2013. Next year. That’s when the latest rumours for the next generation of consoles are marking the calendar. Think about that for a second – if the stories are correct, we could be getting our hands on the PS4 and Xbox Next (or whatever they’re called) any time from between eight months to about twenty, with many still thinking that E3 this year will see some kind of unveiling from both Sony and Microsoft, even if it’s just a taster.
It doesn’t really matter what they end up being called – marketing and branding aside – what matters is what they’ll do, and what they’re capable of. In terms of visuals, it’s clear that this current generation can’t really handle full HD, let alone 3D, without plenty of sacrifices, so hopefully whatever the manufacturers are working on will mean 1080p at 60fps before they start worrying about any other fancy technology.
But it’s not the boost in graphics that I’m most desperate for. I’m a keen believer that Halo is the best first person shooter ever made because of one thing: the AI. Running around blasting dumb enemies means nothing to me, but with Halo I always admired what Bungie had done with the squad intelligence and pack mentality, and the Elites – on the harder levels – felt like equals rather than bullet sponges.
If the next-gen can up the immersion this way – making things smarter rather than simply just prettier, I’ll be happy.
But there’s more to consider here – the latest on both new machines suggest that pre-owned games will be considerably crippled and, in the case of Orbis (the current codename for PS4) it sounds like backwards compatibility will also be out of the window, meaning that all your PS3 games (both on disk and digital download) won’t work going forward. You’ll have to keep hold of your current console, basically, and that won’t please many.
Of course, all this is just rumour at this stage, regardless of the sources. Even if elements are true, nobody knows for sure about what’s going to change right up until the machines are formally announced – but whilst the contents of the technical specs seem to differ from story to story, one thing seems to remain fairly constant: the date. I’d be hugely surprised if we don’t get our hands on them both next year.
But is that too soon?
PoorPaddy89
I don’t really want it, but if I’m working next year (and I hope to Zeus I am) then no doubt I’ll get Orbis on launch day, like I did with PS3.
I’d like the usual improvements, but I just hope the next gen doesn’t specialise in online multiplayer at a cost to single player campaigns.
plutoniumdragon
I want next gen now, but not necessarily because I want to buy one, the stagnation is affecting PC games as well so it’s time to move on so PC games get some more love :)
As pointed out above though, the biggest problem with the PS3 at the moment is not the fuzzy graphics as much as the abysmal load times. A large enough SSD is not going to be practical at a sensible price point and it’s going to need enormous amounts of ram to precache from the slow Blu-Ray or it’s not going to change much. Apart from being prettier perhaps.
JBoo
I am not to bothered really. Happy with my PS3 for now;)
MrTwP
I’m not ready yet… Financially and also before the PS3 came out i felt that the PS2 was absolutely exhausted and a ps3 was much needed in terms of online functionality, graphically as well as limitations in games. But I still feel that the PS3 still has more to offer and currently games aren’t being restricted enough to warrant new hardware.
mad_mac_hl
I was wondering with the lack of backwards compatibility, could the new Sony console be a complete overhaul to the point that it bears little relation to the Playstation series to date? It wouldn’t be difficult for them to put in some sort of backwards compatibility even if it was a specific mode that you had to put the console in to play your PS2/PS3 games. If they aren’t doing that (or can’t do that), I’d have thought the new console architecture must be massively different so as to make it impractical.
Basically, any chance this could be a completely new series of consoles rather than just a next in series?
Spence1115
To be honest, I have no desire for the new consoles to come out any time soon. Going to be doing a Masters until September 2013, so I’d have no time to concentrate on it. My career after will lead to a lot of travelling, so PC gaming on my laptop and Vita will be my choice for the next year after that as well.
In fact, I’d be happy switching back to PC gaming next gen. I’ll still get the consoles eventually for exclusives (if I’d applied that to this gen though, I would never have bought an Xbox 360, haven’t bothered with Gears and Halo enough to warrant that, and Fable 3 came out on PC eventually). I’ll need the consoles for Final Fantasy and other games like it, but if they were to bring out equal versions on the Vita, I’d possibly just stick with that for a while.
My next PC is going to be a gaming/media PC that’ll sit under the TV anyway, so it’ll basically be a console at that point anyway, just bigger.
gazzagb
Considering I play FPS’s most, the most important thing for me is that they all run at 60fps as the standard. The slickness of COD running at 60 means I find most other FPS’s far to slow and clunky. I’d love a PS4 around this time next year I think, I think the PS3’s lifecycle is definitely coming to an end if you compare it to where PC gaming is now.
Forrest_01
That’s the thing though isn’t it – Console gaming should never be compared to PC gaming, as they are two entirely different beasts.
gazzagb
I think console gaming should be compared to PC gaming, you just need to take into account the nature of the two systems.
The thing is, PC gaming has advanced so quickly that consoles are struggling to even keep up with the games designed for them. How often do we hear about games with frame rate issue, screen tearing etc? The devs expect more from the consoles as they seem to have forgotten how far behind they are.
Forrest_01
Ah, but to have a decent set up with a PC you need to keep upgrading, a LOT more often than you would replace a console. That’s why you can’t really compare them, as they are two different things (admittedly doing the same thing, but hey!).
Spence1115
I’ve upgraded my PC once since 2008, and it’s still playing top games at very high quality, and that was just a graphics card, not even that expensive (£150), and not even that necessary (old card from 2008 was still playing Skyrim and co at high).
Considering I use it a hell of a lot more than my consoles with everything I use it for, I can essentially compare certain components to the console.
Buying console on release date + a PC that will do for internet, work etc for the life of the console – £400 + £300 = £700
Buying my PC in 2008 which still was beating my consoles for graphics – £680
Yes, I’ve upgraded my graphics card, but I’ve also had to replace the PS3 for dying, along with the Xbox 360 out of warranty for the same reason. Cost wise, kinda similar in the end, and my PC games are usually cheaper than console games when they’re released!
Forrest_01
Sounds like you were either lucky, or knew what you were doing (not implying either one though) – Most people i know have spent literally thousands (in some cases thousands & thousands) on their rigs & still aren’t happy with them today. The perfectionists curse i suppose.
That’s also not taking into account the sheer amount of effort that they put in to source the parts, sometimes have to collect them themselves, put it all together etc.
Personally, when i compare that to simply opening a box, plugging something in & knowing that piece of equipment will see me through the next 5-10 years (malfunctions excluded), that is a much more attractive option to me.
& not to pick holes, but your comparison (if i am reading it right – Its late in the afternoon & i am tired) assumes that someone would need a pc to run alongside their console. This has never been the case for me & i have never owned a PC.
TSBonyman
They both might time their reveals to try to do some damage to the Wii U launch but it seems a bit too soon for Sony as they are currently focused on building the Vita user-base.
Jag
Realistically it’s looking to be 2 years before we see it over here (i.e. 1H 2014) so I think a lot will change in gaming in that time.
The current gen for one will struggle more and more to keep up with PC experiences and it could be a good time for a leap in horsepower.
I don’t think I’ll be buying one at launch but as always it depends on the quality of games available and price.
After the Vita launch, which had an impressive quality of games, I’m hope the rumours of Sony releasing more developer friendly hardware is true.
hol
In honesty, I’m not bothered. I’d prefer it if devs were to put the time in into squeezing that extra out of what hardware we have now. Look at the quality of ps2 games towards the end of its life & the beginning of the ps3’s.