The next gen, what could it entail

[Firey_chasm]

Hi,

well I know many people are wondering ( and a few select people know) what the next generation of gaming has in store. xbox '720' Playstation 4 etc. As if this generation is anything to go by, it could be how we are gaming for the next 10 years! Thought it would be interesting to hear everyones realistic ideas/dreams.

I will brush past the fact I expect more graphical punch. However I am expecting less of a leap than betwen PS2 and 3 for example.

What I hope to see is a change in usability.

1. Discs - I feel using a disc for a game is nigh on redundant. Steam on the PC has proven how easy gaming can be when everything is discless. Browse your library from your couch and press play.

- This does bring up the question of storage though, if we go discless then I would hope to see at least 2TB harddrives in the boxes (maybe budget versions with less space) as assuming the next generation of game takes ~30g then it is only around 30 games to each Tb. Having to redownload/Install games would be tedious.

2. This one is aimed more specifically at the playstation. Allowing you to game at home or on the move. i.e. I get home and play some CoD:MW6 (or whatever) but then I need to get on the train for 5 hours. I would hope all I do is turn on my vita (for playstation), which will automatically connect to my home wifi and download updated save games from codmw6 that I have been playing. Then turning off the console and going to catch the train I would hope to be able to play exactly the same game (albeit maybe with not so hot graphics) and carry on from exactly the same point I left off.

3. A follow on from 2. when I take my vita round to a friends house, I will be able to sync it with their playstation (almost seemlessly) and we then play multiplayer with our own accounts/characters

4. Some games to offer mini side games/Apps on mobiles. i.e. world of warcraft auction house. Or maybe a simplified version of the same game.

5. potential cross platform. i.e. buy a steam game and be able to play it on either playstation or PC or maybe xbox too. (again linked saves)

6. I like the smart glass idea. Extra info, game guides, interactive maps etc on your phone while you play. or films synopsis etc. Hope it is implemented effectively.

7. 3d gaming doesnt matter to me, but I am guessing they will try and make a big thing about it.

8. Better chat systems, both voice and text. Voice should be more like Skype and easy to use and work as overlay over whatever you are currently doing.

9. less clutter on the screen. Playstation isnt so bad but the xbox dashboard is horrible now. Feels like too many adverts.

These are my hopes and I feel are more than achiveable with the technology we have around today. In fact none of it is really anything new, just rehases of techniques already used by many industries already.

I would like to hear other peoples ideas/hopes or also if you really dislike any of the above ideas.

 

[kristian221]

Honestly at this point I am not expecting a lot. The graphics push we won't see until we are a good 4 or 5 years into the consoles life span. As far as cross platform, well that already exists. Heck you can get steam on the PS3 and that answers several of your ideas But Microsoft has a strict no cross platform policy so it will not be happening any time soon. The 2TB hard drives will not be coming to consoles ANY time soon, not this generation or the next, it would add on another hundred dollars onto the console. They would much rather sell it for 100 bucks less and make you use interchangable games.

 

[Theocnoob]

I agree we won't see large hard drives. Especially now that hard drive prices are a bit elevated. It adds too much to the cost of the machine to do that.

 

[marketpantry]

there have been rumors that the ps4 and xbox 720's graphics and cpu will not be very powerful. the graphics cards the gpus are based on are a couple generations old and will be at least 3 or 4 generaitions behind current gpus when the systems are released. a current pc will be able to walk circles around those 'next gen' consoles. ps3 when it came out was actually pretty powerful compared to computers at the time. it sony so much that they had to sell it at about a 150$ loss per console. the 6950, which was released well over a year ago, will be more powerful than the gpu in the upcoming consoles... so much for making a system that wont be out of date immediately.

 

[Firey_chasm]

Honestly at this point I am not expecting a lot. The graphics push we won't see until we are a good 4 or 5 years into the consoles life span. As far as cross platform, well that already exists. Heck you can get steam on the PS3 and that answers several of your ideas

Last time I checked it was kinda limited to portal 2. Most of my ideas are extensions of current tech, nothing there is revolutionary which is whay I kinda am hoping they will be in the next gen.

But Microsoft has a strict no cross platform policy so it will not be happening any time soon. The 2TB hard drives will not be coming to consoles ANY time soon, not this generation or the next, it would add on another hundred dollars onto the console. They would much rather sell it for 100 bucks less and make you use interchangable games.

Unfortunately I think you might be right, I just really dislike discs now, to the point where my 360 gathers dust. I currently need around 1.5Tb for my steam collection and that is only growing. (redownloading is time consuming)

there have been rumors that the ps4 and xbox 720's graphics and cpu will not be very powerful. the graphics cards the gpus are based on are a couple generations old and will be at least 3 or 4 generaitions behind current gpus when the systems are released. a current pc will be able to walk circles around those 'next gen' consoles. ps3 when it came out was actually pretty powerful compared to computers at the time. it sony so much that they had to sell it at about a 150$ loss per console. the 6950, which was released well over a year ago, will be more powerful than the gpu in the upcoming consoles... so much for making a system that wont be out of date immediately. .

If that is the case then there will need to be something else to tempt people to buy the console why buy just a minor graphical notch up for what will probably be £500

 

[EpicMango]

I read somewhere that Xbox will be using the 6670 graphics card in the next console...

-_-

 

[Janus67]

I briefly looked through the 56page document that was leaked regarding the 720.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/xbox-720-launching-at-299-with-kinect-2-6382875

Covers the basics of it. It looks like the document was requested to be taken down by the M$ legal team I'm sure you can still find it somewhere but not at the highly linked places.

 

[Firey_chasm]

hmm, interesting read, seems like they are just trying to push kinnect, with a more powerful console.

blu-ray would be nice so long as it has full support of dolby true-hd etc or the ability to bitstream the sound.

$299 sounds an incredably reasonable price though. Makes me wonder if they are going to release 'budget' versions i.e. without kinnect and no hard drive and maybe even no blu-ray etc.

 

[Janus67]

I wouldn't be surprised to see them pushing out the contract/subsidized Xbox like they are testing right now for the 360 ($99 for the xbox + kinect but you have to pay $15/mo for XBL Gold for 2 years)

 

[zitnik]

lol I think the 360's GPU was the quivalent of a GeForce 7800GT when it came out...

The 360 has a more powerful GPU than the PS3, but the PS3 has that crazy "cell processor" thing, plus the Blu Ray drive where you can add way more data than a DVD drive.

 

[Lord Vader]

This is what I expect of the new stuff

1. Disc still being an option but everything avail as DLC. I know they want to do away with discs to get rid of used game sales but in the US a lot of people have crap speed internet so it isn't likely yet.

2. MS has already stated they will not use BluRay so maybe a proprietary disc format? It has been speculated that it will use an SD card sized thing instead of a disc

3. Lots of gimmicky hand-wavy, voice interacty crap

4. Even more "social" garbage

5. More subscription crap like Hulu, NetFlix, TV on Demand blah blah blah

Needless to say, I'm not looking forward to the PS4 or the Durango nor the Wii-U because I hate gyrating and yelling at the TV rather than using a controller and I definitely don't want Facebook in my games.

 

[Starwind]

I don't remember where right now, but it seems there will be a slot to upgrade the graphics just like a pc. You don't really need a new processor as much as you need a GPU. Sony isn't going to work on the Cell CPU anymore which is kinda a shame because the thought behind it was good. Swappable HDD and GPU for the next generation isn't that hard to deal with really. You may not have the creme of the crop so to speak while gaming with consoles, but like it was mentioned above Sony was only a step ahead once. If you are really that hugely detailed with graphics chances are you aren't a huge console gamer. 'Hardcore' gaming is still PC based. The new consoles seem to be just more interactive and mobile. You can't have everything so what will sell more? Being stuck with a mouse and keyboard or being able to be more creative without spending a thousand dollars for the experience. I prefer disc-less systems as well. You're able to trade and there are plenty of sales that go on with it. It will however destroy gamestop so there will be politics involved one way or another.

 

[jstutman]

6. I like the smart glass idea. Extra info, game guides, interactive maps etc on your phone while you play. or films synopsis etc. Hope it is implemented effectively.

We had this before. It was called a VMU

 

[Lord Vader]

We had this before. It was called a VMU

Yeah and Sega did a whole lot with that didn't they?

 

[nightelph]

1. Disc still being an option but everything avail as DLC. I know they want to do away with discs to get rid of used game sales but in the US a lot of people have crap speed internet so it isn't likely yet.

2. MS has already stated they will not use BluRay so maybe a proprietary disc format? It has been speculated that it will use an SD card sized thing instead of a disc

3. Lots of gimmicky hand-wavy, voice interacty crap

4. Even more "social" garbage

5. More subscription crap like Hulu, NetFlix, TV on Demand blah blah blah

This is in line with my predictions. I don't expect current PC GPUs in the box when it ships, either.
What I'd really like to see in the console industry is a return to outstanding games. It seems like software hasn't been doing a great job the past five years.

 

[Nechen]

Here's the next gen:

1.) There will be another Wii. There will be Zelda, Metroid, and Mario. You will buy it, and you will play it. GET ME?!

2.) Playstation 4 will be released, this time with 5D graphics and a Red-Ray player. Nobody will develop for this console since Sony has already announced they're going to be using a new chip they've code-named "failatron" using the MIPS architecture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIPS_architecture

3.) Microsoft will release the Xbox180 just to **** everyone off who keeps calling it 720 because herp derp 360x2 = 720. This latest incarnation of Xbox will feature some decent shooters that almost compare to PC gaming along with a brand new variety of error lights. Were you bored with the plain 'ol 3 flashing red lights? **** that! Each new Xbox180 comes with not 1, not 2, but 3 Cathode tubes welded into the side of the case that flicker like so:

However, this time around the XboxLive Membership will cost $14.99/mo. and the MS Points system will be done away with. Instead you can only buy "Credits" in fractions of a credit that way you end up with an even more mind-maddening uneven amount of credits you can't spend after just buying that new GTA DLC.

If anyone else wants to look into my crystal ball let me know.

 

[benbaked]

What I'd really like to see in the console industry is a return to outstanding games. It seems like software hasn't been doing a great job the past five years.

I disagree, the last five years has seen some of the greatest games I've ever played in gaming. Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Mass Effect (and 2), Bioshock, Red Dead Redemption, Forza 3 (and 4), to name some.

 

[Dlaw]

Here's the next gen:

1.) There will be another Wii. There will be Zelda, Metroid, and Mario. You will buy it, and you will play it. GET ME?!

2.) Playstation 4 will be released, this time with 5D graphics and a Red-Ray player. Nobody will develop for this console since Sony has already announced they're going to be using a new chip they've code-named "failatron" using the MIPS architecture http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIPS_architecture

3.) Microsoft will release the Xbox180 just to **** everyone off who keeps calling it 720 because herp derp 360x2 = 720. This latest incarnation of Xbox will feature some decent shooters that almost compare to PC gaming along with a brand new variety of error lights. Were you bored with the plain 'ol 3 flashing red lights? **** that! Each new Xbox180 comes with not 1, not 2, but 3 Cathode tubes welded into the side of the case that flicker like so:

However, this time around the XboxLive Membership will cost $14.99/mo. and the MS Points system will be done away with. Instead you can only buy "Credits" in fractions of a credit that way you end up with an even more mind-maddening uneven amount of credits you can't spend after just buying that new GTA DLC.

If anyone else wants to look into my crystal ball let me know.

Ha! I almost peed myself while I was reading this. So great.

Seriously though, consoles are never going to appeal to the hard core gamer, because the hard core gamer is going to want complete control of their hardware. I have a 360, a Wii and have had a PS3, and the reason I came back to PC is for that very reason. PC's are fully customizable, and I'm not violating any EULA or something when I do.

 

[rumbl3]

I'm not much of a console gamer at all. I got a ps3 used basicly to try out a few games I can not get on my pc (drake's, red dead, etc).

My son had a 360 i would play once in a while with him. For the love of god allow us to install the game to the hard drive and not require the disk....

Bothers me to no end lol.

But I'll probably never be a real big console gamer. It's not the games or the controllers it's that i feel like I'm being put in a little backyard with a fence on a lease. Buy only there over priced accessories etc.

They ever loose up a bit they might actually sell me on a day one pick up. That's why i was slightly willing to get a ps3 fact that I can put my own hd, back up my stuff, reload the system if i have a issue. I do not have to run to big brother and hand him an arm and a leg to fix things for me all the time while I sit and wait a month.

/end rant

 

[benbaked]

I'm not much of a console gamer at all. I got a ps3 used basicly to try out a few games I can not get on my pc (drake's, red dead, etc).

My son had a 360 i would play once in a while with him. For the love of god allow us to install the game to the hard drive and not require the disk....

Bothers me to no end lol.

But I'll probably never be a real big console gamer. It's not the games or the controllers it's that i feel like I'm being put in a little backyard with a fence on a lease. Buy only there over priced accessories etc.

They ever loose up a bit they might actually sell me on a day one pick up. That's why i was slightly willing to get a ps3 fact that I can put my own hd, back up my stuff, reload the system if i have a issue. I do not have to run to big brother and hand him an arm and a leg to fix things for me all the time while I sit and wait a month.

/end rant

Um, you can install Xbox 360 games to the hard drive. Of course, they are still going to require the disc even if you install the game, just like a lot of PC games unless no-cd cracks are used. You think they'd let people just install disc-based games and not need the disc? Remember, piracy is one of the big reasons the Dreamcast died. I believe that lesson has been learned.
You can also use your own hard drive with a little technical know-how and research instead of purchasing MS' overpriced drive. It's not as easy as doing it in a PS3 or PC but it is not beyond the capabilities of anyone here with some very basic technical skills and despite what some fear mongers might say you won't get banned from XBL for doing so. As for the RROD, yeah the 360 is one of the worst consoles ever from a quality standpoint but in their defense MS backed up that issue with a long warranty, they send you the shipping box postage pre-paid, and they send you a 30 day XBL Gold card to cover for the month you're without the console. Yet people still complain about MS ripping them off.