Next Gen Consoles

[FRIBBLE]

someone had to do it so it might as well be me. Basically what I want to know is what you expect\hope for in the next generation of consoles that nintendo,sony and microsoft will be trying to sell you some time soon. Also what concerns you have.

Me personally I hope that sony finally replace the ageing dual shock pads with something like the cordless logitech ones I have for my ps2 and would like to see one of the analog sticks(the right one) replaced with a trackball to enable fps games to play more like on the pc.

What worries me is the rumors that sony intend to include tivo features in the ps3 as this would push the price up unnecessarily.The ps2's dvd playing was one thing as dvd players were still around £100 pounds or more at the ps2's release making it a bargain to play the latest games and dvd's. But who really wants a blu ray tivo recorder in their console? bumping up the price.

You may have noticed that I personnally make no reference to microsoft or nintendo in this.This is because I find xbox unplayable due to it's manky pads(who other than microsoft would have hired the team responsible for dreamcast pads to design their controllers).

And as for nintendo I think they will have to pull of something special to survive the upcoming console wars and may well end up joining sega as a developer

 

[Ganepark32]

Well my hopes are for what was posted by IGN as Revolution rumors. Check it out on the gamecube section to find out. Anyway, I think nintendo will pull something really special off and make everyone else as why they never believed in them. And PS3 will have Xbox graphics. Not that good. So if your wanting something to bet the graphics of the consoles out now then u'd best go for Xbox 2 or the Revolution when they come out. More at E3 anyway.

 

[Dozer]

Lol, what makes you say it would have xbox graphics? Anything to back that up at all?

I heard the next gens will be wireless hubs too. So most homes that use their console online will have wireless net access too .

 

[Memnoch]

I have all three current consoles but favor the Xbox due to Xbox Live. I hope all three next gen consoles have a decent online service (preferably free of course). I just hope Nintendo doesn't go the way of Sega as a result of the next battle (although that would make it one less console to purchase in the future I guess).

 

[watoto]

i've read all the rumors collected by ign on their ign channel and the "revolution" seems a bit weird in concept.i honestly wonder what they will pull out.i think microsoft will try to make the more powerful console possible,ps3 will be a bit below that but with some added features and god knows what nintendo are thinking.
if you read ign,you will have read the letter to readers from the gamecube channel editor.i agree with him when he says nintendo thinks current games are broken or have something seriously wrong with them and they must fix that.except videogames are doing fine as far as i can tell.you have your interesting ones,the boring,the innovators and the plain fun ones,and all console have their shares of them.looks pretty balanced to me.
the problem is this:usually consoles offer standard gameplay,and then some games try and enhanche that gameplay with custom peripherals,like microphones,fishing rods,dance mats and guns etc.
the problem with nintendo that i already see in the ds,is that they want the actual console to be have a weird peripheral incorporated,and they want everygame to use this to enhance gaming.only that you can't always expept developers to do far out stuff,most just want to program videogames.maybe with better graphics,but still normal videogames.so,i see the foundation nintendo is basing its revolution on to be not so strong.they should just concentrate on making good,or at least decent videogame like they used to instead of porting old games and making another bland game with mario in it.
i used to think nintendo as interesting,but now it's plain to me how it is just trying desperately to find its corner in the gaming world.and the way they do this is by filling the role of the outsider,the innovator,the one always pulling something out.i respect it to some degree,but it's a bit sad too.

 

[Vimacs]

uhm, dc controlelrs are some of the best ever made imho, and the xbox ones are also very good, at least better than that *** small ps2/gc pads

 

[Goity]

I dunno, I reckon nintendo will pull off something weird and wonderful with the revolution,
I heard that PS3 was powered by a 4.6GHZ CPU!

 

[spray]

nah, the Gamecube controller is a work of brilliance, a place for everything and everything in its place, it intuitive and well crafted.

 

[c0ncept]

wireless controllers as standard would be nice, I'd like the Xbox2 not to be so bloddy massive as well. And yeah, get rid of duelshock its shit.

 

[DaveC]

I am a bit miffed that there won't be a HDD in the new Xbox. I have gotten so used to not worrying about running out of space for saving games. It will be back to playing file manager on some dinky little piece of shit memory card again, AAARRRRGGH, I fuckin HATE that. I hate it on the PS2 and GC so much it is such a pain.

 

[bast525]

Look at history to find your answers for the future.


First off.... it has always seemed that whichever system comes out first, will always be the least powerful. NES came before SMS, and SMS had better graphics. TG16 came before Genesis came before SNES came before Neo Geo, and the graphics abilities of those three went in that order as well. Same for Saturn, PSX and N64 (released in that order). Same for Dreamcast, PS2, then Xbox and GC mere days apart. Hell even DS and PSP. The later systems always have the better graphics, and usually more capable in other areas as well.


It's almost cemented in stone now, that Xbox will release their new system first, with everyone and their momma's predicting end of this year. I highly doubt PS3 or Revolution will have worse graphics than the new Xbox, as they will have plenty of time in which to beef their systems up to outdo Microsoft, since they are both quoting 2006 releases (in Japan, mind you). It doesn't make a lot of sense for a company to release a system a year later only to have it be LESS powerful than the already-available comptetion, which by then would be primed for a price drop to combat the newly released systems. Four generations of systems have all followed that same rule, what makes any of you think it will change now? Remember, now that we're in the 'age' where video game systems proudly tout the names of the companies who make their video processing chips on the outside of the system for everyone to see, it's also a battle of video card makers now as much as it is system makers. So whatever card ATI stuffs into the Xbox for this go round, you can bet Nvidia will do their damndest to outdo it (and will have plenty of time to do so) with their chip in the PS3.


Another reason I have my doubts about the new Xbox, is that they are just releasing it way too soon. History has shown, in the case of Sega, that not waiting the average/expected 5 years before releasing a new system is usually a catostrophic mistake. Actually, I think Sega provide a very good example of what MAY happen with microsoft this round.

Sega did GREAT with the Genesis, almost all thru it's life, but then they made the mistake of releasing addons.... first the Sega CD, then the 32x and then right after, the Saturn. By then people were PISSED... so many Sega fans felt really burnt by this. Then in the case of the Dreamcast... a great machine... sales flopped because a) of the old Sega fans feeling burned and not willing to take a risk on another new, likely to be shortlived system (which it proved to be), and B) they released in the specter of the upcoming PS2, and most people just opted to wait for that system instead. I know if I were only going to be buying one system this new generation (I will be buying all three, as always), I'd probably wait the extra year and get the PS3. I still think Microsoft are lacking in the one area that to me, really makes a system desirable, and that is the mass of 3rd party support that currently only Sony enjoys. Microsoft are trying to be the first because they feel this is why Sony beat them this round, not so. MS lost this round because of the lack of third party support and because Xbox just seemed to be too full of PC ports or PC type games in general, and straddled a fine line there, in that, most typical PS2 gamers don't particularly care for PC style games so stuck with PS2, and most PC gamers consider the Xbox to be a lesser system and not worth the time vs. just playing on a good gaming PC. I think Xbox live is a major reason why Xbox has even done as good as it has... and indeed, it is an awesome service that blows the PS2 online out of the water.

For Nintendo... I think whatever they will do will be cool, but they always do their own thing and don't seem to really even pay attention to what their competition is doing. I really wouldn't know what to expect from them, but I do know, the harder they try to do something completely different, the more chance they take that they will just scare the average consumer (read: non-N-fanboy) off. Note I do say CHANCE. There's just as much chance that whatever new inventive thing they do may just be THE thing that makes them the most desirable system again.

For everyone hoping for better online from Nintendo though.. or... ANY online for that matter, they are still holding fast that this is NOT a major point of importance for them, though hinting that they want to do something new with 'community' they have also hinted, this does NOT mean online. Doesn't sound good to me.

Tell you what though... if the predictions of the new GBA "Evolution" are even close to correct, I may just sign my soul over to Nintendo myself I had to buy a new keyboard after reading that as the massive amounts of drool made my previous one unusable

 

[junker]

first off, i agree that the DC controllers are up there as some of the best. it introduced triggers(beat the FUCK out of reg. shoulder buttons.....well, in most games), and having an analog stick above where the d-pad normally is which gives a better feel. gamecube's controllers are great, too. but they're crap for fighting games, but that's what arcade stick are for anyway.

sooo back to the topic. i really hope that the next gen systems will have plenty of power and offer more than just a small upgrade in graphics. judging from xbox 2 specs, it should be just as powerful as today's high end pc with the latest graphics card. that is powerful, but nothing as significant as the jump from the last systems(n64, psx, saturn), to the new ones(dc, ps2, xbox).
and the pictures EA gave out are straight lies, the football pic i mean. no way in hell are the next systems going to achieve graphics of that calibre. mark my words, the new 3 systems are not going to be able to display real time graphics that you could mistake for a cg cutscene.
remember the ps2 tech demos? the xbox tech demos? have any games seriously looked that good? NO! it's a tech demo. they'll only show the absolute best under the least stressful enviornments. like nvidia and ati's latest tech demos. no pc games look anything like that. tehy will eventually, but not now. and neither will the games on the new systems.

but besides this, i hope the next systems will offer good online services like live, but better. to me, the question is, what advancements happened in the last 5ish years that the next systems will take advantage of? overall, though, i don't think much will change.

edi:
i agree with your sega comment, bast. yeah, all those addons sucked. the sega cd wasn't too bad, though. but your xbox comment i disagree with. it doens't have as bad a 3rd paty support as you make it out to be. it seems like every port of a 'major' game gets released on all systems anyway, but xbox does seem to get more fighters(various) and action games in general. sports seem to favor it, too, but ps2 does always get the chunk of released games. and it will as long as people conitinue to buy it and make it the number one owned.

 

[bast525]

I thought about that after I typed it... I know all the 'good' third parties that I like on PS2 do publish on Xbox as well, so I was a bit off there. What I was remembering, was last year when i was still working at Gamestop, and I would look at the PS2 section, and then the sections for the other two systems. PS2 had had over 2x as much shelf space as Xbox, and 3x as much as Gamecube. So what I should have wrote, is that Xbox just never seemed to catch up to PS2 in the area of having such a huge selection of games to choose from. I haven't been to Gamestop in a while so I may be a bit off there.

I do agree, sports games are better to pick up on Xbox, and if you're an FPS fan then Xbox is definatley the way to go. Also, I will say that if a game I want does come out for all three systems, invariably I do pick up the Xbox version as I know the chances are it will be better in some way(s). I don't mean to sound like I'm just totally down on Xbox or that I'm saying it sux, quite the contrary, there's no denying the system is definatley the most powerful and capable of the current gen. I guess I just feel that it has been under used and under appreciated. In the end the decision of 'better' system, this time around, just really depends what type of games you're into. I'm more into Japanese-made RPG, and like the character based platform-action games like Ratchet and Clank and Sly Cooper, as well I sell my soul for Gran Turismo and Grand Theft Auto, so for me, PS2 has won this round. While I enjoy first person shooters, they all feel the same to me lately, hence why Xbox is second place to me. Halo 2 though, is one of the best games I've ever played in any genre ever, so I'm glad to have an Xbox as well. I still think that there are more console gamers into those kinds of games that are found on the PS2 than there are into the more PC flavored Xbox games and that's a big part of why the PS2 is still so far out ahead. And I still say, Microsoft is making a mistake rushing to be the first next gen system out on the market, cutting the Xbox's life short, most likely pissing off quite a lot of consumers who have bought their Xbox only recently, and giving their competition so much time in which to build a better system. Just like Sega did with the Dreamcast....

 

[Ganepark32]

Yeah but you see, thats why nintendo are making something revolutionary. They had f**k all third party support for the gamecube and so with the revolution they are trying to get more third party developers on board as well as it being aimed at non-gamers or people who gave up on gaming because it was becoming complex. All next gen consoles will be great but you have to say nintendo are pushing the market the right way. Sure sony and microsoft can push for graphical perfection but if they do the market will end in a few years because they'll have nothing to add to their machines. Whereas if nintendo keep thinking up new ways to play then the market will live on. And lets not have loads of sequels for the next gen consoles. Its great playing something new but by the time the sequel comes out less people get on board and buy it. The industry needs games that are innovative, new, and present a new why for the gamer to think about how to do things.
Thats my opinion.
edit: as for nintendo going the way of sega, you've got no chance. They've got enough money to keep them in the market for as long as they want.

 

[bast525]

The problem is, new ways of playing dont just instantly equate to 3rd party love and tons of fantastic new games that everyone wants to play. You knew THIS was coming... take the DS for example. It's got this new way of playing games, yet I don't see all the well known 3rd parties running back to Nintendo, ready to make games for the DS with the same kind of support they used to give back in the SNES days. And while the touch screen is cool, and fun when used in an innovative way (Feel the Magic, Wario Touch), a lot of people are as put off by it as others are drawn to it, seeing it as merely a gimmick. And a lot of people (like me, sorry) would rather have the PSP's better graphics and more 3rd party support than the DS's touch screen. I'm not sure what Nintendo has up their sleeve for the Revolution, but if it's something like the touch screen or some other new control method, I think it wont do so well. I'd rather the innovations come in the games themselves (Katamari Damacy, Half Life 2, come to mind), than some gimmicky new control method like tilting the controllers to play. I think most gamers are more concerned with what's going on on the screen than what's going on in their hands . No matter WHAT their 'fantastic new way to play games' is, I still think that without improving their 3rd party support, they are still doomed to never recapture first place in the market. They can have the best system in the world but what good is that if your competition can offer 2-3 times as many games?

As far as Nintendo going the way of Sega... it doesn't matter how much money they have... for them to remain viable they have to continue to make good money into the future. I personally don't think it will happen any time soon, but it does make sense that they COULD possibly stand to make more money if they got out of making hardware and started making their games for everyone else. It's oft been said that the only thing that's really kept nintendo going this long in hardware has been it's success with the gameboy and pokemon franchises. And remember, it's common knowledge that companies don't really even make that much money on hardware anyways, all the money comes from software sales. And who of us wouldn't be happier, to have one less system to buy (or to not buy and miss), and be able to have all of Nintendo's great games on another system? Surely someone at Nintendo is thinking about this as well.... I think the only thing keeping them from doing it so far is stubborn pride, and the fact that they keep saying that they don't feel Nintendo games will 'work' on other systems, that is to say, systems not designed to their own spec. They make it sound like the system is somehow designed around the games, when it really has and will always be the other way around.

 

[Radio]

I'm hoping that the DS doesn't become a machine mainly for N64 re-releases and Pokemon. As I'm sick of the re-releases currently on the GB SP and it's the reason I took so long to buy one.
I hope that they add online support for their next gen console. If they can hook a Game Boy up to a Gamecube then it wouldn't be much of a stretch for the next gen online system to link to others players while utilising the GB/DS. Even if they just did this for the Pokemon games it would be a huge draw but I would hope that it would mean more online gameplay for other games aimed at an older target audience. Pokemon is all well and good but they need another killer game for their systems or I really think they will go the way of Sega.

For Nintendo... I think whatever they will do will be cool, but they always do their own thing and don't seem to really even pay attention to what their competition is doing. I really wouldn't know what to expect from them, but I do know, the harder they try to do something completely different, the more chance they take that they will just scare the average consumer (read: non-N-fanboy) off. Note I do say CHANCE. There's just as much chance that whatever new inventive thing they do may just be THE thing that makes them the most desirable system again.

*Nods in agreement*

 

[Ganepark32]

Yeah but Bast525, people who have been playing games consoles since PS1 will want something they can handle. That being something with more graphical power and better games. People who played games since the nes and stopped playing because gaming became complex will want to see something that changes the way gaming is played (like me). People won't be put off something new. Remember Eye Toy. A lot of people i talked to said it was crap but most of those people went out and bought it cause they changed their minds about it. This COULD be the case for the revolution. And as nintendo stated its not going to be geared at hard core gamers. They want people that stopped gaming to start gaming again. And yeah so what if nintendo dont have the third party support that Sony does. If the Revolution is very innovative then it MIGHT lure back some third party developers. But even if it doesn't then the first party titles will still sell because they set the standards for other companies trying to follow the trend (Jak n Daxter~Mario). No other console has such a strong line up for potential first party titles.

 

[Steve-O]

as long as the PS3 has the Same Controller design as the PS2 Im happy...

The PS2 Controller has to be one of teh Best controllers to hold in the world

I wont get a Xbox 2 or the new Nintendo, first I will be getting the PS3... I think Sony is the Best Console makers out there ... The PS2 Sold Out again last christmas and its over 5 years old!!!!

 

[bast525]

Agreed, Nintendo's first party titles still (usually) come as A++ titles, no doubt. Another big problem for Nintendo though, is shaking the image they have of being 'just for kids'... an image they aren't exactly trying very hard to shake off. Seems most guys who love Xbox (you big manly studs the all of you), and maybe 50% of the Sony guys, would much rather avoid ever playing a Nintendo game, no matter how good the game is. Or at least, most of those guys just can't justify buying another system just to play that handful of Nintendo greats. I personally, wouldn't want Nintendo to change that image, I don't think I'll ever be too old for Mario... but feel this is just another big obstacle keeping them from getting back to the top. They could come up with the greatest new innovation ever imagined in the world of video games, and would still not appeal to such a large group of gamers who would rather not play 'kids' games. Of course, IF they can lure back the 3rd parties, this image could change.


Personally, I don't think any innovation they might come up with would really draw the 3rd parties back (again, look to the DS... while innovative, the 3rd parties have yet to come flocking to the thing in droves)... seems they burned a lot of bridges with their stubborn ways back around the time the N64 debuted... I think it would take something more along the lines of behind-the-scenes deals, some kind of big incentives to get those companies back to making games for them.


Though their first party titles are great, they alone have not, and will not be able to put them back on top... they simply can't come out with them fast enough

EDIT:

Steve-0 .... uh... hate to break it to you, but from what I saw, Xbox's and Gamecubes were sold out at most retailers during the Xmas season as well. I went into gamestop 1 week after Xmas, and was shocked to find that the ONLY current systems they had available for sale, new OR used, were gameboy advances! There were actually news articles in gamespot and I believe IGN, talking about how all the major systems were short on supply this Xmas, that demand for new systems was higher than anyone had expected. Xbox and PS2 are still selling reasonably well, PS2 got a shot in the arm with the new smaller model, and Xbox seems to always have some good deal with free games and free trial Xbox live which does good at keeping new customers coming. I dont know for sure, but I'm betting Resident Evil 4 may have given a small boost to recent Gamecube sales as well. Of course, DS's were selling like hotcakes and last I checked were still kinda hard to get, but you should be able to get your hands on one without having it shipped by now.

 

[mr twit]

I don't know about you, but I don't really feel like spending another £500 in a years time getting three more consoles if all they are going to be is exactly what we have now with a few more polygons. Graphics are perfect as they are, you won't even be able to notice the difference. Maybe slightly better textures and slightly smoother edges, how is that going to make the games any better?
So I won't be buying any console except the revolution, if it actually is majorly different.