Analogy: 5 Reasons Why Next-Gen is a Myth, No names Mention!!

Before you read this I would like to state that I'm proud and satisfied PS3 owner, but this is a very good analogy and point of view of what's going in the gaming industry, it reads:

All three of the big console gaming companies - Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have in some way or another hyped to no end the huge revolution in gameplay, graphics, and more for the so-called "next-gen" consoles: 360, PS3, Wii. They were hardly alone is perpetuating this fiction, as game developers jumped on board the hype train in press interviews. The problem is that the current generation of hardware has not made any sort of revolutionary change in any of the developing areas of video games (i.e. graphics, sound, A.I., story, gameplay, etc.) All we have with the 360, Wii, and PS3 is an incremental advancement in technology from the previous generation. In the case of the PS3 and 360 we have an all around improvement in every gaming area from graphics to gameplay. While the Wii has improved very little in graphics but has focused on controller modification. The problem is that people are constantly waiting for "that one game" that will be the penultimate, zenith of next-gen gaming. It will never arrive - sure games will be improved upon, A.I. will improve, graphics will be shinier, and sound will become richer. However, the hype does not equal the subsequent performance.

WHY IS NEXT-GEN A MYTH & DECEPTIVE MARKETING PLOY?

1) Each new gaming generation has utilized similar terms to express that that particular generation is the ultimate experience and tremendously advanced over the previous when in reality we see a steady incremental increase in video game technology between generations. It may seem a tremendous advancement when one has become used to the current generation - however your eyes deceive you. Comparing PS1-PS2-PS3, Xbox-Xbox 360, N64-Gamecube-Wii; we see a very steady and incremental development which do not constitute tremendous leaps nor live up to the hyped "next-gen" concept.
2) The myth of the "next-gen" leads people to wait for that perfect game which shows off all that was promised. [this reminds me of those viral videos that Sony released online with narration by the actor from Aliens ["Bishop"].] However, that perfect game never arrives. Sure we can push the technology to its limit at the end of perhaps the 5 year gen cycle, but this is different from the often practical under-delivery on the hype. I die at the though of Gears of War being brought up as the perfect example of this generation. Sure its a fine game, looks great, and uses a lot of new technology. It, however, fails to perform at the level created by the hype "next-gen" mythos.

3) Often years before the current generation of gaming is over, the console companies begin hyping and marketing their "next-generation" of console hardware and how IT will be the ultimate in gaming. It is patently obvious how this is a self-repeating cycle with an empty promise at the end. Before the promises from the previous generation may be fulfilled, the companies direct consumers' attention to the next piece of hardware.

4) Let's not forget this whole video gaming business all really just comes down to money. It is the stratagem of many companies to over-promise but under-deliver. Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are likely not immune. It is blatantly obvious when viewing old press interviews the extreme amount of promising and you realize, watching it years later, that none of it came true. Not to harp on Sony - but this reminds me of the "Toy Story Graphics" comment for PS2. This advances the idea that the "next-gen" hype is really a marketing ploy.

5) The "next-gen" ploy is extremely deceptive in that it promises something unreachable to reach a sales goal. The deception becomes even darker when we realize number 3 (above). People forget the previous generation, those old promises, and move on - gobbling up the hype for the next generation.

Sure, not everyone relies on hype nor cares. However, it is an extremely deceptive marketing device that many video gamers are spoon fed. Perhaps it is time for everyone to wake up to the harsh realities of this "business".

Next gen = the next generation of consoles

It doesn't matter if they are more powerful or less powerful

The next console released by game companies = next gen

you lost

Next gen = the next generation of consoles

It doesn't matter if they are more powerful or less powerful

The next console released by game companies = next gen

you lost

PoppaLemming

What he said.

Next-gen = the next successor to the system. Doesnt matter how little or small of a change it is, or whether it does nothing for gaming, if the company dropped support for the system and are putting it forth on a newer one, its a next-gen system.

1 If there is no hype for the new consoles no matter how pitiful they are it is quite boring.If no one ever hyped any video game console or game it would for lack of a better word boring.

2 Duh its a marketing ploy.That isn't news to anyone.They try to sell their consoles that is really quite harsh isn't it?

3 I don't remember them actually "promising" anything.

Okay, I'm looking at the Playstation 3, and I know right now that you're full of crap. 1920x1080p. You apparently don't realize the substantive jump from 640x480i to 1920x1080p. It's huge. It's unbelievable. The gap is not marginal, it's not successive or expected, it's unbelievable.

I'm serious, too. PC gaming had such a leg up on console gaming for so many years, and now we're down to comparing some anal details, like some additional AA, AF, and DX10 support as chalking up the supremacy win for PCs. And, don't let me kid anyone, the PC platform is ultimately far superior. But 1080p is the biggest development in console gaming I have ever experienced.

I still marvel at the Lair images on my PS3. Most of all, I marvel at the Uncharted: Drake's Fortune background on my PS3. It's nothing short of awe-inspiring. I'm serious. And the E3 video for the game spanked me.

I don't remember any remarkable developments in physics, AI....anything, really in the last generation of consoles. It was pretty damn pathetic, actually. The Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 take a squat over their predecessors and make their value heard. I didn't think this at first, but this is because I had transitioned from PS2 to PC. And, believe me, after that transition is made, you hardly even give a crap.

Plus, you made the entire lifespan argument, but you don't realize it's a double-edged sword. Yeah, coming off of God of War 2, I almost think I could last another 2-3 years without a PS3. But coming off of The Summoner, I think I could get me some Motorstorm and be damn happy about it.

Plus, I've watched so many HD movies, downloaded so many movies, transferred so many pictures and game videos via USB, pondered the possibility of user-created content and mods on my PS3, and marveled at deferred lighting, destructible environments, and beautiful character models.

Never forget Fight Night Round 3. I dare you to play Fight Night, then transition to Fight Night Round 3. If you don't get smacked in the face, you're just immune to being impressed.

I didn't buy the Xbox 360 because I walked into Gamestop, saw Perfect Dark Zero, and walked away chuckling inside as I walked back to Half Life 2, snug as a bug. I had spent FAR less than $400 on my PC in several years, and yet, here it was, safe and secure, and I was envious of no one.

I bought a PS3 because I saw Fight Night Round 3 and played Resistance Fall of Man. The shaders are ridiculous in these games. It's such a step up...christ, I can't even believe this argument won't die.

No, it's not the be-all, end-all and it certainly doesn't match those pre-rendered demonstrations at E3 2k5, but at the same time, I feel like Sony's first party studios are delivering on the next-gen promise in a way previously unrealized.

Plus, I can use F@H, something the PS3 has contributed massively towards, start up Linux, partition my HDD, stream HDD, etc. I've got a high-capacity disc, components and ports and accessibility of all kinds....I in no way feel limited by this machine's capabilities.

Plus, what, I'm getting TV soon? Downloadable movies that I can transfer from my PSP to my PS3?

And, that's another thing! The PSP is the definitive next-gen device. Transitioning from the Gameboy Advance SP to the PSP was the most remarkable leap of my life. I can throw a GIGABYTE! of memory in the stupid thing, download firmware updates that up the clock speed beyond that of the PS2, upload pictures, videos, use a web browser....my god, the stupid thing is the most amazing little device I've ever seen in my life. It's got ad-hoc and wi-fi.

The Gameboy Advance SP....had a backlight. And you could use link cables. And play Gameboy Color games. Yippee.

You're totally underestimating the amount of money and research that goes into funding a "next gen" console endeavor. I.E. a holy flipping shaftload. I don't really scoff at the billions of some odd dollars spent on Cell research and I don't scoff at the $260 Sony lost in transferring the PS3 product into my hands. I don't. That's just dumb.

Plus, we've got figures like this:

Hideo Kojima says that more polygons are in the mustache of the Snake model in MGS4 than were used in the entire character model of a PS2 MGS. How does that read to you? It should indicate a massive, massive jump.

this guys whole thesis is bunk, for the simple fact he boils it all down to graphics vs. gameplay ....enough of this habbersham!!!

heres the deal... you can have excellent awesome next gen graphics and still gain

physics upgrades
music/sound upgrades
capacity upgrades
post precessing upgrades
AI upgrades

all because the machine is more powerful! these are all things moving to the next gen with 360 and the PS3 have given us.

so if all you want to do is argue graphics vs gameplay then yes, this guy has a point ....but he is taking a broad diverse idea and discussion and squeezing it through a pinhole of an argument.

I just read that post, and I'm really confused.

Where's the analogy?

The Game Boy Color was like an NES. The Game Boy Advance was like an SNES. The DS is like a N64 (all of them with smaller screens, though). The PSP is like a PS2. Don't you see how remarkable the timing is on that? The DS preceded the Gamecube, and it's just hitting it's high water mark following the Gamecube's death. Yet here the PSP is, mounting the thriving PS2 and totally molesting it of all it's high points. It's literally a better machine than the PS2, and yet it preceded the PS3.

Wii's hard to argue for. It's got stuff like browsers and an interesting control scheme, so it's more difficult to quantify. But apart from it's total lack of value, it's still a good buy. It's something new, it's got a massive amount of support and a huge user-base, and it's an interesting little device.

But, then again, Nintendo didn't even say "next gen" once in describing the Wii. Mission Failed.

The Xbox 360 is kicking World In Conflict, Lost Planet, Bioshock, Mass Effect...now that it's showing its true colors, it's showing just how remarkable of a machine it is.

In some ways, it's deficient in functionality when compared to the PS3, but when you consider what it's able to do in terms of Live and some user-friendly utilities, it's remarkable as well. Like in-game soundtracks, messaging, an absolutely massive store, constant streams of demos and content, online co-op, etc. The Xbox could do a lot of those things, but it wasn't nearly as cohesive, and wasn't nearly as powerful a package. The Xbox 360 has got a remarkable degree of support from both manufacturers and developers, as well as consumers.