Next gen consoles

[Serifan]

Well it seems this time things are going to be very hard to predict. Xbox 360 has its foot in the door and seem to be getting a larger fan base day by day, then you have the PS3 claiming to be gods gift to gaming and we must not forget about the Wii which has had a very large amount of hype around it.

So what do you all think about the systems and who do you expect to be on top this time?

 

[PhredBean]

Not sure how popular this thread will be as the general populous here dislikes consoles.

My prediction is the Wii will come out on top. The Xbox has difficulty gaining much of a following in Japan and the PS3 is too highly priced for America. Toss in the solid base of games for Nintendo (I haven't heard squat about decent games for PS3, Xbox is still running their mouths about Oblivious, meanwhile SuperSmashBrothers Brawl and Zelda:Twilight Princess are getting plenty of attention) and I think it's a sure bet for the winner.

 

[Milo]

The Wii is cheaply priced and very different, if things go as well as they did with the DS, it will come out on top.

 

[Serifan]

Really the only thing going for the Wii is the Wiimote which I think can open up some interesting gameplay but really all in all it is just a gamecube with a dvd drive.

The 360 is another im not to sure about there is nothing really that excites me about it.

Ps3 on the other hand has got some good things going for it, Like the Linux OS which I am sure in the long run, we should see some good homebrew come out for it, just like the psp as it seems they both use the same interface. I have also been told that most of the games coming out on launch are only using like 30% of the Ps3
power, im sure we are going to see some amazing things in the future.

 

[SuAside]

i dont know who'll come out on top, but i'm pretty sure it wont be the Xbrick 1337 which is only really popular in northern america.

as for the Wii & PS3, i dont know. haven't looked into them, as a hate consoles with a vengeance.

and why didn't you mention the Phantom console?!? it's a slamdunk!

anyhow, my dream is to write a virus that spontanuously combusts all consoles with internet connection around the world. that'll teach em... they should've stuck what was good for them & not mess PC games up by their lowest common divider crap.

 

[Duckman]

Smeh.

Either way it'll end up with fanboiz saying that their console is TEH ORSUM and other consoles SUK d00d.

Just stick with a PC and upgrades, and you will be set my friend.

 

[Serifan]

it is sad really but consoles are slowly killing the PC but it isn't just the consoles fault when you think about it. Hardware is a big issue people just don't see why they should pay hundreds of dollars on upgrade which will only last about a year and a half, that is why consoles are doing so well the average joe just wants to play games they don't want to figure out an OS and install then to there horror find out the game won't run on there PC.

 

[Sander]

it is sad really but consoles are slowly killing the PC but it isn't just the consoles fault when you think about it. Hardware is a big issue people just don't see why they should pay hundreds of dollars on upgrade which will only last about a year and a half, that is why consoles are doing so well the average joe just wants to play games they don't want to figure out an OS and install then to there horror find out the game won't run on there PC.

Most pre-configured PCs don't require the installing and configuring of an OS.

As for consoles killing the PC market, that's really doubtful. PCs will always remain the technologically more advanced market and most games are released for both consoles and PCs.
Besides that, almost everyone already has a PC, making the low-tech PC market the biggest market around.

 

[PhredBean]

Really the only thing going for the Wii is the Wiimote which I think can open up some interesting gameplay but really all in all it is just a gamecube with a dvd drive.

The 360 is another im not to sure about there is nothing really that excites me about it.

Ps3 on the other hand has got some good things going for it, Like the Linux OS which I am sure in the long run, we should see some good homebrew come out for it, just like the psp as it seems they both use the same interface. I have also been told that most of the games coming out on launch are only using like 30% of the Ps3
power, im sure we are going to see some amazing things in the future.

Blah blah blah, quote hardware and OSs all you want, it's irrelevant to the average console gamer for the same reason they tend to choose them over PCs. Funny part about it is you said it yourself:

Hardware is a big issue people just don't see why they should pay hundreds of dollars on upgrade which will only last about a year and a half, that is why consoles are doing so well the average joe just wants to play games they don't want to figure out an OS and install then to there horror find out the game won't run on there PC.

Why do you use one argument against computers then turn and argue it FOR a console? Console gamers don't give two shits about hardware or OSs except when they feel quoting them will help them argue their console. When it comes down to it, most of the console bunch couldn't tell you the damn difference between RAM and ROM.
In the end they do the same thing computer users do but on an even more wasteful basis. Their new fan console comes out and they have to upgrade, but rather than buying a new graphics card and giving themselves a preformance boost that way, it's off to Gamestop to buy a whole new console, which are getting more expensive with each generation. The time between generations is getting shorter and shorter as well. All that for a machine that has only one purpose and a non-essential one at that. Meanwhile computers are becoming more useful and more common in the home and cheaper. Wasteful, fucking wasteful.



The main strength of consoles is and remains their games and the fanbases they resonate with. PS3 is preparing with a fairly solid offering that for some reason no one is talking about. They've already announced a MGS and Resident Evil game, but interest is low. Why? Price. $600 for the platform is a huge turn off to the american gamer. On the other hand, the Wii has gotten massive free publicity with their odd choice of name and the announcement of Zelda:Twilight Princess, a new Metroid, and the SuperSmashBrothers Brawl, the last is already extremely anticipated. Since their price is expected to be lower than both their competors, they are in a good position for the most popular. X360 on the other hand has been out for awhile now and still only has one title worth mentioning: Oblivion, which sucks but has recieved very positive reviews.

 

[SuAside]

i dont have anything against consoles an sich, Serifan. they do give people that want it the possibility to play games on their tv & at a usually moderate price (however, if you do the long term math, you're being cheated.).

what i do loathe about consoles is that for the sake of dual platforms the games get dumbed down to console gameplay (the lowest common divider). hence pretty much destroying the finesse & depth of many pc games.

 

[Serifan]

As for consoles killing the PC market, that's really doubtful. PCs will always remain the technologically more advanced market and most games are released for both consoles and PCs.
Besides that, almost everyone already has a PC, making the low-tech PC market the biggest market around.

you are right to a point most games do come to PC but as of late I find not many games are coming out like 4 years ago. Yes pc are more advanced but I think that is the main reason why it is failing. because pc gaming is just changing to fast (which i don't mind at all) but it is the market that really matters in the end, the average joe just wants to plug something in and play games and that is why consoles are getting so wide spread it is just so easy to do and much cheaper than pc gaming.

 

[Sander]

you are right to a point most games do come to PC but as of late I find not many games are coming out like 4 years ago. Yes pc are more advanced but I think that is the main reason why it is failing. because pc gaming is just changing to fast (which i don't mind at all) but it is the market that really matters in the end, the average joe just wants to plug something in and play games and that is why consoles are getting so wide spread it is just so easy to do and much cheaper than pc gaming.

Cheaper? With games that cost about 20 percent more for the console?
If you buy a console it will probably last for three years. If you buy a somewhat more expensive PC, such a PC will last you for about three years as well, and can be used for a lot more than just gaming.

 

[Duckman]

It's not cheaper, but it's just easier to put a game in and play, and not to worry about system specs and whether or not your new game will work on a creaky machine.

I understand where Serifan is coming from, but its not cheaper, not by a long shot. Publishers and developers know that people will buy console games, somewhat, over PC games, as they can plug in and play. And not worry about anything.

But games are just being built for multiplayer these days. Check out all the Xbox Live content shit they have... Even PC games, but consoles definitely moreso in the multiplayer expansive market. I know that most PC games are now multiplayer, but the growth in online console gaming has exponentially increased since the "old next-gen" consoles came in, ie Xbox.

 

[Serifan]

This is not a bad read.

Mark Rein discussion on what's wrong with the PC gaming industry


The last time we heard from Mark Rein, he was laying into Intel for the proliferation of "sub par" integrated graphics controllers on notebooks and desktops. He pointed at Intel's lack of motivation to design a graphics controller to rival NVIDIA or ATI has forced game developers to "dumb down" their games to cater to the lowest common denominator. This of course takes resources away from developing top-notch games. Mark Rein is on his soap box again and this time he is pointing his fingers at the retail industry.

With the big money being in console games, retailers have been giving the most attention to console while neglecting PC games. Rein again falls back to criticizing Intel for the position that PC gaming is in right now. "The problem is it's very hard to take a game that's designed for PS3 and Xbox 360 - where the big money is now - and make it run on a graphics card that isn't capable of rendering even what a third of what those things do," said Rein. You know there's an industry-wide problem when your average Joe walks into a store to buy a game for his brand new Dell or Gateway PC and then gets home to find out that he's playing a slide show with awful graphics.

Rein feels that things may change for the better with Vista as Microsoft pushes its gaming initiative further and promotes its Live Anywhere service which will allow PC gamers to play alongside their console brethren. Rein added, "We'll get a really nice performance boost and get closer to the theoretical limits of the hardware, in much the same way that when you build a console you're much closer to the iron than you are normally on a Windows system. That difference is slowly melting away with Vista so we absolutely applaud that."

Vista may be the next greatest thing for Windows-based operating systems, but it's a tall order to say that it will turn around the PC gaming landscape. Intel's next generation integrated graphics solutions will surely pack a bit more firepower, but it still won't be enough to power today’s high-end games (let alone future titles). The only way that we're going to see any progress is through consumer education when it comes to PC graphics solutions.

 

[Duckman]

Ok, just reading that first paragraph shits me. It sucks that they have a go at Intel, for not rivalling ATI or NVIDIA, and from there saying that this causes a lack of "top-notch" games.

Hello? Games that have "top-notch" graphics do not equal "top-notch" games.

Fuck that shits me.

But the console games having more spent on them than PC games does not shock me.

Why spend the same amount of money to create the same game for PC or Xbox or whatever, and release it on all platforms, when you can simply release a 10 hour game on Xbox360 and receive greater profit than spending even more on a hard hitting "top-notch" graphical game...

 

[SuAside]

This is not a bad read.

i'd disagree

Mark Rein discussion on what's wrong with the PC gaming industry. *insert intel sucks rant*

what? the dude blames Intel for using cheap low end graphic chips in computers that are not meant for graphical applications?

well, how about people buy computers meant for graphical stuff, if they want to seriously game on it? sure, they're heavier and more expensive, but that can't be helped, can it? or do you expect a Toyota Yaris to perform the same and offer the same comfort as a Mercedes SLK?

Intel, VIA & S3 Chrome crap isn't meant for heavy gaming. so what? are they keeping the gaming industry 'down' by that? thats the most moronic thing i've heard in years...

Rein feels that things may change for the better with Vista as Microsoft pushes its gaming initiative further and promotes its Live Anywhere service which will allow PC gamers to play alongside their console brethren.

this is gonna be a blast in decent first person shooters. wanna bet that PC gamers own all the console nitwits?

anyhow, how does this help PC games? PC's lend to advanced gameplay & a lot more possibilities than consoles. the dude just says how great it is to have console games on PC's. wtf, get your head out of your ass.

Rein added, "We'll get a really nice performance boost and get closer to the theoretical limits of the hardware, in much the same way that when you build a console you're much closer to the iron than you are normally on a Windows system. That difference is slowly melting away with Vista so we absolutely applaud that."

what? consoles are static pieces of amphibian shit when compared to an upgradable & modable pc. fuck, even without upgrading, you can push a pc to the limits by overclocking, changing timings on memory, tweaking OS settings & the like.

sure, an OS has it's limits. for instance, win xp can only handle an arbitrary amount of RAM. so what? do you know any console where you can upgrade your ram, perhaps?

Vista may be the next greatest thing for Windows-based operating systems, but it's a tall order to say that it will turn around the PC gaming landscape. Intel's next generation integrated graphics solutions will surely pack a bit more firepower, but it still won't be enough to power today’s high-end games (let alone future titles). The only way that we're going to see any progress is through consumer education when it comes to PC graphics solutions.

well, how about you buy GAMER HARDWARE instead of office supplies, you fucking blithering idiot...

disclaimer: insults are aimed at the Rein dude, not Serifan

 

[Milo]

Publishers and developers know that people will buy console games, somewhat, over PC games, as they can plug in and play. And not worry about anything.

Interesting how the PS3 developers have been caught saying they want their console to "replace the household PC"
Xbox has really been trying to push that as much as they can as well.

I guess they are trying to pull PC gamers onto their consoles, but that kinda goes against the plug and play idea.

 

[Vox]

And i don't think they'll think about support for mods. The greatest thing about PC games are the large amounts of avalible mods.

 

[Milo]

And i don't think they'll think about support for mods. The greatest thing about PC games are the large amounts of avalible mods.

Already all kinds of mods/extra content are offered over Xbox live, People are eating it up.

 

[Vox]

Sorry. I haven't known that because i don't give a dead rat's ass about toys/consoles.

I just met a guy with a emulator on his Xtoy and we were playing Metal Slug 4. I don't even know if that was legal... but it was fun.