Consoles: What would be the next big thrill for you?

retro junkie

All You bases are belong to us.
Do I even bother with a perchance to dream?

November 13, 2009 Hardware Sales Report-from ActionTrip
NPD announced the hardware sales for October 2009. As you'd expect it, Nintendo's Wii console holds first spot, followed immediately by the company's handheld gaming platform the Nintendo DS. Meanwhile both PS3 and Xbox 360 sales dropped when compared to sales in the previous month (September).

Here's how the numbers breakdown:

* Wii – 506.9K
* DS – 457.6K
* PS3 – 320.6K
* Xbox 360 – 249.7K
* PSP – 174.6K
* PS2 – 117.8K

Enjoy it Nintendo because you never know what the next generation will be like. I know it is kind of early to be asking something like this. Does the early bird really catch the worm Microsoft? Is the "hoochie coochie" really what its all about Nintendo? Seriously my big question is, “What will it take to impress this present generation of gamers to enter the next big console thrill ride?” I'm not sure if the graphics thrill has finished riding its wave yet. Can there be any more improvements to the realism? I know that there is a need to think through price points for new consoles. Has this present generation looked more like an experiment?

Really one area of improvement would be, That there is a necessity to improve the area of the game's artificial intelligence. There is a need to change the way we look at and define the terms “easy, normal, and hard.” I think that the harder level of the game would equal, increased intelligence to the AI. No more of this "I can't kill you and I get only one life crap." And easy would simplify the enemy's AI. But are we ready for some increased sophistication in gameplay? Or are we moving back into simplicity? I wonder how much of an impact that Nintendo has made with the Wii's interface in playing games. Are we looking at the next generation of being caught up in motion technology? Can the next big wave of consoles embrace both? Can the game companies think through the situation of, how do we maintain and keep the older gamers and yet pick up a new generation of youth? And what about gamers like me? I like old school "pick up and play" arcade and retro type gaming. They seemingly recognize that people, like me, are out here by offering the virtural console. But will that aways satisfy?

I think that the next generation of game consoles are faced with somewhat of a dilemma. I think that the present generation of gamers are going to be harder to please. Will the next big wave be only a beefed up extension of this present gaming balloon? If it is, I think that the balloon will either pop, or the air will quickly deflate, leaving a crippled gaming environment leaning toward another crash. Is there a peak that you can reach in technology where the game makers will have to look to something else to attract the gamer? I guess it depends on how much a gamer is looking to the bells and whistles for their gaming thrills. I hope that I am wrong about the trouble that I am feeling about some point in the future gaming environment. But this is some of my concerns as a gamer. We are so used to the next generation offering us a thrill that we did not have in the previous. If it does not turn our heads, will we keep what we have and be satisfied?

Has anything about the present generation of gaming been disappointing so far?
 
I try not to dwell on the future of video games.
I'm still a huge fan of systems that are 5 years older then God.If I left my house today,went down to the local used games store and saw a "NES" with some "Dragon Warrior" titles and even Mario titles,I'd buy it in a heartbeat.Sadly,they're hard to get.

Don't get me wrong,graphics are certainly a part of the fun,and it's nice to sit and ponder about how these future consoles and games will manage to improve on such excellence we currently enjoy in a console.I'm not a graphics junkie(although it helps).

Gameplay,storyline in "RPG's",and difficulty are important to me.you guys can call me full of crap,but if I owned the original "NES" along with my "PS2" and "PS3" and walked into a store and saw "Dragon Warrior III" for the "NES" along with say.."GTA:IV" for the "PS3",my choice would be "Dragon Warrior III",no doubt about it.Not just because it's hard to find,but mainly the fact that the game rocks.

I'm in no hurry to start salivating over what's coming in the future,I look at games from the "NES" up to what we have now as a whole.

Peace.
Kaz
 
I agree big time on the AI thing. I would much rather have smarter AI over better graphics. Something that comes to mind is Halo and Halo 2. Halo had amazing AI, especially at the later stages of the game. Halo 2 of course improved upon the graphics immensely, however the AI was dumbed down quite a bit. Enemies literally standing in a corner with their backs towards me while I am shooting them was an all too familiar scenario in Halo 2.

But with regards to next gen I am not sure what will please the masses. I know what would please me, but heh, I am the last guy companies would care about {I buy everything used!}. I really love what the DS brings and it would be amazing to have that in a console {old school goodness plus new technology and features}. I really think companies just need to find a balance between pleasing us old school gamers and the newer, more casual gamers.

Well I am gonna try to respond better to this later. I am dealing with people all day and I can't even think straight right now. But good topic!
 
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