Did the eighth console generation launch too soon

With the rumours swirling of a new 4k ready Xbox One and PlayStation 4 being announced at E3, Steve asks whether the this generation was launched too soon

[Rookie_Monster]

Dude...the X360 was 9 years in and the PS3 was 8 years in when this current gen started. That is a long time between gen. Lucky for this gen, mid-gen upgrade is the new trend and we don't have to wait that long anymore. Bring on Scorpio and Neo.

[Angerfist]

I agree with your first part, but disagree with the second. The current models have alot of steam left and we shouldn't support these new systems and the PC "we're too lazy to optimize so give us more power" route.

Last Generation was over 7-8 years full of improvements and constant graphical increases.

[Errorist76]

Microsoft already abandoned their console 7 years in.

[pyroxxx]

@Errorist76 ,.. you mean 4-5 years in

[darthv72]

The 8th generation launched at the right time. Both MS and Sony didn't figure things would progress so quickly with PC and the increasing debate and demand for full HD gaming with hardware that neither could really pull off.

The 8th could be coming to a close much sooner than expected. Nintendo is releasing their 9th gen system next year and the rumors of Scorpio make it seem all to poised to be a 9th gen system as well. Neo, if it isnt a significant leap like Scorpio, could wind up the 32x of the 8th gen.

Then again that could be Sony's plan. To keep the PS4 relevant for a little while longer while the real PS5 is getting ready for release. Just have to wait and see.

[Omnislashver36]

Actually this gen was 2-3 years LATE. That's the issue. If they'd have released the consoles on time we'd be on PS5/X2 right now, which would have been better and not had to worry about mid-gen refreshes moving forward.

[Goldby]

When did this new trend happen? This is reallt the first we are seeing of it, plus its still all rumors right now

[Thatguy-310]

It launched to late that was the problem. Last gen lasted far too long

[Xavior_Reigns]

Completely agree, PS4 & XBO shouldve released in 2010.

[ShaunCameron]

Because it took half a generation for Sony and Microsoft to recoup the money they lost on the PS3 and 360.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Well...when people were crying that last gen lasted to long, console companies like Sony were preparing for next gen. Gamers just didn't know it because of impatience. But gamers just don't understand development or tech cost.

First, big games take:lots of money, lots of man power, lots of time. As games advanced, they took longer to make. Companies need to make back their investment. Maybe put out 2-3 games depending on the size of the teams.5-10 if your big like EA. Look at how many companies closed shop last gen. Or had to merge to survive. Developing games isn't easy. And one failure means closing up shop.

Second, as tech costs rose, hardware companies needed to make back their R&D costs and make some type of profit as consoles were sold at a loss and marketing costs millions. Sony put everything and the kitchen sink in PS3 so that you didn't have to buy add-on BS. But gamers cried foul because they couldn't afford it. Or bashed Sony because they said you should save more to want to buy it because it wasn't going to be the traditional $299. Now gamers are crying that Sony didn't put the kitchen sink in and went with an all around system with good power to cost ratio that's easy to develop on.

Now, developers are making profit and can survive, Sony is making profit and can survive and gamers are getting mostly quality games. Buy still don't understand that great games take time. More so because gamers cry over small details.I can understand frame rate. But crying over how much grass there is is silly. And those wishing for mid gen consoles with even more detail, it's going to take even longer to make games with more money and more manpower.

But no, next gen started at about the right time. 5 year cycles make sense to jump to 6-7 years because of cost. These aren't the days of Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis.

[bradleejones]

No.

[Bathyj]

No but it seems they're trying to start the 9th too soon.

[PSN_ZeroOnyx]

^^^this

[BLow]

That and people wanted a console to put out Avatar graphics but at a cheap unrealistic price. Can't have both. Now all people do is complain and wonder why things are happening the way they are....it's really not that hard to figure out....0_o

[Godmars290]

What else is new. This has been happening since the PS3 and 360. Maybe the PS2 and first Xbox considering that with the Xbox patches became a thing. Consoles stopped being just consoles and moved towards more a PC mentality.

[rainslacker]

You always know the perfect thing to say in the simplest way possible.

Bravo to you good sir.

[IIFloodyII]

No, last gen just went on too long.

[Artemidorus]

No they both went cheap on specs. Even in 2013 it wasn't powerful.

[Errorist76]

I bet you would have screamed and cried if they had launched more powerful consoles for 599,-

[Mr-Dude]

Everybody is thinking and hoping that consoles with those rumored specs are being sold at $399. No way the Scorpio will be sold for that price with those specs. If you want a console that is powerfull, expect to pay.

[Errorist76]

@Dude

AMD just announced their new 5TF chip for 199,-...doesn't seem to far-fetched all of a sudden.

[Artemidorus]

Considering I payed 600+ plus for my Xbox One on day one and it's been collecting dust for two years i'd been happy to pay a little more at that moment.

If I knew all this 720p garbage would of been around and the endless repeats of Halo and Forza exclusives continued I would of skipped Xbox all together.

[ShaunCameron]

Because the last time they didn't go cheap on the specs, you bitched and moaned about the price being too high as they lost money on each console sold.

[Artemidorus]

The last two Xboxs they provided were decent specs when they came out.

Xbox One were already getting moaned at by people who had seen the spec sheet.

Don't think anyone realised how bad it actully were until the 720p/900p crap came into it.

[mogwaii]

The reported next next generation sure is.

[Fist4achin]

Consoles can't keep up with PC components which are constantly upgrading. When a new console generation is released, usually the early games look like the last generation bc developers haven't tested the limits or they try to upgrade something they have been working on for a while. Then later in the console's life, game developers are somewhat held back releasing an inferior version in the latter part of a consoles life.

It's a tricky situation for console gamers bc we want our investments to last. I still have a handful of games on my ps3 and 360 to rip through. Maybe consoles will move towards a more upgradable scenario since technology improves so rapidly.

[Lennoxb63]

I don't think the goal of consoles is to keep up with PC. But the companies don't want consoles to fall too far behind or they could turn some once console gamers into PC gamers.

[kneon]

Except that from now on the architecture will remain pretty much the same, so once they learn to use it they will immediately be able to take advantage of more powerful versions once they are available.

[Circuitburnout]

Is there a way for me to hide opinion stories from the feed?

[corroios]

The problem was that they made cheap machines. The PS4 for 399 is a good price, but if it was 499 i have no doubt the cpu would be much better even the GPU could be a bit more powerfull, but mainly the CPU, that is the biggest botleneck of the PS4.

The Xbox One at launch it was a mess a 499 kinect machine. Microsoft couldnt sell it at 599 and put a better CPU, GPU and RAM...

[Apex13]

Is this idots article serious with a title like that? look how dragged out the last gen was and you then take the time to write some nonsense like this.

[Playable_Gamez]

We were overdue, but it is bad timing..

[Kallisti]

No but they probably should have been launched with better specs, that way we wouldn't have this whole Neo/Scorpio situation right now

[343_Guilty_Spark]

No. It launched without enough power.

[Lennoxb63]

This gen didn't start too soon. I think that technology made the jump too late. Last gen was already 9 years in. They had no choice but to bring new hardware on. Now we have cheaper, more efficient tech coming along and the PS4/X1 missed it because the jump was supposed to happen sooner.

[rainslacker]

There actually has been quite a substantial jump in GPU power since the consoles launch. I think the most powerful GPU available at launch was around 6TF, and cost upwards of $700. 2-1/2 years later, and we're about to get 10-14TF GPU's, which will release around the same price.

While PC's have always had more powerful GPU's available to them, the jumps were usually never as substantial after just a few short years....at least not to the point where it'd be noticeable in the quality of the overall graphics. But the difference between ~1.8TF, and 6 TF is pretty huge, and the difference between 1.8TF and 10TF is even bigger.

As time goes by though, the increases in power of these chips is going to have is going to have diminishing returns, and consoles are likely to come closer to PC performance right out of the gate, and likely mean that console generations will only change when there is some technology advance which actually changes game design or consumer consumption itself.

[Lord_of_Cinder]

I think is the 9th generation that is bring forced too soon. If the rumors are true, which we don't know, then MS is already bringing a whole new 9th generation console, killing the current xbox One very early.

On the 7th generation, developers were crying they needed new hardware. New hardware was giving and still we have some developers that cannot optimize their games while we have others making wonders and magic like Naughty Dog.

Now they want more power when in fact, the problem is not power as proven by Naughty Dog 🐶. The problem is the current business model where they want to make games as fast as they can, publishers forcing developers to finish their games quick, not enough time to optimize or proper QA, th industry now relies on fixing their games later with updates.

Sorry but more power is not going to fix this mess. Look at PC, they are more powerful and yet look at all the bugs and mess on their games.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

Absolutely it will have started wayyyyyy too early. The worst part is there's sheep that'll support this crap and in turn these kind of practices will kill any lingering console gaming love I barely have left!

[WickedLester]

No, gen 7 hung around for far too long.

[danny818]

Kaz Hirai once said the ps3 was future proof. The ps3 and Xbox360 were advanced for their time and held their value. The chips still hold up againts current gen. Thats what happend. Both conpanies cut corners and now 2 or 3 years in they are dirt cheap. Now that NX is launching and they found our about the power it carries its cutting the gen short.

[mochachino]

No it launched 2-3 years too late. PS3/360 were way over extended, I almost lost my interest in console gaming because of how much the games showed their age. Performance and image quality were getting pretty bad. A lot of games were regularly hitting below 20FPS with shimmering aliasing everywhere. It was like playing every game with every setting on low or off at 720p and sub-30FPS, sometimes with tearing.

It's probably the reason why I'm far more into PC gaming now and I didn't even consider PC gaming until the end of last gen.