Oh look, Meg's alive?! I bet some of you are surprised. I'm here to talk about something near and dear to my heart and soul. That's right... it's getting to be that time of er... every handful of years or so (actually, it's been a while, all things considered) where new consoles are coming out and we get to see just where gaming is going. This is coming about because I just finished watching Sony's reveal of the PS4.
We've gotten a taste of it in the WiiU (which is bombing, by the way, can we guess which company I am not behind this gen?). Finally, Nintendo has taken a step into higher definition in their consoles! They've even got games that were on the bigger two consoles... LAST YEAR! (Mass Effect 3 and Arkham City, most notably.) However, the WiiU seems to not be doing so well and there are a number of reasons why. Allow me to explain a little as to what I feel are the WiiU's issues.
Price. Yes, it's expected for a new next-gen console to be a bit pricey. However, when you factor into the price of the WiiU that what made the Wii so fun was that you could play with more than one person... this is where the problem comes in. (Yes, I am away you can use a wiimote with some of the games) The WiiU itself costs a pretty penny but to get an additional controller outside the one that comes with the console? You're paying for almost another console. I see this as an immense issue for a console that is largely aimed at children who are prone to breaking things. I couldn't even find a price for another gamepad for the WiiU offhand, so I'm wondering if they even sell them or if you have to buy them directly from Nintendo. I don't know and to be frank? I don't care too much. Another issue with the WiiU: lack of games for the core gamers who actually would love to support Nintendo; like myself. I LOVE my Nintendo Handhelds. I haven't LOVED a nintendo console since the N64. (I've heard good things about the gamecube but was already into Sony by then and could've cared less about Nintendo outside of the gameboy, etc at that point) Again, Nintendo is gearing themselves toward a totally casual audience and they're going to get them, sure, but in turn they're going to end up making games of little substance outside of their core characters. But, maybe that's their aim? To make games with as little effort as possible to spew them out for maximum profit? I don't know and I also don't particularly care.
Another thing that the WiiU has in the negative? It's losing it's third-party exclusives left and right. The things they really needed to count on for sales. They've lost several already and I won't be surprised if Bayonetta 2 ends up being multi-platform instead of a WiiU exclusive. One finaly negative about the WiiU: it has sold fewer consoles in the past month than the 360 or PS3 has in their entire run of being available... and yet Nintendo is saying there will not be a price-drop. It's your funeral, Nintendo.
MOVING ON!
Up until the reveal this evening; project Orbis (as the PS4 was codenamed), was something we had a lot of speculation on and little else. We got a glimpse of the controller before tonight's reveal and its appearance was a bit confusing until we had the darn thing explained a bit during the stream. Let me say that my analysis of this stream is going to be slightly biased because before the PS3's weak (in my opinion) launch, I was a sony fangirl then a 360 fangirl and now leaning back toward Sony again.
As of tonight's reveal... I am highly excited for the Playstation 4. However, it's purely pre-emptive excitement. What I've seen tonight has made me happy. Note: I did not get to see the entire stream. I caught the last 40 minutes or so. What I saw was just so awesome though.
Sony isn't letting us down on graphics. They led with graphics last gen, they're going to lead again unless Microsoft really ups their game. The samples shown were just... breathtaking. I am really excited. Not to mention that Bungie (Of Halo fame who was released from their binding contract to Microsoft) displayed their game Destiny and announced it WOULD be on the PS4! This game looks gorgeous and the concept/story that has been revealed so far has me very excited for this game and that it'll be available on the PS4 only affirms the excitement.
The controller was a bit odd to look at initially. It made more sense as it was explained a bit, however, I'm still not entirely sold on the look/shape. It will have motion-controlled functionality and (I am assuming) the six-axis bit the Dualshock3 has on PS3. A system and the games on it depend heavily on the controller and it's wieldiness/functionality... so I'm hoping that when we can actually hold it in our hands and see how it feels that it'll be less awkward than it looks at the moment.
The big two things that have me concerned because they were not mentioned in the reveal stream are: a price point and game functionality (I'll explain this one shortly). Now, the price is estimated in a few places at being around $400. It's a bit steep, but it's also where the PS3 pretty much started at price-wise as well. Since that IS the price the PS3 started at, I'm anticipating it to actually go UP... as much as that makes me want to weep internally. It's going to be a powerhouse of a machine; it's slated to have excellent memory and processing power from the get-go and I believe it because we have the technology to do so readily, even with a console. Plus, Sony has been known for pushing the boundaries for what consoles can do at launch; the PS3 is a great example of this as its ability to process some higher graphics is STILL astounding for a system that is nearly ten years old.
What I meant by game functionality is simply this: Sony and Microsoft (and to a lesser extent, Nintendo) all spoke at E3 about the getting rid of physical copies of games and forcing people to download the games to their system or have a sort of "one use only" game card sort of deal with their systems. They're talking about killing used games. It's money-making ploy, but it would put some gamers who largely buy used games in a bit of a predicament and I know there are people who have stated that it'll be the end of their console gaming if the Big Three go that route. The WiiU has obviously not gone that route, but there's no saying if Sony or Microsoft won't do this with their next-gen consoles yet and that has me worried. I understand they're trying to go with the Steam model, but Steam is (for now) a computer-based gaming platform and to have a bunch of discs you have to constantly switch out on your computer is a bit annoying. However, the unleashing of Steamn's Big Picture mode is a step into bringing PC gaming right to your television, and I am sure that's something the Big Three are looking at with a bit of worry.
Anyway, as of now we've got the WiiU and the reveal of the PS4... now, all we can do is play the waiting game for when Project Durango (as Microsoft has codenamed their next console for now) is finally revealed. I can see this happening before E3. Why before E3 and not at the big show itself? Well, not all the attention would be on it and when you're releasing a new console, it's go big or go home. No, I anticipate an announcement with a stream of the events like Sony did tonight... and I hope they step up to the battle.
As it stands now? The WiiU is tanking financially, the PS4 looks amazing and Microsoft needs to reveal before E3.
It's sort of funny to me how Nintendo sold the most units last gen but it looks like this gen they're going to be trailing in the mud unless Microsoft really screws up. Stick to your handhelds, Nintendo.
As we can see, Meg is crazy and likes video games maybe a little too much. However, it'll be fun to discuss this (I think) and see what other opinions people have. As we know, I'm a crazy opinionated person, but I love a good discussion so... HAVE AT IT.
For those interested in WTF the Ouya is... it's like an open-source (pretty much) console that is in development. Check it out here: http://www.ouya.tv/
We've gotten a taste of it in the WiiU (which is bombing, by the way, can we guess which company I am not behind this gen?). Finally, Nintendo has taken a step into higher definition in their consoles! They've even got games that were on the bigger two consoles... LAST YEAR! (Mass Effect 3 and Arkham City, most notably.) However, the WiiU seems to not be doing so well and there are a number of reasons why. Allow me to explain a little as to what I feel are the WiiU's issues.
Price. Yes, it's expected for a new next-gen console to be a bit pricey. However, when you factor into the price of the WiiU that what made the Wii so fun was that you could play with more than one person... this is where the problem comes in. (Yes, I am away you can use a wiimote with some of the games) The WiiU itself costs a pretty penny but to get an additional controller outside the one that comes with the console? You're paying for almost another console. I see this as an immense issue for a console that is largely aimed at children who are prone to breaking things. I couldn't even find a price for another gamepad for the WiiU offhand, so I'm wondering if they even sell them or if you have to buy them directly from Nintendo. I don't know and to be frank? I don't care too much. Another issue with the WiiU: lack of games for the core gamers who actually would love to support Nintendo; like myself. I LOVE my Nintendo Handhelds. I haven't LOVED a nintendo console since the N64. (I've heard good things about the gamecube but was already into Sony by then and could've cared less about Nintendo outside of the gameboy, etc at that point) Again, Nintendo is gearing themselves toward a totally casual audience and they're going to get them, sure, but in turn they're going to end up making games of little substance outside of their core characters. But, maybe that's their aim? To make games with as little effort as possible to spew them out for maximum profit? I don't know and I also don't particularly care.
Another thing that the WiiU has in the negative? It's losing it's third-party exclusives left and right. The things they really needed to count on for sales. They've lost several already and I won't be surprised if Bayonetta 2 ends up being multi-platform instead of a WiiU exclusive. One finaly negative about the WiiU: it has sold fewer consoles in the past month than the 360 or PS3 has in their entire run of being available... and yet Nintendo is saying there will not be a price-drop. It's your funeral, Nintendo.
MOVING ON!
Up until the reveal this evening; project Orbis (as the PS4 was codenamed), was something we had a lot of speculation on and little else. We got a glimpse of the controller before tonight's reveal and its appearance was a bit confusing until we had the darn thing explained a bit during the stream. Let me say that my analysis of this stream is going to be slightly biased because before the PS3's weak (in my opinion) launch, I was a sony fangirl then a 360 fangirl and now leaning back toward Sony again.
As of tonight's reveal... I am highly excited for the Playstation 4. However, it's purely pre-emptive excitement. What I've seen tonight has made me happy. Note: I did not get to see the entire stream. I caught the last 40 minutes or so. What I saw was just so awesome though.
Sony isn't letting us down on graphics. They led with graphics last gen, they're going to lead again unless Microsoft really ups their game. The samples shown were just... breathtaking. I am really excited. Not to mention that Bungie (Of Halo fame who was released from their binding contract to Microsoft) displayed their game Destiny and announced it WOULD be on the PS4! This game looks gorgeous and the concept/story that has been revealed so far has me very excited for this game and that it'll be available on the PS4 only affirms the excitement.
The controller was a bit odd to look at initially. It made more sense as it was explained a bit, however, I'm still not entirely sold on the look/shape. It will have motion-controlled functionality and (I am assuming) the six-axis bit the Dualshock3 has on PS3. A system and the games on it depend heavily on the controller and it's wieldiness/functionality... so I'm hoping that when we can actually hold it in our hands and see how it feels that it'll be less awkward than it looks at the moment.
The big two things that have me concerned because they were not mentioned in the reveal stream are: a price point and game functionality (I'll explain this one shortly). Now, the price is estimated in a few places at being around $400. It's a bit steep, but it's also where the PS3 pretty much started at price-wise as well. Since that IS the price the PS3 started at, I'm anticipating it to actually go UP... as much as that makes me want to weep internally. It's going to be a powerhouse of a machine; it's slated to have excellent memory and processing power from the get-go and I believe it because we have the technology to do so readily, even with a console. Plus, Sony has been known for pushing the boundaries for what consoles can do at launch; the PS3 is a great example of this as its ability to process some higher graphics is STILL astounding for a system that is nearly ten years old.
What I meant by game functionality is simply this: Sony and Microsoft (and to a lesser extent, Nintendo) all spoke at E3 about the getting rid of physical copies of games and forcing people to download the games to their system or have a sort of "one use only" game card sort of deal with their systems. They're talking about killing used games. It's money-making ploy, but it would put some gamers who largely buy used games in a bit of a predicament and I know there are people who have stated that it'll be the end of their console gaming if the Big Three go that route. The WiiU has obviously not gone that route, but there's no saying if Sony or Microsoft won't do this with their next-gen consoles yet and that has me worried. I understand they're trying to go with the Steam model, but Steam is (for now) a computer-based gaming platform and to have a bunch of discs you have to constantly switch out on your computer is a bit annoying. However, the unleashing of Steamn's Big Picture mode is a step into bringing PC gaming right to your television, and I am sure that's something the Big Three are looking at with a bit of worry.
Anyway, as of now we've got the WiiU and the reveal of the PS4... now, all we can do is play the waiting game for when Project Durango (as Microsoft has codenamed their next console for now) is finally revealed. I can see this happening before E3. Why before E3 and not at the big show itself? Well, not all the attention would be on it and when you're releasing a new console, it's go big or go home. No, I anticipate an announcement with a stream of the events like Sony did tonight... and I hope they step up to the battle.
As it stands now? The WiiU is tanking financially, the PS4 looks amazing and Microsoft needs to reveal before E3.
It's sort of funny to me how Nintendo sold the most units last gen but it looks like this gen they're going to be trailing in the mud unless Microsoft really screws up. Stick to your handhelds, Nintendo.
As we can see, Meg is crazy and likes video games maybe a little too much. However, it'll be fun to discuss this (I think) and see what other opinions people have. As we know, I'm a crazy opinionated person, but I love a good discussion so... HAVE AT IT.
For those interested in WTF the Ouya is... it's like an open-source (pretty much) console that is in development. Check it out here: http://www.ouya.tv/