31 replies to this topic

[Mendon]

Wii-U will be shown at E3 this year and rumors abound that a new Xbox and Playstation will also be unveiled.

Questions: Are you really ready for a new console? What features do you think will be included that make a new console a desired purchase at this time?

For myself, I'm not ready for a new console. There are so many games already released that I have yet to play and haven't found the time to get to. Couple that with the multiple announced titles that are upcoming this year and I'll never find the time to get any of them completed.

As for features, I guess they will have to surprise me because I can't think of anything more I need in my home that the Wii, Xbox360, and PS3 don't already provide.

Plus, bottom line, I think I'd rather spend the money it would take to buy a new console and invest in the many already released games (and retro titles) I'd still like to play.

How about you?


Mendon

[Skarrj]

Sigh...ive got so much $ "invested" in the current gen, id like a few more years with them.

[DemonoidTentacle]

I'm ready for the return of a true console, the Dreamcast 2

WiiU really doesn't interest me in the slightest, but I haven't gotten enough information about it.

Time will tell with the new Xbox and PS. But I'm not excited about the thought of either.

Honestly, think this will be the first gen that I won't be getting a console on or close to release since the 16bit console wars of the 90's.

And in terms of features, I'd love it if motion controls and touch screens were dropped all together. They just piss me off a majority of the time.

I usually play retro, simply because it's usually cheaper than the current gen.

[atarian63]

No ready yet,however I wasnt ready on 3ds either and I really like it! I am sure I will buy the new ones.Question is.. what could they possibly offer that the current systems don't?
better graphics is a given but at this point seems like diminishing returns,it's so good now. faster net access? ok.so what. Hard to see what could make any of them a must have. All I can think of would be exclusive titles that won't be on current gen systems.

[Hatta]

I'm ready for a new console generation, so people get rid of their current consoles, and I can pick them up on the cheap.

[HammR25]

I won't buy the next Nintendo or Sony offerings. There aren't any Nintendo titles I care if I play. I've never really cared for my PS3 and I'm still a bit unhappy they got hacked. Microsoft needs a new console just so they can put a blu-ray player in one of their machines. Games are getting too big for DVDs. Otherwise I see no reason to buy a new console from any of them. I would actually consider buying the next Xbox if they let me transfer all my downloadable titles to it but I figure the chances of that are slim and none since they'd want to sell them to me all over again.

[Emehr]

Are you really ready for a new console?

No. Overall, I'm having a hard time keeping interested in modern gaming. To me, this gen is just a regurgitation of last gen. I don't see anything out now that couldn't have been made with last gen's consoles. About the only thing that gets me fired up anymore is a new Zelda or Metroid game. I care nothing about online play or first-person shooters and I don't see how games will be any different with the next gen. Other than new input schemes, how will game play differ? Will we see new styles of game play mechanics? I doubt it. The Wii U shows promise but 3rd party developers didn't really take advantage of the control scheme introduced by the Wii so I can't get too excited yet. I just imagine them cranking out DS ports. And are Sony's and Microsoft's next-gen consoles going to be just another round of FPS snooze-fests?

What features do you think will be included that make a new console a desired purchase at this time?

I have no idea what they could introduce that would differentiate the new consoles from what's out now. If they tout "photorealistic graphics" I'm just going to roll my eyes. If it's media-less games I'm ignoring their consoles completely. If it's a new input scheme I'll wait and see. All I see is more requirements for online connectivity, more DLC bullshit, and more lawsuits. I wouldn't be surprised if game discs came with just the audio and graphic assets and you had to go online and log in to download the game engine. Or worse, run the game engine from a server while it fetches resources from the disc. And they'll tout it as a "feature".

The next generation is going to be a hard sell for me. I have enough gaming goodness to keep me occupied for quite a while, from the ol' VCS to the Wii. None of them require me to be online. None of them have DLC shit I need to buy. And none of them make me feel like a battered housewife when I play them.

[Reaperman]

• I won't buy from nintendo as long as they're going to continue their alternative-gaming, wii/ds "phase."
  
• Sony makes fantastic hardware, but has obviously turned into a being of pure evil. It's hard to imagine a scenario where I'm a customer of theirs again.
  
• Microsoft has to prove to me that they can release a durable console, free from defects in design and manufacture (I'm not at all impressed with my brand new 360 slim)

I actually am ready for a new system, but who's left? I guess I'm looking forward to getting my hands on that new Hyperkin. Otherwise, I'll just limp by with Onlive.

Edited by Reaperman, Sun Jan 8, 2012 9:57 AM.

[MagitekAngel]

I'm sort of looking forward to the nD!

[moycon]

Not looking forward to the next gen at all. I have a HUGE pile of 360 games to play in my "To play" queue.
I'm honeslty probably set for the next 5 years.

[Curious Sofa]

It just seems like now, more than ever, the emphasis is so much heavier on a system that will be used as a marketing tool (as opposed to a system that will be used to create a better actual gaming experience) that I get nauseous just thinking about new systems. I've been annoyed with that aspect recently with the latest 360 Dashboard, and am relatively okay with how the Wii is going (and am anti-Sony in the same way that Reaperman is, they're simply too evil to ever give any money too no matter what the product). But I've no need for a new console whatsoever. To join the group who said this above, what's it going to offer that I'm actually interested in??

[Rex Dart]

^ Games? Everybody forgets the games, somehow.

I'm not ready for new systems, don't have the time, money, or shelf space for them. What I am ready for, though, is systems being launched so the pricedrops come sooner rather than later.

[iswitt]

I am in agreement that a new console generation would make prices drop, which I am in favor of.

However, I am also not ready for a new generation of consoles. The WiiU is only another gimmick in my eyes. Sony hasn't earned any money off of me in years and that's not changing. The only company I could fathom a purchase from is Microsoft, but they have a lot of shaping up to do in my eyes.

A new Xbox (or whatever they decide to call it) would need to have nothing less than 100% backwards compatibility. There was no excuse for the pathetically small list they had last time around of old games that would work on the new hardware. And then, to top it all off, they made it so that you couldn't play ANY old games if you bought a 360 without a HDD. Wtf. Also, there can be nothing close to the RRoD. I gave MS a second chance after that and so far I've been happy with my new slim. The new dashboard makes my gaming habits almost secondary while they advertise the hell out of everything under the sun OTHER than gaming.

I can't see how they can add anything to it that doesn't exist already. Last.fm covers music, not to mention USB capability allows me to hook up my iPod or I can just stick my CDs in. Movies are covered with the disc tray and Netflix. I can check Facebook (they could add general web browsing I suppose), download games, chat with friends, play Kinect, etc., etc. You name it. The only they could do is create some periphery item that you could take with you as an ereader (j/k).

I know that the WiiU is still supporting optical discs. But I've stated already that I am non-Nintendo right now. If MS goes the download-only route, they can kiss my business goodbye. I HATE the online tether/no ownership bs that is plaguing this industry. If it happens count me out.

[Austin]

If I was in my teens again and had as much time to play modern games as I did then, I would probably say "Yes". I'm having a hard enough time catching up now though, so my current answer is "No".

[rockman_x_2002]

I'm ready to see what the Wii U has to offer because it's endeavoring to actually bring new stuff to the table. I gather the successors to the 360 and PS3 will be more of the same, maybe better Kinect and Move support respectively, but more of the same. So for the 360 and PS3, I'm good to go for another 2-3 years with those. Like others have said before, I've already sunk cash into them enough that I've got a backlog of games on those (and even the Wii). So it'll probably be a couple of years before I even get to where I'm ready to buy a new console. Plus that means I can hopefully get a few of the launch title games for cheap, too.

[Bilnick]

Of the three current consoles only the Wii feels old. the PS3 and 360 seem like they have a couple years of life left.

By the time a new Xbox or Playstation is released it will be nearly 2 years from now (fall of 2013 probably???), and by then I will be ready for a new console or three.

Who am I kidding though, I am gong to buy any console from Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft whenever they are released, ready or not.

[wood_jl]

I agree with most of what has been said.

If the console makers move too fast, they're likely to lose money. They're going to spend tons of R&D on the new hardware, and when they produce it, it will be expensive. So they'll have an expensive new console with little software (again). Consumers will see little gameplay improvement (diminishing returns atarian63 mentioned) for what little software there is.

The much-discussed "video game crash" of 1983/1984 was allegedly/in-part caused by a glut of BAD games. This time around, there's a glut of GOOD games. Why would consumers (in this economy) take out their wallets (or incur further indebtedness) for a marginal (at best) improvement for a huge investment? I think they'd better wait a FEW years until hardware that's capable of greater texture detail (what else is there, when they're already running 1080p) is cheap enough to sell for the same price as these consoles.....or less. Wii has room for HD improvement, but it better be as cheap or cheaper, not $600.

Edited by wood_jl, Sun Jan 8, 2012 10:32 PM.

[Cynicaster]

Count me out of a next-gen console, unless they surprise us with some revolutionary improvement over the current generation. I mean, my PS3 has amazing graphics and sound, plays blu-ray discs, streams video from my PC, streams Netflix for me, etc. etc., so I don't know what unique selling point a next gen system could possibly have, especially since you know it's going to have a ridiculous price tag.

If all they have is "improved graphics" then, well, yaaaaaaaawn. How about making games that don't suck?

[HatefulGravey]

I'm not ready at all. I enjoy playing online with my friends and family all over the world but the next consoles might have to pass me by for a while before I catch up. They are getting too costly and at launch they are too hard to get. Why can't they have enougn consoles ready at launch to stop the madness on eBay?

Like others I have a pile of games to get to so I need more time with what I already have and there are new interest coming out all the time.

As for new features, none please! There is already too much crap. All the movement stuff is more then enough for me. I haven't spent money on any of it and don't want to. More space for games would be ok, more graphic stuff would be ok, but please don't screw with real media games. I just hope we don't go all down load. There is no need for much more disc space with all the DLC they have people buying now.

[keilbaca]

I'm not ready for a new console, but I know many are. They're wanting the next eyecandy in games. The only thing that means for us is that the games that we want to get are going to get cheaper. Honestly the X360 has enough shmups that if I am to 1CC them all, I'll have my xbox for quite a few years... and that's just a handful of games.

I'm not ready, but most are who can't afford a PC.

[xg4bx]

unless theres some real upgrade in gameplay or a.i. i'm done after this gen. i'm not paying for prettier yet even shorter and more linear games. and considering how all the industry does is focus on graphics, my exit from gaming is almost certain.

[Hyper_Eye]

I think next generation is going to be the generation when all 3 console manufacturers go all in on gimmicks. They all tested the waters this time but I think next generation is going to go much further. I'm not interested. I thought I would always want the latest consoles but I feel very differently right now. I've had my 360 since day 1 and I feel like it still has a lot left in it for me. I have games still shrink wrapped that have sequels out. There is a ton of content that I not only want to play but feel like I absolutely can't miss. I will wade through this content. If that means I need to miss the next generation of consoles then I will. To top it off my wife got me a PS3 for Christmas and I haven't played a single game in that consoles exclusive library. Between the three current consoles that I have a huge backlog on, the previous generations consoles that I am still knocking backlogged games off from, and the fact that the next generation is likely to be a big departure from gaming as we currently know it I think I am good for about 10 years.

Btw, I wouldn't plan on owning many of the next generation games. PC gaming has pretty much made the push to almost total digital distribution of content and the consoles will too. The industry likes it better and they will get us to accept it.

Edited by Hyper_Eye, Mon Jan 9, 2012 5:50 PM.

[godslabrat]

I see myself getting a Wii-U, simply because I've owned every Nintendo system I could since 1988. I don't predict that'll change. Unless it kicks me square in the balls as soon as I open the box, I'm sure it'll find its way under my TV. Since Nintendo is the least aggressive about implementing download distribution, I'm not as worried.

I've grown to really dislike Sony this generation, however, MS hasn't proven themselves to be competent either. I might end up buying one of their two systems, but it's a toss-up as to which. I'd want it to have a BluRay drive, since I'm a BR nut and it's nice to have consoles be secondary movie players. I don't see myself buying both an XBox and PS4, though. I don't want to spend the money, and if the two systems are as evenly matched, it won't benefit me much. It's going to boil down to which company I think will be fairest to me as a gamer. So far, MS has a slight edge.

I'm not really "ready", though. No waiting in lines for me, I'll get into the next gen very slowly.

[rockman_x_2002]

xg4bx, on Mon Jan 9, 2012 4:20 PM, said:

unless theres some real upgrade in gameplay or a.i. i'm done after this gen. i'm not paying for prettier yet even shorter and more linear games. and considering how all the industry does is focus on graphics, my exit from gaming is almost certain.

I've also felt the same, and it seems like Nintendo is the only one not completely dumbing down their games. I look at what a masterpiece Final Fantasy 7 was and compare it to Final Fantasy XIII and I'm just so disappointed.

That being said, I don't think I would completely exit gaming so much as I would make a non-lateral shift in platforms. Mobile gaming is somewhat linear, but it also retains that retro-gaming flavor that I like, and it's really hard to argue with the price tag when it's under $5 75% of the time. I don't think I could ever fully leave gaming, but I could certainly tighten my wallet if the quality of games on consoles (and not just graphics, I mean the actual games themselves) is no better than I can find in a handheld like the 3DS or Vita, or on a mobile device.

[HuckleCat]

I have to admit, I am excited to see what the new XBox and Playstation games will look like.

John Carmack made a good point about the next wave, saying that in order for people to want to shell out 300+ bucks on a new system, they will have to look significantly better than what's available now. Thinking of games like Uncharted, Gears of War, the new Deus Ex, etc, makes me all the more curious to see this happen.