PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

[Aeni]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

What I really wish is that Nintendo seriously think about their online service and make sure it is a worthwhile service to pay for. I would not mind paying $9.95 a month to download unlimited games to the Wii U via emulation (i.e., SNES, N64, etc) They could do this as a Retro Gamer service and then provide the additional "per download" pay for service for current games. This could be something that can enhance the total Wii U system instead of just being a one-off novelty.

[Cheezeman3000]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

I would not mind paying $9.95 a month to download unlimited games to the Wii U via emulation (i.e., SNES, N64, etc) They could do this as a Retro Gamer service and then provide the additional "per download" pay for service for current games.

No no no... we don't want monthly subscription fees... especially not for any of Nintendo's crappy services. I understand the convenience of being able to play any Virtual Console game, but keep in mind they haven't released any good virtual console games for months. How would you like to be paying $10/month for that?

I think for the Wii U to have a successful online store they need to...
A. Make the shop a huge part of the main interface. Advertise the shit out of new downloadable games on the Wii U home screen and have the shop not be a separate app, but instead a part of the main OS.
B. Make "Nintendo ID's" that link to all systems you own (will have to do a 3DS update) and allow you to download all games linked to that ID.

Really. That's it. I don't think it would be too difficult to get this set up, considering every single company these days that deals with digital downloads follows the "purchases linked to ID" model.

[Aeni]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

No no no... we don't want monthly subscription fees... especially not for any of Nintendo's crappy services. I understand the convenience of being able to play any Virtual Console game, but keep in mind they haven't released any good virtual console games for months. How would you like to be paying $10/month for that?

Call me naive but I did preface by saying that IF they could provide ALL (as in, what they own licenses to) of the older games and have the ability (within the Wii U) to play them that I wouldn't mind subbing to that service. And downloadable game is pretty much the future (w/ DLC and all that) so it's not much we can do to stop the trend.

If Nintendo can't deliver then I fear for how well Wii U is going to fare. I mean, comparing it to XBL, PSN and Steam (I added Steam here because I'm not sure what's going to happen in the future and whether or not they'll end up partnering with Apple/Google for gaming devices in the home .. you know it's possible with pairing of Apple TV/Google TV)

[Icemage]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

If Nintendo can't deliver then I fear for how well Wii U is going to fare. I mean, comparing it to XBL, PSN and Steam (I added Steam here because I'm not sure what's going to happen in the future and whether or not they'll end up partnering with Apple/Google for gaming devices in the home .. you know it's possible with pairing of Apple TV/Google TV)

Nintendo can't seem to get their act together in the online arena. They simply have no expertise at it, no idea how to manage their online service, and no clue how people are actually interacting online. I've already mentioned how their Achilles Heel is their devotion to their brand image, and I still think that's going to be their downfall in the next generation if they abandon their Blue Ocean strategy, because I don't think Nintendo will ever decide to lose their "family friendly" brand image.


Icemage

[Aeni]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

because I don't think Nintendo will ever decide to lose their "family friendly" brand image.

I don't mind that at all and I appreciate their stance and what they want to be known for. Distinguishing oneself from the competition has gone the way of the dodo bird in recent years now that every single company are offering the same kinds of services and products and trying to represent the same kinds of demographics, marginalizing those that do not fit in those particular stereotypes.

However, that doesn't mean that they can't expand their offerings and let's face it, those same "kids" that grew up on the Wii, if Nintendo want to promote "brand loyalty", they need to offer to that demographic something that would serve them better.

[Icemage]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

I don't mind that at all and I appreciate their stance and what they want to be known for. Distinguishing oneself from the competition has gone the way of the dodo bird in recent years now that every single company are offering the same kinds of services and products and trying to represent the same kinds of demographics, marginalizing those that do not fit in those particular stereotypes.

However, that doesn't mean that they can't expand their offerings and let's face it, those same "kids" that grew up on the Wii, if Nintendo want to promote "brand loyalty", they need to offer to that demographic something that would serve them better.

Nintendo needs to look at Disney to see how you can keep the family-friendly image while still offering other types of content. Their insistence on making every single product offered fit this motif is going to hurt them as each generation grows up. Sure, Mario games are still fantastic, and there's certainly some value in nostalgia but Nintendo simply can not win back the hardcore by putting their faith in the likes of Activision and EA to bring the more mature audiences to their console. It's just not going to happen when those are multiplatform publishers, particularly when Nintendo's recent track record with 3rd party software sales is so tarnished.


Icemage

[Malacite]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

I can see it now - a bunch of high-pitched 10 year olds yelling over the mics, calling each other niggers over a game of Mario & Sonic at the Olympics.

orz

[Icemage]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

I can see it now - a bunch of high-pitched 10 year olds yelling over the mics, calling each other niggers over a game of Mario & Sonic at the Olympics.

orz

That hasn't happened over LittleBigPlanet 2, which has voice chat and is just as "kid-friendly" as you could ask for.


Icemage

[Malacite]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

Yeah, but the majority of PS3 users don't have a mic either.

Plus I'm pretty sure there's a much higher concentration of those little turds on 360.

I was half-kidding anyway.

[Icemage]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

Yeah, but the majority of PS3 users don't have a mic either.

And Wii users do? There's what... maybe a dozen games total that support Wii Speak? 360 only has as many as it does because the console comes shipped with a (terribly cheap and vaguely usable) headset.

I get that you're joking, but seriously, Nintendo needs to get that stick out of their behind about this if they're serious about wanting to bring back all the people who have drifted away from the Wii because it has a simply awful online infrastructure.


Icemage

[Malacite]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

It WOULD be pretty funny though if all of a sudden nintendo got inundated with ban notices for vulgarity/racism over something stupid like Mario & Sonic ROFL (or any game - I'd just love to see how they would handle that crap)

[Aeni]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

I can see it now - a bunch of high-pitched 10 year olds yelling over the mics, calling each other niggers over a game of Mario & Sonic at the Olympics.

orz

Mario fan: Die evil fiend! Die!
Sonic fan: Not likely Plumber-boy! I'm going to grind you into dust!
Mario fan: Whatever dude wubwub.

^ That's how I'd imagine the kind of people playing on the Wii over a Vent system...

[Malacite]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

I still have to lol over just how shitty the CoD games were on Wii.

[Aeni]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

Rumors vs. reality: Next-gen consoles from Sony, Microsoft likely still years away | ExtremeTech

If what this article suggests is true, then two-fold:

1. 28nm process is still likely months away from successful yields. The SPE fiasco of the PS3 will probably make Sony allergic to making the same mistakes. However, this means that they aren't going to likely demo "cutting edge tech" going with the more mature, yet older, 40nm process and they definitely won't "blow" Wii U out of the water.

2. Microsoft might be closer to a next gen release than Sony but just when their XBox 360 is picking up steam and producing some solid numbers, they're at a historic junction in XBox history. Make profits or risk losing it all with a quick release of XBox 720?

My money is on a 2014 late summer-fall launch of EITHER of the two. Most likely scenario? Don't be surprised at a 2015 launch for both.

[Icemage]

Re: PS4 to Launch in 2013, Xbox 720 to launch in 2014

Rumors vs. reality: Next-gen consoles from Sony, Microsoft likely still years away | ExtremeTech

If what this article suggests is true, then two-fold:

1. 28nm process is still likely months away from successful yields. The SPE fiasco of the PS3 will probably make Sony allergic to making the same mistakes. However, this means that they aren't going to likely demo "cutting edge tech" going with the more mature, yet older, 40nm process and they definitely won't "blow" Wii U out of the water.

2. Microsoft might be closer to a next gen release than Sony but just when their XBox 360 is picking up steam and producing some solid numbers, they're at a historic junction in XBox history. Make profits or risk losing it all with a quick release of XBox 720?

My money is on a 2014 late summer-fall launch of EITHER of the two. Most likely scenario? Don't be surprised at a 2015 launch for both.

2015 is way too late. I put the likelihood of both Sony and Microsoft launching in 2015 at exactly 0%. Yes, 0%.

Sony's problem with the PS3/Cell isn't so much the Cell design itself (which, while a bit odd, is actually pretty nifty when used correctly). Their problems had more to do with production cost for a new chip design, shipping the PS3 without enough memory to support the rest of the hardware, and shaving off too much cost off of the graphics chip (GPU).

Microsoft's primary hurdle is DVD and the lack of standard mass storage (hard drive). DVD just isn't cutting it any more, and more and more developers are chafing at the space limitations and juggling you have to do to get around the limitations of DVD for games on the Xbox 360.

My prediction is that Sony brings in the next generation with something like a "Cell 2"; basically a beefier, more flexible version of what the PS3 already has, and supports it with more/faster memory and a more competent graphics chip. That would involve a much lower development cost for them, and make backward compatibility a breeze. They already have Blu-ray, and I'd say it's 99.9% likely they stick with it, perhaps going with an 8x BDXL drive or so, depending on production cost and when the unit actually ends up shipping. Not only would this sort of setup be functionally great for developers (who are now used to the peculiarities of programming for SPEs and thus don't have to relearn the ropes), but it would probably also mprove every single title in the current PS3 library since games with terrible frame rates should suddenly get much better under such an architecture.

Microsoft's a little harder to read. The Xbox 360 architecture itself is pretty awesome as it is, and probably all they have to do is repeat it, but bigger. More unified RAM, a larger eDRAM cache, a built-in hard drive. Like Sony, they're likely to re-use the basic architecture to keep developers in the loop and just improve the parts. It also remains to be seen whether Microsoft is going to push Kinect as a standard feature in their next box. I'm betting that they do, unless the entire Kinect market collapses within the next 12 months and proves to be a fad (not saying this will, or even should happen, but it did happen to the Wii). The biggest question mark for Microsoft is if they can continue to justify the price of Xbox Live when both Sony and Nintendo are nipping at their heels with free online services. XBL is still the undisputed king of console online services (surpassed only by Steam on PC, IMHO), but $60 a year is going to be a tough sell if the last few useful exclusive features fall by the wayside (voice messaging, cross game party chat).

Both Sony and Microsoft shouldn't have to do a metric ton of investment or R&D to make either of these two scenarios happen, so my guesstimate is late 2013 for both machines, give or take 6 months. No later than holiday 2014 at the absolute limit.


Icemage