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[Oemenia]

IMO this generation needs to be extended for the sake of the industry. Hardware costs need to come down, as do development costs. Shit isn't selling well right now. Game and Hardware prices need to come further down so the industry can survive on more than a few blockbuster successes to drive development of all their other IPs.

Japan was completely left out this generation and only recently have they been embracing the HD consoles. Thats my only complaint about bringing next-gen since all that work will be restarted since games will cost too much again.

Still, lets hope that Sony dont mess up this generation there.

 

[Wafflecakes]

Japan was completely left out this generation and only recently have they been embracing the HD consoles. Thats my only complaint about bringing next-gen since all that work will be restarted since games will cost too much again.

Still, lets hope that Sony dont mess up this generation there.

What are you talking about? HD console sales have been pitiful all around from beginning to end.

 

[Ocaso]

There is quite literally no such thing as "that's just how it is" in terms of language communicating information. Generation means what the people involved in the conversation understand it to mean in the context of the discussion, no more and no less, it is not some fixed constant throughout eternity ever unchanging it is DECIDED by everyone who uses the term in their daily conversations and yes, They very often use it to refer to a generation of hardware performance in large part because it is a definition that carries the most useful information. Get over it.

First off, great post. Secondly, why are the semantics police so uptight about what constitutes a generation? It isn't even relevant to the question at hand. Sure, the topic could have been phrased along the lines of "Will the WiiU, Nintendo's next-generation console, extend the lifespan of Microsoft and Sony's current-generation consoles provided it actually has similar performance?", but that doesn't have much pep to it, does it?

And it doesn't fit in the title space either.

One thing I don't get is why some are expecting next gen to be shorter than this one, and consider this one a freak accident.

With rising costs, development bloat, increasingly entrenched digital services across generations, and the basic fact of diminishing graphical returns as 3D visuals get more and more complete in terms of features... do people really expect it is feasible, and desirable, for next gen to "start looking old" three or four years in?

That Sony and MS, nevermind Nintendo, will be feeling heat to ring in next-next gen?

This gen lasted so long because hardware was sophisticated enough to supply games with great graphics and production values for years, and because online services gave people a reason to continue to play games beyond merely how powerful the hardware is. I don't think this gen was an accident, it was an evolution.

More and more, it's looking like if you want to chase hardware upgrades, you should go PC and stay on the cutting edge every year. Consoles are not the devices you buy for staying on the edge, but for standard specs, convenience, and a single investment lasting for years while providing decent median of quality in software and performance.

Good point. It's quite possible this next generation will be equally as long, if not longer.

 

[AzaK]

Nintendo beats to their drum. Sony and Microsoft would've loved to delay their next consoles to 2015/2016, but Nintendo (thankfully) is preventing this. So in a way, Nintendo is bringing that boost in performance from Microsoft and Sony to you earlier.

Should be interesting how the Wii U's successor plays out. It might be released in the middle of PS480's lifetime.

I think it'll entirely depend how the Wii U is going. If it's rocking, they'll delay Wii U2. If not, they'll move a bit quicker. Hopefully if it ends up like the Wii, they move a bit faster so we don't have that 2 year death walk.

Best GIF response I've seen on NeoGAF to date! Giving Nintendo more than a year is pretty damned risky I think. We're possibly looking at 10-15 million by this time next year if all goes well. 2 years, obviously double that. That's not a small headstart to get entrenched into people's living rooms.

I do think though that consumers don't really care in the generation stakes, they just look at what's available at any particular time so it will be really interesting to see wen MS/SONY go. Unless MS just want the US market, their whole set-top DVR, do all your media device is going to have to solve the problems of worldwide distribution and licensing from content providers.

 

[CaptNfantasy]

The problem is you don't fucking know whats going through the minds of every "gamer" in the world. Stop acting like you do.

Bless you, really and truly.

 

[paperboywriter]

Let's use common sense people. The next Gears of War is releasing in March, why would Microsoft release their biggest first party game of the year in March if they didn't have a new Xbox coming out in the fall?

this game sounds more like a spin off title

 

[superbank]

I never bought a Wii & I don't plan buying a Wii U. I don't feel like I'm missing anything by skipping out on a console that is a technical generation behind. The Next Xbox will show us what to expect from the future.

This is an example of what happens when you get caught up in tech hype bullshit. What matters is the games. You're gonna miss out on a fuckton of excellent and unique games. These are games you cannot get anywhere else because of the new interface, if you had a 360 maybe you could skip PS3 and vise versa. Not the case with Wii. Seriously consider getting a WiiU when it's super cheap 6 years down the road to catch up on Wii/WiiU exclusives. That is, if you're interested in games.

 

[SolarPowered]

I would worry about a delay to 2014, that's 2 years alone. The next Sony and MS systems will probably also have a long lifespan...so within another 3 to 4 years max Nintendo then releases a successor to the Wii U and eclipses the competition again.

I know I'm gonna sound like a troll, but I wouldn't say the Wii U "eclipses" anything current gen besides the Wii.

It is next gen hardware, though. Don't get me wrong.

Nintendo beats to their drum. Sony and Microsoft would've loved to delay their next consoles to 2015/2016, but Nintendo (thankfully) is preventing this. So in a way, Nintendo is bringing that boost in performance from Microsoft and Sony to you earlier.

Should be interesting how the Wii U's successor plays out. It might be released in the middle of PS480's lifetime.

Thank God for that.

I may not like Nintendo much right now, but I can't stand Sony and MS letting the dollars and audience bleed out while everyone moves towards greener pastures. I'd rather have a Wii U than another Wii Christmas even if I don't like their next gen offering.

 

[squidyj]

Love the fools on GAF who think generations have anything to do with power or graphics. I don't care blue it makes your balls......Wii U is next generation.

The ports will last for like...a year. Then it will be same situation as the Wii.

congratulations on your incredibly compelling argument. You deserve a cake.

 

[TGO]

Kinda reminds me of people saying Nextgen was here when the Jaguar was released, I don't think anyone else got the momo though
But this is a Nintendo console so its different right?

 

[Blasty]

The longer MS and Sony delay the other two next generation consoles, the more sales the Wii U will gain.

 

[Snowden's Secret]

If OP means:

Will the existence of an exciting new platform that current gen competitors will be able to run a lot of the same content extend the life of those consoles? Then yes. See how the Wii propped up the PS2 with some releases.

If OP means:

The Wii U is not next gen

THEN I WILL INTERNET RAGE

Spoiler

I'm pretty sure OP means the former

 

[The Abominable Snowman]

For the exclusive games.

Yep, the fist party games have always been the major reason for Nintendo console sales. The other consoles will have installments of major franchises (Literally every top 5 franchise aside Call of Duty) that will not be on Nintendo consoles, so they'll be fine as well.

 

[squidyj]

If OP means:

Will the existence of an exciting new platform that current gen competitors will be able to run a lot of the same content extend the life of those consoles? Then yes. See how the Wii propped up the PS2 with some releases.

If OP means:

The Wii U is not next gen

THEN I WILL INTERNET RAGE

Spoiler

I'm pretty sure OP means the former

the Wii U is current gen hardware. It is current gen.

 

[To Far Away Times]

Edit: Double Post.

 

[hatchx]

the Wii U is current gen hardware. It is current gen.

Yeah in terms of horsepower perhaps, but it definitely has functionality and OS features we have never seen before.

Is power everything? Am I the only one who thinks the tablet controller, miiverse, and TVii are significant upgrades?

 

[To Far Away Times]

Nope. Next gen starts this November.

"Next Gen" started on February 26, 2011 in Japan.

 

[Ponn]

First off, great post. Secondly, why are the semantics police so uptight about what constitutes a generation? It isn't even relevant to the question at hand. Sure, the topic could have been phrased along the lines of "Will the WiiU, Nintendo's next-generation console, extend the lifespan of Microsoft and Sony's current-generation consoles provided it actually has similar performance?", but that doesn't have much pep to it, does it?

THANK YOU! FFS people need to start getting a thicker skin. Most people are on the same page we just don't want to have to type out 3 sentences with what can be shortened to a couple words just to make people feel better.

And to the OP i've been saying this for awhile now and think its very possible. Even when the PS4 and Xbox 720 release if the prices are high, games prices are high and the graphics fidelity is not mind blowingly different then people may just stay with their PS3 or Xbox 360 and/or pick up a Wii U for the controller or to scratch that need a new console itch. Developers may stick with current gen game production also being able to port pretty evenly from ps3/xbox/Wii U and that could give the Wii U an advantage if that plays out.

Is power everything? Am I the only one who thinks the tablet controller, miiverse, and TVii are significant upgrades?

Those are great things, but then do you call MS introducing the Kinect a new gen? What about significant firmware updates? Compare the original xbox 360 "blades" OS to now. Xbox avatars weren't there originally.

 

[LM4sure]

next gen is here. it's call a gaming pc. you heathens have been living in the past with your 360s and your ps3s.

 

[squidyj]

Yeah in terms of horsepower perhaps, but it definitely has functionality and OS features we have never seen before.

Is power everything? Am I the only one who thinks the tablet controller, miiverse, and TVii are significant upgrades?

I don't think OS features are central to the discussion of gaming and the history with motion control doesn't speak to significant penetration of gaming mechanics for the core crowd. Nice additions may occur but I don't expect a significant shift in gaming for core markets from the controller.

These are all nice thing to have, don't get me wrong but I know that I am generally talking about a gaming console for the playing of games and in terms of that metric the TVii and miiverse don't REALLY factor and I am doubtful about the influence of the controller.

 

[Ranger X]

In matter of hardware power we could say the WiiU is lenghtning the current generation. But that's not the real definition of a "generation" in my opinion. A "generation" is just a bunch of machines released around the same years that are meant to compete in other directly. The Wii was meant the compete with the 360 and PS3. It's obviously a generation of consoles right there. The WiiU is just the first of next round. The Xbox 8 and PS4 will form the rest of that generation.

 

[bangai-o]

next gen is here. it's call a gaming pc. you heathens have been living in the past with your 360s and your ps3s.

too bad not all pc devs are like Blizzard who make PC Games.

 

[maxxpower]

How much do you think the PS4 will go for, $699?

 

[Anteo]

the Wii U is current gen hardware. It is current gen.

Of course, at this point with the 3ds and vita in the market, PS3 and 360 are last gen.

 

[MidgarBlowedUp]

While I do consider the Wii U a next generation console, I also view the next PlayStation and Xbox a generation ahead of Wii U. So the Wii U will be the only console in this generation.

 

[denshuu]

next gen is here. it's call a gaming pc. you heathens have been living in the past with your 360s and your ps3s.

How well does your gaming PC run Bayonetta?

Next gen doesn't just mean new hardware.

 

[BY2K]

An advantage? It has released a current hardware later than the others. Why gamers should buy the wiiU over 360/ps3 at lower price where the graphic is pretty close? For the controller? Lol.

The games.

It's always about the games when it comes to Nintendo.

 

[Kai Dracon]

Yeah in terms of horsepower perhaps, but it definitely has functionality and OS features we have never seen before.

Is power everything? Am I the only one who thinks the tablet controller, miiverse, and TVii are significant upgrades?

next gen is here. it's call a gaming pc. you heathens have been living in the past with your 360s and your ps3s.

I think it's fair to say there's flexibility in just what is termed a generation. But here's one point:

In a scholarly sense, and going by say, how Wikipedia would organize information, "generations" don't have anything to do with hardware, but what devices are competing with one another within a given time frame. That in itself can be debated, naturally. But in general, it could be more accurate to say there is a technological and non-technological definition of a generation.

And even there, there are nuances. Definitions of technological innovation are changing, because what gaming devices are, is always evolving. Some people view the core technology that drives a computer system, the CPU and GPU, as the primary criteria to judge a generation by. That's a one fair metric. But it could be misleading if reduced too much. Then you get into the fact that generations are changing all the time in PC hardware for instance.

Personally, I would tend to agree with what Opiate observed in another thread; that as a useful measurement, what graphics can do for gaming has been heavily explored already and the territory well mapped. Other aspects have not been so heavily explored though, such as interface.

At a certain point it may make sense to redefine what a generation of technology meaningfully encompasses. For instance in a hypothetical future, revisions to processing and graphical technology is going to become incredibly incremental and almost not worth mentioning for the practical result - the end game of this avenue of tech, basically.

 

[JordanN]

I've never heard of a console extending another console's generation time before.

If a console's generation gets extended, it's because the developer's for it never left.

 

[LM4sure]

How well does your gaming PC run Bayonetta?

Next gen doesn't just mean new hardware.

So you're saying Wii U is next gen? Bayonetta 2!!!

 

[Kabuki Waq]

Sales are declining every month its time for a refresh

 

[Meelow]

Is this seriously a "Wii U isn't next gen because I think the specs are on par even though I don't know the full specs and know it's more powerful" thread?

 

[mujun]

The longer MS and Sony delay the other two next generation consoles, the more sales the Wii U will gain.

Or maybe Sony and MS will cut the prices of their consoles significantly and the Wii U will never gain traction.

 

[Vinci]

Is this seriously a "Wii U isn't next gen because I think the specs are on par even though I don't know the full specs and know it's more powerful" thread?

No. This is a thread created for the express purpose of luring Kaijima out of hiding.

 

[Blasty]

Or maybe Sony and MS will cut the prices of their consoles significantly and the Wii U will never gain traction.

A lot of people already have a PS3 or a 360. Not to mention people want something new.

 

[grimshawish]

TL;DR: If WiiU hardware is really similar to 360/PS3, what's to stop MS/Sony from delaying their next-gen hardware to 2014?

Sony are going to be nuked in Japan by the WiiU. It'll replace the PS3 quite easily and Sony should have PS4 in 2013. They need it there to compete, otherwise they'll give Nintendo a 2 Christmas lead. Disastrous, and if WiiU looks to be a hit - Japanese Third Parties will jump on it; by which the PS4 might be in major trouble. God forbid theres no release by E3 2014!

Rest of the world is a bit different and less 'tied up'; 360 should keep selling to some degree and the PS3 might do okay (neither doing great, but still relevant). I think MS could push to 2014, same with Sony.


Important to remember though this won't be a great sales year if the above were the case. Its just however not worth spending huge amounts of money to ensure a 2013 release, if 2014 is possible.

 

[mujun]

A lot of people already have a PS3 or a 360. Not to mention people want something new.

If sales of the PS2 are any indication then there should be a good chunk of people who would jump on if the 360/PS3 were 100 bucks cheaper.

Something new, sure, problem is I don't see (subjective, I know) much to drag me away from what is available and established at this point. Nintendo is well known for taking time to get their big guns out. Seems to me that they've only got a year or a year and a half to do so before something that seems to be a true generational leap hits (PS4 and 720).

 

[Meelow]

If sales of the PS2 are any indication then there should be a good chunk of people who would jump on if the 360/PS3 were 100 bucks cheaper.

Something new, sure, problem is I don't see (subjective, I know) much to drag me away from what is available and established at this point. Nintendo is well known for taking time to get their big guns out. Seems to me that they've only got a year or a year and a half to do so before something that seems to be a true generational leap hits (PS4 and 720).

Just keep hyping that why don't you.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

Nope. Next gen starts this November.

Next gen starts when we see the new game engines from third parties.

 

[mujun]

Just keep hyping that why don't you.

Could someone explain how the Wii U is "next gen"?

A different way to do things with the pad, sure. More powerful than the PS3/360, probably.

Next gen though? Isn't a generational leap for consoles usually like 4 times the performance or something?

 

[Vinci]

Could someone explain how the Wii U is "next gen"?

A different way to do things with the pad, sure. More powerful than the PS3/360, probably.

Next gen though? Isn't a generational leap for consoles usually like 4 times the performance or something?

Which gen was the Wii then? In your opinion?

 

[mujun]

Which gen was the Wii then? In your opinion?

A gen behind the 360/PS3 in terms of power. Are generations dictated by time?

 

[Meelow]

Could someone explain how the Wii U is "next gen"?

A different way to do things with the pad, sure. More powerful than the PS3/360, probably.

Next gen though? Isn't a generational leap for consoles usually like 4 times the performance or something?

The Wii U is more powerful and it's releasing a generation after the Wii/PS3/360, the Wii U is rumored to be 3x the PS3 (insiders from GAF say this), and the ram is 4x more than Xbox 360 (should be 5x more than PS3 than) so your statement of 4x have been achieved by ram (even though a console can be 1% more powerful and it would still be next gen), and considering the PS4 is rumored to be 6-8x more powerful than the PS3 that's nothing compared to the PS2 to PS3 which was a 20x+ difference.

A gen behind the 360/PS3 in terms of power. Are generations dictated by time?

Yes it is, people can say than the PS1 and Saturn where 4.5 gen since the Nintendo 64 was a 64 bit console and can do full 3D, but the PS1 and Saturn are true 5th generation systems because they released in the time frame of the N64.

 

[Blasty]

A gen behind the 360/PS3 in terms of power. Are generations dictated by time?

Yes, that's the accepted standard.

 

[mujun]

Fair enough to all those points. It's semantics, anyway.

Back to my original argument. Next gen or not I don't see that it will have enough appeal as something new to compete either with price dropped 360/PS3s or with 720/PS4s.

Moderate lifetime sales at best is my prediction.

 

[Vinci]

Fair enough to all those points. It's semantics, anyway.

Back to my original argument. Next gen or not I don't see that it will have enough appeal as something new to compete either with price dropped 360/PS3s or with 720/PS4s.

Moderate lifetime sales at best is my prediction.

You realize there have been thousands of pages on GAF exhausted discussing this particular set of semantics, yes? But yes, the term 'generation' generally relates to time in some capacity. Why? Because it's a simple method and doesn't require the sort of provisos and caveats other methods would.

 

[Crazyorloco]

Wtf the next gen starts in nov. Why can't people understand this? In Nov there will be a Nintendo system with better graphics than your current system. Accept it. In about a 1 year or 2 sony and microsoft will join Nintendo in the next gen. They might have consoles with better graphics, and if they do or don't who cares? It's ultimately about the games.

I expect the next gen to last long. Look at what Microsoft did with the 360, it's a whole different system than when it came out (OS changes, change in hardware aesthetics, Kinect)

 

[Zoramon089]

This thread...

 

[abstract alien]

This thread...

Yep. It's allowed too.

 

[lobdale]

Wii U is the start of the next generation, doy.