The Next Gen Prediction thread

[EvilBoris]

As this gen reaches what could well be it's twilight years what can you see happening in

THE NEXT GENERATION!

My prediction is that we will see the console makers go one step further than they previously have with their console redesigns and follow Apples model of releasing a faster, more powerful version of their products every year or 2.

All games will work with the original specification, but should you have one of the faster versions, you get improved framerate's resolutions or generally refined graphics, all expertly tuned by the developers.

[Dogg Thang]

My prediction for THE NEXT GENERATION: The captain is a bald man, there's a Klingon on board and a therapist, for some unknown reason.


Oh, and Apple get their app store on TVs via most other Apple devices or built in to some TVs or some simple way and that becomes a full-on games platform that completely takes over and consumes the industry. A new race to the bottom ensues.

[EvilBoris]

There are rumours floating around today that the next xbox will be using ARM based processors.

So my prediction is that it will run a full on operating system, similar to the version of windows being prepped for the tablets.

Only the whole tablet/phone/xbox crossover fails to gain any interest and flops on it's face.

[averybluemonkey]

ARMs only benefit over other manufacturers is in low power devices so don't see the benefit for a home console myself.

I'd imagine we're going to see a far bigger and stronger integration of social features and a rise in micropayment eco-systems. At the moment the standard twitter and facebook integration is kind of tacked on. Given that MS are pushing the Live system a lot more with their takeover of Nokia I can imagine them making some kind of play in that field. I'm guessing we'll probably continue to see a shrinking of the industry with a focus on fewer, more regular franchises like CoD: Elite, I'm sure EA will launch something similar.

[SuperDanX]

No more Backwards Compatibilty, they'll just sell you shinier versions of the same game over and again. And you will buy.

[Brad]

Pah they can do what they like. I won't be buying in. The focus will be on downloadable games so they can charge what they like with no used market. That and bloody codes in the box, shedloads of DLC that should have been in the game, pre order bonuses and all the other ****e that's kicking about now but all ten times worse. Maybe, just maybe, games will be 1080p and 60fps - like I thought they would be this time around.

/humbug

[Flabio]

I'm staying well clear of this one, hehe.

[J0e Musashi]

The controller will be 99% the same, and they call it Dual Shock 4.

[speedlolita]

Optical media will no longer exist. Consoles will ship with 2TB HDDs as standard. People with poor internet will spend days downloading the hottest new titles. Games will no longer be available to purchase in shops, all sales being available at RRP and no cheaper. Preowned games will cease to exist. Nintendo will go bankrupt. Microsoft will take over the world. Sony will return to Japan and run a CRT shop in Akihabara. Sega will release the Dreamcast 2.

[chopemon]

I have said for a while that the next gen systems will have a Facebook style 'wall' on the dashboard which is the first thing you see when you log in. It will show your friend's recent achievements and high scores, allow you to post statuses and will show you what your friends have recently bought with links to the store.

Not related to next gen systems but in the next gen I think we will finally see ad breaks between levels in an Activision or EA game. I'm surprised it hasn't happened already.

These are not my desires but what I think will happen.

[charlesr]

I will refuse to buy a game that has ad breaks. If all games go that way, I will stop playing games.

As for the topic: I think it will be much like this one, but with incrementally improved graphics. Maybe SSDs so that loading time comes back down. Battlefields 3 takes about 1 minute 40 seconds to get to the server browser after putting the disc in after you have endured the unskippable carp and "saving" bits (wtf? why is it saving? Forza did this too. Really annoying). This is half way to being Commodore 64 levels of loading time! MW2 got you to the match finder super fast.

[Dogg Thang]

Yep, me too. Won't do ad breaks.

And yet I think that could be a reality.

[nakamura]

It will be largely the same as it is now with publishers getting even more control over their products to control the market for their liking.
Creativity or the need to be creative in the industry is bottoming out.

[Rossco]

Surely ad breaks won't happen. More ads in games, on in game billboards, etc, but surely not stopping the game to show an ad. Even do it on loading screens like Wipeout HD.

[Brad]

Will the casuals be satisfied with phone and pad gaming from this point do you think? Thus putting an end to the endless streams of crap that we see on DS and Wii? Can Nintendo really sell a WiiU to the whole world like they did with Wii? I don't think they can. That leaves XBox 3 and Playstation 4 and they'll just be mid-range PCs in a self contained box so the 'next-gen'ness of them will be based on content delivery and, as others have pointed out, that content will be delivered in a way that is better for the publishers and platform holders, not the consumers and certainly not retail. That's my prediction!