What will the next generation consoles offer?

[le geek]

With game graphics as good as they are (esp X-box), what will the PS3, Xbox Next, and Next Nintendo systems offer us as gamers? I think it will be harder to offer prettier graphics in terms of wow factor. I can see all games being steady 60 fps and there being no draw in and more people on the screen at once etc.

Will they be easier to program for and offer more interactivity with environments?

What do you think?

Ben

[gamegirl79]

One thing I'm expecting to see is consoles becoming more like "all-in-one" machines, and I'm not too happy about that. I don't need a game console to play/burn DVD's (I have 3 DVD players already!), play mp3's or .mpg videos (I can use my pc for that), browse the internet, etc. etc. I just want to play games!

[nesuser2]

I too was very upset to find out that the psx will do loads of other crap as well. and then they have to put an unbelievable pricetag on it. I absolutely can't stand the fact that my ps2 plays dvd's because it's one of the poorest dvd players i've ever used and it really doesn't need it.(unrelated but I saw a 12yr old blowing all his bday money on a new ps2 at GS and he told the guy he wanted the DVD remote....his mom asked what he was going to do with the dvd player that was already in his room with a remote, "but mom, this is cool" LOL ) Anyways, it sounds like the Xbox Next is on the right track as far as gaming goes. They are going to trim the HD which will be good for them and that makes it seem as if they're turning off as many functions as possible, Sony is turning all functions on and Nintendo, well nobody ever knows what Nintendo is doing because they don't know what they're doing most of the time :roll: (NNt, O..Ur not my friend....)

[Cmosfm]

Nintendo, well nobody ever knows what Nintendo is doing because they don't know what they're doing most of the time :roll: (NNt, O..Ur not my friend....)

Yeah, but you have to admit, they always have something cool up there sleeve!

[nesuser2]

Nintendo, well nobody ever knows what Nintendo is doing because they don't know what they're doing most of the time :roll: (NNt, O..Ur not my friend....)

Yeah, but you have to admit, they always have something cool up there sleeve!

Ya, and there is always a catch! But usually they can cover them up with something really awesome. Let's hope it's really overlookable this time ;)

[crashdummycow01]

i would expect the next gen systems to be faster and have less loading time.. better/ more realistic graphics... IMO it would be cool if they launched i with online games with the network adapters built in.. and maybe internet browsing abilities... maybe..

but i'm sure nintendo will spend all of their time trying to make the console tiny and different than whats our right now, and less time on stuff like... extra features... online ability.. and other cool stuff like that

[Kid Ice]

Good question. My theory is that hardware only truly advances every two generations. It goes a little something like this:

classic gen: 2600, O2, Astrocade (significant advancements = programmable carts, detachable controllers)
classic gen pt 2: Colecovision, Intellivision, 5200 (improves on classic gen, but no significant advancements)

nintendo gen: NES, SMS, 7800 (significant advancements = scrolling, d-pads, battery memory)
nintendo gen pt 2: SNES, Genesis, Turbografx (improves on nintendo gen, but no significant advancements)

next gen: 3DO, PSX, Saturn (significant advancements = disc based, user modifiable memory, FMV, polygons)

next gen pt 2: DC, PS2, Cube (improves on next gen, but no significant advancements)

This isn't an absolutely flawless progression, but I believe the philosophy in general holds true. This means that we are do for a significantly advanced set of machines. But what form will these advancements take?

I can make a few guesses, but I expect to be surprised. I couldn't conceive of a game such as Super Mario 64 in 1990, much less in 1982. I don't think I'll be any better at predicting the future now. But if we're strictly talking the very next gen, I should have some clue, so here's some speculation:

-wireless controls standard
-broadband packed in, easy to configure, and free
-a move away from polygons (or as Jarvis said it, "these ragdoll people")
-built-in surround decoding
-standard video outs- no more proprietary plugs

This reads more like a wish list than speculation, the reason being I'm not expecting this to be a significantly advanced generation, but more of the same. Unfortunately, I think my philosophy is about to be broken.

[Flack]

Not too long ago there was a Nike commercial of a football game that blurred the line between reality and computer. There were certain parts of it that looked exactly like real people. Other parts still had that computer feel to them. I expect the next generation to have games of that caliber. I have had people walk through the house before, catch Madden out of the corner of their eye and think it was a real football game. Once they look at it closer it's obviously a videogame. I expect next gen to look even better, to the point where people may not be sure whether it's a real game or not.

[swlovinist]

This is what I expect and what I fear...........



Sequels and movie tie ins with prettier graphics.............yay O_O

more bullcrap to veer gamers away to the fact that the cash cow milk is getting thin...............like a new eyetoy thingie and maybe tivo??????
who cares?????????????

EXPENSIVE..................with all these gadgets, its gonna tickle!

Frankly my perspective of the future is getting questionable.........what else can they do that has not been done 10 times before?

Bottom line: New systems will have better graphics and be even more intigrated online..................I will get them probably eventually, but count me out at launch...........I would rather play my SNES!!!!

[atomicthumbs]

Well, lets just hope that the Playstation 3 DOES have four controller ports, groovy lights, makes pancakes and looks EXACTLY like the new PSX. DAMN YOU SONY! Don't they realize that my girlfriend will not tolerate my buying the PSX (even though it looks super-swank)!? ARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!

[jonjandran]

For all the people that mentioned that there wasn't a significant improvement in graphics from the PS1 , N64, Saturen to the PS2 , Xbox, Gamecube. :roll:

Go back and play the PS1 games and then pop in Halo.

Everyone always says that the graphics are maxed out and can't get much better. And then they release the Next Gen systems and everyone always says " How did we play those old games"

It will just keep happening.

[swlovinist]

Graphics are not the reason I will spend a ton of money on a system, the gameplay has to be there. I fear that the market is in a taildive right now in terms of generating new creative design and new gameplay mechanics. This spring has been considerably light on software making some people speculate whether or not this generation of systems wont start to sputter on sales. The PS2 rode on several sequels from the original playstation, but other than a few awsome platform titles, has not came up with anything new for a while. Their strategy of "lets spatter the market with average/crappy titles" is working, but for how long? As for Microsoft...they need to pull their head out of their butt and start making some franchises......one excellent game franchise will not cut it! Nintendo, although making some excellent games, needs to rethink their image and approach, for the game market of today is way different then the days of the NES. What else can I say? All three main companies have their issues, and if they dont fix them.....everyone loses!!!!!

[Gzilla23]

The next generation doesnt matter that much to me...my fear is that they create more and more online only games and forget about the single player exp. That would change the game.

[Ze_ro]

Graphics have pretty much plateaued in my opinion. Put a good Dreamcast game next to most of the current system's games, and I can't tell the difference. Any graphical improvement will likely be marginal, and that's assuming that the developers have the time to take advantage of all this extra power anyways.

I don't expect too much out of the next generation. I'd rather they stick to making games for the current generation instead. The Gamecube has more than enough power to supply me with gaming goodness for now.

--Zero

[Raedon]

I'm hoping for electro-shock rumble controllers.. That way you REALLY don't want to get hit.

[Rolland]

However odd sounding I guess there will be mind altering video games that have interfaces that induce you lose awareness of your body so that you are immersed in the game world. That or something else cool maybe. how utterly simplistic a concept could be used simply to add new horizens it would be, but that would be hard to accept for some of the people.

Also if anyone saw that movie called "Momento" then you know I'd like to see a game like that where you'd play backwards from what you have to do or starting at the end, yeah that would be nice and weird.

[Sylentwulf]

The next generation doesnt matter that much to me...my fear is that they create more and more online only games and forget about the single player exp. That would change the game.

This is where I'm stuck, not so much online, but gaming in general is starting to be too multi-player. There's no reason that every multi played game can't ALSO have a good single player game. Final Fantasy crystal chronicles for example, I've heard is pretty good as a multiplayer, but not so much as a single player.

I don't even KNOW 3 other people that play video games locally, nevermind 3 that want to play an RPG together.

[RetroYoungen]

I don't think it will be the consoles that will be making the advancements for some time, but more likely the major breakthroughs will be for the handhelds. The Game Boy had its' interchangeable programmable carts and scrollin environments, and believe it or not, the Taco (i.e. N-Gage) was "good" for something; it brought true 3D into portable gaming. What will the next generation of take-along consoles bring? Will the Nintendo DS make ANY sort of significant mark? When will we have true (and hopefully free) wireless connectivity to everyone for two-playing gaming built in? Will the new Sony handheld be worth its' salt?

I think the handheld frontier is going to be exploding the biggest in the coming years. And I'll be sitting there, glued to my mini screen, giddy with glee (and not just playing Cardfighters Clash or MotM).

[nesuser2]

Graphics have pretty much plateaued in my opinion. Put a good Dreamcast game next to most of the current system's games, and I can't tell the difference. Any graphical improvement will likely be marginal, and that's assuming that the developers have the time to take advantage of all this extra power anyways.

The dreamcast is actually a current system is it not?

[Kid Ice]

For all the people that mentioned that there wasn't a significant improvement in graphics from the PS1 , N64, Saturen to the PS2 , Xbox, Gamecube. :roll:

Go back and play the PS1 games and then pop in Halo.


Which game? A stinker like Deathtrap Dungeon, Dead in the Water, or SCARS? Or a gorgeous game like Colony Wars, Wipeout 3, or SOTN?

But...I'll concede. Yes, the improvement in GRAPHICS from the PSX to the X-Box is significant. But the question is, are there different TYPES of games? Can you play a game on X-Box that would've been impossible on a PSX? You could have had Halo on the PSX. Sure, it would have been ugly, but it was possible. Could you have had something approximating SMB3 on the Odyssey 2? Tekken 3 on the Sega Master System? Seaman on the Genesis? My point is you have to wait two generations to see a significant advancement, by "significant" I mean a game that would have been utterly impossible two generations ago.

And my feeling is that in the following gen, we will be playing games we could have played (albeit in a more primitive form) on the PSX.

[hydr0x]

For all the people that mentioned that there wasn't a significant improvement in graphics from the PS1 , N64, Saturen to the PS2 , Xbox, Gamecube. :roll:

Go back and play the PS1 games and then pop in Halo.


Which game? A stinker like Deathtrap Dungeon, Dead in the Water, or SCARS? Or a gorgeous game like Colony Wars, Wipeout 3, or SOTN?

But...I'll concede. Yes, the improvement in GRAPHICS from the PSX to the X-Box is significant. But the question is, are there different TYPES of games? Can you play a game on X-Box that would've been impossible on a PSX? You could have had Halo on the PSX. Sure, it would have been ugly, but it was possible. Could you have had something approximating SMB3 on the Odyssey 2? Tekken 3 on the Sega Master System? Seaman on the Genesis? My point is you have to wait two generations to see a significant advancement, by "significant" I mean a game that would have been utterly impossible two generations ago.

And my feeling is that in the following gen, we will be playing games we could have played (albeit in a more primitive form) on the PSX.

well, i'm 100% positive that there are games RIGHT NOW which were absolutely impossible to realize one generation ago, a good example might be KOTOR and there are a bunch of games which need so much data (not for the graphics, but for game content) that it would have never been possible to realize them on a PSX, one game like this will be Fable

and i'm also positive that there will be games on the next gen that would not have been possible today, although i can't think of anything right now...

i do think that the next gen will feature massively improved graphics, look at games like Resident Evil 4 and some other future releases (especially CUbe and X-Box), i really hope that most next gen games will have graphics at least as good as these games

[Kid Ice]

well, i'm 100% positive that there are games RIGHT NOW which were absolutely impossible to realize one generation ago, a good example might be KOTOR and there are a bunch of games which need so much data (not for the graphics, but for game content) that it would have never been possible to realize them on a PSX, one game like this will be Fable

and i'm also positive that there will be games on the next gen that would not have been possible today, although i can't think of anything right now...

i do think that the next gen will feature massively improved graphics, look at games like Resident Evil 4 and some other future releases (especially CUbe and X-Box), i really hope that most next gen games will have graphics at least as good as these games

I'm not sure I agree that KOTOR couldn't have been done on the PSX, in a primitive form. But like I said, my "every two gens" philosophy is more of a generalization than a rule. There may be an X-box game or two out there that couldn't have been done on the PSX in any form.

I'm a little confused by your third statement here. You expect the next gen to have "massively improved" graphics, then hope that they will have graphics "at least as good" as games in the current gen?

[hydr0x]

I'm a little confused by your third statement here. You expect the next gen to have "massively improved" graphics, then hope that they will have graphics "at least as good" as games in the current gen?

what i mean is, hell there are games right now on the current consoles that could be very early psx games (Charlies Angels and more). what i hope for is that every game on the next gen will look at least as good as the very very late games of the current gen and not like the early games again

[Algol]

In my crystal ball, I see:

-Somewhat improved graphics. I'll believe graphics can be "massively improved" when I see it.

-Even more sequels, movie tie-ins, and sequels to movie tie-ins, because that's what people are buying... JOY!!! :o

-Consoles getting more "gimmicky" i.e. more stuff like the Eye Toy and Nintendo DS.

-Can you say "PS1 retro anthology?"

[le geek]

-Can you say "PS1 retro anthology?"

<in slow motion voice>
NuhooooOOOOOOOOOOoooooo! :D

[Algol]

YES.

It might even come packaged with a PS1 style controller. Without the analog sticks. :roll:

[GamecubeFreek]

I dont really think there will be any real improvements over the current generation, other than slightly improved graphics. The only change that I can see happening sometime soon (though I hope it does not happen) is that games will be bought over the internet and kept on a memory card or hard drive or something instead of going out and purchasing the game at a store....but then again, I'm stupid. What do I know? LOL