The Next Gen Thread

[Spark Of Spirit]

Wonder how long until we get any real info on the crossover. I'm just glad to see Fire Emblem is getting some love again.

I was waiting on your reaction. 

Atlus is working on this with IntSys, neither of which have made an HD RPG yet so who knows how long that could take? I would expect footage by E3 with 3D Mario, Smash, and Kart.

But I think most everything announced except Zelda U and Smash U will be out by this time next year except maybe X. We didn't learn what Monster Games, Retro (who has two teams), Miyamoto's stuff, or the portable teams were working on, so I'd say most of these are near completion.

[Spark Of Spirit]

This has been a bad week for gaming news. Here's what EDGE apparently has regarding their leaks for the next Xbox:

Microsoft?s next console will require an Internet connection in order to function, ruling out a second-hand game market for the platform. A new iteration of Xbox Live will be an integral part of Microsoft?s next console, while improved Kinect hardware will also ship alongside the unit.

Sources with first-hand experience of Microsoft?s next generation console have told us that although the next Xbox will be absolutely committed to online functionality, games will still be made available to purchase in physical form. Next Xbox games will be manufactured on 50GB-capacity Blu-ray discs, Microsoft having conceded defeat to Sony following its ill-fated backing of the HD-DVD format. It is believed that games purchased on disc will ship with activation codes, and will have no value beyond the initial user.

Our source has also confirmed that the next Xbox?s recently rumoured specs are entirely accurate. That means an AMD eight-core x64 1.6GHz CPU, a D3D11.x 800MHz graphics solution and 8GB of DDR3 RAM. As of now, the console?s hard drive capacity is said to be undecided, but Microsoft?s extended commitment to online delivery suggests that it will be the largest unit it has put inside a console to date.

Though the architectures of the next-gen Xbox and PlayStation both resemble that of PCs, several development sources have told us that Sony?s solution is preferable when it comes to leveraging power. Studios working with the next-gen Xbox are currently being forced to work with only approved development libraries, while Sony is encouraging coders to get closer to the metal of its box. Furthermore, the operating system overhead of Microsoft?s next console is more oppressive than Sony?s equivalent, giving the PlayStation-badged unit another advantage.

Unlike Nintendo, Microsoft is continuing to invest heavily in motion-control interfaces, and a new, more reliably responsive Kinect will also ship alongside the next Xbox. Sony?s next-generation console camera system is said to have a similar set of features, and is expected to be discussed at the company?s PlayStation event on February 20.

You can read more about how Sony?s next generation console compares in last week?s story, PlayStation 4 revealed.

If this is true, man, I just don't get Microsoft.

EDIT: Uh, Sony's doing the same thing? From Eurogamer:

The idea sees individual game discs matched to user accounts. Games which have been associated with another user's account will be rejected.

Discs would come branded with a contactless tag which would be recognised and read by your console, using the same sort of NFC technology present in modern bank cards.

Wow, if they both do this... the industry is done.

[Nel_Annette]

Yeah,if they both do this, then next gen I'll simply be investing into building a good gaming pc, with a Wii U on the side.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Video Game Crash Of 2014?

[Spark Of Spirit]

Third parties are pushing hard for this since they blame used games for everything. Taking used games out of the fold (and forcing online connections since most of the world doesn't have reliable internet... Heck I don't) means less people buying games. With higher budgets... this won't end well.

[Grave]

Honestly, I can't say I'm mad about this, but at the same time this has forced me into making an early decision on whether I will make the transition to next gen. And at the moment I'm perfectly fine with my Ps3 and Xbox 360. I don't really see the point for the new consoles right now either, but whatever.

[Kiddington]

Stuff like this is exactly why I'm glad I tend to gravitate more towards retro gaming.

Beyond the Wii U, I don't see myself having any interest in the next gen.

[Foggle]

Here's a dramatic reenactment of how this will probably pan out.

----------

PS4: I never asked for this...

PS4: If you want to make enemies, try to change something.

PS4: The year is 2016. It's a time of great DRM and technological restriction. It's also a time of chaos and conspiracy. I don't even know whose side I'm on...

Gaben: Breaking news. The riots continue in the streets of Tokyo, protestors rallying outside of Sony Computer Entertainment, one of the world's leaders in the controversial science of always-online DRM.

Sony: These consoles, PlayStation, they're like ghosts. Always in the shadows, always hiding behind firewalls and proxy software. I need you to find them. They cannot stop us. They cannot stop the future.

PS4: I never had a choice of what happened to me.

Wii-U: Sony!

Nintendo: How do you feel, PlayStation? The chassis may heal, but the processor is not always so resilient.

PS4: Publishers have more money than the government. Everyone's fighting for power, for control.

Xbox 720: Help... please!

Microsoft: I'll take used games to Hell!

Gaben: Police have opened fire on the crowd!

Microsoft: You'll never play them!

PS4: I'll never stop gaming.

[Eddy]

I also think we could stick with the 360 or PS3 for another four or five years, personally. The Wii needed to update to the Wii U in order to keep up with the games the 360/PS3 got but I can't see what a PS4 or Xbox 720 are going to offer besides slightly better graphics.

[Foggle]

I dunno, the advancements in tech are really making the 360 and PS3 seem dated. Even something like Borderlands 2 looks and runs about twice as well on a mid-range PC than a console. Not saying I particularly want the industry to move forward like that, but it already is. Pretty soon that tech won't be able to handle the software today's devs are pumping out without massive concessions.

What we need are new consoles without gimmicks or DRM. Upgrade the graphics and processing power, but leave out the bullshit like Kinect and keep 'em reasonably priced. And don't make the internet or buying new products a requirement, just give gamers what they want... a way to play games.

[talonmalon333]

I dunno, the advancements in tech are really making the 360 and PS3 seem dated. Even something like Borderlands 2 looks and runs about twice as well on a mid-range PC than a console. Not saying I particularly want the industry to move forward like that, but it already is. Pretty soon that tech won't be able to handle the software today's devs are pumping out without massive concessions.

That's what I was thinking. We're seeing future stuff that blows the 360 and PS3 out of the water. Modded Crysis does too.

What we need are new consoles without gimmicks or DRM. Upgrade the graphics and processing power, but leave out the bullshit like Kinect and keep 'em reasonably priced. And don't make the internet or buying new products a requirement, just give gamers what they want... a way to play games.

I understand your logic. But stuff like motion controls should still be available, even if it's just a side thing. How are we supposed to port our favorite Wii games if that stuff is abandoned?

[Foggle]

I don't think motion controls should be abandoned entirely, I just think it should be a completely separate thing and not a main focus, unless they're able to do it for cheap like Nintendo did with the Wii. I've heard rumblings of the 720 having a huge Kinect basis.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Microsoft will probably follow the third console curse. They will focus heavily on Kinect, they will bend over backwards for third parties ridiculous anti-consumer demands and crazy things like 8gb of RAM, and they will continue to push the same exact games. Only with prettier graphics.

Sony is already getting rid of Cell, so say goodbye to any sort of BC. They're also apparently putting out another beast due to the rumors so say hello to the return of five-hundred-and-ninety-nine US dollars. The Vita shows they haven't changed any of their terrible approaches to hardware.

Nobody has learned anything. If you want the most powerful console and you haven't gotten a PC yet (or are investing in one), then you're yelling at clouds. I really do think people are going to be surprised at the market reaction to their next gen consoles.

[Foggle]

Exactly. Console manufacturers need to move forward to keep up with progressing tech, but they're going about it all wrong. The Wii-U is supposedly 1.5-2 times as powerful as the 360 (so the equivalent of a mid-range PC, more or less), and that's all we really need right now tbh. CD Projekt RED was able to make fucking Witcher 2 work on the Xbox 360; it's probably more about developer competence than specs at this point.

8gb of RAM

WHY. The only reason you'd actually need 8 GB of RAM is if you're trying to max out Arma 2 or something. And that's before factoring in how a console already gets way more mileage out of a single RAM stick than a PC due to it being entirely dedicated to gaming.

Sony is already getting rid of Cell

lolsony, wonderful idea!

[Spark Of Spirit]

8gb of RAM

WHY. The only reason you'd actually need 8 GB of RAM is if you're trying to max out Arma 2 or something. And that's before factoring in how a console already gets way more mileage out of a single RAM stick than a PC due to it being entirely dedicated to gaming.

Because Crytek and DICE wanted it. I don't know if that's been confirmed yet, but that's the main reason. Basically, if you have a stupid request and are a third party, Microsoft will give it to you. The 720 is probably going to be sloppier internally than the 360, and will also probably have no BC. All to give third parties what they want... even if they don't need it and pass the cost onto the consumer.

Sony is already getting rid of Cell

lolsony, wonderful idea!

This has been basically confirmed. So it basically means no BC and high costs since it's brand new architecture. You might think it's unbelievable... until you remember what Sony did with the Vita.

This generation is either going to kill the industry or dilute it considerably.