Why do we need a PS4 again?

[Zeus]

This is coming out on the PS3

[Lox]

Cuz of this.

Duh. haha

[Eric]

End of a console's life cycle is always impressive, but there's also room for improvement.

[Zeus]

End of a console's life cycle is always impressive, but there's also room for improvement.

So, by comparison, we have this:



Graphics ain't the reason to buy the next gen, period

[Zeus]

Cuz of this.

Duh. haha

I don't have a Wii U (yet) and see ZERO reason to get the next two systems coming this year. They're gonna have to work much harder than they have already to convince me I need to "upgrade". It'll always come down to games (Wii U may force it upon me if what I think is coming out this year does) but that's really it. There's no other hook in any way. Every generation has had a hook, such as:

NES/Master System = not Atari, games are back and look MUCH better (arcade-like at the time); revolutionary game controller
SNES/Genesis = much nicer graphics, more buttons on the controllers allowing for much more complex games
N64/PSX/Saturn = 3D graphics, next evolution of controllers. It's no secret Saturn died a horrible death when it missed that boat. At this point, arcades = home consoles (well, close enough to make the difference moot)
GC/DC/PS2/Xbox = not just MUCH nicer graphics, but also volume and AI. Before, we were happy we could play in a 3D world. This was the generation where you had a huge amount of enemies on the screen (much more complex games) and where AI was more than just sit there and get shot
Wii/PS3/Xbox 360 = HD graphics and online functionality. These were VERY big advancements (we won't mention waggle/motion, all of it sucks and isn't that huge)
Wii U / PS4 / Nextbox = ?

Wii U needed to come out because of the HD, no doubt about that. But where are we gonna go now? Sharing is nothing to the vast majority of the people. And to those who do care, even if it's directly to Facebook (it's dead if it ain't), who cares? How long before you ban the feeds from someone who posts on Facebook every 5 seconds about their fucking headshot? This is going to be about as useful as the modem on the Dreamcast. Are we gonna see increased online functionality? If so, what? Yes, you can make it more stable, easier to set up lobbies, a different GUI....but are people gonna put down $500 on a new system for it?

I hope they prove me wrong at E3. But other than the truly hardcores, I don't see consumer appetite for a new generation. PS3 is STILL $250 after 6+ years on the market. It's being priced like a premium console and they're acting it like it's got lots of years left (Xbox is still $200 for an arcade). With that in mind, how many exclusives are we gonna see for the new systems? CoD no way, even the new Metal Gear is a PS3 title. Nothing announced so far is gonna make you wet your pants.

[Eric]

Graphics ain't the reason to buy the next gen, period

I respectfully disagree on the grounds I play on a PC with a GTX 690. :p

[Zeus]

Graphics ain't the reason to buy the next gen, period

I respectfully disagree on the grounds I play on a PC with a GTX 690. :p

Maybe. But the reason you move on for graphics is the current gen looks dated and the next gen looks that much better. Current gen don't look dated, man (Dead Island: Riptide aside)

[bovine]

The moment that I realized that it was time to move on was my experience with Far Cry 3 on the 360. The PC version is just able to look so much better and at a framerate that exceeds the 20 that the 360 was struggling to maintain.

I'm sure we can all think of a few things outside of graphics that the PS3 and the 360 can improve on. Are you super excited to wait a half an hour to download and install all the firmware and game updates required when you plug in Bayond: Two Souls when it releases? The 360 now takes a notable amount of time just to boot up now, as it seems that its OS has expanded a bit too far beyond the hardware.

I hope B:TS turns out to be a good game, as that studio always puts out interesting games.... They usually require me to look past a few rough edges to appreciate them.

I'll only really agree with you that we don't need to move on to new hardware yet, because current gen hardware is going to be running Dark Souls 2.

[Zeus]

Updating the stores with a new GUI and faster update times ain't a reason either. That should just be natural progression.

I'm not saying the graphics ain't gonna be noticeably better. I'm just sayin' current gen is still very nice, it's not outdated yet. It ain't a reason like HD was.

[SineSwiper]

Bioshock Infinite actually had some graphics downgrades for the 360 compared to the PC version. Granted, I still loved playing the game, even on the 360. But, it's a subtle indicator that developers are pushing the hardware as much as it will go. So, it'll be time for an upgrade soon.

On the flip side, yes, I do see that diminishing returns with graphics won't be impressing folks this generation. I think what will get people to switch is simply that the games have moved unto the new consoles (ie: developers forcing the issue). We'll see what MS has to offer with their latest launch.