What will the 8th Generation bring to the table?

[loch belthadd]

Around the middle/end of the next gens lifespans, there will be poorly optimized virtual reality peripherals. Then the ninth gen will mostly just use a better version of that.

 

[Conza]

(History Snipped, Great summary.)

Obviously the next generation will have better 3D graphics, bigger storage for games, more RAM, etc but what do you think will be the big revolution that the 8th generation will bring to us?

Here's my guesses:
-Games shift away from linear scripted sequences, opting more for more dynamic, emergent situations supported by more complex AI and realistic physics

-All games on all consoles available as digital download in addition to physical copies (don't think we're quite ready for online-only yet)

-Motion controls mature into some form that doesn't only support casual gaming.

I think motion, kinda like Eye Toy & Kinect but more sophisticated would be good, but then again who wants to jump around to play games? Kids and 30-40s Women? Otherwise?

I just realised a solution for online-only, you're able to purchase keys at retail stores still... So they don't go out of business + prices aren't inflated by singular markets.

Your first point I left for last because that sounds cool, but also quite impossible.

Do you mean to say, that instead of a fixed story, you're just in a world or some sort? Could you elaborate on this a bit more? I think I get what you're saying, but if I do, that doesn't seem possible.

 

[Dango]

I hope I'm not the only one who was expecting a Pokemon thread.

OT: Nothing new, most of the big changes last generation came from "revolutionary" games like Call of Duty 4.

 

[XMark]

Your first point I left for last because that sounds cool, but also quite impossible.

Do you mean to say, that instead of a fixed story, you're just in a world or some sort? Could you elaborate on this a bit more? I think I get what you're saying, but if I do, that doesn't seem possible.

Here's an example. Let's say you're making a military FPS and you're scripting something where when you approach the terrorist base with helicopter support. A terrorist comes out with an RPG and shoots the helicopter and spins and crashes into a building. First you'd have to figure out how to make sure the helicopter is in the right spot when the player hits the invisible trigger, so maybe the helicopter flies in front of you to hover at a designated waiting position. You hit the trigger and the scripted animation starts. The terrorist walks out. Now you have to either make the terrorist temporarily invincible or tie the player's hands somehow (maybe the player's still riding in a humvee or something). Then you have to script the shot from the RPG to the helicopter's designated hovering point, animate the smoking and spinning helicopter, animate the deformation as it hits the building, animate the debris from the building, etc. It's a lot of work to make that one thing happen, and probably more work to make sure that the player stands in the right spot and has a good view of it.

Now, if the game has more advanced AI and physics, then all you need to do is set up the situation and it'll naturally happen, probably slightly differently for every player of the game. Just tell the helicopter pilot AI to circle around the terrorist base, and give the terrorist AI a high-priority objective to take down the helicopter. Then it's no longer a scripted linear sequence, just a situation in which there's a very high probability of a cool helicopter crash happening.

Maybe one player approaches the situation, and the helicopter's flying just over the humvee that he's riding in when the RPG hits in. That guy has to get out of the humvee and run like hell.

Another player approaches the same situation. And this time the NPC helicopter pilot reacts quick enough to dodge the RPG shot, but in its evasive maneuver clips a building, and it's too out of control to avoid the next RPG shot. The helicopter is jolted back towards the building, its blades all get clipped off by the building wall. The blades fly out everywhere and the helicopter drops like a stone.

Yet another player approaches the same situation, sees the guy with the RPG and manages to take the shot. Another terrorist runs in and picks up the RPG, and manages to hit the helicopter, which is closer to the base this time and ends up crashing into a ammunition cache. BOOM! Whoa, hey, there's a new entrance to the base now!

That's the kind of thing I'm talking about - instead of forcing the player through linear sequences, developers can just set up situations where something awesome is just waiting to happen, and trusting the engine to work its magic.

Although, I suppose any sequences involving recorded dialogue by voice actors will have to remain about the same as this generation.

 

[Monkeyman O'Brien]

DRM. They are going to go out of their way to restrict us even more. So no used games, no rentals, nothing. And if they all do it then we will be fucked. Sure if MS does it and Sony does not then its a death sentence for the 360 but Sony will want to fuck us over too.
So, basically, PC gaming is gonna kick off again.

 

[JoesshittyOs]

Actually take risks for a change

You know, with the amount of money and hardware that these new consoles are gonna take, I have the feeling that we're gonna see less and less risks with this new generation. I think the publishers are gonna be even more overbearing this time around.

By the looks of it, the new generation of consoles will bring little to nothing to the table. What puzzles me is how, for example Xbox players, seems perfectly content knowing that they'll pay for an overpriced box being shipped with an outdated Radeon HD6670 (that would be the Xbox 720).

And yet, console players are still defending their consoles with religion conviction, and just pointing out an obvious difference in performance is often met with hatred. Like literally hatred.

I think it's one of those things where they see how just ridiculously snobby you are about your PC's, they feel the need to take you down a notch. Can't say I disagree with them.

 

[TephlonPrice]

But I think we'll see:

-More shitty, buttfuckingly bad online passes that would fuck over customers & rental stores worse
-Trying to use graphics to justify shit gameplay
-Terrible 3rd party support (Nintendo cough)
-More gimmicky crap (reliance on 3D & motion gimmicks)
-Rehashing of the shitty mechanics that haven't worked out well

I'm not even gonna care about the graphical side of things because there'll probably be so much bullshit that'll be in the way of simply going online with a game.

 

[Wintermoot]

same shit as the previous gen except for Nintendo that,s going to try something new that Sony and MS are going to copy.

 

[Dan Dairam]

I'm expecting a much stronger shift to digital distribution. The super mainstream titles like the Halos and the Maddens will have to still be sold with physical copy version as it would be impossible to convert all of their fans to DD. But all the rest, expect to pay $60+ for the privilege of downloading them to your hard drive.

 

[Neyon]

De-Uglified graphics with HD textures.
The ability to run a game in 1080p at 60fps average at least a few years down the line.
Included or full support for SSDs.

More of everything we have been seeing recently.

Let's think of it this way:

PC gamers are assholes
Console gamers are pussies
Companies are dicks

PC Gamers would probably be the dicks and Companies the assholes.

 

[snagli]

Well, probably still a Call of Duty each year, 2, maybe 3 games made by Valve that show that they are still the best around, and of course the "retro" games will shift forward a little so that Halo will become retro and "from the good old days".

Motion controls probably won't get improved because of all the idiots ready to defend them. 3d puzzle games will all imitate portal in some way, 2d puzzle games will be indie (because big companies don't believe in 2d anymore).

 

[dills2]

gaming is in a fast decline into the super generic zone the developers of call of duty will go into the super generic zone and there will be some failed ideas in games by developers trying to keep there head above water also ea origin will have to shut down

 

[dills2]

also were going to have developers only caring about graphics and even more back seat gameplay

 

[CarlMin]

Actually take risks for a change

You know, with the amount of money and hardware that these new consoles are gonna take, I have the feeling that we're gonna see less and less risks with this new generation. I think the publishers are gonna be even more overbearing this time around.

By the looks of it, the new generation of consoles will bring little to nothing to the table. What puzzles me is how, for example Xbox players, seems perfectly content knowing that they'll pay for an overpriced box shipped with an outdated Radeon HD6670 (that would be the Xbox 720).

And yet, console players are still defending their consoles with religious conviction, and just pointing out an obvious difference in performance is often met with hatred. Like literally hatred.

I think it's one of those things where they see how just ridiculously snobby you are about your PC's, they feel the need to take you down a notch. Can't say I disagree with them.

Yeah, see this an example. All I did was pointing out how I can't see why console players would defend Microsoft when they are the ones being victimized. Why is that so hard hearing?

I mean really now, how is that being snobby? How is it snobby to point out a technical fact and wonder why people are okay with it? I personally would not be okay with it, no matter how cheap the next Xbox will be. If I wanted that kind of performance for less money, i'd just buy myself a Wii or a bloody iPad.

 

[VanityGirl]

Valve? Sega? EA? Nvidia? AMD? None seem likely, but stranger things have happened...

Not Valve, they can't release their own games in a timely manner, imagine if they were given a console!

OT: I think the push will be towards not only better graphics, but a blend of other entertainment like music, tv and movies. Obviously the consoles now are starting to get it, but I think the next wave will already being to integrate it into the system.
Processing power will be another thing consoles will need to push. The next gen of consoles need to have at least 3x the power of the PS3.

 

[Antitonic]

By the looks of it, the new generation of consoles will bring little to nothing to the table. What puzzles me is how, for example Xbox players, seems perfectly content knowing that they'll pay for an overpriced box shipped with an outdated Radeon HD6670 (that would be the Xbox 720).

And yet, console players are still defending their consoles with religious conviction, and just pointing out an obvious difference in performance is often met with hatred. Like literally hatred.

Microsoft are probably going to shift all new games to the new console, so we can either stay with just the "classics", or accept the new console. As for the hardware issue, I see it like this: Is the new chip better than the old chip? Will it play games at all? Do I have any influence over which chip is installed, be it this one or another?

If either of the first two answers are "no" AND answer three is "yes", then it's useful to know. If answer three is "no", then the other two questions are irrelevant, and there's no point to know. Hearing people say things like "it's already outdated" sounds a little elitist. We get it, PCs can be upgraded, consoles can't. If we can't do anything about it (like PC level modding), then we don't really need to know.

I don't get the hatred thing though. It's annoying, sure but not to a "hatred" level...

 

[Durgiun]

Three words, buddy:

-stagnation
-stagnation
-shinyassgraphics

 

[Arqus_Zed]

1. Gimmicks.

2. Uncountable re-releases of 6th gen games.

3. A fourth installment in trilogies that started and ended on the 7th gen consoles.

 

[Waaghpowa]

I'm really worried that the next generation WILL spell the end for either Sony or Microsoft's console days... and my feelings are leaning towards Microsoft at the moment.

Hell, it could be both. Who knows...

I am wondering if there will be another entry into the console race in the foreseeable future.

Valve? Sega? EA? Nvidia? AMD? None seem likely, but stranger things have happened...

Based on the progression of consoles lately, I wouldn't be surprised if Sony and Microsoft drop out in the near future.

Valve making a console? They make more than enough money on PC games, no need.
Sega dropped out years ago.
EA, don't think so. They're super concerned with used sales and online passes, why would they risk more money on hardware?
Nvidia, again, pc's.
Amd, pc's again.

My two cents.

Also if any of the rumours are true regarding the new Xbox, which I highly doubt they are, it will ruin everything to do with used games and people will be pissed. Oh, and it's basically PC gaming at that point but with accessible hardware and none of the freedom.

 

[Domehammer]

I could see microsoft ditching disks entirely more then anything. Go back to cartridges really are usb's with glorified specialized plug in only on there next console. They can then sell a addon for playing dvd's or with how they pushing online try to get people to use netflex.

Though just my predictions.. and biased on fact I had to buy oblivion three times before finally getting it on pc because xbox would kill disc and it was only with that game.