From Leaps to Bunny hops!!

[Fonejackerjon]

Is is just me or is this next generation gonna be the most disappointing yet? Before I get accused of trolling here me out, notmally every console generation we get a new media example:

Ps1 = CD
PS2 = DVD
PS3 = Blu ray
Ps4 =Blu ray??

So no knew innovation there. So what are we gonna get this generation?? 1080p and 60FPS?? thats it! I'm sorry but that is not enough to attract a new set of customers the only people that will buy a next gen console will be the ones who own the previous, but I'm sorry its not enough, you need to attract a new generation of customer to survive, some people who bought the xbox and ps3 have already fragmented into PC or mobile, or worse still abadoned gaming altogether.

What we have seen so far looks like it could be done on current gen consoles. I'm dying too see something thats gonna blow me away but very slightly prettier versions of the same games is all we have. Killzone 4 and dead Rising 3 as lovely looking as they are do not look leaps and bounds better than the previous gen from just the outset, yes if you look really hard you might see a difference but who cares? Yes pre-orders for xbone and ps4 are through the roof but after the honeymoon period is over I think it will become obvious that the $60 business model is dying, as said so well by Jim Sterling. We need something new and fresh not sequels 1080p and 60fps that wont attract new customers will it! most graphics whores are now on PC! Something needs to be done I don't konw what but if you think that the next generation of console will suddenly and instantly spark the creative minds of EA and Ubisoft you will sadly be proved wrong, they go where the money is and at the moment its sequels! but how long is that gonna last.

 

[Frezzato]

Okay, I'll bite. I'm not normally one for these kind of threads, but I'll start out by saying that the format in this case really doesn't matter. As it stands, you can get almost 50GB from a dual-layer Blu-ray disc, which is a ton, more than what any game would require. Fifty gigs is larger than the hard drive on my first PC!

As for a honeymoon period being over, well, the wedding hasn't even taken place yet.

 

[Nouw]

Well Nintendo side-stepped this problem by simply spending their resources elsewhere. I don't think it's too far-fetched to say that the WiiU's controller gives its console potential for more 'creative' games.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Maybe this generation will actually take advantage of BluRay drives. Last gen didn't.

 

[Smooth Operator]

So you still require gimmicky bullshit and catchy PR slogans to buy anything... you do understand this is exactly why just making a quality product is such a bad idea in this industry and they primarily need to spend money on useless flashy shit and whatever might be left comes after.

Well here is a news flash, CD / DVD / BluRay is all the same damn tech simply progressing in miniaturization same as all other electronics have, if they rename it now to Ultra Blaster Death Ray X it will still be the same damn thing the only difference is that would cater to your childish impulse to shinny nonsense.

 

[Fonejackerjon]

So you still require gimmicky bullshit and catchy PR slogans to buy anything... you do understand this is exactly why just making a quality product is such a bad idea in this industry and they primarily need to spend money on useless flashy shit and whatever might be left comes after.

Well here is a news flash, CD / DVD / BluRay is all the same damn tech simply progressing in miniaturization same as all other electronics have, if they rename it now to Ultra Blaster Death Ray X it will still be the same damn thing the only difference is that would cater to your childish impulse to shinny nonsense.

So again, why do we need new consoles tell me? what is this generation going to offer that the last one couldn't please, enlighten me?

 

[Smooth Operator]

So again, why do we need new consoles tell me? what is this generation going to offer that the last one couldn't please, enlighten me?

And where did PS3 trump PS2?
In the power department for bigger better looking games... and that is about it, everything else would be doable on both ends.

 

[DoPo]

So you still require gimmicky bullshit and catchy PR slogans to buy anything... you do understand this is exactly why just making a quality product is such a bad idea in this industry and they primarily need to spend money on useless flashy shit and whatever might be left comes after.

Well here is a news flash, CD / DVD / BluRay is all the same damn tech simply progressing in miniaturization same as all other electronics have, if they rename it now to Ultra Blaster Death Ray X it will still be the same damn thing the only difference is that would cater to your childish impulse to shinny nonsense.

So again, why do we need new consoles tell me? what is this generation going to offer that the last one couldn't please, enlighten me?

More processing power and an x86 architecture that should help with making games. Why you think what games come on matters more than these is beyond me.

 

[tilmoph]

I've heard the new processors in the consoles will allow devs to improve AI complexity by running more algorithms at the same time. That would be a rather good reason for someone to buy a new console later in it's cycle, once devs have a handle on how to maximize that potential. However, I'm not sure I buy that, since PC has only seen a limited increase in AI intelligence, and they've been running these sorts of processor for a while now. One the third hand, some game do seem to have improved the AI a bit (CKII, GalCiv2, and X-Com:EU jump out at me right now), so it could be true.

Otherwise, something about graphics, though I still maintain that from a visual standpoint, there's not a lot of improvement to be had, except with new art styles. Yes, I know there's some tech improvements, I'm just not sure if it'll make much of an apparent difference if you compare games on a current and next gen console purely on a "how do they look" level.

Lastly, I'm not sure what your point regarding format changes is suppose to be getting at. PS1=disc, PS2=disc with more strange, PS3 = disc with even more storage, PS4= Disc with same storage as PS3. Guess that would be a problem if games routinely failed to fit on a blue-ray, or had to sacrifice something to fit the storage limits, but as far as I know, that hasn't been a problem and isn't looking to become one.

 

[crimson sickle2]

The new console generation is for a few reasons. First, it allows the tech to reach about the same level as medium level gaming PC or higher. Second, it allows Sony to get rid of their painful to program for system that was the PS3. There isn't too much innovation this time, true enough, but it does provide new tools that will hopefully correct the previous generation's errors.

 

[Starnerf]

Considering that Pioneer was able to demonstrate 20-layer (500GB) BDs back in 2008 [http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2008/08/pioneer-gives-bd-room-to-grow-with-20-layer-500gb-disc/] I think there's still a bit of life left in the format. The bigger issue is read speed, but I suspect gaming will start requiring local installs before that becomes a real issue.

 

[DoPo]

Take 25 minutes out of your life to watch this! most compelling argument I have ever seen


http://www.slideshare.net/bcousins/when-the-consoles-die-what-comes-next

1. Saying "watch this video guize!" as your main thing...shouldn't be a thing. Sure, give us a link, but, come on, you must be capable of presenting more information than "it's a video".
2. Especially true with longer videos. Sheesh, it's 25 minutes, if you are unable to spare few sentences tying it in what you're saying, it doesn't inspire confidence that the video actually says anything. I'm not even asking for summarizing the whole thing, just few sentences about why you think it matters to bring up.
3. I did watch it. So what? How exactly does it tie in with what you're saying?
4. This post of yours wasted my time. I accept cash and checks as compensation.

 

[DrOswald]

So you still require gimmicky bullshit and catchy PR slogans to buy anything... you do understand this is exactly why just making a quality product is such a bad idea in this industry and they primarily need to spend money on useless flashy shit and whatever might be left comes after.

Well here is a news flash, CD / DVD / BluRay is all the same damn tech simply progressing in miniaturization same as all other electronics have, if they rename it now to Ultra Blaster Death Ray X it will still be the same damn thing the only difference is that would cater to your childish impulse to shinny nonsense.

So again, why do we need new consoles tell me? what is this generation going to offer that the last one couldn't please, enlighten me?

In a lot of cases bigger, better games. For example, Skyrim pretty much hit the limit on the PS3. There were actually some significant problems to do with simply having not enough memory. The PC version had many high resolution texture mods that make the game look significantly better but the console version simply could not handle it. In terms of graphics, consoles were capable of 1080p but not nearly able to take full advantage of it. The graphical jump between PS3 and PS4, for example, will not be as big as PS2 to PS3, but it will be very noticeable.

Second, the better cpu will allow for a much greater amount of calculations per unit of time. This will allow for better physics, much large game worlds with many more objects you can interact with, and more cpu intensive AI.

Third, the greater amount of memeory (both for graphics and general memory) will allow for a game to keep track of much more. This means large areas more detailed areas, better textures, more in game objects, and less frequent load screens.

Basically, the PS3 and Xbox 360 were babies first HD console. This time we have the tools to do it right.

But even more important is what developers, especially low budget indie developers, get out of it. Basically the more powerful the hardware you are using the easier it is to develop a specific game. Skyrim was a masterful feat of engineering on the PS3, but it would have been far easier to create on a PS4 (if one were to create a identical game in terms of content and graphics and all that.) This means developers who have a low to mid range budget will be able create games much more easily. Games will require less resources to create allowing for more risk. This means more variety in our gaming experience. While PSN and Xbox arcade had good indie titles and mid range budget games, expect a much wider variety and generally better quality this generation.

In terms of making a variety of quality games, the PS3 and Xbox 360 sit in a bad place. They are too powerful for the ease with which PS2 era games were made but they were not powerful enough to handle even fairly simple game ideas without some optimization. This meant they were not AAA friendly or indie friendly in terms of development costs. With this next generation we should be past that valley, making mid range, budget or niche titles easy to develop while allowing AAA games to be bigger and better than ever before.

P.S. I forgot to mention that with the new systems all games will basically be programmed on the same basic structure (x86 architecture, as I understand it.) This will mean games will be easier and cheaper to make because you will not need a team familiar with a specific platform, ports will be easier, better and quicker, and backwards compatibility will be easy.

 

[Guffe]

Well I guess both the PS and Xbox will be a lot more powerful than their older gens.
Nintendos' console is A LOT more powerful than it's last instalment and it has a completely new controller (that's change right?).
So I don't see what the fuss is about really, because what you discribe are new things to put into the gaming device, first we had cartridges, then cd, then dvd and now blueray which is a more powerful cd/dvd, so all they are going to do is make the stuff on the already powerful device more powerful, why change something that works?