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Topic: Are we seeing the end of a traditional generational console release system?

Posts 1 to 20 of 31

MrGawain

With the upcoming NX news reveal that seems to suggest were getting a new Nintendo console this christmas, and Phil Spencer openly suggesting Xbox could become an upgradable console, plus the fact Sony is likely to unveil it's VR add on for the PS4, it occurred to me we are shifting away from a traditional generation launch for consoles.

Obviously with the launch of this generation the PS4 'won' the most adopters mainly due to it being the most powerful (if not by much), and cheaper than the XB1. Nintendo didn't really make a mark perhaps because people perceived the Wii U not that more advanced than a PS3/XB360. There was certainly a universal tipping point where a lot of gamers universally came to the conclusion that the PS4 was apparently the best bet for them, and because there was a groundswell of PS4 supporters, a lot of other people were convinced with the promise that the online community would be more robust, and it would get better 3rd party support as there are more people on that system.

To me it seems both Nintendo and Microsoft are breaking the cycle so they can 'one up' the PS4 early with possibly more powerful/innovative/developer friendly hardware. With PS4 commited to the PSVR, I'm guessing Sony really can't announce a new console (or would want to) for the next 3ish years.

With this leapfrogging style of console launching, we could get a situation were it wouldn't be such a hard choice to chose between consoles. If you can't afford to buy two consoles in the same year you're forced into a choice, but if you've bought a PS4 3 years ago, you may be in a better position to buy a more powerful Xbox as well. Also with the power increase, there could be far more console exclusives as new hardware would be able to play more powerful games not possible on current consoles.

Do you think this sort of business model could work, and would you prefer it to all the consoles being released in a small time frame?

Isn't it obvious that Falco Lombardi is actually a parrot?

LzWinky

From what I've seen these past few generations, consoles released outside of the "BIG DAY Y'ALL!" in November seem to sell worse. It would be interesting to see how these upcoming years pan out.

Current games: Everything on Switch

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Bolt_Strike

Yes, and I would prefer this honestly. I think console developers are slowly realizing that having your games being locked to a dedicated device that becomes totally obsolete in a couple of years is too limiting and they want an ecosystem that has more flexibility to appeal to a wider variety of gamers. On top of that, the generation structure isn't really providing much progress except for higher specs that have a minimal impact on gameplay now, the only time we really get new experiences is when new form factors are introduced. So I think we're trending towards an environment where a "system" consists of a variety of form factors that the gamers can choose from (traditional console, handheld, VR, PC, mobile, etc.) and multiple "generations" of consoles can be supported at the same time with the older ones getting phased out more gradually as they stop being compatible with lower or mid tier games (much like how older operating systems are).

Bolt_Strike

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NinChocolate

If we're seeing the end then it's certainly not for Nintendo. Looking at N's hardware history it's clear Nintendo likes to evolve or reinvent it's hardware rather than simply upgrade it. They upgraded the DS and 3DS specs but there was little software that made it substantial. No, they are happy to reinvent the wheel (controller) and sell it to you all over again

NinChocolate

GrailUK

I think Microsoft is reacting to the huge rumours of Nintendo aiming towards an infrastructure / ecosystem of systems and games in terms that they can understand i.e upgradable pc's in boxes. Heck, everyone has been crying out for Microsoft to release a keyboard, mouse for their Xbox systems or release their games on PC.

I never drive faster than I can see. Besides, it's all in the reflexes.

Switch FC: SW-0287-5760-4611

Peek-a-boo

MrGawain wrote:

Obviously with the launch of this generation the PS4 'won' the most adopters mainly due to it being the most powerful (if not by much), and cheaper than the Xbox One.

You appear to be forgetting the biggest and most obvious reason why the Xbox One wasn't an attractive proposition at the time; it was even making the news on the likes of the BBC!

Onto the subject matter in question, I am happy with a 6+ yearly model purely because we have always seen how much developers can eek out a system towards the end of its lifespan.

Look at the gulf in visual quality between the first Uncharted and The Last of Us, or Halo 3 to Halo 4, the latter of which looks just as good as Halo 5 in places.

I don't think we would get this eek'ing out phase if the console cycle was much more frequent.

I still have my iPhone 5S, which I replaced with my iPhone 3GS - four years between each model. I don't buy new hardware every year or two, which is another reason why I like the 'traditional' model.

And last but not least, it is more expensive in the long run! I spend quite enough on games to worry about buying more hardware on a more frequent basis.

I can see (and slightly agree) to both sides of this discussion however, I am more than happy with the way things are.

Peek-a-boo

skywake

Peek-a-boo wrote:

I still have my iPhone 5S, which I replaced with my iPhone 3GS - four years between each model. I don't buy new hardware every year or two, which is another reason why I like the 'traditional' model. And last but not least, it is more expensive in the long run! I spend quite enough on games to worry about buying more hardware on a more frequent basis.

I get where you're coming from and you'd have a point if there wasn't forwards and backwards compatibility. But I would suspect that more frequent revisions would have to also come with something along those lines.

I look at it this way. I have a PC and it's pretty decent but at some point I'm going to upgrade it. I have purchases on Steam from my previous PC and I can still play them. When I eventually upgrade it I will still be able to play the games I have on it now. If I don't upgrade it? Eventually games won't run as well but I'll still be able to play most of them for quite a while.

Just because there are yearly hardware revisions doesn't mean that you "need" to upgrade. The more frequent the upgrades the less each upgrade is worth. The main advantage is that if you buy in 2016 you're not buying 2013 components....

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"Don't stir the pot" is a nice way of saying "they're too dumb to reason with"

Shinion

Whatever happens you can be sure that there will be numerous false assumptions, mistakes and instances of jumping-the-gun and drawing the wrong conclusions on the part of several companies, as if there's any industry that has proven time and again that it doesn't know how to handle change it is the videogame industry. We'll probably still be having the same debate in 10-15 years time, as NX/PSVR and whatever scam Microsoft have up their sleeves will lose their novelty and these companies will do the same-old-same-old routine for the next generation at least. PS4/Xbox One was a huge opportunity for these companies to show their supposed 'innovation' as per their hype inducing adds but all we got were slightly more powerful versions of the boxes they sold us nearly a decade earlier. Don't get your hopes up is what I'm saying, the moment Sony unveil the PS5 is when all hopes of innovation die. And it will happen.

This is brought to you by a boring law lecture I'm ignoring whilst typing this that is probably making me give this depressing outlook on things.

Shinion

MrGawain

@Peek-a-boo: Good point, if you remember there were rumours Sony were also planning always online DRM until they saw the reaction to Microsofts pre E3 announcement. In fact, there still is mandatory online for when I want to play a downloaded game on the PS4. But being able to go 2nd allowed them to make a few tweaks and change the story.

It makes me wonder if Microsoft would have gotten away with it if they had announced an always online more powerful XB1 18 months after the PS4? Now there's a scary thought.

Isn't it obvious that Falco Lombardi is actually a parrot?

kkslider5552000

Kinda, but I don't see why any of this would change anything. Companies already release better versions of their consoles later on. Sony always pushes for some new gimmick halfway through a generation. None of this is new.

Non-binary, demiguy, making LPs, still alive

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Octane

TheLastLugia wrote:

Whatever happens you can be sure that there will be numerous false assumptions, mistakes and instances of jumping-the-gun and drawing the wrong conclusions on the part of several companies, as if there's any industry that has proven time and again that it doesn't know how to handle change it is the videogame industry. We'll probably still be having the same debate in 10-15 years time, as NX/PSVR and whatever scam Microsoft have up their sleeves will lose their novelty and these companies will do the same-old-same-old routine for the next generation at least. PS4/Xbox One was a huge opportunity for these companies to show their supposed 'innovation' as per their hype inducing adds but all we got were slightly more powerful versions of the boxes they sold us nearly a decade earlier. Don't get your hopes up is what I'm saying, the moment Sony unveil the PS5 is when all hopes of innovation die. And it will happen.

This is brought to you by a boring law lecture I'm ignoring whilst typing this that is probably making me give this depressing outlook on things.

I don't see the problem. They add a few new bells and whistles, but the true innovation should be the games themselves and not the hardware. PC's have stayed the same for decades, because they do what they have to do. I don't need useless gimmicks attached to consoles that want to ''innovate'', let the games do that job and let the hardware be what it is.

So when Sony announces the PS5, good for them, because it's a model that works and does what it has to do; play video games. And that's all I'm asking for.

Octane

DefHalan

Octane wrote:

TheLastLugia wrote:

Whatever happens you can be sure that there will be numerous false assumptions, mistakes and instances of jumping-the-gun and drawing the wrong conclusions on the part of several companies, as if there's any industry that has proven time and again that it doesn't know how to handle change it is the videogame industry. We'll probably still be having the same debate in 10-15 years time, as NX/PSVR and whatever scam Microsoft have up their sleeves will lose their novelty and these companies will do the same-old-same-old routine for the next generation at least. PS4/Xbox One was a huge opportunity for these companies to show their supposed 'innovation' as per their hype inducing adds but all we got were slightly more powerful versions of the boxes they sold us nearly a decade earlier. Don't get your hopes up is what I'm saying, the moment Sony unveil the PS5 is when all hopes of innovation die. And it will happen.

This is brought to you by a boring law lecture I'm ignoring whilst typing this that is probably making me give this depressing outlook on things.

I don't see the problem. They add a few new bells and whistles, but the true innovation should be the games themselves and not the hardware. PC's have stayed the same for decades, because they do what they have to do. I don't need useless gimmicks attached to consoles that want to ''innovate'', let the games do that job and let the hardware be what it is.

So when Sony announces the PS5, good for them, because it's a model that works and does what it has to do; play video games. And that's all I'm asking for.

But with that type of thinking, we would have never had things like streetpass or motion controls. Without hardware innovation we wouldn't have been able to make advances, like Online Multiplayer or Voice Commands. Hardware Innovation is just as important as Software innovation. Maybe Nintendo just shouldn't base the entire console around a particular Hardware Innovation.

People keep saying the Xbox One doesn't have Backwards Compatibility.
I don't think they know what Backwards Compatibility means...

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Octane

@DefHalan: I never said that those additions were a bad thing; Besides, they are more tied to the UI than the games themselves.

Motion controls however, the problem is that they are practically gone. It was a fad; and very few games still support them. Still, I'd argue that we could've had games that were just as innovative, hadn't relied on motion controls last generation.

Octane

DefHalan

@Octane: I don't think Motion consoles are practically gone, they have just become more passive in their use. Rather than trying to force Motion Controls on all games, they are now there to enhance the experience when needed. Splatoon uses motion controls well and they are completely optional.

People keep saying the Xbox One doesn't have Backwards Compatibility.
I don't think they know what Backwards Compatibility means...

3DS Friend Code: 2621-2786-9784 | Nintendo Network ID: DefHalan

Octane

@DefHalan: Fair enough, I was more thinking along the lines of the Wii Remote. The gyro controls in the GamePad and DS4 are a good addition.

Octane

MrGawain

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2016/03/rumour_sonys_building_...

So with the rumour Sony are also looking to upgrade- does it now mean all the consoles will be replaced with upgrades within 4 years of lifespan? And will people buy into it? I know I won't be upgrading my PS4, but likely moving on with the NX.

Isn't it obvious that Falco Lombardi is actually a parrot?

DefHalan

I just don't see PS5 coming out. PS4 slim is most likely going to happen and people won't be forced to upgrade to the slim. There might be some extra power or features but all games will work. I think it would be silly for Sony to replace the PS4 already.

People keep saying the Xbox One doesn't have Backwards Compatibility.
I don't think they know what Backwards Compatibility means...

3DS Friend Code: 2621-2786-9784 | Nintendo Network ID: DefHalan

rallydefault

MrGawain wrote:

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2016/03/rumour_sonys_building_...

So with the rumour Sony are also looking to upgrade- does it now mean all the consoles will be replaced with upgrades within 4 years of lifespan? And will people buy into it? I know I won't be upgrading my PS4, but likely moving on with the NX.

I read articles about this yesterday. It pretty much solidified my disinterest in my PS4. I'll be sticking to my Wii U and PC for now.

rallydefault

Peek-a-boo

There's rumours going around from all three camps at the moment, and it's this one that I find hardest to believe; a 'PS4K'.

As far as I am aware the adoption rate of 4K televisions is going at a much, much slower rate from when it was from CRT televisions to HDTVs. I just don't see 4K having any kind of consumer interest on the scale of what HDTVs once had, which was a time when Blu-ray first arrived on the scene too.

Are Sony really going to turn their back on the current 37-38 million owners?

The Microsoft rumour of bringing out incremental model(s) sounds more believable to me, but we shall see!

Peek-a-boo

GrailUK

April Fools Day came early this year?

I never drive faster than I can see. Besides, it's all in the reflexes.

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