What does Next Gen need to Sell you?

[CriticalGaming]

If you're not yet sold on next-gen, what dream title would pull you in?

Mother 3 yet to be localized for PS5 We’re approaching the six-month mark of gaming’s ninth generation, and it’s been...

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I few weeks ago I posted a thread about the state of "Next-Gen" after six months and a lot of you weren't sold on the new era for a number of reasons.

The obvious reason being that there isn't really next gen systems available for most of you and that's understandable. So let's take this remark off the table.


Outside of being able to just buy one, for those of you unimpressed with Next Gen games so far, what do games need to do to entice you to cross that line? Whether you need to be wowed more by the graphics, you need to be moved by the gameplay, or what do you want to see before you would start to get you eager to join the next gen?

For me, I was always going to jump early as I do it every generation and this generation was no exception. The title's I've played solely on PS5 have been more than satisfying for me for the most part, and I have even been happy with the performance boosts of PS4 titles played on the PS5 as added bonuses.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Have a lot of games I'm interested in and can't get on PC or Switch.

 

[BrawlMan]

Aside from Sony and Capcom's output of AAA titles, I just want to games that play good and run good. But I'm not going to get that from the majority of the AAA market; especially if it's Western. I mainly sticking to medium or smaller games.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

Games that actually evolve gameplay that can't be done on previous hardware. I'll eventually get next-gen hardware when you can no longer get games on current hardware just like any other gen. But when all the good games that are coming out can be played on a Ryzen APU, what's the point of next-gen hardware outside of the shinies? My most anticipated games are still Baldurs Gate 3 (when it's finished) and Gamedec. I still have tons of last-gen games that I need to play like Wasteland 3, all the new Hitmans, a few others, and I started Fallout New Vegas after watching a video about how great it is. I need to play through the Horizon DLC still and I wanna check out the Disco Elysium Final Cut / see if enough changed to merit playing it again. When there's better games on next-gen that need next-gen hardware to play, then I'll get next-gen hardware.

 

[Chimpzy]

Have a lot of games I'm interested in and can't get on PC or Switch.

Pretty much this, and even then I'll probably still wait another couple years before getting one.

I mean, only reason I was even considering getting a PS5 this early was because of the gpu situation, but consoles are unreasonably hard to get as well, so back to default.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

Pretty much this, and even then I'll probably still wait another couple years before getting one.

I mean, only reason I was even considering getting a PS5 this early was because of the gpu situation, but consoles are unreasonably hard to get as well, so back to default.

Mm. I'm just less and less interested in most AAA games these days. I do find myself missing the polish a lot of them have when I play something Ori and the Will of the Wisps and see just how beautiful it looks but I'm more interested in games with a unique take on something or interesting gameplay hook.

 

[Hades]

Games. and so far I haven't seem em yet.

 

[Xprimentyl]

We've discussed on innumerable occasions the appreciable, nigh-objective tapering off of improvement from generation to generation over the past couple of decades. We could see the industry getting desperate to distance itself from its previous outings with gimmicks like Kinect and Move that pretty much shit the bed out of the gate. VR seems to be picking up some steam, but I still wouldn't personally put it (as it stands) as "the next big leap." One could argue it's the next logical step, but until they pin down how exactly to make VR control as intuitive as traditional hand-held control, then I don't think it's the route we need to pursue.

I think I'd just want more games that make use of the hardware beyond pushing graphical/technical limits. I've always wanted fully-immersive open worlds, cities wherein every building is accessible, or NPCs that are each truly unique and not copy/pastes of each other. I just want more effort put into the core of the games and not just same-y games that look slightly better and run at a million FPS.

I want games that appreciate my time and show such by investing in their efforts to make me do so and not so much my ability to invest in them with pay-to-win and microtransactions. I want games that focus less on their long-term sustainability (read: $$$) and more on their short-term engagement. I want more games that wow me out the gate and less games that are all but indistinguishable from the shit I've already been playing for +20 years, but look nicer and play better.

 

[happyninja42]

Like many have said, basically I want to see enough games to make tossing down several hundred dollars on a new system worth it. Because right now, there's only 2 games that I vaguely have on my next-gen radar, and at least one of them (the most eagerly anticipated at that), is going to be available on PS 4 anyway. So, with the average PS 5 game title likely going up to $70, as of right now, there is 1 game I can probably only play on that console. Making it cost me $600+ (for console and game) to just play that game.

And that's not an investment that I feel merits the system right now.

So, I dunno, when there are enough games that are exclusive to that hardware, that I want to play, to...I guess maybe equal the cost of the platform itself, then I will probably be more seriously invested in getting one. Or if they have a sudden massive sale, and I could buy it super cheap, and then just wait for the upcoming titles.

Other than that, I'll just keep playing my current equipment.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Games is a good start.

 

[SilentPony]

Games is a good start.

Don't be a spoiled, entitled gamer that likes to bully the massive uncaring AAA publishers. Just be happy with a buggy, early-access port of a 5 year old game for $69.99, on top of the $599.99 for an always online console.

 

[laggyteabag]

Games.

Its the same question, every generation. "When are you going to buy a 360/PS3?", "When are you going to buy a Xbox One/PS4?", "When are you going to buy a Series S|X/PS5?"

People will buy one, when there is a reason for people to buy one.

At the moment, we are in that awkward phase where the next gen, and the previous gen, are both being somewhat equally supported. There is barely any reason to pay the asking price, when you can still get a good-enough experience from the same games, on the hardware that you already own.

As soon as there are enough, good, next-gen only games, more and more people will start feeling the need to upgrade.

Also, actually being able to buy one, would be a good start, too.

 

[Dreiko]

Nothing really, graphics peaked in the ps3 era and any subsequent improvement is minor. I just get the console when games stop coming out in the last gen one.

 

[Gergar12]

The games I like.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

A killer app and more iterated, less expensive hardware. It’s inevitable they’ll be cheaper and more efficient in a few years, so meanwhile I’ll keep playing my last gen backlog and pick one up when the time is right for me.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Nothing really, graphics peaked in the ps3 era and any subsequent improvement is minor. I just get the console when games stop coming out in the last gen one.

Curious as to what metric you’re using to quantify “peak”, because I see a pretty steady upward trajectory of attention to detail there.

 

[Dreiko]

Curious as to a hat metric you’re using to quantify “peak”, because I see a pretty steady upward trajectory of attention to detail there.

Basically it's about how much of a jump you get, in ps1-2 you go from boxy hands to more or less normal representations of humans. Ps3-4 was nowhere near as dramatic. Ps5 is even less so.

During ps2 you had Okami, and ps3 gave us Xrd, which are some of the most visually captivating games, so it is possible with just that much technology to have perfect visuals already. Any more work put there hence could be spent elsewhere, in things like writing or art style or mechanical balancing.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I think I'd just want more games that make use of the hardware beyond pushing graphical/technical limits. I've always wanted fully-immersive open worlds, cities wherein every building is accessible, or NPCs that are each truly unique and not copy/pastes of each other. I just want more effort put into the core of the games and not just same-y games that look slightly better and run at a million FPS.

Devs are just making the same thing but bigger vs actually trying to make something BETTER. Cyberpunk is the perfect example of that, it didn't try anything new. I'd rather play Warren Spector's infamous "One City Block" game where it simulates one real block of interactions and everything vs whatever next game takes the title of biggest map with nothing new or interesting to do in it.

Curious as to a hat metric you’re using to quantify “peak”, because I see a pretty steady upward trajectory of attention to detail there.

I can see PS3 graphics being good enough today. The only thing was good PS3 graphics were mainly relegated to linear games. The PS4 graphics allowed that fidelity in bigger worlds like Watch Dogs has the fidelity of Uncharted but in a city. So I feel increasing graphics more doesn't really do much for me because it's good enough already as PS1 was blocky as shit, PS2 was "getting there", and PS3 was basically "there". Give me Uncharted/TLOU quality graphics and it's perfectly fine. Use the added hardware power to do shit that you just couldn't do with AI or physics or whatever with PS3 graphics and the games would be way better than they are today.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Come with a free TV, because mine is a CRT that I bought from Radio Shack back when it was successful.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I'm already pretty sold on the new generation, and want a PS5.

Basically all I want is for all the games to get locked to a 60fps minimum.