the next Console Generation?

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kaos
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the next Console Generation?

Post by kaos » Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:25 pm

So what do we really want out of it?

More horsepower is obvious, and probably a given.
but other than that, what do we really want to get out of these machines and there services?
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by Matt » Tue Jul 17, 2012 3:52 pm

I'd like to see an end to paid online subscriptions. I.E. Xbox Live. That service is atrocious. You pay for the pleasure of being able to download demo's before silver members, you pay for online multiplayer, and they STILL hammer you with ads. I don't mind ad based free stuff. That makes sense, but when you pay for something you don't want ads.

More grunt. The more grunt they give these consoles the better they'll be in terms of pushing the barrier forward for games in general. I'm eyeing up a GTX670 GPU to ensure I can play all my games on 1920x1200 and that GPU seems to be able to smash them all out, full settings. I'd like to see Current level DX11 graphics on consoles.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by Mik » Tue Jul 17, 2012 4:11 pm

They ain't going to give up that subscription money.

I like to see a merger between a PC and the Console, maybe bootable OS's. Also maybe some upgrade kits.

Think about it, mid way through the hardware cycle the performance gets capped, why not have a plug and play hardware upgrade. They get customized gear anyway so fuck it whole horse that bitch.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by kaos » Tue Jul 17, 2012 4:48 pm

Mik I think Nintendo did that with N64.
a ram upgrade kit or something.
I remember having done it (but I don't remember paying to buy it.)

They did fuck all with it though.
I think the main issue was "we don't want it to be a requirement for any games."
kinda like x360 optional HDD isn't be a requirement.
So most games supported it, but never really took on full advantage of the thing.

I think Sega had the right idea though with the Sega CD.
That really transformed the console into a new one, and there was no beans about requirements.


I hear you Matt. but I don't think a lack of ads alone wont be much of a big deal.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by EchoPark » Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:19 am

The thing about payin for xbox live is .... it works. Its not like it isnt making any money, if it was actually loosing members and money i could see them dropping the charge but its not. Xbox is still selling bloody well and live is still doing bloody well. Its like blizzard sayin yea we gonna go free to play with wow now ...... its just stupid. You dont shoot ur best race horse if theres nothing wrong with it. Theres always PS3 and PC gaming for the free market.

Last rumours that came out was a upgradeable xbox. But am not to sure how i feel about that, isnt that what the PC market is for. I dont want to having to buy upgrades for my console 5 years down the line cause i want to play a game. For me consoles were always for the person who didnt want to spend any major money on a machine to play games and didnt want the hassale to upgrade. Who cares if the game doesnt look its best, i just happy to be playing the game. Like i always said if i want to see pretty graphics i would actually run my pc at full and see them but i got 2 470s and i play everything on min/med settings cause i just want to play the game.

I always thought consoiles were not the poor mans gaming but a machine u can buy and play no need for anything. If u want more then pc was ur bread and butter. For me i still want to see physical media and joypads ... if i got those i'll be happy. I even seen a story that Nintendo was forced near enough to make a Pro controller cause publishers just didnt like there controllers. Which for me and i know for most of my mates proves that the wii sold well ... but i dont know much folk who kept playin it alot.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by Mik » Thu Jul 19, 2012 8:19 am

Would you prefer a £100 upgrade pack or a £399+ new console?

That was my point, have something making a X360 into and X720 for example, few people give a fuck what the case looks like.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by Matt » Thu Jul 19, 2012 9:57 am

^ I'm already used to dropping about £500 on new hardware every few years anyway. Use my 360 pad on the PC as well.

I predict less physical media this generation. I don't know really if I'm predicting anything massive there, though, since they've all gone and all but said so.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by kaos » Thu Jul 19, 2012 12:01 pm

Yeah. I think they'd love to all go completely digital, but I think they're scared.

1. backlash from consumers
2. backlash from publishers who have to find some kind of new way or gimmick to try and justify $60 (and they cant)

I think in the end they'll play it this way. 70% digital / 30% physical at launch. over a few years physical gets quietly phased the fuck out.

a big part of me would love to see a majority digitally distributed game industry, but at the same time. I have a lot of issues with ownership. and in that kind of industry it would feel like you don't actually own shit but the admission ticket.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by Matt » Thu Jul 19, 2012 1:06 pm

The EU, fortunately, seems to have the idea that you do own the rights to software and that once it's sold the exclusive rights of the publisher begin to diminish greatly:

http://www.zdnet.com/oracle-cannot-bloc ... 000000189/
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by kaos » Thu Jul 19, 2012 1:58 pm

I'd heard about that.
but I'm skeptical on how much the software publisher will actually support it, and if it will happen in the US at all.

yeah its legal. but I think most publishers will just take that as a cue to make it a lot more complicated to do.

I can easily see it being like this.
I have a Digi-copy of FinalFantasy 16 that im not using. I want to sell it to Mik666.
So I have to log on to some Square-enix portal and get hassled about input loads of keys and crap that I may or may not still have, and in turn Mik666 has to log on in input more keys a crap, that i have to make sure to share with him. and through that middle-man type of portal they'll either charge me, him, or both of us. and require Mik666 to download it through them on his machine.

yeah some bullshit like that...

we'll probably end up in one massive "required to be logged in"(and have net access to do so) type of deals, just to be able to run games you own.
I don't like logging in.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by Matt » Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:39 pm

I would think of them being obtuse like that though as a direction violation of their rights. They ought to only really be allowed to charge when it costs something something and they shouldn't be able to make a profit on it either. And they should take into account the existing service offered. Valve don't charge for downloads at all, so transferring a key to them should be practically free.

It should be as easy as gifting a game on Steam, or simply taking a picture of the cd and cd-key to prove for more activations (which they do now already).

I just hope it's a big "fuck you" to the publishers that have been trying hard to diminish second hand sales. Next up is the god awful VIP codes that lock preowned players out of multiplayer and game content.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by Mik » Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:37 pm

You can charge what ever the fuck you like, regardless of costs, value is whatever some chump is prepared to pay, that's capitalism at work, baby.

The fact that it's just non-physical media now suits the game developer, Steam and Battlenet are the future, all that money goes straight to makers of the games (baring steam fees) most games are charged in to GAME or Gamestop at about ~£10(15$) new, the rest of that money goes to the store.

Sure for larger tent poles like Call of Duty or something they might come in more expensive but not a lot, the lack of a physical disk kills the second hand market, dead.

It's a slam dunk for game makers imo and I'll happily trade them it, just to not have to go fucking to a store.
The EU, fortunately, seems to have the idea that you do own the rights to software and that once it's sold the exclusive rights of the publisher begin to diminish greatly:

http://www.zdnet.com/oracle-cannot-bloc ... 000000189/
You hold the rights to it, but not he right to sell, some half decent DRM will render you totally incapable of doing so anyway.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by Masteroftheweb » Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:57 pm

If they are going to cut away the middle man, they should reduce the price of games in general rather than be greedy pricks. If a game costs 20 bucks, (Still more profit than they get at retail 60, as I understand it) I think people wouldn't bother with wanting to trade games in, because it cost them so little to begin with.
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by Matt » Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:12 pm

Mik wrote:You can charge what ever the fuck you like, regardless of costs, value is whatever some chump is prepared to pay, that's capitalism at work, baby.

The fact that it's just non-physical media now suits the game developer, Steam and Battlenet are the future, all that money goes straight to makers of the games (baring steam fees) most games are charged in to GAME or Gamestop at about ~£10(15$) new, the rest of that money goes to the store.

Sure for larger tent poles like Call of Duty or something they might come in more expensive but not a lot, the lack of a physical disk kills the second hand market, dead.

It's a slam dunk for game makers imo and I'll happily trade them it, just to not have to go fucking to a store.
The EU, fortunately, seems to have the idea that you do own the rights to software and that once it's sold the exclusive rights of the publisher begin to diminish greatly:

http://www.zdnet.com/oracle-cannot-bloc ... 000000189/
You hold the rights to it, but not he right to sell, some half decent DRM will render you totally incapable of doing so anyway.
Hate to be a cunt, but, nope!
Europe's highest court ruled on Tuesday that the trading of "used" software licenses is legal and that the author of such software cannot oppose any resale.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/ ... ven_online
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Re: the next Console Generation?

Post by Matt » Thu Jul 19, 2012 6:14 pm

Masteroftheweb wrote:If they are going to cut away the middle man, they should reduce the price of games in general rather than be greedy pricks. If a game costs 20 bucks, (Still more profit than they get at retail 60, as I understand it) I think people wouldn't bother with wanting to trade games in, because it cost them so little to begin with.
This is the thing. Steam won't deserve any cut of the money for a simple transfer unless they authenticate and manage it (to ensure no-one is scammed and such). But say me and Mik agree to sell my game to him and we don't use their middle man system and just straight up lift and "gift/transfer" the licence to him there shouldn't be a charge.

I'm all for cheaper games, though. What with the cost of DLC these days (for instance, BF3, £39.99 game, £12.99 a pop DLC (5 in total) )
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