Where can console gaming 'go' from here?

[toxic rooster]

Now that XBox are bringing out the Natal project, users can do all that stuff Wii owners creamed themselves over, but now without the total suck games.

What is the 'next step' for console gaming. Like where can they go from here

(and when is the next generation of consoles coming out)

[Kalyx triaD]

Now that XBox are bringing out the Natal project, users can do all that stuff Wii owners creamed themselves over, but now without the total suck games.

What is the 'next step' for console gaming. Like where can they go from here

(and when is the next generation of consoles coming out)

Well first of all, we don't know that crap games will not release for the Natal control method, so you're only guessing there.

As for the next step... Well I think we're gonna see more integration of the whole 'entertainment system' model. Our consoles will give us more reasons to stay on them. The big three industries (movies, games, music) will be seamlessly connected with our consoles. In a while some of us will get all of our fun from consoles - no longer needing to put on a DVD player or music player. This is the case for a lot of us now.

This generation was the 'poker' generation. Lots of go-big-or-go-home ideas and companies keeping their poker faces despite obvious failures. Next gen will see the perfection of today's concepts, in the way that games of this generation are more or less perfected concepts of the 32/64bit era.

I don't think we'll see 'new' consoles per se. We're gonna see upgrades and patches galore. We're at a point where creating new consoles every five years is meaningless. With PS2 lasting a decade and 360/Wii only being significant upgrades of their predecessors, we're probably done with 'five year jump' model. It's more get it right and make it last. Saves more money, and tracking what people want will be easier.

[LoDownM]

IMO Natal's not going "revolutionize" gaming at all. If anything it will just give the 360 a genre called controller less games. Sure, they'll probably come out with some interesting games for it eventually, but most likely its going to appeal to casual gamers/people who are just getting into gaming.

[G]

Come on, why quote his post when you're the first person to reply. It's not like we didn't know who you were posting to. I never understood why people do that.







/still bitter about being ass raped in metallica

[Fignuts]

A lot more user created content, ala PC games.

Unreal III has a great system for this, and if other devs were smart, they'd follow suit.

[Kalyx triaD]

/still bitter about being ass raped in metallica

Dude, it's not like you were gonna learn the charts and beat me after so many days. Don't be hard on yourself. Also: I'm Kalyx triaD, bitch.

A lot more user created content, ala PC games.

Unreal III has a great system for this, and if other devs were smart, they'd follow suit.

This trend is an awesome one, too. User created systems work even as a half-assed gimmick. You can do no wrong applying it in your games. The structure to support it, however, is difficult to maintain. Not every studio will have a chance to have one. Still: Halo 3, LittleBigPlanet, Guitar Hero, and others have bought the PC standard over well. Love to see more of it.

[Funky Fly]

Not to mention the 360's user created Community Games.

BTW, they previewed Natal on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and Natal works with Burnout Paradise, so it looks like pre-existing games work with it too.

[Kane Knight]

IMO Natal's not going "revolutionize" gaming at all. If anything it will just give the 360 a genre called controller less games. Sure, they'll probably come out with some interesting games for it eventually, but most likely its going to appeal to casual gamers/people who are just getting into gaming.

Not to mention, a lot of gamers don't want to get off their asses to unwind.

Part of the question is what they do with it. Especially with the various options, Natal could change more "serious" gaming as well, but that would require them doing something like not just pandering to casual gamers. If they try and compete with the Wii base, they will likely lose anyway.

[Funky Fly]

If the 80s and early 90s are anything to go by, we're gonna go virtual reality pretty soon.

[Droford]

I think its going to be a move from consoles to handhelds. Nintendo has that down right now and with the iphone being able to push some quality games, and not to mention the new Sony and Microsoft handhelds, I definitely think handhelds are where the focus is going to be for the forseable future.

[Kalyx triaD]

Microsoft handheld? Did I miss something?

I also do not agree with handhelds being the forefront.

[G]

Nah, I think Droford is missing something.

[Droford]

Nah, I think Droford is missing something.

Microsoft keeps denying that they are making a handheld game system but I dont think anyone can actually believe them. Just like every time Sony denies rumors only for it to come out later that they lied.

[G]

That thing that supposedly played Live Arcade titles?

[Kalyx triaD]

Microsoft keeps denying that they are making a handheld game system but I dont think anyone can actually believe them. Just like every time Sony denies rumors only for it to come out later that they lied.

But here you are saying they flat out have one. If you think they do, fine, go forth and be speculative. But you are basically saying it to be true, and you have no evidence to support it.

I'm trying to help you here.

[Droford]

There will be a handheld Zunebox before there will be a Xbox 720, just put it at that.

[Kalyx triaD]

Just don't speak of it as truth, know what I'm saying? Get it right.

[LoDownM]

Not to mention, a lot of gamers don't want to get off their asses to unwind.




Yeah that too. I know after working a 10 hour day I don't want to move a whole lot.

[Bad Company]

Natal looks like rubbish, but the Playstation one looks sweet.

[Sepholio]

I think Natal and the PS Motion or w/e it is called are both BS. Just attempts to steal some of Wii's thunder.

In the case of Natal, it is really just a glorified camera, kinda like the PS Eye, only more efficient due to multiple lenses.

In the PS Motion case, it is a wand that works in conjunction with the PS Eye, which in reality probably will give it a bit more flexibility than Natal, but to what end? Sony promised innovative motion control with the SixAxis and that fell through.

MS and Sony just want more casual gamers because they see the trend the Wii started, nothing more. The platforms will be just like Wii; a few good games and a lot of shitty ones. First party and in-house games will probably own, and the majority of third-party games will be bollocks. At least they will have better graphics than the Wii games, and that is where they really hope to steal the show.

[DAMN iNATOR]

http://www.kotaku.com/assets/resources/2006/12/ps9crystalball.jpg
:y:

[Fignuts]

More megaman games.

[Kalyx triaD]

More common sense development.

[Xero]

More sex games.

Fleshlight: The Game

[LuigiD]

As much as many gamers dislike Nintendo's direction, they are just business smart in my opinion. They have integrated such a large group of people into the world of gaming it is insanity. I have heard people talk to me about the Wii that didn't even know I had a Wii. One of them worked at a hospital and the other at a nursing home. Regardless if gamers like it or not, more kiddie and family oriented games will be seen in the future. I would not be surprised if eventually some other companies besides Nintendo take that route since it pays well.
I see more graphic improvements for the future, better interaction with all the motion controllers and what the other had said previously, more media and user content.

[Drakul]

I'm probably echoing other peoples posts here but I think these consoles will be around for a while. The Natal is being released as if it was a whole new console according to SentUAMessage, the weekly Q&A show on the UK 360 dashboard even though it is just a camera and it wont be released until they have things finalised and enough softwear to go with it on release.

I don't think we have to worry about getting up and running around for every Natal game. I'm sure most would just use voice recognition and/or just our arms or head while still using the controller for movement and firing weapons. I'd imagin we'd be sitting down using the PS3 wands to but I only saw the briefest clip of the wands as I don't have a PS3 so didn't really bother with Sonys conference.

I see the next few "generations" of consoles just perfecting stuff using motion control. I do think it is the next step in gaming but not to the extreme that some people feel it is. I don't think we'll be acting out every single motion and function in every game. In a boxing game, I'll want to act out each punch and dodge but something like Fable or an FPS, I'd rather sit and maybe just use voice commands or small gestures and that's what I think we'll get. Controllers will always be in use until the day VR is created and is easily affordable and accessible which wont be in our life time.

[Kalyx triaD]

I think the big mistake with motion control is that people seem to think games were 'missing' this method of control, that 1:1 connections with games on the physical level was some barrier we were aiming to conquer. This idea echoes every time someone hails Wiimote/Natal/Wands as the "future" of the industry.

I disagree.

Let's take fighting games, a favorite genre of mine. Now why in the fuck would I want to play a fighting game, where two characters are facing off on a 2D plane, with my body? Motion control, and I'm gonna hit the nail on the head here, exudes what I'd like to call 'First Person Connection'. In FPS games you look through the eyes of the character. When I push the stick up the character moves up. I would not ever want to move forward by pushing the stick right, wouldn't I? That would be absurd.

I say this because fighting games are gonna be around, and I don't see what any of these motion control methods are gonna do for them. Fighting games will be in our future, but if they won't benefit from these control methods, they cannot be the future of gaming. What on Earth can Sony's Wand do for God of War? For these control schemes to be the future, we'd have to completely revamp the games that come out.

This little rant is basically me defending the classic control method. I love what Wii has done, but I'm willing to bet those half-assed Wii games with tacked on Wii controls are a sign of things to come with Natal and Sony's Wand. A few games that use it great, and many more that fail. In my personal opinion, I think the nature of game development has jumped the gun. We left the 2D era too soon (IMO), and we're leaving today's methods too soon as well.

That's just what I think. I like these motion controls when used right, but the future of gaming my ass. I, quite frankly, don't even trust today's developers so easily (particularly Western).

[Fignuts]

Dude, it's not like you were gonna learn the charts and beat me after so many days. Don't be hard on yourself. Also: I'm Kalyx triaD, bitch.



This trend is an awesome one, too. User created systems work even as a half-assed gimmick. You can do no wrong applying it in your games. The structure to support it, however, is difficult to maintain. Not every studio will have a chance to have one. Still: Halo 3, LittleBigPlanet, Guitar Hero, and others have bought the PC standard over well. Love to see more of it.

Even those games tho, don't even compare to the customization you can get in pc games.

[Kalyx triaD]

I'm still a bit antsy so I'm gonna rant on further.

Let me tell you where I want console gaming to go. These companies have two main groups to please: us and the developers. They have to make a console that can give the developers what they need to create their games with no outstanding limitations. This means horse power, adaptability, network ability, and ease of use. I, as a developer, would not want to hear about Wii's lack of a HDD or Sony's overly complicated dev-kit. I'd want my creativity to be limited to nothing but my budget. VV had to go through hurdles to get Rock Band DLC on Wii. That to me is unacceptable.

This syncs with the company's first priority: us. By giving developers what they need to build games, we get what we need - and they get what they need ($). I don't even think it's a power issue or anything. Nintendo could have a HDD if they wanted, I'm betting NtO of USA sure as shit wanted it. But here we are without one. And almost as a jest, they then debut and aggressively push digital download programs. Seriously, Nintendo? That doesn't meet the requirements for common sense.

I also think these companies should be reminded who they actually work for: us and the dev teams. When Sony sets an unpopular price and then proceeds to tell us what they think we want, it comes off as arrogant. And woe to the press, who I think isn't hitting Sony hard enough on issues like this. If not for the CEOs, the brand itself deserves much better. It's hard to look at PS2 and then PS3. What the fuck happened?

I want console gaming serve me and the hard working development teams out there. Not themselves, and certainly not publishers. By doing so they will reap the rewards anyway. And the publishers can go fuck themselves.

[Kalyx triaD]

Even those games tho, don't even compare to the customization you can get in pc games.

Oh I know, and I think console games are getting there. Far Cry 2 is mind boggling, and it shows that high complexity coming around. Unreal Tournament for PS3 also had mod modes, right?

It's just a matter of time.

[Fignuts]

You can do pretty much anything with the ps3 Unreal that you can on PC, if I'm not mistaken. You makee your mod on the PC, and then transport it to the PS3 with a flash drive. Unreal also allows you to go against PC gamers.

[Kalyx triaD]

That's awesome. That's 'user oriented' gaming.

[Sepholio]

I like user created content and think it has a great place in gaming, but in some aspects, the more it comes to the forefront, the worse off we will be.

I mean honestly, how long will it be before we start getting games that are almost entirely dependent on user generated content? That thought alone would scare off gamers who have no time to be bothered and just want to pop in a fully made game and play.

In essence, user generated content needs to stay just about at the level it is now with the occasional game that requires more of it. Games like LBP for example need to have that extra level but don't require it. I like it that way.

[Kalyx triaD]

I see nothing wrong with user-created content in certain games. Even still, wouldn't that be the best kind of dependency? If we had to choose a trend, I mean.

I don't think any game thus far has ever forced the concept onto anyone.

[Fignuts]

I like user created content and think it has a great place in gaming, but in some aspects, the more it comes to the forefront, the worse off we will be.

I mean honestly, how long will it be before we start getting games that are almost entirely dependent on user generated content? That thought alone would scare off gamers who have no time to be bothered and just want to pop in a fully made game and play.

In essence, user generated content needs to stay just about at the level it is now with the occasional game that requires more of it. Games like LBP for example need to have that extra level but don't require it. I like it that way.

The level it is at right now is pretty shitty. Also, keep in mind that all these mods people make for PC, are for fully made games. You don't need it to be a special feature. You just need to give the user access to the software itself, as PC games do.

The way things are on consoles right now, user created content is a gimmick, thats touted as an extra feature, with drastic limitations in comparison to the PC. Even Farcry 2, as complex as it is, has limitations, where the PC simply doesn't.

What you are describing about LBP, is essentially what PC game mods are, and what I'd like to see in console games.