72 replies to this topic

[Nuclear Pacman]

What do you think the next Playstation and the next Xbox will have as features, specs and services etc...?

My opinion, I work quite a bit right now and have not put one bit of effort into researching the upcoming machines, but given the secrecy I can't imagine I'd find much anyway, so all I'm going on is patterns and what I think game companies want as well as gamers. These are only my speculations, absolutely nothing official, just pure opinionated crap. I just want to see what people think is going to happen.

Playstation 4:

• BluRay disc system. I think Playstation will retain an optical disc game delivery system as their primary, with the games being required to be on BluRay discs. That 50gb bump from 9gb we have now for DVD is quite a boost. And Sony is not going to let BluRay fail as a movie format, not right now, they put the whole company on the line for that format, and they will continue to push it.
  
• Pay for online service. Sony can no longer afford to have free online after losing $3 Billion in 2011.

Next Xbox:

• No disc drive. From Microsofts perspective, I have to think they don't want another multi-billion dollar fix-it campaign for their new console, and I really believe that eliminating moving parts from their next system is going to be a primary design issue. That means we could be looking at the first console to only offer games by downloading them from Xbox Live. Could be a disaster, or a profit-making machine. All the overhead that disappears by releasing games as downloads is quite an enormous amount I would imagine, as you eliminate things like printing inserts, printing discs, plastic molds for the cases (which use Petroleum), no more paper instruction manuals, no shipping costs etc... We all know there are some game companies that want to eliminate second hand sales of games (Epic, EA), so that problem will also be taken care of. I'm sure it's nice to make billions after first losing billions, but it's gotta be even better to just start making billions right away.
  
• Kinect. Probably the central focus of game design. You think Microsoft looks at Nintendo blowing them away this generation with the Wii and not want to copy that success? They made Kinect in the first place didn't they? From what I can tell the Kinect is a pretty major success for the 360. If I'm wrong please correct me.
  
• Cloud. I'm not really sure what this means to be honest. It sounds like it has potential to be Sega Channel if download speeds and data storage capabilities keep increasing, which they constantly are year after year. What I don't want to see is this kind of storage taking the place of a hard drive, because then we could be in a situation where even our 'purchased' downloaded games are being stored on some game companies storage servers, which is just ...I don't know, Orwellian creepy?
  
• Mandatory subscription fee (Gold): I don't see a 'free' or Silver style subscription anymore. Not for all the things that MS wants their entertainment box to be, I mean they want it to be the 'everything box'.
  
• Proprietary HDMI cable. Why should MS allow us to use a $3 HDMI cable, when they can force us to pay a premium for their own? Also, maybe we'll see some kind of wireless audio/video option?

I really hope I'm wrong on all those things about the Next Xbox because I just described the worst gaming console of all time.

[MagitekAngel]

It's interesting the way you split that - Sony sticking with discs and Microsoft going all-digital. I think that would cause the market itself to split - the big, 30-hour titles would flock to Sony, and Microsoft would become sort of a living room app-store-type environment where the 5 dollar game would reign supreme.

As for Kinect, I think you're both right and wrong, in the sense that it hasn't been much of a success, given the lack of quality software, but enough people trusted early on that games would follow and bought the thing, so it has made enough money for Microsoft to think it's a huge hit and continue pushing it.

[Tr3vor]

yeah, i agree with the microsoft going digital. do you see thier new GUI? its more like an iphone or droid.

idk but my prospective of the two consoles is this:
Xbox 360: its somthing that everyone has. like a "casual" sort of way. It seems like they are heading more in the casual route, but not as much as the Wii.
ps3: more of the "hardcore" crowd, with the jrpgs and dark souls type stuff with more exclusives

(not trying to start a flame war, this is all my opinion. don't get butthurt.)

[Austin]

I don't forsee Sony or MS going all-digital next generation. Not enough people have access to high-speed internet for them to rely solely on that method of distribution. Obviously the option will be heavily pushed though, much like they are already doing this gen.

Tr3vor, on Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:52 PM, said:

Xbox 360: its somthing that everyone has. like a "casual" sort of way. It seems like they are heading more in the casual route, but not as much as the Wii.
ps3: more of the "hardcore" crowd, with the jrpgs and dark souls type stuff with more exclusives

I don't really agree with that. I mean, the 360 is the more popular of the two in the US, so naturally there is a wider array of games that you don't find on the PS3. Of course MS tried to cash in on the 'casual' bandwagon, to some degree of success, but they haven't forgotten everyone else they were catering to prior. On the "hardcore" side (I hate classifications like that), the system has a plethora of things that people would consider to be just that. Plenty of RPGs, loads of the "mature" games, but also also a very nice alotment of shmups between retail releases and XBOX Live Arcade. Shmups in particular are the kinds of titles I would have generally in the past considered to be games for "hardcore" gamers.

[onlysublime]

The 360 caters to so many variety of gamers now that Microsoft won't give that up to go casual. It's where the hardcore gamers go first because of the multiplayer and because it's the first to get DLC. Call of Duty, Battlefield, etc. sell best and have the most online gamers on the 360. All the hardcore titles on the PS3 sell relatively poorly. As much acclaim as Killzone, Uncharted, Infamous, MotorStorm, Resistance, etc. get, they don't really have mega blockbuster sale numbers.

Of course, Microsoft was known for the hardcore gamers and nothing else ever since the Xbox1. Which was a problem because people play more than first person shooters. Sony gamers even used that as an argument that the Xbox was too hardcore and focused on too few genres and that Sony had a wider variety of games and that was definitely true with Xbox1 versus PS2. That was the attraction of PS2. That it had games like SingStar, DDR, etc. And let's face it, Nintendo made by far the most money this generation and depended solely on the casual gamer. So the success of the Kinect shows that Microsoft is trying to attract the casual gamer as well.

Microsoft's not going to let go of their hardcore title. They just want to add the casual title as well. Because while hardcore gamers spend the most money, they're also pretty tapped out. Microsoft has squeezed as much as they can get from them. Which means now you try to bring in the casual gamers for new revenue.

As much as Microsoft, Sony, etc. want to go all digital, they know they can't. The infrastructure is not there yet. Sure, in parts of Asia, Europe, and other places that are smaller and can therefore have broader distribution of fast Internet, an all digital platform makes sense. But in the US, fast Internet is very spotty and expensive. In parts of Europe or Asia, you can get 70 mbps Internet for $30 a month.

OnLive has not taken off. The PSP Go was a failure. The Wii's online offerings were mildly accepted because the Wii demographics really want simple local player, traditional NES/SNES/N64 style gaming. The only successful digital platforms so far have been Xbox Live, Steam, and Playstation Network.

[Metal Ghost]

Nuclear Pacman, on Tue Jan 17, 2012 5:04 PM, said:

What do you think the next Playstation and the next Xbox will have as features, specs and services etc...?

My opinion, I work quite a bit right now and have not put one bit of effort into researching the upcoming machines, but given the secrecy I can't imagine I'd find much anyway, so all I'm going on is patterns and what I think game companies want as well as gamers. These are only my speculations, absolutely nothing official, just pure opinionated crap. I just want to see what people think is going to happen.

Playstation 4:

• BluRay disc system. I think Playstation will retain an optical disc game delivery system as their primary, with the games being required to be on BluRay discs. That 50gb bump from 9gb we have now for DVD is quite a boost. And Sony is not going to let BluRay fail as a movie format, not right now, they put the whole company on the line for that format, and they will continue to push it.

Next Xbox:

• No disc drive.
  
• Mandatory subscription fee (Gold): I don't see a 'free' or Silver style subscription anymore. Not for all the things that MS wants their entertainment box to be, I mean they want it to be the 'everything box'.

Though I would not be completely surprised if there was a version of the next Xbox that offered no optical drive, very similar to how the 360 has a version that offers no hard drive, I have seen nothing to lead me to believe that I won't be able to purchase a next generation Xbox with an opitical drive (which I'm hoping is Blu-Ray).

Nor have I seen anything to lead me to believe that one will have to opt for Xbox Live Gold. Microsoft wanting the Xbox to become more of an entertainment hub us not counter to continuing to offer free Live Silver.

Xbox 360 has been if nothing else indicative of offering choice to the consumer (Gold or Silver? Hard Drive or Not? Kinect or Not?). So given the track record and no information to the contrary beyond heresay and speculation, why would I assume differently now?

[Skarrj]

^{If anyone actually goes discless, they will not get a dime from me. Ive stuck through some rough times with several xboxes, but ill never buy any gaming system unless it supports physical media.
Sidenote to the op, the xbox's HD was not to blame for the hardware failures. the design of the case and horrible cooling issues were.}

[Emehr]

I don't see anybody going discless next gen. If anything, they'll put part of the game on disc (graphical and audio resources) and require you to download the rest from their servers. Sounds like video gaming hell to me but they have to ween users to a download-only system somehow.

[Lord Helmet]

I think we have one last generation of physical media left. We don't have broadband proliferation and data speeds across the board that will truly support DL only (as much as I'd love to see it). Microsoft wants to sell you as many games as possible, and if it goes DL only a large number of folks that are still on dialup (gasp!) are left out in the cold.

Also, Microsoft will continue to offer a free version of XBL. It's something of a 'gateway drug' to gold where every time you log in you see what you're missing out on. It also allows them to sell you more downloadable games, avatar items, movies etc.

Edited by Lord Helmet, Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:19 AM.

[ComputerSpaceFan]

I'm surprised no one has brought up the iTunes model yet. My guess is the next generation of consoles from Microsoft and Sony will be more along those lines, no more lending your game to your buddy, no more renting games out of the nearby dispenser, no more used games sales. You recommend a game to a friend? He needs to buy his own copy.

Personally I think everything in the next generation will switch to some kind of subscription-based model where you don't own anything anymore, you pay a monthly bill to keep accessing it, like television. Will that be discless? Perhaps not, some of the previous posters have made solid arguments against a no disc console. But I would be willing to bet you need to pay to unlock what comes on your disc, and that will become a subscription.

One question I have for everyone that no one has mentioend yet is what room for improvement is there when it comes to graphics? Can games get any better looking than they are on this current generation and if so, how? 3D? Rediculously high resolution? Trillions of polygons?

When I play Uncharted or Bioshock or Motorstorm I am amazed how good the game looks. Will the next generation turn today's graphics into a dull experience? How?

[Emehr]

ComputerSpaceFan, on Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:29 AM, said:

One question I have for everyone that no one has mentioend yet is what room for improvement is there when it comes to graphics? Can games get any better looking than they are on this current generation and if so, how? 3D? Rediculously high resolution? Trillions of polygons?

As long as there are limitations to what I can do in a 3D world, game graphics may as well be crude polygons. Those lanyard clips I see on my character's bandolier are pointless if I can't directly interact with them. Frankly, I'll take abstract graphics and artwork over "photorealistic" any day of the week.

[godslabrat]

My primary motivation to upgrade to the next Xbox will be to extend the usefulness of my existing 360 games onto a more reliable system. If the next Xbox isn't disc-based, or it isn't 101% backwards compatible, I doubt I'll look twice at them. The money would be better spent on replacement 360 parts.

[Nuclear Pacman]

The problem I see arising from Microsoft also adopting a BD drive for it's game delivery, is the question of if Microsoft wants to pay Sony licensing fees to use the BluRay drive. Sony owns BD technology, and with DVD it wasn't an issue, because DVD is a consortium tech mostly owned by Toshiba, who doesn't have a competing video game console, so licensing DVD drives is a no brainer. This is one reason why MS could go digital only, I mean why do they want to help Sony?

Personally I would prefer another generation of physical disc media, I like actually owning the games I buy. But I have to wonder if the BD licensing issue will affect how the next Xbox is designed. It's not inconsequential.

[Rex Dart]

I doubt the BD licensing would be a major issue. Certainly Microsoft could see it as being worthwhile in the long run to bury the competition with a superior product, no?

[Metal Ghost]

Nuclear Pacman, on Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:35 PM, said:

The problem I see arising from Microsoft also adopting a BD drive for it's game delivery, is the question of if Microsoft wants to pay Sony licensing fees to use the BluRay drive. Sony owns BD technology, and with DVD it wasn't an issue, because DVD is a consortium tech mostly owned by Toshiba, who doesn't have a competing video game console, so licensing DVD drives is a no brainer. This is one reason why MS could go digital only, I mean why do they want to help Sony?

Personally I would prefer another generation of physical disc media, I like actually owning the games I buy. But I have to wonder if the BD licensing issue will affect how the next Xbox is designed. It's not inconsequential.

First, if Toshiba is now making BD players (remember HD DVD?), I see no issues with Microsoft putting one in an Xbox. Second, fees and royalties are paid to the Blu-Ray disc association, not Sony. Yes, Sony has a stake in that association, but they are just one of 9 founding companies, plus MIT, and are currently just one of 19 companies on that body's board of directors. Third, do you know how many Vaio computers Sony sells with Windows? A lot. Go to the Sony Store and it's funny but you'll see "Sony recommends Windows 7" all over the place. Finally, Microsoft, via Zune, already offers a lot of Sony Music and Pictures.

I'm not going to sit hear and say that there will be a BD in the next Xbox, but I don't see any real reasons why there couldn't be.

[JamesD]

If anyone goes digital delivery only, I won't buy another product from that company. It's that simple.
I'd love to see that, Walmart drops their product because they can't make money on the games. Total fail!

[BillyHW]

I really don't see how dropping physical media is viable. A single 50GB blu-ray disc butts up against most people's monthly bandwidth limits.

[doubleminor]

I was an early OnLive user and after using it for a while, cloud gaming is still a ways out.

Picked up Batman: AC for cheap from OnLive. The graphics were bland and looked washed out with lots of lag and stuttering. At the time, I had the highest-tiered AT&T internet and a PC that exceeded the recommended setup.

I don't mind digital distro ala Steam. In fact, I own many games through it. As for consoles, physical media is still the way to go.

[onlysublime]

Metal Ghost, on Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:12 PM, said:

Nuclear Pacman, on Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:35 PM, said:

The problem I see arising from Microsoft also adopting a BD drive for it's game delivery, is the question of if Microsoft wants to pay Sony licensing fees to use the BluRay drive. Sony owns BD technology, and with DVD it wasn't an issue, because DVD is a consortium tech mostly owned by Toshiba, who doesn't have a competing video game console, so licensing DVD drives is a no brainer. This is one reason why MS could go digital only, I mean why do they want to help Sony?

Personally I would prefer another generation of physical disc media, I like actually owning the games I buy. But I have to wonder if the BD licensing issue will affect how the next Xbox is designed. It's not inconsequential.

First, if Toshiba is now making BD players (remember HD DVD?), I see no issues with Microsoft putting one in an Xbox. Second, fees and royalties are paid to the Blu-Ray disc association, not Sony. Yes, Sony has a stake in that association, but they are just one of 9 founding companies, plus MIT, and are currently just one of 19 companies on that body's board of directors. Third, do you know how many Vaio computers Sony sells with Windows? A lot. Go to the Sony Store and it's funny but you'll see "Sony recommends Windows 7" all over the place. Finally, Microsoft, via Zune, already offers a lot of Sony Music and Pictures.

I'm not going to sit hear and say that there will be a BD in the next Xbox, but I don't see any real reasons why there couldn't be.

Microsoft has no issues with having a BR drive in a console. Unlike the world of fanboys and message boards, Microsoft and Sony are not at each other's throats and have numerous business dealings with each other throughout their respective divisions. As long as the deal makes sense for both companies, they'll do the deal. It's all about making money.

The main reasons the 360 didn't have it was 1) cost of the drive and 2) the BR spec and the drives weren't done yet. Microsoft needed to release before Sony released their console. If they released at the same time, people would lean Sony out of force of habit. Waiting for BR to be done would've made it difficult for the 360 to prosper. Heck, even the BR spec was changing after Sony released the PS3.

The reasons why Microsoft went HD-DVD is that it would slow market adoption of BluRay, HD-DVD had a more mature spec (it had features that BluRay didn't add until very late in its development), and most importantly, HD-DVD would implement Microsoft's software and codecs whereas BluRay was solidly behind Java and other tech. Microsoft wanted their iHD to be available as an option for BR discs but the BluRay Disc Association said no. A big thing that Microsoft wanted was mandatory managed copy support available for all discs. BluRay wouldn't promise that until very late. A lot was unfinished with BluRay such as the AACS specification. There was just too much unknown for Microsoft to gamble with BluRay.

Microsoft didn't say no to BluRay just because it's from Sony. Because let's face it. Microsoft is worth far more than Sony. If they wanted, they could buy Sony and shut it down. That's the reality of economics.

[Reaperman]

I predict a lot more 'incomplete' games. Discs that ship with the basic UI, engine and a few hours worth of level data, but the rest of the level data will be downloaded as its reached. This could be used to turn used games into gameplay demos, and will be sold as a way to "have a game bigger than a disc" on a disc.

Edited by Reaperman, Thu Jan 19, 2012 3:29 PM.

[doubleminor]

Reaperman, on Thu Jan 19, 2012 3:29 PM, said:

I predict a lot more 'incomplete' games. Discs that ship with the basic UI, engine and a few hours worth of level data, but the rest of the level data will be downloaded as its reached. This could be used to turn used games into gameplay demos, and will be sold as a way to "have a game bigger than a disc" on a disc.

I believe that's how the new Ridge Racer on the Vita was made. Incomplete game, have to download the majority of the cars and tracks.

[BillyHW]

doubleminor, on Thu Jan 19, 2012 4:53 PM, said:

Reaperman, on Thu Jan 19, 2012 3:29 PM, said:

I predict a lot more 'incomplete' games. Discs that ship with the basic UI, engine and a few hours worth of level data, but the rest of the level data will be downloaded as its reached. This could be used to turn used games into gameplay demos, and will be sold as a way to "have a game bigger than a disc" on a disc.

I believe that's how the new Ridge Racer on the Vita was made. Incomplete game, have to download the majority of the cars and tracks.

One of the reasons I can't be a modern gamer.

[Nuclear Pacman]

Added another one to my op. Proprietary HDMI cable. Since HDMI was added on later with the 360, I can see why they used the standard plug, but I can definitely see a switch to a proprietary plug on the next console, this usually happens with most cables for consoles. Also I wonder if wireless A/V is a possibility?

[Metal Ghost]

Nuclear Pacman, on Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:22 PM, said:

Added another one to my op. Proprietary HDMI cable. Since HDMI was added on later with the 360, I can see why they used the standard plug, but I can definitely see a switch to a proprietary plug on the next console, this usually happens with most cables for consoles. Also I wonder if wireless A/V is a possibility?

I agree that traditionally it seems as though console manufacturers go towards the proprietary route. I think the move from proprietary memory cards to USB sticks however proves that this isn't always the case, fortunately.

Question: why is the proprietary HDMI cable comment Xbox specific? I don't necessarily disagree that a company would like to be able to sell a peripheral, all else being held equal, but that holds true for any company. Sony has a long track record of this too.

[Nuclear Pacman]

Metal Ghost, on Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:30 PM, said:

Nuclear Pacman, on Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:22 PM, said:

Added another one to my op. Proprietary HDMI cable. Since HDMI was added on later with the 360, I can see why they used the standard plug, but I can definitely see a switch to a proprietary plug on the next console, this usually happens with most cables for consoles. Also I wonder if wireless A/V is a possibility?

I agree that traditionally it seems as though console manufacturers go towards the proprietary route. I think the move from proprietary memory cards to USB sticks however proves that this isn't always the case, fortunately.

Question: why is the proprietary HDMI cable comment Xbox specific? I don't necessarily disagree that a company would like to be able to sell a peripheral, all else being held equal, but that holds true for any company. Sony has a long track record of this too.

well, I skipped the playstation 3 so I don't feel I have any grasp to predict what will happen with their stuff, other than I think it'll be a BD based gaming system. But yeah, pretty much all game systems have proprietary cables.