Topic: What is next gen supposed to mean?

People are treating the x1 and ps4 like they are the true next gen consoles,

But what makes a next gen console? I bought a wii u today with a 1080p TV and the graphics look brilliant to me, but Thats not what I was focusing on, I love the gamepad, its so versatile and can do so many great things, it feels different from any other platform

Is a next gen console just raw specs? In that case I have lost faith in the vast majority of gaming, nintendo stepped in the right direction, making it more powerful than ps3 but not as much as ps4 and including a bloody cool controller that changes your experience

Your thoughts?

Unfortunately, most people define next gen as impressive, PC-like graphics with powerful hardware specs, which is not true. To me, next gen is something that is new to the gaming world, something that never been implemented before.

To dudes like this bro it means another system to play shooters on

Gaming consoles usually come out every couple of years (in this case 7-8), so when a new 'generation' comes out, thats what the consoles are called. Seeing as the Wii U, PS4 and XBOXOne are the new consoles replacing the ones released 7 years ago, they are the next generation. Unfortunately fanboys have warped the term to try and imply some new consoles arent good enough to be compared to their other competitors by calling them 'last gen'. In truth, you can say what you want about each console, but these three are the next generation.

The next iteration of fixed hardware.

"Next-Gen" is more of a marketing word as opposed to a real meaning.

PC hardware is already above PS4 / XBO. So what the marketing teams are calling "next gen" was here sometime in 2009 when PC hardware reached new grounds. PS4 / XBO graphics are behind PC already.

As for the Wii U vs PS4/XBO. The Wii U is a capable machine which can reach the same level of gameplay as any of the new units, the graphics might not match the new units but the gameplay will sure be the exact same. The hardware inside the Wii U is also able to produce some great looking games.

Not me though. As you can see from my Miiverse screen grab of Deus Ex, MAB helps the ladies... I knocked you out boi

Next Gen basically means that it replaces the previous gen in market relevance making it outdated.... it's easier to determine what a generation is retroactively, for example the bunch of consoles like CD-I, 3DO ect that launch after the SNES and PSOne are not really considered a generation because they never surpassed the SNES and Genesis in Market Relevance and by the time the PSOne, N64 ect took over they were no longer relevant.... The Wii despite being outdate hardware wise was a next gen console in relation to PS2, original Xbox, and GCN because it had a significant market share after the other consoles have faded in relevance......

The reason I think the Wii U is not next gen is because is too close in capabilities to the PS3, 360, I think adoption rate for new consoles would be slow and PS3 and 360 would continue to be the 2 most relevant consoles in the market for at least 2 more years, I don't think the Wii U will maintain a significant market share by the time the PS4 and Xbone finally overtook the previous consoles, I think that when the PS3 and 360 finally fade away the Wii U would probably fade as well... I would not even be surprised if the PS3 and 360 managed to outlast the Wii U in terms of market relevance

Armchair analysts at it again I see. Maybe we should hold the bragging for these new consoles and Wii U bashing for at least a few months given the quality launch the PS4 has seen........

I'm totally fine with new consoles just bringing more power. It's how it has always been. The innovation comes from what the software makers can do with that extra power, which is far more than better visuals. I strongly disagree that a new controller is a bigger reason to buy a new console than improved specs. New controllers can be peripherals for existing hardware, and it's a bit frustrating to be forced to buy a whole new console where this is no real need for it.

I also firmly believe that not everyone has the same definition of next-gen. I've said before that I personally know people working in the industry that mean PS4 and Xbox One when using that term. They are definitely NOT putting the Wii U down, but it's just a quick term to say what machines their next projects are for. It's a lot easier to use current gen and next gen instead of reeling off a big list of platforms.

Next gen is simply the next generation of consoles. By definition Wii U, Xbone, and PS4 are next gen becaue they are all in the wave (generation) if consoles. I think the discussion really is what deserves to be next gen, which is a discussion I haven't seen yet, only what is next gen.

By definition the Wii U, Xbone, and PS4 are all next gen systems and next will be the current 8th gen systems. But I do think the Wii U is considered a last gen console by many people early on and it has been cemented into the systems word of mouth. The PS4 has had a really similar launch to the WIi U's but was able to sell twitce as many units than the WIii U did in nearly a year.

I feel Nintendo truly messed on its advertising.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/next-generation