Poll: Who really wants a new console?

[RagTagBand]

Do I want to have to shell out another £500+ to keep playing console games? Nope.

As far as I can tell my Playstation 3 still has a fair share of juice left in it...not so much for the 360, but Unless they pull an exclusive that I actually give a shit about out of their ass I wont be buying the next Xbox anyway. Mass Effect 3 is literally the only reason I own a 360 ATM.

 

[Something Amyss]

I kinda want a new console.

I want better technology. I'm even willing to pay.

 

[Maveroid]

I am a bit worried about all this advancing technology (as dumb as it may sound).

I have considered being a handheld-only player 2 years ago when the DS was at its peak, but I actually turned to PS3 and Xbox360 even though I was a bit afraid of the whole mainstream/multiplayer/social gaming perspective that those consoles promoted.
Now I got the 3DS and thought about skipping the next generation of consoles again, but being a handheld gamer doesn't mean much anymore.. Especially with the release of the PS Vita which is 'just' a portable PS3. I know that this is awesome and of course everything about it sounds cool,... But still...

Now, even a new 3DS game costs $40. I don't know how much the actual development of a portable game costs, but I would wager that its high enough for most developers to not implement any innovative concepts as there is no guaranty for such games to sell anymore (just like the little creativity crisis that developers for PS3 and Xbox360 are currently facing).

So, I already have a problem with this generation and I believe that this is the last checkpoint before we face the blockbuster-only era of gaming since even handhelds are turning in that direction. The next generation is going to feature the best-looking games that everyone can enjoy and even better online capabilities. Everything will be so awesome!... And that's saddening (as pessimistic as that may sound, I don't want EVERYONE to be happy when it comes to my favorite hobby).

Maybe I am exaggerating, sorry for the long post...
... But I think next generation is just going to be me, my iOS device/tablet and a Windows 8 installation disc which will allow me to play games on my Mac computer (because my gaming laptop died).

 

[Guardian of Nekops]

More processing power is always good. There is actually no reason to be opposed to a new console generation.

Well, I can think of about seven.

1. It costs me more money. The console itself, new controllers, cables, etc. Most people want to get good use out of their consoles before forking out more money to upgrade for this reason alone.

2. It may or may not be backwards compatible. If it is not, it costs me more space, and more hookups to my TV. Or, if I decide not to have twenty consoles active at once, it costs me all my old games.

3. A new console means that more games will not be produced for the one that I own, forcing me to invest again or be left behind.

4. A new console means that games I own will become obsolete and pass from public conciousness, despite their still being relatively new. IE, my Guitar Hero won't be cool any more. People will want to play the new Guitar Hero, despite it being basically the same game.

5. More processing power doesn't help much unless I buy a new TV to experience the graphics on. Therefore, it either costs me hundreds for nothing, or it costs me a thousand for a small upgrade to technology that is already adequate.

6. Launch day bugs, patches, EULAs and endless loading times that result from such.

7. To prove you wrong.

Now, none of these are arguments for not coming out with a new console ever. There should absolutely be new consoles someday, but they should come out far enough from the last one to bring something NEW to the table. A few more sticks of RAM just aren't going to cut it.

Again, if I'm being asked to shell out an extra rent check's worth of money for the next console, and then shell out still more so that I have even one game and one extra controller to play on it, then I better be getting more out of the deal than slightly smoother graphics and a loss of support for my old standby.

If I had the money to continuously buy upgraded tech, I'd be a PC gamer.

 

[DeadFOAM]

I don't have anything really against it. I just got a 360 about 6 months ago, so I'm kinda frustrated that there's a new one coming out. But oh well.

Progress is good, more power is good.

As long as its backwards-compatable so I can play my 360 games, I'll be happy

 

[ChaplainOrion]

I would buy it, but only if they bring something really good to the table. Hopefully they'll do what Sony did and add blue ray and whatever else they've created since.

I'll probably keep to my tradition and get it when the Halo that comes out for it does. I played the Original Xbox and Halo 1 first, and I played Halo 3 on the Xbox 360 first.

 

[OtherSideofSky]

Well, this generation is starting to show some technological limitations, but I don't think I can afford new consoles any time soon. If they launch at anything close to the price of the last generation, I think a lot of people will have second thoughts about buying them in this economy.

I mean, better hardware is never a bad thing, but I also can't really bring myself to get that excited for it. When I think of the games that have required the most processing power and had the best graphics in the past five years, I find that very few of them were games that I actually enjoyed. I agree that it's about time for some new hardware, but I'm not going to care unless developers start using it in more interesting ways.

Also, it better be backwards compatible for real this time, because I'm running out of shelf space for these giant plastic boxes.

 

[DrunkPickle]

Yes; but - and I know this may sound unrealistic- I would prefer if the next generation console would be developed by a company other than Sony or Microsoft. I feel like they focus way to much on advertisements and fancy, useless commodities/features, rather than improving the actual product.

 

[FoolKiller]

I'm not saying to stay on this generation forever, but definitely give it some more time to live out its usefulness. It just seems like it has a couple more good years left in it.

Actually no. The consoles are close to their limits, devs already use stupid methods to limit the amount and complexity of things the console has to render, thanks to the low amount of ram complex AI is not possible and so on.

Also, the announcement of the new consoles wouldn't bring them before 2013, most likely 2014.

Which is why I never understood why they always create consoles with such limitations in RAM. Either put more in or make the expansion pack like the N64. We already have a hard drive that can be changed. Its already going the way of the PC. We should be able to bring more out of it.

 

[RatRace123]

I do, but I'm far too poor to afford a new console right now.
That's really my only reason for not wanting a new generation.

Still, when it comes I'll eventually embrace it.

 

[OldNewNewOld]

There needs to be a new generation soon.
The current gen. is to limited to be of any real use.

And I'm not talking about graphics.
People always forget that the power of a console isn't only the power to render many polygons. The current gen is to limited on ram. Small worlds, no real open worlds (and if they make one, they have to do some ninja coding to constantly load/unload parts of the world which are to far, which uses then the processing power), AI...


I like where the WiiU is going. It should be around 50% stronger than the PS3 in processing power, but it should have a lot more memory which should allow huge open worlds and challenging AI.
Challenging AI isn't the current, cheating one that constantly knows where you are and has aim hacks. In the current generation, difficulty doesn't affect that "smartness" of the enemies. It usually just affects the number of bullets/attacks they need to take you down.

EDIT: According to captcha, I'm a spam bot. I seriously can't read half the shit. :S

 

[Asuka Soryu]

II love new consoles, new technology. Wouldn't want the machines to stagnate, they've already reached their limit.

Besides, this means that with new consoles the old ones will have price cuts before they're removed from the store. Wich means I can pick them up more easily.

 

[ShotgunZombie]

As I read more and more of this thread I've come to realize something. The ones who want a new generation are the PC gamers and the ones who don't are the console gamers. I think that statement speaks for itself. It's rather arrogant to ask for a product that you're not going to spend money on yourself. But perhaps I'm being harsh and over-simplifying things. If I am then I apologize but I personally don't see the need for new consoles. An argument I keep seeing being made over and over again on this thread is that this console generation has passed its prime and is dragging down the technology with it, and perhaps that is true but is that really such a big deal? I mean, big complex games have been made before and personally I don't see the production of these games slowing down at all. After all just look at some of this year's biggest games; Max Payne 3, Bioshock Infinite, Twisted Metal, Mass Effect 3 among others. They all look stunning and if the gameplay videos can be trusted then the gameplay is just as awe inspiring. And do you know what? They are all just fine on this generation. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to impede progress but maybe we should wait for everybody to be on the same page before we plunge into the next generation, eh?

 

[Westaway]

I have mixed feelings. For one, Microsoft just got the new dashboard out the door, and it's all very fancy and nice. Graphics seem fine to me, I guess I just can't visualise them being any bettee than what they are now, doesn't seem possible. Also, some of my favorite games are this generation (CoD 4, Halo 3, Fallout 3, Transformers: War for Cybertron) and the chances of ke playing them again when I have the new one set up are slim. However, new consols are are exciting and I enjoy finding out what new features/gimmicks they're put in it. And hopefully xbox gets some new exclusives, we have like 4.

 

[chadachada123]

We need some more goddamn memory up in this *****.

That a game like Dark Souls can lag in Blightown shows just how dated both the PS3 and 360 are as far as memory and processing power goes. It's 6/7 year old hardware, dammit!

 

[applesandoranges]

edit

 

[Signa]

Since very little has been accomplished this generation that could not have been done on the previous generation I say NO! This generation has shown that graphical fidelity is more important than making an engaging experience. I see no reason to push to the next generation without some REAL promise of new, and inventive things that comes with it.

Processing power alone will not be enough to convince me. Until you can show me that a developer is going to use that extra power to make their game extra fun, then it will be 100% wasted money. What will happen is that extra power will be used to make their game look extra pretty, and that's all anyone will care about.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm sick of paying $60 for 5-10 hour wank tissues. Yank, wipe, throw away so you can buy the next one. Using all that extra power is going to come at a price, and it's our wallets that are going to see the punishment for it.

 

[Hungry Donner]

As a PC gamer (although one, I'll note, that doesn't have a terribly powerful computer) I'd like to see a new console generation come out. I'm not terribly concerned about graphics so much as RAM and processing power. At this point consoles just can't juggle as well as computers, and the ability to handle better AI, larger environments, and more complex physics would help raise the bar on this side as well.

This would no doubt require that I get a new computer, which I can't afford at the moment. Although if MS or Sony made keyboard+mouse controls as a standard option I'd give their system serious consideration. (And if they decided to embrace user-made mods I think they'd win over a lot of PC gamers, and the larger audience would probably balance any loss of DLC revenue.)

 

[infohippie]

All it could mean is even more obsession with graphics and a more expensive system when the PS3 and 360 are doing just fine as it is. Having a slightly faster processor or better graphics isn't some groundbreaking example of progress, it just means less innovation as games become more and more difficult to program, and the massive teams that make big-budget games sap away creative control from the industry.

Faster CPU and better graphics would be nice, but what really cripples current-gen consoles is RAM. A new generation is needed just so developers can use more RAM and not have to try to squeeze everything into the ridiculously small amount a console has. That would make a huge difference in what can be done with a console game. Massive open areas, less linearity, more variation, better AI, more complex environments, greater ability for a player to manipulate the environment. All that would be enabled by simply putting a couple gig of RAM in a new console generation even if all the rest of the hardware was exactly the same.

 

[Windcaler]

With the announcement of a new Xbox (and possibly Playstation, though I've heard rumors of Sony not debuting a new console), I have to ask; why? Why do we need another console? I've become accustomed to the way my Xbox360 works and do not look forward to having to upgrade to the new Xbox(720?). Maybe I'm just the odd man out on this issue, but I feel like so much more could be done with the current technology.

By the way, a lot of this comes from my hatred of Kinect, and for some reason I feel that the new Xbox will use a lot of the motion feature, which would be a deal breaker for me.

So, what do you want? The current generation, or the next?

The short of it is that current consoles are working off of parts that are 7 years old. Many developers have already had to use a lot of tricks to render enough graphical power out of consoles to stay in line with PCs. As a primarily PC player Im noticing that consoles are just lacking the processing power that games need in todays market.

Theres a good example of the console limitations in Dark souls (which I play on Xbox). Theres a place in blighttown where these giant leeches appear and they drop large titanite shards which are needed to upgrade a lot of gear. However after Ive gone in and killed them all, as I walk out and see blighttown in its entirity there is a major drop in frames per second. So much so that it becomes nearly unplayable unless I look at a wall or my feet. Ive seen similar moments in Skyrim (on Xbox) and infamous 2 (on PS3). However I dont get these problems with my PC even when i set all graphics to maximum but to be fair I have a rig that has pretty much state of the art equipment in it while consoles have 7 year old equipment

I think its time for the next console generation and delaying it much longer will make PC games too far ahead in processing power. As long as the companies dont screw up the backwards compatibility (like they did for the current generation) Ill still get the new versions (assuming there are a lot of exclusives I want to play)