I guess it's because Sony and Microsoft are big, evil companies that burn puppies as fuel to run their factories. I heard their board of executives are a collection of the villians from captain planet.
Nintendo on the other hand cares about you. They float above japan in hot air balloons dumping bags of money on the slums and their production lines run on love and kitten smiles.
you could cut that sarcasm of yours with a knife, you could. would like some pretzels to go with that bitter?
Personally, I desire consoles I do not own to fail, and consoles I do own to succeed.
Pure self-interest.
Also, I'm hoping that Sony failing would lead to them producing their version of the Wii a generation or two down the line. If they succeed now, they'll never learn anything.
Some of us don't want a Sony wii, if I wanted a wii I'd buy a wii. (assuming I could fine one :P) Some of us like big honkin' consoles that do lots of stuff.
Also I think Sony has already learned their lesson about releasing such an epensive console, they fired the dude that designed it.
EDIT: Just in case someone thinks I'm a Sony fanboy, I am not. PS2 was my least favorite console last get, I think it kept the other consoles back because they always had to target what the ps2 could handle, and the retarded sony fanboy hype helped to kill the dreamcast. The PS3 is not a bad system, its just expensive, but this isn't due to corporate greed its just cutting edge tech. I only bought it cause I got a good deal on it and MS was taking too long to address RROD and drop their price. The wii looks like fun but I think I'd really use it much except for when I have friends overand $250+$40x3 is a bit much to spend for a party machine. Besides I have rock band which fills that niche nicely. (was a gift)
I’ll tell you what happens in Demon’s Souls when you die. You come back as a ghost with your health capped at half. And when you keep on dying, the alignment of the world turns black and the enemies get harder. That’s right, when you fail in this game, it gets harder. Why? Because fuck you is why.
0
Dr Mario KartGames DealerAustin, TXRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
Fortunately the market appears large enough for different varieties of gaming to survive.
I personally dont like the direction of consoles moving towards being multimedia machines or full blown computers. I dont want all these extra features loading down my game machines and raising costs across the board, from the hardware manufacturer, to the software developer, to the consumer.
I've pretty much accepted that I've already bought my last home console. I'll be going full portable from now on.
i dont mind extra features as long as it's not hyped as the console's main draw. xbox live, for instance, is cool but i'd never buy a 360 just for the online play. but then again, a lot of people do.
the future can unfold however it wants, as long as there are still quality games for me to play at a reasonable price, i dont really care about the circumstances.
unless we were under the supreme reign of the canid, of course
I'm pretty much accepted that I've already bought my last home console. I'll be going full portable from now on.
I just finished playing The World Ends With You and was very, very, very happy with it. Then I just had a relevation: the DS is like "my PS2" of this generation. It's got a wide variety of games and genres that I really enjoy, from many different developers. Sure, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles from a 360 or PS3 game, but most of the games have great gameplay at the core, and I like that a lot.
Anyone feel the same way? From the way sales have been going, it seems like a lot of casual/mainstream consumers feel this way.
I'm still not entirely sure why everyone wants Nintendo to fail.
Because Nintendo is making video games in a slightly different way than the others, which of course means the downfall of humanity for some reason. At least according to countless internet posters. Wii Fit is the pinnacle of this Fear of a Casual Planet.
Many of these people who equate "casual" with "evil" are also PS3 zealots -- we're not talking about people who LIKE the PS3, we're talking about people who devote their entire posting energy to the utter destruction of everything that is not Sony. NeoGAF has a LOT of these.
Put the two things together, and you can see where some people might giggle at the thought of the violent nerd rage that will break out when Wii Fit overtakes the PS3 in Japan.
Actually I want Nintendo to go down because they have created a generation of man children. I work at a gaming hub, and every day we get the same 17-35 year olds that come in and just on their DS for a few hours. I wouldn't really mind that if they weren't unwashed, extremely loud, socially awkward, and more then a few feet away from me. It's pretty annoying when they don't look you in the eye when they order something and trail off into mumbles mid sentence.
Yes, obviously Nintendo at fault here.
Let's ignore the real culprit: Dungeons and Dragons.
We do get some D&D people every now and then, or some variation of D&D. They aren't nearly as bad as the nerds {at least 20 years old} that seriously talked about breeding Pokemon for two hours. Or the guys that talk about Mario kart strategies. Or the times when they make stupid Nintendo jokes so loud that I'm embarrassed for them from across the cafe.
I don't really hate Nintendo, I hate the people who play Nintendo.
Neva on
SC2 Beta: Neva.ling
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
Personally, I desire consoles I do not own to fail, and consoles I do own to succeed.
Pure self-interest.
I never understand this way of thinking. Are you any better off when another console fails? I don't think so.
As a gamer, I'd rather have all the consoles be successful so that I have greater variety and choice in what I choose to buy.
Well, if a console fails, the exclusive franchises must move to a successful system. A PS3 failure would lead to MGS4 360 version. A 360 failure would lead to PS3 Halo etc. That requires Sega level of failure though and is not going to happen for any of the big 3 anytime soon.
I'm not just talking about choice in games though, I'm talking about choice in console features too.
I love my Wii but I wouldn't compare it with my PS3 or 360. It's a totally different experience. More choice is good for gamers.
Personally, I desire consoles I do not own to fail, and consoles I do own to succeed.
Pure self-interest.
Also, I'm hoping that Sony failing would lead to them producing their version of the Wii a generation or two down the line. If they succeed now, they'll never learn anything.
Some of us don't want a Sony wii, if I wanted a wii I'd buy a wii. (assuming I could fine one :P) Some of us like big honkin' consoles that do lots of stuff.
Also I think Sony has already learned their lesson about releasing such an epensive console, they fired the dude that designed it.
Based on the commentary from a few of their execs, they have started to see the problems of most of their actions in the beginning of this generation. So that's good.
Personally, I was really, really looking forward to getting a PS3 before this generation started. I expected Sony to capitalize on the unprecedented momentum of the PS2, and offer a more competitive and reasonable price than the zomg $400 xbox360 at the time.
They lost me as a potential PS3 purchaser the moment they uttered the famous line. You all know the one.
Microsoft came very close to taking my otherwise-reserved-for-a-PS3 purchase by having at least a lower price and some really great games, but the RROD thing cut that idea quite short.
I just hope that the consoles don't launch at so exceedingly high prices next generation.
I don't really hate Nintendo, I hate the people who play Nintendo.
Because clearly only Nintendo has socialy inept people use their products.
When said group stands high above the rest in a gaming hub as the most embarrassing and socially inept, then there's some concern. Clearly.
Neva on
SC2 Beta: Neva.ling
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
Personally, I desire consoles I do not own to fail, and consoles I do own to succeed.
Pure self-interest.
Also, I'm hoping that Sony failing would lead to them producing their version of the Wii a generation or two down the line. If they succeed now, they'll never learn anything.
Some of us don't want a Sony wii, if I wanted a wii I'd buy a wii. (assuming I could fine one :P) Some of us like big honkin' consoles that do lots of stuff.
Also I think Sony has already learned their lesson about releasing such an epensive console, they fired the dude that designed it.
Based on the commentary from a few of their execs, they have started to see the problems of most of their actions in the beginning of this generation. So that's good.
Personally, I was really, really looking forward to getting a PS3 before this generation started. I expected Sony to capitalize on the unprecedented momentum of the PS2, and offer a more competitive and reasonable price than the zomg $400 xbox360 at the time.
They lost me as a potential PS3 purchaser the moment they uttered the famous line. You all know the one.
Microsoft came very close to taking my otherwise-reserved-for-a-PS3 purchase by having at least a lower price and some really great games, but the RROD thing cut that idea quite short.
I just hope that the consoles don't launch at so exceedingly high prices next generation.
I don't really hate Nintendo, I hate the people who play Nintendo.
Because clearly only Nintendo has socialy inept people use their products.
At least because of Nintendo, I can play games like Wii Sports and Mario Kart with my girlfriend and other friends that aren't gaming hobbyists like I am.
I'll never be able to get a lot of my friends to play the so-called "hardcore" games with me. They don't have the time or the interest to learning the nuances of the controls, let alone spending the time to hone their skills, to get good at some of these games.
At least there is a pretty good social aspect to the Wii.
In fact, most people attribute the problematic people with inept social skills to the ones that lock themselves up in their rooms all day, playing 40+ hour single player games. Or playing in their rooms "talking smack" with 13 year olds in multiplayer online shooters or what have you.
I'm going to go to your work and share my encyclopedic knowledge of pokemon with you Neva.
That doesn't sound like a very good time, friend.
Neva on
SC2 Beta: Neva.ling
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
I don't really hate Nintendo, I hate the people who play Nintendo.
Because clearly only Nintendo has socialy inept people use their products.
When said group stands high above the rest in a gaming hub as the most embarrassing and socially inept, then there's some concern. Clearly.
a gaming hub? Clearly, the best place to divine broad generalizations from narrow anecdotal evidence is from a "gaming hub." Meanwhile all of the people playing Nintendo games, socially, with all kinds of friends are not playing them in gaming hubs.
I don't really hate Nintendo, I hate the people who play Nintendo.
Because clearly only Nintendo has socialy inept people use their products.
When said group stands high above the rest in a gaming hub as the most embarrassing and socially inept, then there's some concern. Clearly.
a gaming hub? Clearly, the best place to divine broad generalizations from narrow anecdotal evidence is from a "gaming hub." Meanwhile all of the people playing Nintendo games, socially, with all kinds of friends are not playing them in gaming hubs.
I really wish we still had the employee lounge thread
I don't really hate Nintendo, I hate the people who play Nintendo.
Because clearly only Nintendo has socialy inept people use their products.
When said group stands high above the rest in a gaming hub as the most embarrassing and socially inept, then there's some concern. Clearly.
a gaming hub? Clearly, the best place to divine broad generalizations from narrow anecdotal evidence is from a "gaming hub." Meanwhile all of the people playing Nintendo games, socially, with all kinds of friends are not playing them in gaming hubs.
You do know I said the reason why I hate people who play Nintendo is because of my experiences at work, right? I did say that. Don't start this shit where you just assume I ment something, then make a poor sarcastic rebuttal. Besides, the people who game in with their DSs are playing socially with their friends {the ones in this situation anyways}. They just happen to be really really annoying. I don't really care much for the parents who drop of their kids and then start talking to me about how fun Wii Sports is either, though.
Neva on
SC2 Beta: Neva.ling
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) said on Wednesday its Xbox 360 game machine beat Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) Wii and Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation 3 to reach 10 million units in U.S. sales.
"History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle," Don Mattrick, a Microsoft senior vice president who heads the company's Xbox business, said in a statement.
though I don't know how much that'll matter when nintendo is only a month or two behind them
Oh Don. I know you have to draw the company line but seriously, Wii will overtake you in every territory by the end of this year. Spin something else, you have plenty of material to spin with.
Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) said on Wednesday its Xbox 360 game machine beat Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) Wii and Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation 3 to reach 10 million units in U.S. sales.
"History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle," Don Mattrick, a Microsoft senior vice president who heads the company's Xbox business, said in a statement.
though I don't know how much that'll matter when nintendo is only a month or two behind them
lol, I was thinking exactly that when that news hit my inbox. "They hit that milestone just in time!" Too bad it's a marathon, not a sprint.
That said, it's still impressive. U.S. will continue to be the strong point for the 360.
It really wouldn't have happened without the head start.
The 360 will be a solid 'second place' certainly, and Microsoft will probably be in the best position to start next generation, but the 360 will not have a higher total sales figure than the Wii for long.
It really wouldn't have happened without the head start.
The 360 will be a solid 'second place' certainly, and Microsoft will probably be in the best position to start next generation, but the 360 will not have a higher total sales figure than the Wii in the US for long.
Fix'd, but just slightly.
They're already behind in total sales worldwide and in total sales in the other two major markets. They also lost the race to 10 million worldwide by a hair when that milestone was reached.
At the current rate the Wii will outsell the 360 in the US sometime this summer. Maybe a major pricecut on the 360 would delay it to Fall, but this is highly unlikely.
I'm not very bullish on the 360 for the forseeable future either as I don't see anything I really like on the system for quite some time. People will flock to GoW2 and probably Fable 2 (depending on how it is advertised and recieved) but besides that it seems a little bit bleak.
The "2008 year of Sony" is a joke, but 2009? Maybe. Still won't outsell the Wii nor close the gap with the 360 in America, but I think they might have a real decent mix of games that year.
So where does next gen take us? Are there any plausible theories? I guess lower prices is a likely target for some, but will the tech increase if they want to keep thier entry fee low? Is waggle a must for all consoles? How long until next gen begins? I know Sony wants the PS3 to last them 10 years, but if Microsoft jumps the gun again, will the PS3 be able to keep up?
So many questions, yes, but anything to change the tone of this thread until tomorrow's "Christmas in May".
Microsoft:
Carry on at exactly the same trajectory. Same entry price but all configurations will have a hard drive. Court lots of developers. Get lots of games that are exclusive or only PC/360. Maybe Blu Ray drive, but I am not 100% sure on that. Full 360 BC.
Sony:
Learn a lot from the PS3. More concentration on being a console. Maybe undercut Microsoft, but definitely not much more expensive.
Nintendo:
No idea. Almost certainly 100% Wii BC, for software, and inherently controller. Aside from that I have no idea.
Dr Mario KartGames DealerAustin, TXRegistered Userregular
edited May 2008
If Sony and Microsoft are both somehow happy with the long term outlook, then maybe they'll both try the extended or skipped generation. Nintendo wont or shouldnt launch anything just because they are doing the best.
I would love to not see any new consoles for another 5 years at least. I guess at that point the PC developers will be even more annoyed at not being able to develop for such weak consoles.
Can graphics get any better? I guess I said that during last gen, but I really don't see things looking much better. Of course, there is physics and AI and shit, but can tech improve that much next gen that prices will skyrocket once more? I guess Hard Drive space will really have to be huge in future systems to accomodate the likely large digitally downloadable games available.
Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) said on Wednesday its Xbox 360 game machine beat Nintendo Co Ltd's (7974.OS) Wii and Sony Corp's (6758.T) PlayStation 3 to reach 10 million units in U.S. sales.
"History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle," Don Mattrick, a Microsoft senior vice president who heads the company's Xbox business, said in a statement.
though I don't know how much that'll matter when nintendo is only a month or two behind them
Weren't they claiming that about world wide sales first? Go go backpedaling.
Can graphics get any better? I guess I said that during last gen, but I really don't see things looking much better. Of course, there is physics and AI and shit, but can tech improve that much next gen that prices will skyrocket once more? I guess Hard Drive space will really have to be huge in future systems to accomodate the likely large digitally downloadable games available.
Of course graphics can still get better. We are still far from photo-realism. Even GTA IV has lots of uncanny valley moments. That said, I think the bottleneck will be on production values. It costs money to generate those high-res models and textures.
I do think we're going to get to a point, though, where a "game world" can be externalized and packaged into a middle-ware product, similar to how game engines are today. GTA IV's world can be used to drive all sorts of different types of games. So why re-invent the wheel? Rather than spend money on developers re-creating an immersive environment, I think developers are going to spend it on more animators, artists, level builders, designers, testers, etc.
In the meantime, the hardware still has a long ways to go. For example, if you cause a big traffic accident in GTA IV, drive away, and then come back, you'll notice it's been mysteriously cleaned up. Having a truly persistant game world could open up more gameplay choices and mechanics. And we're still far from that happening in a really large scale.
Graphics can get better, but even with production costs taken into consideration the graphical leap between generations will get smaller. This is why going forward, generations will either last longer or the big 3 will have to come up with new ways to sell their systems. The GTA car crash example is a way they can improve but is a hard way to sell a system since it depends so much on the developer.
Rakai on
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]XBL: Rakayn | PS3: Rakayn | Steam ID
I think the key phrase here is "diminishing returns". We're at the point where it's going to take a lot more effort to make even slightly noticeable changes than it used to.
It obviously can look better, but the real question is how much money are they willing to spend to make it look better because of the diminishing returns, and the quite obvious fact that a lot of people don't find graphics to be as important a component of a satisfying gaming experience as was once believed.
Maybe Itagaki will lead the way with his love for, erm, "physics".
Posts
you could cut that sarcasm of yours with a knife, you could. would like some pretzels to go with that bitter?
Some of us don't want a Sony wii, if I wanted a wii I'd buy a wii. (assuming I could fine one :P) Some of us like big honkin' consoles that do lots of stuff.
Also I think Sony has already learned their lesson about releasing such an epensive console, they fired the dude that designed it.
EDIT: Just in case someone thinks I'm a Sony fanboy, I am not. PS2 was my least favorite console last get, I think it kept the other consoles back because they always had to target what the ps2 could handle, and the retarded sony fanboy hype helped to kill the dreamcast. The PS3 is not a bad system, its just expensive, but this isn't due to corporate greed its just cutting edge tech. I only bought it cause I got a good deal on it and MS was taking too long to address RROD and drop their price. The wii looks like fun but I think I'd really use it much except for when I have friends overand $250+$40x3 is a bit much to spend for a party machine. Besides I have rock band which fills that niche nicely. (was a gift)
Let me tell you about Demon's Souls....
I personally dont like the direction of consoles moving towards being multimedia machines or full blown computers. I dont want all these extra features loading down my game machines and raising costs across the board, from the hardware manufacturer, to the software developer, to the consumer.
I've pretty much accepted that I've already bought my last home console. I'll be going full portable from now on.
the future can unfold however it wants, as long as there are still quality games for me to play at a reasonable price, i dont really care about the circumstances.
unless we were under the supreme reign of the canid, of course
I just finished playing The World Ends With You and was very, very, very happy with it. Then I just had a relevation: the DS is like "my PS2" of this generation. It's got a wide variety of games and genres that I really enjoy, from many different developers. Sure, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles from a 360 or PS3 game, but most of the games have great gameplay at the core, and I like that a lot.
Anyone feel the same way? From the way sales have been going, it seems like a lot of casual/mainstream consumers feel this way.
- Don't add me, I'm at/near the friend limit
Steam: JC_Rooks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JiunweiC
I work on this: http://www.xbox.com
We do get some D&D people every now and then, or some variation of D&D. They aren't nearly as bad as the nerds {at least 20 years old} that seriously talked about breeding Pokemon for two hours. Or the guys that talk about Mario kart strategies. Or the times when they make stupid Nintendo jokes so loud that I'm embarrassed for them from across the cafe.
I don't really hate Nintendo, I hate the people who play Nintendo.
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
OK, Let us know how that works out for you. /sarcasm
At this rate, this thread will be locked by tomorrow
Has Sony marketing learned any lessons, or should we expect more male nudity in ads?
I love my Wii but I wouldn't compare it with my PS3 or 360. It's a totally different experience. More choice is good for gamers.
PSN = Wicker86 ________ Gamertag = Wicker86
Hopefully, because tomorrow is when we get new U.S. sales data and a new thread. :P
Because clearly only Nintendo has socialy inept people use their products.
Based on the commentary from a few of their execs, they have started to see the problems of most of their actions in the beginning of this generation. So that's good.
Personally, I was really, really looking forward to getting a PS3 before this generation started. I expected Sony to capitalize on the unprecedented momentum of the PS2, and offer a more competitive and reasonable price than the zomg $400 xbox360 at the time.
They lost me as a potential PS3 purchaser the moment they uttered the famous line. You all know the one.
Microsoft came very close to taking my otherwise-reserved-for-a-PS3 purchase by having at least a lower price and some really great games, but the RROD thing cut that idea quite short.
I just hope that the consoles don't launch at so exceedingly high prices next generation.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
There is like 6/7 things that you could be referencing.
When said group stands high above the rest in a gaming hub as the most embarrassing and socially inept, then there's some concern. Clearly.
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
Yeah, the $250 I shelled out was unreasonable.
And most of them still make me chuckle.
At least because of Nintendo, I can play games like Wii Sports and Mario Kart with my girlfriend and other friends that aren't gaming hobbyists like I am.
I'll never be able to get a lot of my friends to play the so-called "hardcore" games with me. They don't have the time or the interest to learning the nuances of the controls, let alone spending the time to hone their skills, to get good at some of these games.
At least there is a pretty good social aspect to the Wii.
In fact, most people attribute the problematic people with inept social skills to the ones that lock themselves up in their rooms all day, playing 40+ hour single player games. Or playing in their rooms "talking smack" with 13 year olds in multiplayer online shooters or what have you.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
a gaming hub? Clearly, the best place to divine broad generalizations from narrow anecdotal evidence is from a "gaming hub." Meanwhile all of the people playing Nintendo games, socially, with all kinds of friends are not playing them in gaming hubs.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Yep. That was the exact moment the entire Internet went from "yay PS3!" to "...the FUCK?!"
They've had to recover from that ever since.
I really wish we still had the employee lounge thread
You do know I said the reason why I hate people who play Nintendo is because of my experiences at work, right? I did say that. Don't start this shit where you just assume I ment something, then make a poor sarcastic rebuttal. Besides, the people who game in with their DSs are playing socially with their friends {the ones in this situation anyways}. They just happen to be really really annoying. I don't really care much for the parents who drop of their kids and then start talking to me about how fun Wii Sports is either, though.
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
e:
Me too.
http://arnold360.ytmnd.com/
lol, I was thinking exactly that when that news hit my inbox. "They hit that milestone just in time!" Too bad it's a marathon, not a sprint.
That said, it's still impressive. U.S. will continue to be the strong point for the 360.
- Don't add me, I'm at/near the friend limit
Steam: JC_Rooks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JiunweiC
I work on this: http://www.xbox.com
The 360 will be a solid 'second place' certainly, and Microsoft will probably be in the best position to start next generation, but the 360 will not have a higher total sales figure than the Wii for long.
Fix'd, but just slightly.
They're already behind in total sales worldwide and in total sales in the other two major markets. They also lost the race to 10 million worldwide by a hair when that milestone was reached.
At the current rate the Wii will outsell the 360 in the US sometime this summer. Maybe a major pricecut on the 360 would delay it to Fall, but this is highly unlikely.
I'm not very bullish on the 360 for the forseeable future either as I don't see anything I really like on the system for quite some time. People will flock to GoW2 and probably Fable 2 (depending on how it is advertised and recieved) but besides that it seems a little bit bleak.
The "2008 year of Sony" is a joke, but 2009? Maybe. Still won't outsell the Wii nor close the gap with the 360 in America, but I think they might have a real decent mix of games that year.
So many questions, yes, but anything to change the tone of this thread until tomorrow's "Christmas in May".
Switch - SW-3699-5063-5018
Edit: Next gen predictions
Microsoft:
Carry on at exactly the same trajectory. Same entry price but all configurations will have a hard drive. Court lots of developers. Get lots of games that are exclusive or only PC/360. Maybe Blu Ray drive, but I am not 100% sure on that. Full 360 BC.
Sony:
Learn a lot from the PS3. More concentration on being a console. Maybe undercut Microsoft, but definitely not much more expensive.
Nintendo:
No idea. Almost certainly 100% Wii BC, for software, and inherently controller. Aside from that I have no idea.
I would love to not see any new consoles for another 5 years at least. I guess at that point the PC developers will be even more annoyed at not being able to develop for such weak consoles.
Switch - SW-3699-5063-5018
Weren't they claiming that about world wide sales first? Go go backpedaling.
Of course graphics can still get better. We are still far from photo-realism. Even GTA IV has lots of uncanny valley moments. That said, I think the bottleneck will be on production values. It costs money to generate those high-res models and textures.
I do think we're going to get to a point, though, where a "game world" can be externalized and packaged into a middle-ware product, similar to how game engines are today. GTA IV's world can be used to drive all sorts of different types of games. So why re-invent the wheel? Rather than spend money on developers re-creating an immersive environment, I think developers are going to spend it on more animators, artists, level builders, designers, testers, etc.
In the meantime, the hardware still has a long ways to go. For example, if you cause a big traffic accident in GTA IV, drive away, and then come back, you'll notice it's been mysteriously cleaned up. Having a truly persistant game world could open up more gameplay choices and mechanics. And we're still far from that happening in a really large scale.
- Don't add me, I'm at/near the friend limit
Steam: JC_Rooks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/JiunweiC
I work on this: http://www.xbox.com
It obviously can look better, but the real question is how much money are they willing to spend to make it look better because of the diminishing returns, and the quite obvious fact that a lot of people don't find graphics to be as important a component of a satisfying gaming experience as was once believed.
Maybe Itagaki will lead the way with his love for, erm, "physics".