The next generation of Gaming - My Predictions
It’s hard to believe this generation of consoles started over 5 years ago. Previously generations tended to only last 5 years and yet not even a hint of the next generation outside of Nintendo’s WiiU.
Microsoft and Sony seem to have a lot of faith in their machines but it can’t be long now before they both reveal their next console. Here are some of the things I’d like to see, think we’ll see and general thoughts on what we’ll see from Gaming with the next generation.
Gaming is more competitive than ever and while most gamers aren’t going to chose formats like the iPad over the 360, it cannot be denied that Apple’s machines are having an effect on the market. Many believe that the rise of Smartphones has had an effect on handheld gaming.
Recently Nintendo dropped the price of its 3DS by a fairly large amount. This isn’t the first time a new console has had a drastic price cut within the first few months of its life. The original Xbox dropped by £100. However at the time Microsoft were new to the market, this is a new Nintendo Handheld we’re talking about. Nintendo have generally dominated the handheld market, raping every competitor that dared tried to compete with it. This was a shock.
But back to the point. Products like Smartphones and iPhones/iPads have one feature that I reckon will be big in the next generation, Apps.
This generation has brought with it a lot of Downloadable content, pioneered through the Xbox Live Marketplace and validated through Playstation Network, Virtual Console, Wiiware and DSiware. This is definitely going to explode as gaming evolves.
It’s very rare to see a 360/PS3 release that does not have DLC available/planned. This has come to the point where gamers even speculate on DLC for games still in development where there has been no hint of additional DLC (e.g. Sonic Generations – the Pre-order bonus doesn’t count). Even downloadable games have downloadable content.
Consoles themselves already have built in non game related apps. The 360 has Facebook as part of its dashboard for example. But this wasn’t really a choice as it came with a mandatory update. Fortunately it was Free but it’s only a matter of time before the idea expands and apps become paid optional Downloads.
Expect to see an App marketplace in the next generation, the feature has helped mobiles immensely; it would seem foolish for Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo not to embrace them with their next consoles. We’re already seeing signs of it with the 3DS’ Video channel and Pokedex 3D. Free, for now.
I would really like to see an App that allows you to access other system’s friend list, i.e. seeing and interacting with your 360 friend list while playing on your PS3. I’d pay a small amount of money to download that feature and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
The only issue with Apps is that it could backfire much like it has with with Android. For it to work it would have to be heavily regulated meaning expensive. However I’d expect issues like these to be ironed out by the time the next generation is here.
Continuing on with Downloadable content I can see the next generation being one of download only games. As much as I’d hate to see the death of the physical format it does seem inevitable. Personally I don’t think the technology is as widely available as people seem to think, which is why the PSPGo fell on its arse.
Truth is only the big cities have the speeds to make this a viable option. Taking in account file sizes getting much bigger as the technology gets more advanced, only the fastest broadband will allow new game download in a decent timeframe. For the rest of us, expect 20 hour waits to download a new game. I don’t fancy leaving my console, router and all associated equipment on for that length of time.
Furthermore digital distribution already has problems with Piracy. I rarely play games on my PC but I’m well aware of Steam and the benefits it has brought. However the PC is the most pirated format and developers are already losing interest. SEGA decided not to give Sonic and Sega All-Star Racing an Online option in the PC version, Capcom decided to lock half the characters in Super Street Fighter 4 unless you played online continuously. PC versions generally seem to be the afterthought with multiplatform releases and only really Valve push the format.
On the other hand digital distribution without piracy helps developers immensely. Developers and more weary of second hand sales and generally make a point that they don’t like it. EA for example give codes to activate online play. Whoever buys the game first uses the code to get online; the next person can’t use the same code and so can’t get online. You can’t sell on a digitally distributed game, but you can copy one, easier than with a game on a disc anyway.
If developers can find a way of offering digital only games that cannot be copied they will be laughing and the death of the physical format ensured. Of course that’s a big ‘if’ and I don’t think they will ever prevent digital copying, but heaven knows they will try, leading to more annoying DRM (Digital Rights Management, features in place within the game to disable play unless the game is validated continuously. Good for developers but not good for consumers).
Moving away from apps and downloading content the next feature I think that will be big in the next generation is one of this generations most useful new features, Gamertags and Friend Lists.
These days it’s rare to find anyone without some kind of online identity and many want that identity to be a handle or screen name to protect their real name. Google recently came under Flak for restricting those using the new Google+ Social Networking site to real names only
Gamertags have given each player a unique identity when they play games online. Master hunter and Joz Labatte are as much a part of me as Joseph Rafferty, hell this isn’t Joseph Rafferty’s Blog this is Master hunter’s Blog. Websites and Message boards have had Screen names since the beginning and with Gaming adopting them I find myself referring to people by their tags over their real names.
By making it so that every tag is unique (with Nintendo this is now with System friend codes rather than tags but they idea is the same), it is much easier to build up online communities and build up your Friend list. This has become such a large part of gaming it’s here to stay.
As the new generations some in the ways you can interact with your friends list is bound to increase. Currently you can create a party of 8 people and talk to them regardless of what you are doing with your system, you don’t even have to be playing the same game (this is all 360, but I would expect the other two to embrace this later). You can invite people to join your game and join others at the touch of a button. You can compare your achievements with those of your friends and check out each other profiles. You can also ban people from communicating with you and report people to the powers that be really easily.
All of this was just a dream when SEGA introduced the concept into the mainstream, and you’d expect it to get bigger and more in-depth with future generations.
One thing I would really like to see but I don’t think will ever happen, is a unified gaming identity. What I mean is one identity for all formats rather than a tag for each. It probably won’t happen since Microsoft charge for online play and Sony do not, the latter being the primary reason people choose the PS3 over the 360. Someone would have to give, would Microsoft make Live free or would Sony lose one of its biggest selling points. On top of that you have Nintendo to consider who seem to be fixed on codes rather than tags.
Going back to achievements I don’t see these going away anytime soon either. Microsoft will no doubt allow you to continue your tag onto the next generation and keep unlocking achievements for your profile. Sony may want to think about resetting trophies, making them a key part of the gaming experience from day one (rather than a year or so down the line). Nintendo should also come up with a system. Not sure how these play coins work on the 3DS but if games could unlock them they could have a nice system set up already.
Another feature I’d like to see if having the chat integrated with Social Networking sites or even Skype. The number of people using Skype continues to grow; most mobile phones feature Skype in some way and if properly utilized we could see an age where you can chat to someone over the phone while playing a videogame.
In some ways we have this already. The 360 got upgraded to allow you to chat via MSN messenger and to be fair it wasn’t very successful. But that was text messaging only; imagine if Voice chat was used this way. Friend not online, call their mobile using Skype and invite them to the Party. They can then chat to the party using their phone with no need to turn on their console. All of this done through the consoles headset to provide little interference when playing a game.
Already the Windows Phone has Xbox Live integration. How long before all phones do? How long before the PSN and Nintendo WiFi join in? Will it take another generation of consoles?
With the growing number of theatre modes in games and capture cards being fairly cheap there are a number of gamers uploaded clips of games onto YouTube. Some games, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops and Dirt 3 even have YouTube integration, allowing you to upload your clips directly onto YouTube.
I expect this to really take off by the next generation to the point where it’s a standard feature within the system. Record anytime and upload to YouTube, no matter what you are playing and how you are playing it. Finally managed that perfect run, upload it and share with everyone. Instead of only certain games having this feature, all will.
Recently apple announced its iCloud service. This allows you to upload files to a server and use them on any device. I believe Sony have a similar system that is only available to Playstation Plus users to allow gamers to back up save files elsewhere. I would like to see this generally available next generation, particularly when it comes to irreplaceable save files.
Currently I’m weary of playing Playstation 3 games as I’ve had two Yellow Lights of Death, each time erasing my save data completely. Hours of play on games like Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet and Heavy Rain completely lost with no way of recovery. If a cloud based backup system was in place I wouldn’t have lost these files as I could just download them again.
The only issue with this is millions of gamers, all needing space on a server with a couple of back up servers too, this could get quite expensive. It would need to be for save files only and not general DLC (which can be re-downloaded anyway) and may come with a small charge. Depending on its price though I’d be willing to pay.
But what about the games themselves, what do I see for the next generation. Well to be honest gaming hasn’t changed that much, there’s just a lot more of it. More good, but more bad. The only real change has been the rise of gimmicky games, the type that exist purely to abuse a motion control peripheral and feature little to no substance. You’re probably going to see less of them as developers realise you don’t need big gestures when using them.
Microsoft should stop pushing Kinect as a replacement for a controller and see it as more of an addition. The best game to use Kinect so far has a controller mode, what does that tell you? In all fairness developers have started seeing this and are offering Kinect games you can play while sitting down with a pad in your hand. Such as the new Forza Motorsport which uses Kinect to allow you to look around your vehicle for a better view of the road ahead. Or Mass Effect 3 which is said to use voice commands. This is the way forward for Kinect I feel.
I don’t recall Move being mentioned at all at E3 and Nintendo’s big feature was a console with a tablet for a controller. It will be interesting to see where to go with that and I hope this time it’s somewhere good.
My general fear is that all games will try to be the next Call of Duty, i.e. super serious, grey, highly militarised first person shooters. Now this isn’t bad in small doses but these types of games seem to be everywhere. Pretty much ever lead character now is some kind of Soldier and I’d like to seem some diversity in personality.
Gaming is definitely a more fierce and active industry than it’s ever been. Already we’re seeing new technology outside of gaming that could be adapted to evolve gaming even further. It won’t be long now before the first signs of the next generations begin to appear, perhaps at next years E3 (though I’ve been saying that for the last couple of years now).
Word is telling me this is 5 pages on A4 so here’s the TL:DR Summary
I think these features will be big/becoming a bigger part of gaming in the next generation.
- Apps: Custom iPhone/iPad/Android Style apps through an Apps Marketplace.
- Download only: Rise of Downloadable content and the high possibility of Gaming becoming download only.
- Gamer Identity: Advancement or at least Continuation of Gamertags, perhaps having one tag for all systems.
- Achievements: Continuation of Achievement/Trophy systems.
- Skype Integration: Expanding on Xbox Live’s party system to include mobile device to Xbox voice communication and making it a standard on all systems.
- Video record and upload: YouTube integration allowing straight upload of videos recorded through game/console features (i.e. Theatre Modes as standard)
- Cloud saves: Separate servers being used to back up save files in case of machine breakdown.
- Less Motion Control: Devices like Kinect, Move and Wiimote motion control being used less often and more subtle ways.
Microsoft and Sony seem to have a lot of faith in their machines but it can’t be long now before they both reveal their next console. Here are some of the things I’d like to see, think we’ll see and general thoughts on what we’ll see from Gaming with the next generation.
Gaming is more competitive than ever and while most gamers aren’t going to chose formats like the iPad over the 360, it cannot be denied that Apple’s machines are having an effect on the market. Many believe that the rise of Smartphones has had an effect on handheld gaming.
Recently Nintendo dropped the price of its 3DS by a fairly large amount. This isn’t the first time a new console has had a drastic price cut within the first few months of its life. The original Xbox dropped by £100. However at the time Microsoft were new to the market, this is a new Nintendo Handheld we’re talking about. Nintendo have generally dominated the handheld market, raping every competitor that dared tried to compete with it. This was a shock.
But back to the point. Products like Smartphones and iPhones/iPads have one feature that I reckon will be big in the next generation, Apps.
This generation has brought with it a lot of Downloadable content, pioneered through the Xbox Live Marketplace and validated through Playstation Network, Virtual Console, Wiiware and DSiware. This is definitely going to explode as gaming evolves.
It’s very rare to see a 360/PS3 release that does not have DLC available/planned. This has come to the point where gamers even speculate on DLC for games still in development where there has been no hint of additional DLC (e.g. Sonic Generations – the Pre-order bonus doesn’t count). Even downloadable games have downloadable content.
Consoles themselves already have built in non game related apps. The 360 has Facebook as part of its dashboard for example. But this wasn’t really a choice as it came with a mandatory update. Fortunately it was Free but it’s only a matter of time before the idea expands and apps become paid optional Downloads.
Expect to see an App marketplace in the next generation, the feature has helped mobiles immensely; it would seem foolish for Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo not to embrace them with their next consoles. We’re already seeing signs of it with the 3DS’ Video channel and Pokedex 3D. Free, for now.
I would really like to see an App that allows you to access other system’s friend list, i.e. seeing and interacting with your 360 friend list while playing on your PS3. I’d pay a small amount of money to download that feature and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
The only issue with Apps is that it could backfire much like it has with with Android. For it to work it would have to be heavily regulated meaning expensive. However I’d expect issues like these to be ironed out by the time the next generation is here.
Continuing on with Downloadable content I can see the next generation being one of download only games. As much as I’d hate to see the death of the physical format it does seem inevitable. Personally I don’t think the technology is as widely available as people seem to think, which is why the PSPGo fell on its arse.
Truth is only the big cities have the speeds to make this a viable option. Taking in account file sizes getting much bigger as the technology gets more advanced, only the fastest broadband will allow new game download in a decent timeframe. For the rest of us, expect 20 hour waits to download a new game. I don’t fancy leaving my console, router and all associated equipment on for that length of time.
Furthermore digital distribution already has problems with Piracy. I rarely play games on my PC but I’m well aware of Steam and the benefits it has brought. However the PC is the most pirated format and developers are already losing interest. SEGA decided not to give Sonic and Sega All-Star Racing an Online option in the PC version, Capcom decided to lock half the characters in Super Street Fighter 4 unless you played online continuously. PC versions generally seem to be the afterthought with multiplatform releases and only really Valve push the format.
On the other hand digital distribution without piracy helps developers immensely. Developers and more weary of second hand sales and generally make a point that they don’t like it. EA for example give codes to activate online play. Whoever buys the game first uses the code to get online; the next person can’t use the same code and so can’t get online. You can’t sell on a digitally distributed game, but you can copy one, easier than with a game on a disc anyway.
If developers can find a way of offering digital only games that cannot be copied they will be laughing and the death of the physical format ensured. Of course that’s a big ‘if’ and I don’t think they will ever prevent digital copying, but heaven knows they will try, leading to more annoying DRM (Digital Rights Management, features in place within the game to disable play unless the game is validated continuously. Good for developers but not good for consumers).
Moving away from apps and downloading content the next feature I think that will be big in the next generation is one of this generations most useful new features, Gamertags and Friend Lists.
These days it’s rare to find anyone without some kind of online identity and many want that identity to be a handle or screen name to protect their real name. Google recently came under Flak for restricting those using the new Google+ Social Networking site to real names only
Gamertags have given each player a unique identity when they play games online. Master hunter and Joz Labatte are as much a part of me as Joseph Rafferty, hell this isn’t Joseph Rafferty’s Blog this is Master hunter’s Blog. Websites and Message boards have had Screen names since the beginning and with Gaming adopting them I find myself referring to people by their tags over their real names.
By making it so that every tag is unique (with Nintendo this is now with System friend codes rather than tags but they idea is the same), it is much easier to build up online communities and build up your Friend list. This has become such a large part of gaming it’s here to stay.
As the new generations some in the ways you can interact with your friends list is bound to increase. Currently you can create a party of 8 people and talk to them regardless of what you are doing with your system, you don’t even have to be playing the same game (this is all 360, but I would expect the other two to embrace this later). You can invite people to join your game and join others at the touch of a button. You can compare your achievements with those of your friends and check out each other profiles. You can also ban people from communicating with you and report people to the powers that be really easily.
All of this was just a dream when SEGA introduced the concept into the mainstream, and you’d expect it to get bigger and more in-depth with future generations.
One thing I would really like to see but I don’t think will ever happen, is a unified gaming identity. What I mean is one identity for all formats rather than a tag for each. It probably won’t happen since Microsoft charge for online play and Sony do not, the latter being the primary reason people choose the PS3 over the 360. Someone would have to give, would Microsoft make Live free or would Sony lose one of its biggest selling points. On top of that you have Nintendo to consider who seem to be fixed on codes rather than tags.
Going back to achievements I don’t see these going away anytime soon either. Microsoft will no doubt allow you to continue your tag onto the next generation and keep unlocking achievements for your profile. Sony may want to think about resetting trophies, making them a key part of the gaming experience from day one (rather than a year or so down the line). Nintendo should also come up with a system. Not sure how these play coins work on the 3DS but if games could unlock them they could have a nice system set up already.
Another feature I’d like to see if having the chat integrated with Social Networking sites or even Skype. The number of people using Skype continues to grow; most mobile phones feature Skype in some way and if properly utilized we could see an age where you can chat to someone over the phone while playing a videogame.
In some ways we have this already. The 360 got upgraded to allow you to chat via MSN messenger and to be fair it wasn’t very successful. But that was text messaging only; imagine if Voice chat was used this way. Friend not online, call their mobile using Skype and invite them to the Party. They can then chat to the party using their phone with no need to turn on their console. All of this done through the consoles headset to provide little interference when playing a game.
Already the Windows Phone has Xbox Live integration. How long before all phones do? How long before the PSN and Nintendo WiFi join in? Will it take another generation of consoles?
With the growing number of theatre modes in games and capture cards being fairly cheap there are a number of gamers uploaded clips of games onto YouTube. Some games, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops and Dirt 3 even have YouTube integration, allowing you to upload your clips directly onto YouTube.
I expect this to really take off by the next generation to the point where it’s a standard feature within the system. Record anytime and upload to YouTube, no matter what you are playing and how you are playing it. Finally managed that perfect run, upload it and share with everyone. Instead of only certain games having this feature, all will.
Recently apple announced its iCloud service. This allows you to upload files to a server and use them on any device. I believe Sony have a similar system that is only available to Playstation Plus users to allow gamers to back up save files elsewhere. I would like to see this generally available next generation, particularly when it comes to irreplaceable save files.
Currently I’m weary of playing Playstation 3 games as I’ve had two Yellow Lights of Death, each time erasing my save data completely. Hours of play on games like Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet and Heavy Rain completely lost with no way of recovery. If a cloud based backup system was in place I wouldn’t have lost these files as I could just download them again.
The only issue with this is millions of gamers, all needing space on a server with a couple of back up servers too, this could get quite expensive. It would need to be for save files only and not general DLC (which can be re-downloaded anyway) and may come with a small charge. Depending on its price though I’d be willing to pay.
But what about the games themselves, what do I see for the next generation. Well to be honest gaming hasn’t changed that much, there’s just a lot more of it. More good, but more bad. The only real change has been the rise of gimmicky games, the type that exist purely to abuse a motion control peripheral and feature little to no substance. You’re probably going to see less of them as developers realise you don’t need big gestures when using them.
Microsoft should stop pushing Kinect as a replacement for a controller and see it as more of an addition. The best game to use Kinect so far has a controller mode, what does that tell you? In all fairness developers have started seeing this and are offering Kinect games you can play while sitting down with a pad in your hand. Such as the new Forza Motorsport which uses Kinect to allow you to look around your vehicle for a better view of the road ahead. Or Mass Effect 3 which is said to use voice commands. This is the way forward for Kinect I feel.
I don’t recall Move being mentioned at all at E3 and Nintendo’s big feature was a console with a tablet for a controller. It will be interesting to see where to go with that and I hope this time it’s somewhere good.
My general fear is that all games will try to be the next Call of Duty, i.e. super serious, grey, highly militarised first person shooters. Now this isn’t bad in small doses but these types of games seem to be everywhere. Pretty much ever lead character now is some kind of Soldier and I’d like to seem some diversity in personality.
Gaming is definitely a more fierce and active industry than it’s ever been. Already we’re seeing new technology outside of gaming that could be adapted to evolve gaming even further. It won’t be long now before the first signs of the next generations begin to appear, perhaps at next years E3 (though I’ve been saying that for the last couple of years now).
Word is telling me this is 5 pages on A4 so here’s the TL:DR Summary
I think these features will be big/becoming a bigger part of gaming in the next generation.
- Apps: Custom iPhone/iPad/Android Style apps through an Apps Marketplace.
- Download only: Rise of Downloadable content and the high possibility of Gaming becoming download only.
- Gamer Identity: Advancement or at least Continuation of Gamertags, perhaps having one tag for all systems.
- Achievements: Continuation of Achievement/Trophy systems.
- Skype Integration: Expanding on Xbox Live’s party system to include mobile device to Xbox voice communication and making it a standard on all systems.
- Video record and upload: YouTube integration allowing straight upload of videos recorded through game/console features (i.e. Theatre Modes as standard)
- Cloud saves: Separate servers being used to back up save files in case of machine breakdown.
- Less Motion Control: Devices like Kinect, Move and Wiimote motion control being used less often and more subtle ways.
posted by Master hunter at 1:40 pm
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