't think so. As I have said before the WiiU is just a HD gaming platform. Besides the controller they aren't doing anything new. Even Reggie Fils-Aime has said that they are not trying to up the PS3 and 360. So why should Sony and Microsoft? It would be pretty useless to release the Move and Kinect when it would be more cheaper to release it with the new generation of consoles. When Nintendo released the Wii they didn't have a motion controller for the Gamecube. While I don't think Move and Kinect are really impressive, giving the right amount of time and more practice with the hardware Sony and Microsoft really doesn't have to release a new console right now. Just let Nintendo do what they do. If Sony and Microsoft does decide to make a new console, it will just take the cues that Nintendo does and do stuff of their own. It's all a See and Copy. Microsoft and Sony is copying Nintendo with their motion control with the Kincet and Move, Nintendo is copying Sony and Microsoft with their HD and Online. Fair trade.

I'M NOT READY

I don't think that anyone is ready. Naughty Dog, the developer of the Uncharted and Jak & Daxter series, have came out and said that they are afraid of the Playstation 4. During their initial time with the PS3, they have said that they had the darkest days the company has had since. It payed off at the end, but it took years to figure out all the quirks the system had. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune looks great. Uncharted 2 and 3 looks even better. It took years to figure that system out and it would not make much sense to have to start all over. The same can be said with the 360. The 360 is just a more advance version of the original xbox, but teams like Bethesda and Epic knows how to make use of the system and make use of it amazingly well. They are pushing that system to the max and I still believe that both system's potential have not been fully reached. Any multiplatform game that will be in the Wii U is also coming for the PS3 and 360. It may take longer to release the game at first to incorporate the new controller's pad, but graphics wise. It won't be the same.

I'm not saying that Sony and Microsoft shouldn't make a next gen system if they want to make them, let them. I just want them to do it at the right time and it's good enough for all of us. If they have to wait a year or two to make the best console they can make without overheating and stupidly high prices, I'm willing to wait. I have a console developers can improve upon. Doing so will make the transition between a PS3 and PS4 easier. What ever Nintendo has planed for the Wii-U is sure it's going to be to be awesome. It's too early to really tell, I just think that Microsoft and Sony needs to take their time when it comes to the releases of the next set of consoles.

THIS IS THE PART WHERE I MAKE A LOST REFERENCE

Nintendo first announced the Wii in 2004 and I'm sure that is what lead the race to the new Generation of Consoles. A year later, not only did the Wii was officially shown, but Sony showed of the Playstation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. 2005 was the year the 360 came out and it was released with one of the worst things that could happen to a new system. The breaking down of consoles, Something that is currently happening with the Playstation Vita, once the 360 becomes too hot it will break. This forced Microsoft loosing a lot of money in damages. It wasn't until a year later where they made another model of the system. Even with the new model the failure rate was still pretty high.

Sony, on the other hand, released the PS3 a year after the 360 with an unbelievable price point. $600. That is way to high for a console. The other problem Sony had with the PS3 was that the PS2 was still selling like crazy. The library the PS2 has was phenomenal and they still had games coming out for it. Persona and God of War II being the last games it had. Sony killed the PS2 almost 3 years after the PS3 was released. Now, after some time has passed, you can buy it less than half the original price. Not only that, along with the 360, it's been better built. Some mistakes was corrected and the price is just right.

When it came to HD Nintendo was dead last. They were just using a slightly updated version of the Gamecube's graphic chip. The games looked better, yeah, but it didn't look like anything the 360 and PS3 was doing. So instead of focusing on that, they looked at the way to play the game. Hence forth, the Wii-Mote. Motion control was on it's way, but will it last?

That was a resounding yes. I don't think anybody, outside of Nintendo, had any idea that this would change gaming. The way it handled and the way it allowed other people to join in on the fun. At it's peak the Wii was everywhere. You could not escape from it. But there was something missing. Besides Zelda and Mario, it didn't have that third party support to reward all the hardcore gamers that has been with them from the very beginning. It did have No More Heroes, MadWorld, House Of The Dead: Overkill, and the Resident Evil lightgun games. But it wasn't enough. Where are the Halos, Gears of Wars, Uncharteds, and Metal Gear Solids? This is something that I hope the Wii-U can do.

THE FUTURE PRETTY MUCH LOOKS THE SAME

The Wii-U could come late this year. It's doing what a next generation game console should do.Upgraded graphics, new accessories, and a new way to play the game. While a new way to play the game is certainly is new, everything else however is not. Sure, they showed off the controller on last year's E3. Yes, everything from that video was impressive, but is it enough to call it a Real Next Gen system?

Last year's E3 showed off a video showcasing what the Wii-U's controller can do. From the demo alone it looks fantastic. Using it as a second screen for menus, maps, and even as something for aiming. The other cool thing that can do is the ability to use the screen as a main screen away from the TV. As someone you know watches TV you can use the controller to continue playing the game.

Even when they are showing off the Controller's capabilities, they even showed off some of the big title games they will have. And unlike the first Wii this system will support 1080p HD graphics. To show this off they used footage from the PS3 and 360 games. Games include Batman: Arkham City, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Darksiders II, and Metro: Last Light. To keep that WiiU twist each game will, theoretically, allow the use the controller in exciting ways. It's all very exciting. So, why do I want Sony and Microsoft ignore all of this?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NEW AND OLD

Because they are still trying to capture that audience the Wii has had for years. The WiiU is just a HD gaming platform. Is that a bad thing? No. I would love to see a Mario and Zelda HD game. I think games like that would make the game feel more alive than ever before. The Wii U, to me, is just away to capture that "hardcore" crowd. It's Nintendo's way of coming full circle. They started the motion controller craze. Sony and Microsoft used it. One half, Nintendo is following the footsteps of the other companies. The other, Apple and what they are doing to the iPhone.

Then it raises another question, should Microsoft and Sony start a new Generation of consoles because Nintendo is coming out with a new console?

WHEN IT'S PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING

I don't think so. As I have said before the WiiU is just a HD gaming platform. Besides the controller they aren't doing anything new. Even Reggie Fils-Aime has said that they are not trying to up the PS3 and 360. So why should Sony and Microsoft? It would be pretty useless to release the Move and Kinect when it would be more cheaper to release it with the new generation of consoles. When Nintendo released the Wii they didn't have a motion controller for the Gamecube. While I don't think Move and Kinect are really impressive, giving the right amount of time and more practice with the hardware Sony and Microsoft really doesn't have to release a new console right now. Just let Nintendo do what they do. If Sony and Microsoft does decide to make a new console, it will just take the cues that Nintendo does and do stuff of their own. It's all a See and Copy. Microsoft and Sony is copying Nintendo with their motion control with the Kincet and Move, Nintendo is copying Sony and Microsoft with their HD and Online. Fair trade.

I'M NOT READY

I don't think that anyone is ready. Naughty Dog, the developer of the Uncharted and Jak & Daxter series, have came out and said that they are afraid of the Playstation 4. During their initial time with the PS3, they have said that they had the darkest days the company has had since. It payed off at the end, but it took years to figure out all the quirks the system had. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune looks great. Uncharted 2 and 3 looks even better. It took years to figure that system out and it would not make much sense to have to start all over. The same can be said with the 360. The 360 is just a more advance version of the original xbox, but teams like Bethesda and Epic knows how to make use of the system and make use of it amazingly well. They are pushing that system to the max and I still believe that both system's potential have not been fully reached. Any multiplatform game that will be in the Wii U is also coming for the PS3 and 360. It may take longer to release the game at first to incorporate the new controller's pad, but graphics wise. It won't be the same.

I'm not saying that Sony and Microsoft shouldn't make a next gen system if they want to make them, let them. I just want them to do it at the right time and it's good enough for all of us. If they have to wait a year or two to make the best console they can make without overheating and stupidly high prices, I'm willing to wait. I have a console developers can improve upon. Doing so will make the transition between a PS3 and PS4 easier. What ever Nintendo has planed for the Wii-U is sure it's going to be to be awesome. It's too early to really tell, I just think that Microsoft and Sony needs to take their time when it comes to the releases of the next set of consoles.

nope I see no need for new consoles and I play more games than anyone.

Yes, we do. Its not necessarily for the graphics but for the innovation developers would like to implement. Just as an example, take Skyrim, great game, looks great, yet so much more could have been implemented to make it far more realistic. From AI to character interaction, there is always room for improvement.

The term next gen was so last gen this gen.  We're in a whole new era in gaming. Let's call it gen +.

@Stealthmaster86 said:

I don't think that anyone is ready. Naughty Dog, the developer of the Uncharted and Jak & Daxter series, have came out and said that they are afraid of the Playstation 4. During their initial time with the PS3, they have said that they had the darkest days the company has had since. It payed off at the end, but it took years to figure out all the quirks the system had.

This could be solved in the PS4 by Sony making a system easy to program for, unlike what they did with the PS3 out of sheer hubris.

I read of a lot of developers saying that the current consoles are restricting of what they want to do. So yes, I believe we need new hardware.

@Claude said:

The term next gen was so last gen this gen. We're in a whole new era in gaming. Let's call it gen +.

...........What?

@Video_Game_King said:

@Claude said:

The term next gen was so last gen this gen. We're in a whole new era in gaming. Let's call it gen +.

...........What?

Shhh, someone in pr might be listening!

Yes.

I say yes only because new console launches are when we get new IP's, such as Saints Row, and Dead Rising. Also it lets games that otherwise would have gone under the radar get noticed, such as Oblivion, when it came out.

Gen + certainly feels pointless.

But the hardware upgrades might help with some better games.

I don't really mind one way or the other, just as long as PC games aren't getting held back because of it.

@Claude said:

The term next gen was so last gen this gen. We're in a whole new era in gaming. Let's call it gen +.

...........What?

Wii-U will do its thing and be like the Saturn or like the Dreamcast. Dreamcast being more famed but less popular. I doubt it will set alight like the Wii and that wasnt because of how good the console was instead how it was marketed. It wasn't the intimidating boys toy. It was a kids console and still is. What separates it from the Leap Frog Learning pad is difference in quality.

I am sort of on the fence with an actual set of new xbox consoles or playstations, In one part I think we should push onto a new console for better games, except the current ones are doing fine. If we did the console fantasy of making a new console that is like a high spec PC rig.......nothing will change. If you look at the pc right now.........its the same games as the consoles. Even if the games were not made to the standard of consoles and later released on PC. There wouldn't be much difference.

The Witcher 2 is the only game that dosnt need pc controls (unlike most RTS or such) that is a "PC game" for graphic power. There is attempts to cram it on the xbox. Which that will probably just come down to setting the graphics on medium. So we have a more powerful games unit the PC....just no one is needing such power.

My computer is a few grades below high spec a year ago. Id say its still sitting in the same place for playing games. Yes pc specs are always going higher. However.....I dont see a games that needs more power than I have. Mines is overkill as is. So I thought my computer may limp on for 5 years and the 5 years mark I would be playing games on Low or such to even run. Nope I think its going to run games on high for longer than that. And that's just what the Consoles are going to do.

Or else we get new consoles and have the hassle of broken consoles and high risk in trying to sell new consoles and as a customer trying to scrape that money together again.

I don't think you can really know what the future of games will look like. We haven't seen the next consoles or the tech behind them, so to extrapolate what these games will look like or whether or not they are making any strides forward is purely theoretical. Visual fidelity make take leaps and bounds in ways we haven't quite conceived, and we aren't going to get that without new hardware.

You also seem stuck on ideas like "motion control" which haven't exactly proven themselves this generation. While there have been interesting applications (such as menu navigation), we aren't seeing these becoming the mainstream for video games because many video game players just don't care about the technology (or haven't seen it used in a compelling way for most video games). These things aren't realistically the future of gaming, just efforts to capture some of the ephemeral "casual crowd."

I think you're also somewhat misinformed about the power of consoles. Like it or not, consoles are reaching their limit. Games like Gears of War III and Uncharted III are pushing those systems to their maxes. With increased demands on harddrive space and continually dwindling onboard memory leading to lower frame rates and reduced texture quality, you're really starting to see PCs taking the stage as the forefront of gaming technology again. That's completely normally for this time in the generation, and folks like me who can't afford to keep up a gaming rig are now eagerly looking forward to what the next consoles can bring.

This is precisely why the Wii U is so dead-in-the-water. In two years time, we'll be talking about graphics and processing on a completely new level. The Wii U is matching, even if slightly more, what we're doing right now. It will be outdated in a couple years, which given the extended hardware cycles we're now seeing, is going to be a huge disappointment to anyone who buys a Wii U. It will once again be the system that developers port down to. If you're feeling slighted at the notion of Sony and Microsoft releasing something better, then you probably shouldn't be thinking about buying a Wii U.

I think that most of us who have been part of this hardware generation since the beginning are looking forward to something new. Even if not from the technology, a new generation will bring new IPs, something we desperately need right now. Appreciate how long this generation has lasted, but understand that it is time to move on.

Not just for better graphics but for better everything, it would be great if instead of developers having to spend hours on optimization they could spend that time adding more details instead but the bigger thing is what can be done with physics and AI both of which have huge potential for improvements.

@august said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@Claude said:

The term next gen was so last gen this gen. We're in a whole new era in gaming. Let's call it gen +.

...........What?

Shhh, someone in pr might be listening!

@ajamafalous said:

Yes.

What he said

Yes. I know many people on these boards don't buy their consoles at launch, but I do and I can say that I'm totally ready for a new gen of gaming. I've had my 360 for over 6 years now and my PS3 and Wii for 5. I like the 5 year life cycle and I'm glad Nintendo is keeping up with it. The change from this gen won't be as big as it was from PS2 to PS3.

@BeachThunder said:

I don't really mind one way or the other, just as long as PC games aren't getting held back because of it.

By the virtue of AAA development on consoles, the delay IS holding back PC gaming. It is making developers grind the current hardware for better performance rather than spend their time innovating.

The length of this gen cycle is hurting everyone, from manufacturing to development to the end-user.

@august said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@Claude said:

The term next gen was so last gen this gen. We're in a whole new era in gaming. Let's call it gen +.

...........What?

Shhh, someone in pr might be listening!

iGen

Yes we need a new generation of consoles. Hook a decent PC up to your TV and you'll see why. It's not all about the graphics but it is hard to go back to playing console versions of a game after seeing what they look like on a PC.

If you're willing to wait then wait. There's no one forcing you to buy a new console the day it's launched. The majority of games released in the first year of a console are pretty bad or better looking ports anyway. Isn't better they start the shitty year now so the console is in good shape for when you're ready to upgrade? It's not like they'll forget about the 360 and the PS3. There is a huge number of those consoles in peoples homes and it will be years before games stop being released for them. I think there are still new games being released for the PS2.

@Dagbiker said:

@august said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@Claude said:

The term next gen was so last gen this gen. We're in a whole new era in gaming. Let's call it gen +.

...........What?

Shhh, someone in pr might be listening!

iGen

GenX

Whoops! This isn't the 90's at all.

@Dagbiker said:

@august said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@Claude said:

The term next gen was so last gen this gen. We're in a whole new era in gaming. Let's call it gen +.

...........What?

Shhh, someone in pr might be listening!

iGen

GenX

Whoops! This isn't the 90's at all.

No one wants to pay for it so there is no market for it.

I admit that I didn't read the OP,  but the answer to the title is Yes. It's no longer about graphics, the current consoles are limiting the content, the scope, the multiplayer player counts, the technology.

Aside from the graphics , I dont see a real reason to make a console cycle change yet , you think Sony is already eager to loose money again per console? You think that Microsoft will ditch the do it all Xbox 360 as of yet? I think that this year the things will stay the same (outside the Wii U) and we may problably hear talks of new hardware by next year. I dunno , whats wrong with the pc taking the lead again anyway (if at all)? All I know that I wont buy a new hardware at least in the coming 2 years and if I upgrada I will rather go with a pc (as most of the franchises that I cared for in consoles are already over , or can be obtained on pc anyway).

When I can't voice-chat properly on the PS3 because of "memory issues" I think we're long overdue for a new generation.

You mean it's not a problem that my new phone will have better specs than my PS3?

Yes, we need new consoles desperately. Look at all of the games that came out in 2011, and think about what they could have been on a newer piece of hardware. I know that the idea of having to obtain the large amounts of money can hurt like hell, but in the end it will only hurt day 1 after that everything will start to return to normal (whatever that means) again.

Its always been the case that when new consoles are released, everybody in the industry begins to try and create new IPs.

Yes, I would appreciate 60 fps and SSDs. That's really all I want, but I guess slightly better graphic quality wouldn't hurt.

not now but in a few years, consoles hardware is getting out of date compared to what PC nowadays can do

not really, we can still wait a while for new generation. i feel like there is still life in the systems that we have now. 
 
sony and microsoft need to take their time in making the systems and make sure that they are working correctly. xbox 360 had rrod and E74 for a while. it wasn't that great to have that happen.

@Video_Game_King said:

@august said:

@Video_Game_King said:

@Claude said:

The term next gen was so last gen this gen. We're in a whole new era in gaming. Let's call it gen +.

...........What?

Shhh, someone in pr might be listening!

That should really be on the spine of every Nintendo game from now on.

All i know is i got sick of having to purchase new console hardware every 5 years, years ago. I'm exhausted of the whole process, and i have no interest in seeing ANOTHER batch of shiny new garbage that "plays games but it's like better somehow, dawg"

Which is the main reason i use a PC for all my gaming needs nowadays.. as casual as they may be, but i digress.

If they make a new gen system it better be worth it. Im talking about AI and other classy shit. I want to be able to fuck my PS4.

I say yes, but not necessarily from a hardware perspective.

The 360 was released in, what, 2005? A lot of stuff has happened since then. In no particular order:

• Steam went from a much-maligned experiment to the de facto PC digital distribution store.
• Digital distribution, along with automatic and background patches, became popular.
• MMOs began to experiment with the F2P business model.
• League of Legends thrived and continues to exist using the F2P business model.
• DLC/in-app purchases have become thoroughly integrated into Steam, the Apple App Store, and the Android Marketplace.
• Onlive proved the technical feasibility of gaming through streaming video.
• Cloud saves and the syncing of those saves across multiple devices was implemented.

I'm sure anyone can add any number of things to that list. But my point is this: XBL and PSN? They're downright clunky now. They were designed for platforms that assumed that content would be delivered primarily through physical media, and digital distribution would be a secondary thing. This may not be the case anymore. At the very least, I'd consider them equally important.

Have you ever tried re-downloading a game from XBL or PSN? Once that game is re-downloaded, how about finding all the DLC you've ever bought for it? What about buying a single car as DLC for Forza, or even a pack? It's a very clunky experience. And what about social? Who's playing what? Who owns what? I don't want to go through my friends list to see this information; I want to see it when I'm about to start up a game.

This is all software. There's nothing stopping Microsoft or Sony or Nintendo from re-imagining their platform (and it *is* a platform now, in the hardware and software sense) and putting out an upgrade. But there's nothing like a new hardware generation to make a company think, "What kind of experience are we making for our users? How can we do digital better? How can we do social better?"

Steam has spoiled PC gamers, myself included. But that's because Steam is a platform. It isn't tied to any one hardware configuration, and it can be updated at any time. I think it's time for console manufacturers to do the same, and a new generation is a convenient place to start things off on the right foot. XBL, PSN, and whatever Nintendo conjures up, are going to be with us for years. It would be stupid to tie design decisions for those platforms to hardware released more than half a decade ago.

@ajamafalous said:

Yes.

Yes, I would appreciate 60 fps and SSDs. That's really all I want, but I guess slightly better graphic quality wouldn't hurt.

Yes. The dated hardware is hamstringing developers.

I'd like em

The answer is yes, yes we don't.

@Stealthmaster86:

You are completely wrong about this. I'm sick of games with good graphics and terrible frame rates. Lets get great graphics and a solid framerate.

And the Wii U will suck even harder than the Wii.