The seventh generation of video game consoles is one of the best the industry has ever seen. ?The Wii took the world by storm with its bold approach to casual gaming, while the Xbox 360 set the standards for online multiplayer on consoles with its streamlined Xbox Live service, which transformed gaming from being the hobby of lonely basement dwellers into one of modern society?s most popular social activities (albeit still with the basement dwelling). ?Even the Playstation 3, which suffered early on due to its outrageous pricing and lack of compelling features, managed to turn itself around into a highly successful console with an overhaul of its design and an explosion of excellent exclusive games, thanks to Sony?s many talented development studios. ?It?s no wonder why this generation of consoles has been longest we?ve seen yet. ?But all good things must come to an end eventually, and it appears that the time has finally come for Sony and Microsoft to unveil their newest toys. ?With the Wii U already on the market and E3 rapidly approaching, the coming months represent the perfect window of opportunity for a new console to be announced. ?By announcing consoles before E3, Sony and Microsoft won?t have to worry about sharing the limelight for publicity with other major news, leaving E3 available to spend time elaborating on new features, announcing launch titles, and previewing demos.
After the success of this generation, many are wondering where consoles can go from here. ?Yes, the visuals will undoubtedly look better on newer hardware, but at this point video games already look good enough that graphical improvement is only a minor concern. ?The real selling point of these new consoles will be their features. ?How many things a console can do and how well it does them will make or break it come release time. ?So what will these new consoles do? ?Who knows. ?No matter how much the media speculates there?s always something we?ve never thought of. ?It?s why we leave the hardware building to the experts and stick to our notebooks. ?That being said, for your reading pleasure I?ve compiled a list of features that I believe could appear in the next console generation.
Improved Digital Distribution
This one is a no-brainer. ?Valve Corporation?s Steam service has had the upper hand over consoles on this for a long time, and developers are starting to catch on. ?Downloadable titles like The Cave, Mark of the Ninja, and Quantum Conundrum are insanely popular, and Sony seems to be particularly focused on modernizing game distribution with programs such as Cross-Buy, PlayStation Plus, and Day 1 Digital. ?Next generation we?ll be seeing vastly improved digital distribution features, such as same day release of digital versions of games, the ability to download pre-download pre-ordered games, and an improved system for displaying digital copies of games for those of us who are hesitant to give up that delicious consumerist satisfaction from seeing our collections in front of us.
Multi-Tasking Applications
The biggest improvement of the seventh generation of video game consoles is their versatility. ?The don?t just play games, they play movies, music, television, and connect to the internet. ?They?re not so much consoles as they are entertainment hubs. The natural progression of this evolution is to improve how well all these kinds of media work together. ?Sure, you can send messages and and play music with our current consoles, but the next generation will greatly expand these functions. ?Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter will display notifications as we?re playing, and voice functionality will allow us to quickly respond without ever pausing our games. ?No doubt companies will make deals with television providers to allow us to use our consoles as cable converter boxes, reducing clutter and allowing for options such as reminders when our favorite shows are coming on, no matter what we?re doing. ?Features like these will continue the evolution of consoles from niche devices for geeks to the be-all, end-all technology for home entertainment.
Free-To-Play Support
Why spend all your money on a new game when Jetpack Joyride is free? ?The micro-transaction business model is not a fad or a craze, it?s an evolution of the video game business model. ?A typical blockbuster action game can be a huge risk for investors. ?The development costs are expensive, and $60 is a lot of money to convince someone to buy on entertainment, especially since gamers are some of the most unpredictable consumers on the market. ?In contrast, free-to-play games usually have smaller budgets, and don?t present any sort of risk to the buyer since they don?t demand any money up front. ?This generation has seen a few free-to-play games like Dust 514, but for the most part we are still paying for games on consoles, but when the newest consoles arrive you can bet that a number of their big launch titles will be free.
Indie Developer Support
In a way this point ties in with the above ?free-to-play? argument, as indie developers often use the free-to-play model to draw in more players to their games. ?However, there are still plenty of developers that make more traditional small-scale titles that cost as little as $5 to play. ?Many gamers lament the rise of smaller games over so-called ?hardcore? games, but the fact is that indie developers have supplied us with some of the most fun and creative games available today, such as Limbo, MineCraft, and Braid. ?Most indie developers create games for PC or mobile platforms due to their low entry cost. ?If console makers want to cash in on this market, they need to make their platforms as developer-friendly as possible, with cheap and easy to use development kits and a shop system that makes it easy for users to find and purchase the newest titles.
And finally???
Half Life 3
Hey, I can dream, can?t I?
Whether any or all of these predictions are true, I can guarantee that this newest generation of consoles is going to be one of the most interesting the game industry has seen in years. ?My suggestions to anyone reading this is to start saving your money and selling your organs so when the day finally comes to pick up your Playstation 4 or your Xbox 720, you?ll be ready with cash in hand.
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