The "Next Generation"

[Zthun]

So, it's been a year since the debut of the 8^th generation, 2 if you start counting with the Wii U. Of course, the oh-so-beloved phrase "a next-gen experience" was bound to be thrown about from the very beginning. However, the more I hear it, the more I realise that, at least for me, it's a very nebulous concept at best; what, exactly, is so different? Of what magnitude do the changes have to be for one to be able to talk about a true new experience? Of course, for the publishers, it's just a term used to entice us into buying their stuff - most of them probably couldn't care less about quality, as long as it doesn't affect their influx. But I'd really like to know:

1.) What qualifies (or should)? Does it have to be something drastic, like 2D - 3D, revolutionary gameplay, VR etc., something moderate, but still worth mentioning, or just a slight bump in graphical fidelity, the latter being what all the fuss is about nowadays?

I honestly think it's just the following scenario with today's players: Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all have home consoles. When all three of them release a new console that is not just a variation of their current console, it is now next gen. This doesn't count for handhelds.

2.) Where, if anywhere, would these changes and developments be currently observable?

Wii => Wii U
PS3 => PS4
XBox 360 => XBox One

There's not a lot of difference between the current gen and the previous gen. It's just a few new features that PC has had for years, some graphics card upgrades, and new controllers. The most innovative one here was the Wii U with it's tablet, but Nintendo hasn't used it very well, and the poop sales for it didn't give MS and Sony a lot of incentive to try something different. Hell, MS TRIED to do something different, but they didn't think far enough ahead.

At least as far as I'm concerned, there's sadly a distinct lack of innovation. Would you agree, or am I just too blind to realise the avant-garde genius behing this grand industry?

There's lots of innovation in the indie scene, just not in the AAA scene. I keep saying this, but the lack of innovation is because most people are broke. People want safe and secure and would rather not risk dropping $60 on something that's an unknown. Microsoft tried to push a new model with their XBOne, but because of nasty DRM attached to everything, nobody preordered it, so they transitioned back to how it was in the 7th generation. You can't really fault them for that. After all, consumers spoke with their wallets and MS had to follow.