Are the 'next gen' consoles 'next gen' enough?

PC gaming aside here, I'm thinking about consoles.

OK - you can call them current gen now, but really, are they good enough?

I've been gaming since the late 80s so have grown up with significant bumps in performance and visual output with each new console that came out. The changes were massive each time - not just graphically, but even things we take for granted now like having shoulder buttons on the controller or a 3d world to walk around in - these game changers came hand in hand with each new console and they were massively exciting.

This is the first time that I have felt absolutely zero interest in 'upgrading'. Maybe it's my age now I've hit 30, but seriously, I look at the ps4/xb1 and just can't see anything there being significant enough for me to justify buying. I'm still perfectly happy with my 360.

Am I missing something? Did they bring out the new consoles too early? Have we hit a wall now with consoles?

To me, they seem to offer very little more than what I currently have.

The games aren't there yet, but definitely in terms of the consoles themselves, they're worth the upgrade.

Maybe in terms of gameplay, right now...yeah, maybe 'next gen' is still 'current gen'. But visuals? A PS4 launch game, Killzone: Shadow Fall, absolutely blew me away.

I think a lot of it is because there's so many cross-gen games. Look back at stuff like Gun and Just Cause on 360. They were in no way representative of what that generation became (even the stuff that came out nearly a year after launch like Saints Row didn't look like that much of a jump from the original Xbox), so I think it would be harsh to just the Xbone and PS4 based on these games. With how well the two of them are selling, I imagine anything that's gone into development in the last six months won't have felt the need to make sure their game also runs on the older games.

If Driveclub is any indication of what we can expect then I think the new machines will show they are a decent leap over the 360/ps3.
I do think this gen will be back to the old 5 year lifespan and we'll see first signs of the next gen by E3 2017 or 2018 at the latest.

I am in the same boat.

At the moment, it doesn't feel like "next gen" offers enough. Obviously, I am speaking as someone who doesn't currently own either a PS4 or Xbone so I am not perhaps the best to judge. And I think the fact I have amasses a fair old backlog for my current gen consoles is also behind me not wanting to upgrade.

However it does feel like the new consoles lack a USP. We had the original move to 3D with the Playstation and N64. The added grunt of the Gamecube, Xbox and DC, as well as online capabilities. The PS3 and 360 both added more internet functionality and extra power, but also the multimedia stuff. It doesn't feel like the new machines offer enough at the moment.

Part of the problem is, I think, that the long generation last time around, as well as the Internet, allowed the consoles to evolve once or twice a generation too - the 360, for example, is now fairly unrecognisable to the console that launched in 2005.

So we now have consoles that can change every few years with downloadable updates. The concept of waiting five years for your changes - what we generally call "a generation", is arguably an antiquated term now. Consoles can changed, be updated or refocused at any time now.

I completely agree with the original poster and am oddly, also 30... The chat about Gun and Just Cause is misleading because PGR3 and Call of Duty 2 were for me, mindblowing games which clearly demonstrated the increase of power and were available at launch but I can't see this difference in the new consoles' output. Forza 5 is very similar to Forza 4.

360 and PS3 often look extremely dated and run poorly to me, as I'm used to PC gaming.

The new consoles are a step up from that but they were still less powerful on day one than a decent PC, which was disappointing. I think it's frustrating that the new lowest common denominator is the Xbox One which is appreciably less powerful than the PS4 and a PC makes it look like a joke.

Clearly the only solution is for traditional game scores to be scrapped and games to be rated according to how next gen they feel instead. TowerFall Ascension for example would be a 1/10

[iup=3503816]Skippy[/iup] wrote:Clearly the only solution is for traditional game scores to be scrapped and games to be rated according to how next gen they feel instead. TowerFall Ascension for example would be a 1/10

If you're trying to say what I think you are then using a game that made its debut on the Ouya is not the best of choices.

[iup=3503826]Harry Bizzle[/iup] wrote:
[iup=3503816]Skippy[/iup] wrote:Clearly the only solution is for traditional game scores to be scrapped and games to be rated according to how next gen they feel instead. TowerFall Ascension for example would be a 1/10

If you're trying to say what I think you are then using a game that made its debut on the Ouya is not the best of choices.

If we're getting really pedantic about my stupid throwaway joke, TowerFall: Ascension is the PS4/PC game, TowerFall is the Ouya game.

Those previous gens could jump literally into new dimensions since microchips were being born, and have since been evolving. Well, there's only so many dimensions you can introduce on a 2D plane (monitor) before things stagnate a bit. I say this because i understand the argument, but the architecture is vastly different, and it's definitely a step in the right direction. Buffalo is right too, playing killzone really had me, incredible looking game. And it only helped that it felt like the physics from halo in the world of half life 2. Not bad --obama.

Edit: additionally, we've seen incremental graphical updates over what's literally been more than a decade of excellent engines, with the previous gens being ridiculously optimised. Incremental updates fool you into thinking there's little difference, when, if you go and put a game like heavenly sword next to a (dedicated) PS4 game, well you'll have your questions answered.

Annoying problems with things that rely on programming, such as resolutions being downgraded from promises made at announcements or frames per seconds being dropped aren't anything to do with hardware, instead they're completely to do with financing / schedules and all the business stuff.

I actually felt this way when the 360 was initially released. "Is it that much better than my xbox...?". Time proved me wrong. I imagine time will probably prove you wrong with regards to the current next gen consoles.

I guess it depends on what your personal definition of next gen is. Gameplay wise I've had a lot of fun with Dead Rising, Forza and Battlefield 4 - which I guess is the main thing at the end of the day. Can't think too much just yet in terms of examples of next gen gameplay. I guess Dead Rising 3 in terms of the amount of zombies on screen and minimal loading times.

In terms of games out at the moment, graphically there haven't been too many games yet that have wowed me just yet. Battlefield 4 has has had the odd moment but I've been disappointed with Forza graphically to be honest. But as others have said, looking back at the 360, comparing Perfect Dark Zero to Halo 4 and the difference is huge.

We're seeing glimpses of what next can be capable in terms of looks. If those Driveclub clips are legit in game then that's definitely leading the way.

There seems to be a lot of cross gen stuff on Xbone and PS4 which I don’t think helps (although I can see why publishers are doing it). By the end of this year I think we will start to see proper next gen console games coming through.

They're not 1080p 60fps enough.

[iup=3504035]Moggy[/iup] wrote:There seems to be a lot of cross gen stuff on Xbone and PS4 which I don’t think helps (although I can see why publishers are doing it). By the end of this year I think we will start to see proper next gen console games coming through.

Agreed. I take the point also about the games not being there yet, I'm sure things will improve.

Also, I also agree with the suggestion that this gen might have a shorter lifespan than the last.

I guess we're about another year away before I'll feel the need to jump in.

[iup=3504066]Mafro[/iup] wrote:They're not 1080p 60fps enough.

This but without the sarcasm.

Winckle wrote:
[iup=3504066]Mafro[/iup] wrote:They're not 1080p 60fps enough.

This but without the sarcasm.

There was no sarcasm, Winckle!

[iup=3504309]Jam[/iup] wrote:
[iup=3504035]Moggy[/iup] wrote:There seems to be a lot of cross gen stuff on Xbone and PS4 which I don’t think helps (although I can see why publishers are doing it). By the end of this year I think we will start to see proper next gen console games coming through.

Agreed. I take the point also about the games not being there yet, I'm sure things will improve.

Also, I also agree with the suggestion that this gen might have a shorter lifespan than the last.

I guess we're about another year away before I'll feel the need to jump in.

I don’t know if this will be a short generation. The last generation was a long one, but so far neither next gen console is feeling like a giant step forward. If they can get away with it MS & Sony might decide that waiting 7 or 8 years will suffice to keep console gamers and publishers happy.

Having said that, I wouldn’t be shocked to see PS5 and Xbox Two released in 2018/2019.

Are the 'next gen' consoles 'next gen' enough?

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