180°

Will the Next-Gen Consoles Fail?

There is nothing like a console launch to crackle the synapses and thrill the blood. For those who love games, the anticipation of a fresh arrival is an adventure in its own right, a grand hunt across the meadows of speculation and rumor and conjecture.

At the end, we expect to find a great prize, a world-changing event like PlayStation 2 and Wii. We don't set out to corner some miniscule market like GameCube or Saturn. There is a certain necessary suspension of reality, a compact that all consoles are desirable and noble, at least until they are actually in our hands and have an opportunity to confound our faith.

So it comes as a shock when predictions arrive that the next generation – PlayStation 4, Xbox 720 and Wii U – will perform poorly. This week, one analyst stated that the next Nintendo machine will sell only a third as well as the last, while both Microsoft and Sony's consoles will only manage about half as much as the current generation.

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uk.games.ign.com
NYC_Gamer4381d ago (Edited 4381d ago )

I believe next gen consoles will be more successful.....i'm sure that the big 3 will adapt to the market and expand with more social features/apps...the casual crowd will play a major part in the growth of the install base along side us core gamers....

StrongMan4381d ago

If you think the casual crowd that bought Kinect will drop $400-$500 for new hardware you'd better think again.

LOGICWINS4381d ago

They will if its marketed correctly. Btw, I doubt anyone is crazy enough to release at anything over $399 this time around.

ElementX4381d ago (Edited 4381d ago )

People drop money for a new iPhone every 6 months, those are the original casual crowds along with FB gamers

StrongMan4381d ago

@ElementX

That's different. Phones are a necessity, video game consoles are not. Smart phones are basically little computers in your pocket. We all use them everyday and all day. Consoles, not so much. Bad comparison. Can't take a console around with me everywhere to call my family and friends or check my emails. Really bad comparison, dude.

ChunkyLover534379d ago (Edited 4379d ago )

There probably wont be a $500 console, and I'm guessing Sony and Microsoft will continue to market current consoles to the more casual gamers, even after the next iterations are out.

Consoles should do fine as long as they are priced right, have some quality launch games and are accessible.

LOGICWINS4379d ago

"People drop money for a new iPhone every 6 months, those are the original casual crowds along with FB gamers"

Just because people drop money frequently on one thing doesn't mean they will automatically be willing to spend on something else.

By your logic, $300 Sony Ericsson phones should be selling like hotcakes since people buy new $600 iphones every six months right?

herp derp

manman64379d ago

@StrongMan But buying a new phone every few month is really not that necessary. Apple just knows how marketed they products that make you think you are getting the next big thing.

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CarlitoBrigante4379d ago

I think WiiU will fail, its a novelty

I think nextbox will fail too, since they will focus only on Kinect

PS4 will please both the casuals and hardcore gamers.

Long Live Play!

4379d ago
raymantalk14379d ago

the only thing MS are the masters of is spending loads of money on marketing and that is all to be a master of marketing is to spend your money wisely not spending 500 million or more advertising one product, sony may spend allot less on there marketing but they spend it more wisely and they put what money do have in making new products to go with there console not third parties nintendo do the same, sony's only problem seems to be there tv division which they need to sort out quickly.

and dont get me wrong i like my xbox but there is much wider variety of quality games on my ps3 if MS wants to be a master then they should make more first party games and not kinect ones.

LOL_WUT4379d ago

I think only the PS4 and the Nextbox will do good, but i agree with you about the WiiU.

Sgt_Slaughter4379d ago

If you think Nintendo will fail, you got another thing coming. Nintendo is the reason we have the current console generation the way it is... well mainly the strong market share of sales anyway. They single-handed-ly saved the gaming industry after the Gaming Crash of 1983 or 84 with the NES. If Nintendo fails, then the gaming community will slowly start to crash again.

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DeadlyFire4378d ago

You know this only became an issue when games were hiked up to $60 bucks a piece.

I think its about time we see that go back to $50 bucks a piece personally.

I do expect Sony to do better next gen. This gen certainly has been a pain to buy into, but next generation should be easier to get access + more PSN features, easier cheaper game development, and other things all look promising from a concept.

Nintendo I don't know. All depends on if they chose crap hardware or semi-decent okish hardware. If crap I am not buying.

Microsoft. I expect to either push for some new ips or lose some of its crowd to Nintendo/Sony next gen. Xbox Live is nice, but its like sex. If its free elsewhere with less expense. Its more likely you will aim for that. There will be two Online services to face XBL next gen. So something might change.

tdogchristy904381d ago

I would actually agree on a hardware standpoint. Software idk. This past gen was unique with HD and the casuals buying into Wii, netflix, web etc. The only company that has really been able to constantly see consumers upgrade is apple. I just don't see the masses upgrading like they did this last gen unless it's leaps ahead and I just don't see it happening cause we are slowly hitting a wall of sorts. People seem satisfied. Again last gen was just kind of unique and I don't see the same next gen. Sure consoles will survive but they just won't see the same popularity.

PopRocks3594381d ago

Sony and Microsoft survived for quite some time on the core market alone. I think from here on out if any of the big hardware producers bring out gaming hardware, they should focus on the core audience first and casual audience second. Nintendo learned the hard way that the casual crowd is not a particularly loyal one.

ozzywazzy4379d ago

Whether they actually learned is something to be seen. Good points on the casuals and core crowds. The casuals will follow trends hence the momentum going into the Wii, this time around I suspect a very different scenario. Nintendo would benefit by catering to the people that made them the company they are.

linkratos4379d ago

I'm gonna have to give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt considering in the past they have always catered to the consumers that made them what they are. And I know they made tons of money on the Wii, but I think it's apparent to them that they need to continually provide their core audience with games because they finally lost money for the first time in 30 years.

Remember, Nintendo intentionally went with a weak console to capitalize on the arms race between Sony and Microsoft. There is no reason that they will still be a gen behind, every gen is a clean slate. Idk why people keep saying they will always be a gen behind because of one intentioanlly underpowered console.

Hicken4379d ago

+Bubbles. That's all I want the gaming companies to do: don't forget the people that let you survive long enough to tap into the casual crowd craze in the first place.

4380d ago
DeadSpaced4379d ago

I personally believe what could possibly make or break the systems will be the games available on release day. If we find ourselves in a nice mix of casual and hardcore games, they'll be set. (As long as the prices aren't fatal to my wallet.)

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180°

Wii U games that still haven't been ported to Switch

The Nintendo Switch is potentially nearing its lifespan, and several Wii U games haven't found their way over as ports yet.

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nintendoeverything.com
Vits4d ago

I think it's better to leave games like AC: Amiibo Festival and Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash forgotten on the Wii U. Best case, they are mediocre games; worse case, they are very bad. It was a dark time for the Wii U, and the first only exists to sell Amiibo cards, whereas the second was put together in a couple of months with a shoestring budget, and it shows.

The rest of the list does have some really cool games, though. I would love to see a remake of Star Fox Zero with decent controls, and Xenoblade X doesn't require that much modification to work.

Z5013d ago

How would XCX work without dual screens functionality?

Cacabunga3d ago

Same as Paper Mario color splash. One of the best wiiu games and getting even better with dual screen. Same reason why i prefer Splatoon 1

Profchaos3d ago

This article leaves out Nintendo's most controversial game to date devils Third.
I personally found the cover system really fun in that one compared to at the time most fps games completely lacking one.

Stevonidas3d ago

Devil's Third is HIGHLY underrated.

repsahj3d ago

They should remake Starfox to the switch 2. Very beautiful game during gamecube days.

Chocoburger3d ago

Kirby is always ignored or forgotten by people, so good to see it mentioned here.
Play Kirby Canvas Curse on DS, and then play Rainbow Curse on Wii U, they're really fun and unique 'platformers' without any actual jumping.

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80°

Nintendo's Massacre Of The 3DS And Wii U Is Finally Complete, Regrettably

Hanzala from eXputer: "The cruel hammer of Nintendo has fallen. Farewell, 3DS and Wii U, you surely brightened my life and many others; you won't be forgotten."

470°

PS5 Pro specs leak video taken down by Sony

Sony is taking actions as video by Moore’s Law is Dead, has been issued with a copyright claim.

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videogameschronicle.com
andy858d ago

And people say it's all fake because Sony haven't said anything 😂 conveniently forget the PS4 Pro was only announced 2 months before release.

BeHunted8d ago

It's fake. There's no factual evidence other than his own made up specs.

Hereandthere8d ago

What were the specks Sony was afraid of showing?

Shikoku8d ago (Edited 8d ago )

Digital foundry put a video out saying what he leaked was exactly what they also knew about the PS5 PRO. So no it's not just stuff he made up

Babadook77d ago (Edited 7d ago )

If it’s fake what copyright does MLID infringe upon?

😂

andy857d ago

Aye because they'd go to the effort of copyright claiming it if it didn't exist 🙃😂 you'd have to be a special kind to be thinking its not a thing by now

Cacabunga7d ago

They need to reveal it with uncharted killzone or a heavy hitter like this

Ironmike7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

U mean the specs that we'll established digital foundry which said these are the actual specs published a video on 2 weeks ago I mean they are only one of most trusted sites for tech information but they just made up a video for the sake of it

Christopher7d ago

I would love for it all to be fake, but lots of people are saying they've seen/heard the same thing. But, man, we 100% don't need mid-gen upgrades when we're failing hard to optimize current hardware.

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Seraphim7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

if I recall Sony lowered sales expectations for PS5 earlier this year. if that is the case we won't hear anything about a Pro until next year or shortly before/when it's dropping. After all, if the Pro was dropping this year/fiscal year they wouldn't have lowered expectations.

As for squashing rumors. Yeah, shit like this prevents potential buyers from adopting now, just like slim rumors in the past. It only makes sense to keep things under wraps from a business perspective. Despite living in a technological age of unfettered access to information we don't need to know whats going on behind closed doors be that at Sony, Nintendo, MS, or amongst any development studios. When the steak is done we shall feast.

JackBNimble7d ago

By the time games are actually made to take advantage of the pro spec's the ps6 will be released or close to it.

jznrpg8d ago (Edited 8d ago )

Just announce it already! I want to preorder one asap. But in reality they don’t want to lessen PS5 sales until Pro is ready to launch so I understand the business part of it. September is probably when they announce it with an early November launch like the PS4 Pro

Ironmike7d ago

Pro won't lessen sales sames ps4 pro never and the ps4 pro was more relevant at the time cos move to 4k this not needed

RaidenBlack7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

Yea, my brother got his PS4 (coz of a good deal) after the PS4 Pro's release.

darthv727d ago

^^same here. I got a base 4 for only $100 off a guy who bought the Pro. then a few months later I found a guy on craigslist selling a pro for $100 because it was left behind by his former roommate who moved out. That was the beginning of my obsession to buy up the different variants of the PS4 that were released.

As of now I am really only missing the 500m one and the gold slim but otherwise I have pretty much all the other retail ones. https://consolevariations.c...

crazyCoconuts7d ago

Anyone with 4K that appreciates 60fps is gonna disagree about it not being needed.
DLSS is a god send for Nvidia, and there's been nothing like it for AMD...yet ...

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DeadlyFire7d ago

They will announce it around E3 timeframe about May-June whenever they do a showcase for the year.

neutralgamer19928d ago

Just announce it this thing will sell well

Ironmike7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

I don't think it will pll still haven't seen the potential of ps5 yet

Cacabunga7d ago

agreed, but it might sell if they announce some 1st party games to lead the way. if people see the difference with the base version they can move on. for my sake I am still gaming mainly on PS4 (still not finished with RDR2 due to lack of gaming time). I have a huge backlog on PS5 I am hoping to get into.

mark3214uk7d ago

why? game makers havnt even come close to maxing out current spec yet, were getting al lthese new TFlops and game maker are making crappy remakes not worthy of the ps3

Minute Man 7217d ago

The guts of the 5 and X are 5 years old

fr0sty7d ago

People keep saying that, yet we still have games running at near HD resolutions, 30fps, and ray tracing features turned off.

PRIMORDUS7d ago (Edited 7d ago )

I would take that video and upload a torrent of it, fuck that copyright bullshit. If your going to do something that has a chance of being taken down, make a torrent first share it. Then Sony or any other company is helpless and you can laugh in their faces, taunting them to try to take it down 🤣

LoveSpuds7d ago

With kind of analysis and advice, you could be a lawyer for Trump!🤣

tronyx127d ago

As much as the PS4 Pro didn't represent a major % in the playerbase, announcing a 'better' model will hinder sales from the 'base' model. They are right, business-wise.

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