Next Gen: Your Predictions

[brazenhead89]

I'm a media student (boo, hiss, etc) and recently wrote an article on "Remediation". To those of you who don't get Media-Industry Wank-Speak, this totally made-up word is the idea that all new media comes, in some way, from old media. For example, TV and film remediated the stage play, photography remediated art and so forth. I don't necessarily agree, but that's the media industry - a cavalcade of bullshit and profit-making.
But I digress. In a recent essay, I had to explain what effect remediation would have on the gaming industry, and eventually argued that consoles would eventually become more - multimedia devices with social capabilities, internet access, music purchases and so forth. We may already even be there.
Although the PC elitists may argue that a personal computer can do all these things and more, they're not necessarily built with ease-of-use in mind. With the console industry at something of a peak, it certainly shows no sign of dying any time soon.
So what do you guys think? What new capabilities will new consoles have, and what would you like to see in future consoles that isn't necessarily better graphics, better loading times and more power? If I get some good answers I may even include them in my essay, so answer away!

 

[curlycrouton]

Although the PC elitists may argue that a personal computer can do all these things and more, they're not necessarily built with ease-of-use in mind.

As a self-professed PC elitist, I feel somewhat compelled to disagree.

6 Simple Steps:

1. Download Steam
2. Download Opera (keep Internet Explorer however)
3. Download Xfire
4. Download Skype.
5. Download Itunes or whatever you like to use.
6. Download Windows Live Messenger.

You're done.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

More wacky increases in compound value of games by utilizing functionality tactics. Tools for modding, achievement points that unlock other content, movie making tools, etc. Developers are going to keep thinking of ways to make their games more appealing by having it do more things than just be a game.

 

[ElArabDeMagnifico]

Believe it or not, better graphics, shorter loading, and more power = better machines. Better machines do more things,we get bigger and better games (in theory) and we get more apps. like movie stores and such (which is what you seem to be looking forward to if I read correctly).

Still, if this is solely focused on consoles then I'd still say we are already there or at least close to it. PC's are there and whether it's "easy" or not, it's there and a hell of a lot of people use them.

 

[mooncalf]

I agree that old is recycled into new, including the changing labels used to describe that process.

I foresee that consoles shall be the second coming of the proprietary computer systems seen before the IBM PS/2 PC, with all the DRM trappings (I say this with no negativity) which companies such as Microsoft have drooled over but experienced resistance to on the open PC platform.

Instead of the 'media PC' taking off like it never did, the Microsoft console will slowly evolve to fill it's shoes and bring the customer base with it. Console services will expand under the protective wing of careful control.

I'd like to say this will leave Nintendo the console champion again by default, but I can't say where sony will be, I can't decide whether the PS3 is something to be feared or pitied.