Why PS4 is about more than looks – next-gen power could & should change game design

OPM: Why does Nathan Drake treat killing thousands of men so jovially? Why isn’t he in prison for mass murder? It’s a clichéd question in gaming circles – like asking why the Bond villain doesn’t just shoot him – but it’s being asked more frequently, and about a wider range of games.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Non gaming features are more likely to have a greater impact on the overall user experience. The infamous share button comes to mind.

Ideally hardware prowess should influence creativity but it rarely does. Just bigger games, better graphics.

[DVAcme]

"Infamous" share button? I think that's gonna be one of the most exciting features the PS4's gonna have! Let's Plays, game reviews a,d even gameplay itself will definitely reap in the benefits.

[Summons75]

yes the share button is so beneficial when we already have gomes so dumbed down that they hold our hand the entire game, barely any challenge even on "hard" difficulty setting, and achievements that tell you exactly what to do, where to go and how to play the game....yes let's take all that for the idiots who can't play a game and give them a button to LET SOMEONE ELSE PLAY FOR THEM. Share button is the worst idea ever, if someone truly needs someone else to play the game for them to pass a level or area because they are too lazy or stupid to work and practice to be able to do it themselves they should probably find another hobby.

Real gamers do not want tutorials that pause the game or a message to pop up in the middle of the screen breaking immersion to tell you how to play the game. That's why games like Demon/Dark Souls have been welcomed so much this gen, because they teach through game design. You get a small area in the beginning that tells you basic controls and teaches through game design of how to play then you can figure out everything on your own while struggling through the harsh environment.

Not to mention we already have youtube being flooded by the 12 year olds spamming their "skillz no scpe headsh0tz" montages poorly edited to the same linkin park song that was popular 10 years ago. Now they just just spam videos straight to youtube doubling the amount of stupidity they spam.

Yeah share button is SO genius for gaming....if we want to see gaming descend into even more madness. Hopefully it will go the way of sixaxis and hopefully faster, nobody cared for that and hopefully they will be that intelligent with the share button too.

[xHeavYx]

@Summons
Wow, you must be such a hardcore gamer /s

[badz149]

@Summons75

wow dude. what are you so pissed off about? what about the share button that grinds your gear so much? it's not like Sony force you to use it or else you can't finish your game. you can just ignore the button altogether for the whole next gen for all we care, and you will still be able to play and finish your games like you have always done them before. why the hate?

facebook and twitter has proven that apparently millions of people love to share even the silliest of things with friends...but that doesn't make you a total outcast even if you don't have FB or Twitter, right? the same with the share button, they are optional for those who want to use them. so chill...

[nosferatuzodd]

Indeed

[3-4-5]

* Art Style, Pacing, details, dialogue, actions, consequences, Realistic Day/night cycles, fully functional worlds regardless if you are playing or not.

* NPC's who live their own lives and just also happen to be able to help you out, if they have time.

* Games within games within games.

* Customization & Base building.

* Guilds, groups, alliances and such that grow over the years.

EX: Day one form a guild in game, within 2 years you have your own piece of land with a fort you've built via the earnings within game and that fort took an actual 2 years to build.

things like that

[miyamoto]

"And my personal highlight: Media Molecule’s unannounced project."

Its gotta be PS4 killer app no one is paying attention to!

imagine MM giving me a tool set that enables me to make my own game from scratch?

Such Great Power!

The future of Play Create Share!

[cedaridge]

PS4 is about to BLOW our minds, get ready!

[A_Gamer]

Let's just hope that all next gen gaming Blows our minds, PC and Consoles alike.

[givemeshelter]

They won't... Only some games will... If you played on a high end PC for the past few years, you know what to expect more or less from the PS4 and Xbox One...

[miyamoto]

Media Molecule's game will BLOW and Play Create Share copy cats out of the water!

It blew Shuhei Yoshida's mind off... and "made it STOP functioning"....

[bujasem_89]

ok this was a nice read... hope it reaches the top .

[A_Gamer]

I hope so too.

[Fishy Fingers]

Early days, the manufacturers need to push the hardware to generate and justify interest from those who are still 'happy' with current gen offerings. So it's no surprise to see them pushing graphically intense games that stick to a tried and tested formula.

Hopefully we'll see more 'creative' use of the hardware as we move further into their life cycles. I'm looking at indie devs here, with lower budgets and less risk.

But let's be honest, people seemed more concerned with who has the better RAM than original experiences.

[Firan]

"But let's be honest, people seemed more concerned with who has the better RAM than original experiences."

That's the sad part. Console gaming is getting on the next level. We could get all kinds of new games and experiences on Wii U, Xbox One and PS4, yet pretty much all see on the Internet is arguing who has better hardware.

[A_Gamer]

I agree with what you said :D

[Trago1337]

It's a shame that everyone's asking for better graphics when new hardware is introduced, but you don't hear many people asking for new gameplay.

[MariaHelFutura]

I love the whole specs don't matter, experiences are driven by creativity argument. Specs and the talents of developers drive creativity, not one or the other. For example LBP would not be possible on PS2, no matter how creative they want to get. This gen will be no different. Better cpu matters, better gpu matters, better RAM matters, better developers matter, all leads to the accessibility to harness creativity and create original experiences. Which is why people buy new console and care about specs. Gamers just like to put their noses up and think their better than others in a multiple way, myself included. Saying things like "people are more interested in RAM than experiences" is just pretentious. The Last of Us didn't just sell so well because the Ps3's RAM. People love experiences just as much as you, regardless if they care about RAM.

[Fishy Fingers]

Think you've got me confused, I care just as much about the hardware as anybody, being a PC gamer I can honestly say I'm happy with the experience I find on consoles, it's the visuals that I want improving, that's the reason I'll be buying a next gen system.

My point is I often read gameplay>graphics, yet try clicking on a Forza Vs GT article, see how many comments actually centre around the gameplay or 'experience'.

I don't blame devs for sticking to what they know works when their investing tens of millions, this is a business after all.

But with new hardware comes new opportunity, I just hope that 'less titles' with 'lesser visuals' get the credit they deserve.

Kind of get that I seem to be arguing with myself here lol.

[MariaHelFutura]

All of my comment wasn't directly at you. I've told you before I think you're one my favorites on this site. It was really just the RAM part. I pretty much agree w/ your entire comment otherwise as usual. My comment just came off wrong. Sorry.

[A_Gamer]

It's so cool to see people have a conversation without cursing at each other even when disagreeing on some things. Glad to have you guys here on this site.

[JsonHenry]

Looking at the games that Ubisoft announced with huge open worlds, the connectivity, and the types of games the consoles are getting I would say that they are already changing the types of games we are getting. And that is just one company and their first games on the new systems. Still plenty of room to evolve and change.

[Thehyph]

Exactly. This is the exact reason I place no stock in people saying console gaming is in decline. Consoles are about to get some real PC gaming experiences. So many possibilities come from this. More and much better MMO experiences. Dedicated servers. Possible increase in number and content of apps. Much better multitasking.
Closing the gap between PC and console gaming is nothing but good for any casual gamer out there. Proven successes like WoW could easily be handled by next gen consoles. (With keyboard and mouse support, of course)
We can already assume from the pre-order numbers that consoles aren't going anywhere for another few years. Getting a PC experience in the center of your living room and not having to worry about things like system requirements could turn a casual gamer into a hardcore one.
A game like Destiny or The Division were completely doable on PC for years, albeit with different graphical fidelity. Many console only gamers don't have any experiences like that to relate to.

Just my $0.02.

[A_Gamer]

For me, this article was a good read. Not because it said things about the PS4, but the parts about game developers wanting to do different things and make better experiences for us the players. I'm tired of reading articles about which system is better than the other. The new consoles can't come soon enough.

[Furi17]

Battlefield 4 with 60hz, 72 players, and no cheaters... Tell Nathan he can do whetever he wants with his life and feelings.

[Trago1337]

What's sad is that we have yet to see a single game that makes use of the better hardware to make new gameplay experiences.

They're seemingly banking on spectacle and graphical fidelity rather than never before seen gameplay.

[r21]

Ugh, i hate when people keep asking why ND had to kill people. He isnt doing it for the sake of fun or psychotic reasons, he's so doing to live. If he doesnt kill, he will be killed!

I will agree with the author, the highlight from the early PS4 event was Mm's reveal. Im positive it's something along with the idea of LBP but more evolved with next gen tech.

[SaveFerris]

I think the PS4, Xbox One and WiiU will see more creative efforts from developers, and introduce a lot of gamers to the kinds of games that PC owners have been experiencing for quite some time. I know the 360 and PS4 had a number of indie games released, but with the extra effort by the console makers to attract indie developers, we'll all be able to enjoy some great games.