EA: What would PlayStation 4 even do?

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/316621/ea-what-would-playstation-4-even-do/

"That's according to EA Labels boss Frank Gibeau, who in an interview with CVG questioned what Sony and Microsoft could be able to do with 'next-gen' hardware over current consoles.

Pointing to the publisher's stunning FPS contender Battlefield 3, the exec argued there's still horsepower left to squeeze out of PS3 and Xbox 360.

"It's hard for me to conceive what you would do on a PlayStation 4," Gibeau said. "The displays are already 1080p, you're already connected to the internet... You could make it faster, you could have more polys and you could up the graphics a little bit... but at what cost?

"It'll be interesting to see how [Sony and Microsoft] think about it in terms of the next generation but it seems to me that customers are happy, and we're happy to build games on [360 and PS3] right now."

He added: "The way the business used to run where you had these big console transitions just isn't happening anymore. They're much longer, the online capabilities are making the way customers interact within the audience very different from when we went from PSOne to PS2.

"I think that [the age of] big, abrupt change in consoles where we all pile in on top of each other and everything changes overnight is just gone."

The exec, who showcased an impressive line-up including Mass Effect 3, Star Wars: The Old Republic and Battlefield 3 at Gamescom this month, claimed EA's happy with the "consistent" technology of current consoles.

"One of the things that we like is that the technology is consistent, and we believe that there are still things that you can do on these systems... we haven't quite squeezed the last once of hardware horsepower out of these things, as you can see with Battlefield 3.

"Frostbite 2 technology coming in can do some really interesting things that nobody is able to do, and you see some great stuff coming from our competitors too."

He added: "I'd like to see the cycle last a little longer. I don't see consumers right now banging on the walls for a new platform. They seem to be very happy with their PS3s and 360s. They love the online connectivity, they have great communities and great libraries.

"I like the fact that Nintendo's coming in with new hardware. That'll help really rev up their business for the HD side, which is where we're in a really good position."

In the same interview, the EA Labels president told CVG the publisher islooking to re-imagine and bring back "a couple" of ****c franchises."

For once, I may agree with EA. Your thoughts?

Next generation really could last for a LONG time. We're close to the point where most people won't even notice increased production value.

I disagree. I've been wanting new consoles for about 2 years now. I'm tired of having to deal with 720p and below games. Give devs some new hardware because most games on consoles are very boring to look at. My favorite console this gen is the Wii, because it actually had games I wanted to play. It focused on games, not interactive movies.

Frank Gibeau doesn't know that most consoles game renders around 720p. Typical problem with non-technical managers.

The guy obviously doesn't even know what he's talking about.

The very same "multiplat" games they are making know, do not even run at close to max settings on PS3, they actually run at medium settings and 720P. Sometimes these games don't even run particularly well at these "medium" low res settings.

AT WORST, a proper next gen PS4/XBOX3 would be able to pretty much max out every current game save for maybe the most extreme max settings on a PC tech demo (i.e. Arma 3 running on dual GPU or something like that).

You see, most people wouldn't have guessed what the new consoles would have for other gens other than more power, so that is why it is hard to guess what will come next.

I agree. I have no problem with current consoles graphically. Could it be better? of course but 720p and even sub HD games on consoles still look great.djsifer01

"The displays are already 1080p"

Blabadon

Um yeah, mr. EA, wouldn't you like consoles to actually run games in 1080p, to make use of those 1080p TV's?

But anyways, Games now look pretty great, so there's no rush for me. But we definitely could use 1080p, now.

I agree. I have no problem with current consoles graphically. Could it be better? of course but 720p and even sub HD games on consoles still look great. Why are some so eager to go spend money on a new platform and have there game libraries be obsolete?djsifer01

i agree wholeheartedly. the majority of gamers are fine with the ps3 and 360 right now, the majority of gamers are not graphics whores, the majority of gamers that are complaining are forum dwellers, this is the truth.

make this gen last guys, get every single thing you can out of it, and make next gen that much more amazing. patience is a virtue.

The big jump you may see is 1080p and maybe more games at 60fps

Im more than happy with the current gen consoles and I hope they last longer for another 3 or 4 years seriously devs are finally starting to take the risk of making new unique games but if new systems launched soon we will be back to where we started this gen a flood of grey and brown CoD clones.

Graphically I'm starting to notice consoles going down a bit compared to high end PC's, but they definitely lasted quite a while when games like BC2 and The Witcher are equal to medium specs on a PC after 6 years.

I'm thinking we could use new consoles, mainly for a big graphics jump, but also for other stuff.

He's only saying that because he knows that new hardware = higher budgets.Cherokee_Jack

For consoles only :P

i agree wholeheartedly. the majority of gamersarefine with the ps3 and 360 right now, the majority of gamersare notgraphics whores, the majority of gamers that are complainingareforum dwellers, this is the truth.

make this gen last guys, get every single thing you can out of it, and make next gen that much more amazing. patience is a virtue.

lazerface216

I've been waiting for a console game to surpass Crysis in both gameplay and graphics. 4 years ago and they still can't do it. Still waiting for them to deliver. Actually, tohell with that. I want new consoles that can actually push 1080p and 60FPS.

Also, when did you get the authority to speak for the majority of gamers? I do not want this gen to last. I want to be impressed with Naughty Dog again, not get something that's exactly like the last game. I want to be impressed by new effects and large levels with living environments. Not exactly possible with such weak machines.

Graphically I'm starting to notice consoles going down a bit compared to high end PC's, but they definitely lasted quite a while when games like BC2 and The Witcher are equal to medium specs on a PC after 6 years.

I'm thinking we could use new consoles, mainly for a big graphics jump, but also for other stuff.

SPYDER0416

...that's pretty much what happens when the game was console first. The Witcher 2 is being scaled down from PC to console, and we're supposed to be getting new graphical features according to that new update for PC. That's why it looks good (Still looks like a mix of medium and low to me) to lems.

Why would they say such a silly thing, when they had to cap BF3 at 30 fps for the consoles...C_Rule

You could make it faster, you could have more polys and you could up the graphics a little bit... but at what cost?Blabadon

Next Gen is not just about graphics. How about games with no loading screens? Or so much free space that game size will only be constrained by time and money? Could make A.I. so good you could play lets say a 25 man raid with bots instead of people.

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]He's only saying that because he knows that new hardware = higher budgets.ChubbyGuy40

For consoles only :P

i agree wholeheartedly. the majority of gamersarefine with the ps3 and 360 right now, the majority of gamersare notgraphics whores, the majority of gamers that are complainingareforum dwellers, this is the truth.

make this gen last guys, get every single thing you can out of it, and make next gen that much more amazing. patience is a virtue.

lazerface216

I've been waiting for a console game to surpass Crysis in both gameplay and graphics. 4 years ago and they still can't do it. Still waiting for them to deliver. Actually, tohell with that. I want new consoles that can actually push 1080p and 60FPS.

Also, when did you get the authority to speak for the majority of gamers? I do not want this gen to last. I want to be impressed with Naughty Dog again, not get something that's exactly like the last game. I want to be impressed by new effects and large levels with living environments. Not exactly possible with such weak machines.

so because you're waiting for consoles to surpass a single game, you want new ones? who cares what you want? is what i said wrong? if you're a graphics whore and are playing on consoles, you're doing it wrong. it's that simple. the majority of people crying for new hardware are forum dwellers, or pc gamers. i know a lot of gamers in real life and not a single one complains about no AA or 30 FPS, we're too busy raving about the ridiculous fall lineup and.....you know, actually playing games.

I disagree. The Graphics should jump dramatically. Next Gen should be able to Max BF 3 IMOLanceSSJ

so because you're waiting for consoles to surpass a single game, you want new ones? who cares what you want? is what i said wrong? if you're a graphics whore and are playing on consoles, you're doing it wrong. it's that simple. the majority of people crying for new hardware are forum dwellers, or pc gamers. i know a lot of gamers in real life and not a single one complains about no AA or 30 FPS, we're too busy raving about the ridiculous fall lineup and.....you know, actually playing games.

lazerface216

I'm not waiting. I haven't been for a long time. I gave up on the big 3 wanting to stay competitive with PC. Wii-U gives me a reason to wait though. I don't know if what you said is right or wrong, and I'm not going to act or pretend like I do or can speak for them, because there's no evidence that supports either argument.

Also it's not just a single game. It's multiple. I just listed the oldest one. I love graphics, and I love gameplay. That's why I mainly play on PC. Does that mean I cannot enjoy consoles too? The only reason "forum dwellers" are wanting new consoles, is because this is where most of us would go to discuss it. Where else would be the proper place to say we want new consoles? In the comments section of our local news's website? I want new consoles because theses are old and weak. It's time to replace them.

Why does it seem like you think talking about graphics is a bad thing? Can we not talk about how great our games look? My friends and I are talking about how amazing Battlefield 3 looks, and we play plenty of games. Is there supposed to be something wrong with that.

I disagree. The Graphics should jump dramatically. Next Gen should be able to Max BF 3 IMOLanceSSJ

There isn't a computer that can max Battlefield 3. I wouldn't count on that.

He's not saying that it cant improve. He's saying that its not worth it.

[QUOTE="lazerface216"]

so because you're waiting for consoles to surpass a single game, you want new ones? who cares what you want? is what i said wrong? if you're a graphics whore and are playing on consoles, you're doing it wrong. it's that simple. the majority of people crying for new hardware are forum dwellers, or pc gamers. i know a lot of gamers in real life and not a single one complains about no AA or 30 FPS, we're too busy raving about the ridiculous fall lineup and.....you know, actually playing games.

ChubbyGuy40

I'm not waiting. I haven't been for a long time. I gave up on the big 3 wanting to stay competitive with PC. Wii-U gives me a reason to wait though. I don't know if what you said is right or wrong, and I'm not going to act or pretend like I do or can speak for them, because there's no evidence that supports either argument.

Also it's not just a single game. It's multiple. I just listed the oldest one. I love graphics, and I love gameplay. That's why I mainly play on PC. Does that mean I cannot enjoy consoles too? The only reason "forum dwellers" are wanting new consoles, is because this is where most of us would go to discuss it. Where else would be the proper place to say we want new consoles? In the comments section of our local news's website? I want new consoles because theses are old and weak. It's time to replace them.

Why does it seem like you think talking about graphics is a bad thing? Can we not talk about how great our games look? My friends and I are talking about how amazing Battlefield 3 looks, and we play plenty of games. Is there supposed to be something wrong with that.

If graphics do jump, development costs will also skyrocket. It already costs millions to make a console game, and sometimes developers don't even make the money back at $60 a pop. In the end, it would probably do more damage to the industry than good.

If graphics do jump, development costs will also skyrocket. It already costs millions to make a console game, and sometimes developers don't even make the money back at $60 a pop. In the end, it would probably do more damage to the industry than good.

YearoftheSnake5

I predict that we'll get a big leap in visuals with better lighting and shaders despite marginally improved production values. Nothing in the Zelda U demo looks much more detailed than Twilight Princess, but it looks WAYYY smoother and more vivid.

I agree that this gen should last a while longer, but I disagree that there isn't a decent jump. It wouldn't like said in the article, be near the ones we've seen before. After that, though, its hard to see the ability of the consoles become much more besides fofcusing on the actual games.

Well:

- Every game could output at 1080p. Just because the console CAN output at 1080p does not mean every game DOES output at 1080p.

- Games don't have to have low resolution textures, and lack of special effects due to hardware limitations.

- How about hardware capable of 60fps for every game without sacrificing graphics.

- No more limitations on storage space. the 360's DVDs are getting small and the PS3's blurays are slow. Next gen could use fast reading blurays.

- Support full DX11 (or equivelent) including full tesselation.

By having the consoles more powerful, developers wouldn't have to squeeze any power out, they could realize their games as they envisioned them from the get go.

its fairly clear that next gen will be about services and not much about hardware. Nonstop-Madness

Next Gen is not just about graphics. How about games with no loading screens? Or so much free space that game size will only be constrained by time and money?

Vambran

The only games that push space requirements on PS3 have a lot of prerendered cutscenes.

There's a lot the Playstation 4 could do. Anyone who's played both the console and PC versions of a multiplat title would undertand what consoles could be doing. However what I read into his statements was more that the cost involved wouldn't make these upgrades financially viable. Large cost for a relatively small gain and you split your current console market.

There's tons that could be done to make current consoles better (and remove many of the barriers/hardware restrictions developers face) but the cost to the consumer would probably be too high to justify it.

There's a huge gap between the PS3/360 and the PC now, so yah there is actually a lot of room for consoles to jump graphically.

However that'd only lead to the mass-murder of console developers, so we don't really want that.

I'm sure the PS4/NextBox will have big advances in terms of their services. You won't be buying the PS4 or NextBox for their hardware, but for Xbox Live and PSN.

"you could up the graphics a little bit" why a little bit? i don't buy next gen console for 500$ and get *little bit*. Get amazing graphics compared to current gen or you won't get my 500$.silversix_

Who said anything about consoles costing $500? I see $400 as the MAX next gen.

[QUOTE="silversix_"]"you could up the graphics a little bit" why a little bit? i don't buy next gen console for 500$ and get *little bit*. Get amazing graphics compared to current gen or you won't get my 500$.Cheese-Muffins

Who said anything about consoles costing $500? I see $400 as the MAX next gen.

Yeah, I remember when Bill Gates said,"640K of memory should be enough for anybody."

There is always room for improvement. I want to see games that has graphics the quality of movie special effects and look totally real. When we get there I might be satisfied. lol

I just want games to look prettier :(

[QUOTE="Cheese-Muffins"]

[QUOTE="silversix_"]"you could up the graphics a little bit" why a little bit? i don't buy next gen console for 500$ and get *little bit*. Get amazing graphics compared to current gen or you won't get my 500$.silversix_

Who said anything about consoles costing $500? I see $400 as the MAX next gen.

True, but a large majority of consumers don't want to spend huge money on beasts of consoles. Look at this gen. Wii sold a ton at that $250 pricepoint when the 360 and PS3 were much more expensive. Why should Sony and Microsoft spend so much money in these consoles and take a loss on the hardware when they can go cheaper and make a profit day one. Power is not the deciding factor in many consumers' eyes.

On Ps3 I still see a ton of polygons, blurry textures, jaggies, pixelly shadows, and stuff like that. At first glance the games look good but then you look closer and see all the flaws. New consoles would probably fix a lot of that