• Forums
• Watch Videos
• Contact Us
• TK Store

Its a New Year. Personally, I do not feel as if New Year’s themselves bring about anything, except a repeat of the seasons and a spontaneous desire to create new expectations. People begin creating and expecting new goals, new people, new music, and what is probably most relevant to the point of my discussion, new games or, in this case, new consoles. Many people have asked the question several times since the “next-gen” started (funny how many people still call it next-gen). Is it possible for the next generation to see a significant change? And when will we see it? Alot of people are banking on the concepts and plans for the next generation of consoles to be introduced at next year’s E3. I may be getting ahead of myself here, but starting with the NES, it has always been 5-6 year intervals for each generation right?

Time surely flies. However, as time flies, times change. First-person shooters are now the genre of choice, Nintendo is becoming more and more family-oriented, Sony is behind (and may I add has a portable that is still genuinely competitive), and exclusives are becoming less and less of a thing. Its the way things are, no point in complaining, every era is different. Whats next though? Graphics of course will get more and more realistic, but I think a new generation is more than that. Controls, top-selling games and genres, hype, and standards of what to expect in a game are all things that are a part of what makes another generation into what it is.

What will the future generation hold? And when will it come? Is the gaming world ready for a new generation? The quick answers to these questions, respectively would be: Totally new spin but more of the same, 2012, and no. Quick answers would not make this article interesting at all though would they? There are so many concepts and ideas being tested before our very eyes that could possibly be a part of defining the next-generation:

• Cloud Gaming OnLive has just introduced the idea of playing games without having to buy a download OR a  physically copy. The issue of lag and the fact that many people may not have lightning fast, stable internet connections makes it very risque though. What I believe is that each new-gen console will make this kind of service available, in some form or fashion without abandoning the traditional way of buying games.
  

• Motion Controls x Hardcore Gaming “Motion controls teh herez alredii!! Wii, Project Natal, & Play [with urself] Station Wand thingy!! U FELLZ!!!” Valid point my non-English speaking friend. Which is why I say Motion Controls AND Hardcore Gaming. The Wii, obviously, is not going to utilize motion controls to appeal to a hardcore crowd during the remainder of this generation. Given, we have not seen concrete details on what Project Natal has in the works, but by the looks of the small demos at E3, it looks, to me, like another way to look stupid in front of your friends. In fairness though, I will save my judgment on Project Natal AND the Playstation Wand thingy. But assuming the next generation will come in 2012, do any of the major game companies have the time and resources to incorporate creative motion controls into the FPS, fighting, action/adventure, or RPG genres without it feeling tacked on? This is a totally new discussion. So let me end this by predicting that the motion control x hardcore gaming thing will either be perfected by next generation or the idea will be shelved.

• FPS-Genre just might continue to reign supreme Look at the Japanese and single-player RPGs. They haven’t let go since PS1. I feel like the West has found its niche in that aspect. I could be wrong though. Could it die off? Could another genre take over?

• Popularity of the MMO Genre on consoles Think about how the FPS-genre finally came into its own on consoles this generation. Sure two analog sticks have been here since last generation and the Halo series was a hugh hit, but the serious FPS players still were considered a cult that mainly played on PCs at that time.  The concept of a console FPS just seriously caught on this generation. What has been keeping the MMO players from switching from PC to consoles? Better yet, what has been keeping the MMO genre from becoming more than a cult/guilty pleasure thing? Two things have. First off, there aren’t many MMOs on consoles, and secondly, fees. “Frii MMORPGs??? WTF! Naut pawwseeble!!” Free MMOs are not as impractical as you may think. Maplestory is an example of a very successful free MMO. Although some may say it can handle on a low-cost server due to its less sophisticated technological requirements (its 2d) it strategically utilizes the strategy of charging for additional content. Besides, technology can only get better right? Maintaining servers at a low-cost can only get easier at this point. Furthermore, the concept of free “MMOs” is being tested right before our eyes. 1 vs 100 anyone? Or how about Playstation Home?  To keep this short, MMOs, in a sense, are capable of attracting “casual-hardcore” gamers. Difficulty is one of the primary aspects of gaming that detracts non-gamers. MMOs allow you to go at your own pace and at the same time socialize (kind of). There is alot of potential in this genre and we could possibly see a game or a combination of games unlocking that potential, but there are some hurdles that must be jumped before that happens.

Do I believe all of these things will come to pass? Not necessarily, but these are logical possibilities. What if the next-generation is not coming in 2012 though? What if we have to a wait a bit, or even MUCH longer? If so, then its a whole different ball game, that and more will be discussed in Part 2. For now, Thoughts?

Written By Jowin Okere

“Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can. Of course, I could be wrong.”

1. uberVU - social comments says:

   January 1, 2010 at 11:30 pm

   Social comments and analytics for this post…

   This post was mentioned on Twitter by thekoalition: Gaming in the Future Part 1: How Far Can We Take It? http://bit.ly/6mR9QU...

   Reply
2. Bonum83 says:

   January 2, 2010 at 2:52 pm

   I think the natal, PlayStation wand will be on on this gen console but won't be perfected until the next new consoles come into play. But I agree with you on how people feel the need to “be new, or create new things for a new year” even thought it happens every year?

   Reply