I genuinely think Microsoft are out of the running

[Continuity]

3) People who wants to avoid motion controls like a plague buys a PC.

God I hope so, we could use some converts to bolster the ranks... maybe then developers will make stuff for the PC again rather than just making it for the consoles and porting across.

OT: I personally don't like motion controls much, simply because they're some what gimmicky and there isn't much that you can do with them in the realm of core games i.e. classic genre such as RTS, RPG, FPS etc..
However, they do one thing very well which is to pull non-gamers and casuals into gaming which = lots of money for the gaming industry. Hell, even my parents have a WII... and a DS for that matter; full props to Nintendo for widening their market so successfully.

 

[Rorschach II]

I would like to say you are right. But you are wrong. Very wrong.

There is no evidence of Microsoft failing at any point soon they have too much of a fanbase to just go bust in a second.

The real threat to Microsoft and Sony is Nintendo's new approach to gaming. Casual gaming has become a bit of a virus and is slowly turning the game industry inside out. Sure its doing better than ever before but with releases like 'Just Dance' and 'Brain Training' its watering down a very fine wine with what seems like piss.

 

[Delusibeta]

The real threat to Microsoft and Sony is Nintendo's new approach to gaming. Casual gaming has become a bit of a virus and is slowly turning the game industry inside out. Sure its doing better than ever before but with releases like 'Just Dance' and 'Brain Training' its watering down a very fine wine with what seems like piss.

Tough. It's going to continue at an accellerated rate. Hell, I would argue that it's already continuing at an accelerated rate with the short term success of the Kinect.

I'd also argue that the likes of Call of Duty and FIFA games are equally as damaging.

 

[MercurySteam]

The second nail in Microsoft's proverbial coffin is X-Box Live. Which, unless they fix some stuff, will continue being the worst of the bunch. Think about it: PC gaming - online in games is free. Wii online - free. PS3 online - free. 360 online - monthly fee. So already they're behind.

You aren't serious are you? Part of what makes XBL what it is is the fact that it isn't free. Cheaper isn't always better. The servers for most games are just as good as other consoles and XBL has won multiple awards for being hands-down the best online experience. And with the new update many people (and I for one) have noticed a massive decrease in downloading and stream waiting times.

Cause Kinect aint exactly doing too well right now. Well, it's doing okay, but if they're treating it as a proper 'next big step' upgrade to their system they're bound to be dissapointed.

And a Wiimote rip-off with flashy lights is any more intuitive? Kinect was designed by a special sector of Microsoft with their main goal set on changing how people interact with technology. It's called Natural User Interface. [http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2010/jan10/01-06cesnui.mspx] Even if Kinect isn't the next big step, Microsoft is investing in something that could change how we use communicate with technology.

Essentially our point with this is that Microsoft, if they don't sort out their online system, and they don't get a proper console upgrade, are pretty much out of the running, so it'll only be Sony and Nintendo in this thing next year.

Wait a minute...... Did you just say that the 360 need a serious upgrade?

The Wii can barely render half it's games and people are saying that the 360 hasn't even scratched the surface with the Unreal Engine and you think the Xbox is going out of date?

I think the summary of my rant is that either you and your BF need to talk about other things or call for a third party that actually knows what they're talking about.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

Microsoft also just lost Bungie, so that puts them either further out of the running.

 

[MercurySteam]

I wish you were right, OP, but as my magic 8-ball often says: "Outlook not so good".

Holy shit same here. But seriously, is there anything really wrong with Microsoft making a popular console? Before the PlayStation Sony made VCR's and TV's. Before the Xbox Microsoft made a lot of money with their intuitive software. I think it's good to have a stake in an industry that grows closer to home every year.

 

[Red Right Hand]

The only reason why I vastly prefer the Xbox to the PS3 is because of the controllers. The PS3 ones are pieces of shite. The joysticks are constantly fucked and it's far too light for my liking. Xbox controllers are perfect, so I seriously hope that the Xbox stays strong, for fear of having to constantly use the shitty PS3 controllers.

 

[Ken Sapp]

The PS3 definitely has the most potential for technical marvels, and I predict that if Sony can stay afloat in the gaming market (and get some better exclusives...FF13 sucked rocks), their system can last probably a couple years into the next generation easily.
Of course, the trick is getting programmers and designers with the kind of experience to exploit that before the cost monster eats up Sony's market.

EDIT: I am quite aware that FF13 was a multi-platform launch. However, that was a change made at the proverbial 11th hour. The game was marketed as a PS3 exclusive for years and then, mere months before its release, Squeenix announced that it would be coming to the Xbox 360.

Multiplatform FF13 was not an eleventh hour change. Square announced that Final Fantasy would no longer be PS exclusive before the first concept art for FF13 was even leaked out.

 

[Ken Sapp]

I wish you were right, OP, but as my magic 8-ball often says: "Outlook not so good".

The only problem with Outlook is that it is so expensive.

 

[Netrigan]

Honestly?

The next generation is Nintendo's to lose. They have the money to spend on R&D, they have the massively successful sideline in handhelds (with a new one coming up next year), and they have the initiative.

My predictions are that:
1) Nintendo announces a new console in E3 2012. It will have motion controls of some description.
2) Sony and Microsoft hurriedly creates something to compete with it, probably based on their existing consoles. Again, motion controls will be a focus.
3) People who wants to avoid motion controls like a plague buys a PC.

Don't think Nintendo is in that great of a position for next gen. They went after casual gamers, got them, and would have to convince the same folks to upgrade.

What I expect to see is along the lines of what they do with the DS. Make a more advanced system on par with the 360 and PS3 to attract better third party developers. Also backwards compatible to make it feel like an upgrade, not a trade-in.

Personally, I think Sony and MS should follow a similar strategy. Gaming technology isn't advancing quickly, so push more advanced systems with good backward compatability.

 

[Netrigan]

Actually, I'd like to know why they dropped the exclusivity myself...I have a few theories.

Advertising dollars rule the world... and Microsoft has plenty of that to spend.

I don't know about that; there has to be more to the story than just Microsoft's fat wallet.

A bit of history:
Nintendo was still on top of their game back in 1996 before Sony's revolution. Squaresoft had a falling out with them following the release of Super Mario RPG, and they did no real business with Nintendo until 2002-2003. Point being: When they were loyal to Nintendo, they were loyal. When they were loyal to Sony, they were loyal to Sony.

Now, they aren't really loyal to anyone but themselves.

Nintendo had plenty of capital to throw around, and it's not like Squaresoft was hurting at all; they were in the midst of their glory years.

So either Squeenix has lost its faith in exclusive titles and "1st Party favor", or Sony pissed them off to the point where they were willing to do business with Microsoft (despite the 360 being a dud in Japan).

I think it was simply business. Nintendo dominated, then Sony dominated. They focused on a single console which had the market share to make it worthwhile.

Neither Sony or MS have a dominant marketshare and Nintendo has an underpowered console. The PS3 underperformed, so they hedged their bets. If MS had the Wii's success, they'd probably go over to them, but they stick with multi-platform.

 

[Delusibeta]

and people are saying that the 360 hasn't even scratched the surface with the Unreal Engine

I have a bone to pick with that statement. I think the PCs haven't scratched the surface of the Unreal Engine 3, I think the 360's getting close to capacity in terms of graphics quality. It'll be interesting to see what iD Tech 5 brings, since iD is very pro-optimisation, but I think the UE3's pretty much maxed out for now on the 360. Unless the iPhone build starts getting really fancy, of course.

 

[MercurySteam]

and people are saying that the 360 hasn't even scratched the surface with the Unreal Engine

I have a bone to pick with that statement. I think the PCs haven't scratched the surface of the Unreal Engine 3, I think the 360's getting close to capacity in terms of graphics quality. It'll be interesting to see what iD Tech 5 brings, since iD is very pro-optimisation, but I think the UE3's pretty much maxed out for now on the 360. Unless the iPhone build starts getting really fancy, of course.

Maybe i was exaggerating a little bit but even last year [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/91018-Epic-360-Has-Yet-To-Reach-Its-Limits] Epic saw great potential and with Unreal 3.5 next year, I think we'll see the 360 hitting it's stride.

 

[D_987]

Didn't they remove a lot content to make the game fit onto 3 Xbox disks, at the last minute?

No, they didn't - there's absolutely no evidence to suggest that's true beyond a single director claiming "they had enough material for another game", whom later claimed he was talking about concept and ideas.

Considering FFXIII was so badly managed certain sections of the team spent years not knowing what others were doing, and the team had no unified vision until they had to create the PS3 demo, I think you'll find there were far greater difficulties than the 360 version forcing them to cut content. They had to cut out certain cut-scenes because they didn't finish them in time. Didn't finish cut-scenes for a game they spent 5 years on - think about that for a second...

 

[loc978]

Holy shit same here. But seriously, is there anything really wrong with Microsoft making a popular console? Before the PlayStation Sony made VCR's and TV's. Before the Xbox Microsoft made a lot of money with their intuitive software. I think it's good to have a stake in an industry that grows closer to home every year.

Don't you mean Xerox's intuitive software?

I wish you were right, OP, but as my magic 8-ball often says: "Outlook not so good".

The only problem with Outlook is that it is so expensive.

Someone caught my pun!
...and I disagree. It's also horrendously bloated.

 

[pulse2]

and people are saying that the 360 hasn't even scratched the surface with the Unreal Engine

I have a bone to pick with that statement. I think the PCs haven't scratched the surface of the Unreal Engine 3, I think the 360's getting close to capacity in terms of graphics quality. It'll be interesting to see what iD Tech 5 brings, since iD is very pro-optimisation, but I think the UE3's pretty much maxed out for now on the 360. Unless the iPhone build starts getting really fancy, of course.

Maybe i was exaggerating a little bit but even last year [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/91018-Epic-360-Has-Yet-To-Reach-Its-Limits] Epic saw great potential and with Unreal 3.5 next year, I think we'll see the 360 hitting it's stride.

Devs keep saying they've hit the maximum the consoles can do until another game developer comes along and proves them wrong :/

 

[Digitaldreamer7]

You think that Sony and Nintendo are going to release a 'next generation' console any time soon? looooooooool.

Actually, nintendo is due fairly soon (two years) .

You mean nintendo is due fairly soon to make a wii XL or 3d? cause all they seem to do is make different iterations of the same product til it's no longer profitable.

On topic: If anyone will fall out of the console wars... it's sony. It's PS3 saw it's first PROFITABLE sale in april of 2010... it launched in November of 2006. that's almost 4 years of negitive numbers for sony. they were losing money on every console sold for 4 years. Not many companies can sustain that, much less do it a second time.

Microsoft on the other hand was turning a profit on the 360 almost a year before the PS3 even hit the shelves.

So if we are talking pure hardware at this point. sony is dead last.

as far as online services. sony's PSN is also losing the company money. I see people ***** about paying for XBL, but, what you are paying for is innovation and quality. if the company isn't making money then they cant support their products and what you have is an expensive paperweight (PS3)

The X360 library is in no way superior to the PS3.
And I speak as an owner of all the consoles. I rarely buy anything for my 360 that isn't a shooter or a racer.

Just because YOU don't like the library doesn't make PS3's better then 360's. PS3's library is sad compared to 360 or even the PS2. Sorry, the numbers don't lie.

...or maybe PC's are dying. Maybe people will start using consoles to go on the internet, check email, etc... from their couch. With HDTV's and wireless accessories there is nothing preventing a console from becoming a full fledged PC. In fact, right now you can plug your PC into an HDTV via VGA or HDMI. There is no doubt that in the future console will become more like PC's.

That's what I'm suggesting, that eventually they stuff so many bits and bobs in the console that it IS a PC, just with a different control scheme.

You're suggesting that people will buy a PC because the consoles are just PC's in a different shell. I am suggesting the opposite, that people will buy the console since it is cheaper, more user friendly and does all that a PC does.

People buy them for the entertainment value. consoles do not do everything that a PC does, and, if console developers ever made them do everything a PC does... they would LOSE the market because at that point they would be DIRECTLY competing with a PC, and let's be real... I can build a PC that is BETTER hardware wise then the PS3 or 360 for WAY LESS then the cost of a console and required accessories.

 

[CrustyOatmeal]

the way i see it both sony and microsoft are huge companies with many different investments (like tv's and computers) and it there would need to be a huge crash in their video game sales for them to completely liquidate their video game section of the company

 

[Ken Sapp]

I wish you were right, OP, but as my magic 8-ball often says: "Outlook not so good".

The only problem with Outlook is that it is so expensive.

Someone caught my pun!
...and I disagree. It's also horrendously bloated.

Depends on how many of its features you actually use. How bloated a program is depends on how much of it you don't need. I love Thunderbird but there are certain things Outlook does which Thunderbird has no adequate (in my opinion) plugins or extensions for.