Topic: Interesting direction for console generation 8

[scottws]

According to an Ars Technica article, the next generation of Microsoft and Sony consoles will mimic PC hardware from a few months ago.

That is a radical departure from what we've come to expect in consoles.  Typically, after consoles have been out for a year they really hit their stride technologically.  Developers know how to take advantage of the systems and the hardware usually far outpaces what is available in a reasonably priced PC.  That combined with the fact that PC developers tend to code for midrange to low-end systems meant that console games usually looked and felt far superior to PC games for the first several years of a console's life.

That sounds like it might change.  It looks like Microsoft and Sony are targeting nearly off-the-shelf PC hardware from a few months ago for their gen 8 hardware.  This means that high-end PC parts from today are already superior to the next generation consoles, and they aren't even expected for another year or so.  When these consoles finally release, those parts will be midrange.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.  I imagine that consoles will still be the de facto standard for development, at least for the first couple of years.  But imagine what kind of hardware might be in PCs three or four years from now in comparison to these consoles.  If current trends keep up, PCs will be vastly more powerful even though the consoles are still relatively young.

[idolminds]

Probably good that they will mostly share architecture, making multiplatform (including PC) releases easier. Plus a modest PC upgrade to be set for the whole next generation? Sounds good. What will be interesting is how they will try make them unique. Wii U has the tablet thing and there are rumors MS will do something similar, but they already have Kinect which I'm sure will come standard with the next system. No idea what Sony will try.

[Quemaqua]

If it makes them cheaper, I'm all for it. I feel like we've more or less gotten things looking so good it doesn't even matter anymore anyway.

[gpw11]

I think that's the key thing here:  We're getting to the point where graphical appeal is more of a question of development cost rather than hardware power.   And, honestly, if everything is standardized and code can be written directly for the parts rather then through an api (I believe I remember Cobra talking about this), I imagine that graphics will still be very very impressive.

[Xessive]

While graphics technology is advancing it's reaching a point of saturation. The variance in graphical quality in the past three years has been so small it's practically negligible. It all boils down to how much detail we can cram among a steady flow of 60fps.

Lately the fad seems to be maximizing resolution. Current-gen consoles run most big titles at 720p and smaller apps/games at full 1080p. With a little push using current-gen PC technology they could effectively have consoles that run everything at full 1080p (or higher depending on future HDTV tech) with a full complement of visual bells & whistles incl. DX11 with tessellation. My expectation is that they would have to make something a little on the future-proof side. It's not enough to just surpass current gen consoles, they need to surpass current-gen PCs (near-future-gen PCs will still have an edge due to the nature of PC tech).

Let's not forget the console's place as more than just a gaming console. These days I use my PS3 more for movies, music, and the occasional photo slideshow than I do for games. Sony ought to expand on this multi-functionality in order to be a viable contender, at least in my opinion.

The Ars Technica article is interesting and the commentary on game media sparks disparate sensations in the back of gamers' minds. There's hope for better visuals, better interfaces and modes of interaction, and multimedia options. Then, of course, there's fear for games media, digital rights, and second-hand sales. A new console could mean new rules and new (lower) standards of social acceptance of Draconian (I love that word) restrictions and tactics.

There's a lot to look forward to but for now everything is based on mere speculation. We have to wait for an official response from Sony before people start busting their nuts on Sony.

[gpw11]

Yeah, to be honest my PS3 is used as a media centre far more than it is for games.

[Cobra951]

If it makes them cheaper, I'm all for it. I feel like we've more or less gotten things looking so good it doesn't even matter anymore anyway.

While graphics technology is advancing it's reaching a point of saturation. The variance in graphical quality in the past three years has been so small it's practically negligible. It all boils down to how much detail we can cram among a steady flow of 60fps.

. . .

I think that tells the whole story, really.  Once the technology is good enough to realize anything imaginable on a flat screen, other things become more important, like cost, reliability and making the systems easy to develop for.  Most of the pressure to move to the next gen is coming from developers, not users.  Because the fact is that the current gen can get fairly close to the goal already.  Devs that have to fight the limited memory and access speeds are unhappy.  Technophile users are unhappy.  Everyone else just doesn't much care as long as new and exciting software keeps coming down the pipe.

Edit:

I think that's the key thing here:  We're getting to the point where graphical appeal is more of a question of development cost rather than hardware power.   And, honestly, if everything is standardized and code can be written directly for the parts rather then through an api (I believe I remember Cobra talking about this), I imagine that graphics will still be very very impressive.

Yeah, that was me.  I was shocked to read that devs for PCs with ostensibly 10 times the power of the consoles had a hard time keeping up with the display throughput of those consoles, all because of the software translation layer from standard code to specific display hardware, a layer not needed if the display hardware is standard and unchanging.  And while bypassing that layer is possible, it would burden the PC developer with the impossible task of supplying special "direct to metal" code for every possible configuration of parts, present and future.

[Xessive]

Developers share next-generation wish list, on ShackNews, and here's the complete article from Gamastura.

[MysterD]

Rumors: X720 to contain Blu-ray and require "always online" connection.

[Cobra951]

What a tragic deal breaker that would be.

[Xessive]

What a tragic deal breaker that would be.

Yep. When the internet is down I usually count on my console to catch up on some singleplayer and offline multiplayer with my brother. It's all part of the convenience of a gaming console. If that's removed then it defeats the purpose; it's no longer an independent console, it's just a client device like OnLive.

[Xessive]

Mega64 on "New Consoles"

So true.

[Pugnate]

I doubt most of this is real. It never is as bad as the rumors make it sound, though it still isn't great. And then we breathe a sigh of relief that we are only getting screwed once instead of twice. I wonder if it is a marketing thing.

[Cobra951]

Mega64 on "New Consoles"

So true.

Yeah, but it's sad.  It only seems funny when they say it.

I doubt most of this is real. It never is as bad as the rumors make it sound, though it still isn't great. And then we breathe a sigh of relief that we are only getting screwed once instead of twice. I wonder if it is a marketing thing.

I wouldn't put it past them.

[Quemaqua]

I think whether this stuff is true or not, it's only going to get worse from here on out. Gaming is moving rapidly far away from me.

[Pugnate]

[Xessive]

If it gets to the point that it's unbearable, when I feel violated, I'm switching to Paintball... or I'll get a zen garden or something.