Topic: The Next Generation of Consoles

[Mister Six]

Aye, I did wind up way too powerful by the end of FC3. But there was a sweet spot, once I'd got most of the lower-level sneak/combat bonuses, where it had a perfect balance of deadly stealth and genuine tension. More of that kind of thing would be great.

Also, something where I can cause a stampede of elephants that crushes an enemy base.

[Moribunderast]

I can't wait to pre-order the game I've yet to see footage from (FC4) so I can get the DLC that hasn't yet been made! The AAA game industry is moving in a healthy and customer-friendly direction!

There already NINE editions of Watch Dogs. It's not even out yet! Why do people order this stuff?

The next gen will be great in two or three years when it has games. Until then it just seems an excessive waste of money. Especially when stuff like Watch Dogs and FC4 will be coming out on the "old" systems anyway. Really, the whole console and AAA scene just depresses me at the moment. PC Gaming isn't perfect but it does seem to have a lot more respect for it's consumers, EA-aside.

I don't know what the point of this moaning is. I just saw the FC4 pre-order stuff and the many editions of Watch Dogs and groaned so loud it made a post.

[mobias]

The next gen will be great in two or three years when it has games. Until then it just seems an excessive waste of money. Especially when stuff like Watch Dogs and FC4 will be coming out on the "old" systems anyway.

The new gen will be worthwhile much sooner than that hopefully. By the end of this year there will be a decent library if games to keep people going. It all depends on how much your gaming experience is defined by better graphics, physics etc. Personally I'm happy to admit I'm a sucker for serious AAA gaming eye candy. Doesn't mean to say an otherwise dull game can be made great simply by looking and performing great but when it all comes together thats clearly where AAA games are at their best.
Watch Dogs is indeed coming out on the PS3 and 360 but doesn't seem to look or perform anywhere near as well as the PS4 version. If it ends up getting amazing reviews then it'll probably be the game that gets me to finally buy a new console.

Incidentally copies of Watch Dogs have finally been leaked. Not much word on the gameplay yet but the visuals are getting mixed reviews.

Explosions look good 

[Thursday]

I can't wait to pre-order the game I've yet to see footage from (FC4) so I can get the DLC that hasn't yet been made! The AAA game industry is moving in a healthy and customer-friendly direction!

There already NINE editions of Watch Dogs. It's not even out yet! Why do people order this stuff?

The next gen will be great in two or three years when it has games. Until then it just seems an excessive waste of money. Especially when stuff like Watch Dogs and FC4 will be coming out on the "old" systems anyway. Really, the whole console and AAA scene just depresses me at the moment. PC Gaming isn't perfect but it does seem to have a lot more respect for it's consumers, EA-aside.

I don't understand the need for pre-orders, I mean there is sometimes exclusive content but people often get these things a year before a game has been released... then start crying foul when it only gets a 7 or an 8, and accuse sites of being paid off if they give another a game they're not interested in a 9.

I think I once pre-ordered GTA 4, saw that there were still plenty of copies, and so never bothered again. The only time it's been a problem was with Ni No Kuni because I think everyone massively underestimated how much the studio ghibli name would pull people in.

[Consignia]

Sometimes you can get a decent price on a pre-order, that makes it worth you get one.

I think it's perfectly fine to pre-order. See something you like online that's coming soon, a few clicks, and you get it as soon as it comes out. It's like a fire and forget thing. It's not like it costs you anything in the meantime and you cancel if you don't want it. I think DLC bribes are a bit off, though, and there is no need to pre-order in a bricks and mortar shop, no matter what the shop staff try to pressure you into.

[Jamie Oliver is fat]

The next gen will be great in two or three years

jeez, one would hope new hardware would be due by then

[Thursday]

lol

[Moribunderast]

Sometimes you can get a decent price on a pre-order, that makes it worth you get one.

I think it's perfectly fine to pre-order. See something you like online that's coming soon, a few clicks, and you get it as soon as it comes out. It's like a fire and forget thing. It's not like it costs you anything in the meantime and you cancel if you don't want it. I think DLC bribes are a bit off, though, and there is no need to pre-order in a bricks and mortar shop, no matter what the shop staff try to pressure you into.

To be clear, I was only really referring to pre-orders that net you "free DLC" in my moaning post. I started a thread about DLC and it's shitty exploitation of consumers a while ago. Pre-orders are indeed fine but I find it gross when you're encouraged to pre-order something 6 months before it comes out so you can get DLC that will either be out first day (in which case, why is it DLC? Just a blatant money grab) or won't be out for another year. It's extremely cynical marketing and I'm disappointed gaming consumers have allowed the practice to escalate to the point Watch Dogs can come out with 9 different "Editions" on launch date.

First-day DLC is something I detest as it is material that could obviously have been in the standard game (and would have in the past) that is deliberately held back from consumers for an extra few dollars. Long gone are the days you'd find secret characters in Mortal Kombat or unlock the flipped castle in Castlevania: SOTN - nowadays you'd be expected to pay ten dollars and happily crow about the amazing "extra content" you'd been given.

I was probably hyperbolic when saying 2/3 years until there's enough next-gen games to warrant a purchase. I've always waited that long (or longer) to buy a console because I like having 30-40 games that I want to get to. I've STILL got PS2 games I bought that I haven't played - and not shitty ones either! God of War, Devil May Cry, etc. I've found that, unless you NEED to have the newest thing, it's much nicer to wait and then have an eventual feast when you finally get the console. Personally, the waiting isn't that difficult, especially now that PC gaming is rife with excellent indie games to waste time with.

Anyone here played Infamous: Second Son? That's the only next-gen game thus far that I've really wanted to play.

[Bored of Canada]

To be clear, I was only really referring to pre-orders that net you "free DLC" in my moaning post. I started a thread about DLC and it's shitty exploitation of consumers a while ago. Pre-orders are indeed fine but I find it gross when you're encouraged to pre-order something 6 months before it comes out so you can get DLC that will either be out first day (in which case, why is it DLC? Just a blatant money grab) or won't be out for another year. It's extremely cynical marketing and I'm disappointed gaming consumers have allowed the practice to escalate to the point Watch Dogs can come out with 9 different "Editions" on launch date.

First-day DLC is something I detest as it is material that could obviously have been in the standard game (and would have in the past) that is deliberately held back from consumers for an extra few dollars. Long gone are the days you'd find secret characters in Mortal Kombat or unlock the flipped castle in Castlevania: SOTN - nowadays you'd be expected to pay ten dollars and happily crow about the amazing "extra content" you'd been given.

I was probably hyperbolic when saying 2/3 years until there's enough next-gen games to warrant a purchase. I've always waited that long (or longer) to buy a console because I like having 30-40 games that I want to get to. I've STILL got PS2 games I bought that I haven't played - and not shitty ones either! God of War, Devil May Cry, etc. I've found that, unless you NEED to have the newest thing, it's much nicer to wait and then have an eventual feast when you finally get the console. Personally, the waiting isn't that difficult, especially now that PC gaming is rife with excellent indie games to waste time with.

Anyone here played Infamous: Second Son? That's the only next-gen game thus far that I've really wanted to play.

I saw it being played briefly. It looks kinda nice but it seemed pretty dull to be honest. Nothing that new, really.

[Famous Mortimer]

My mate got a PS4 at the weekend and the sum total of the response of the people who gathered to play on it was "meh". One of them was bummed out he couldn't play video and music files off his memory stick, and everyone was underwhelmed at the graphical innovations.

With the increasing lockdown of stuff, I say go back to PC gaming, with its mods that don't cost you on top of the excessive cost of buying the game in the first place.

[Jamie Oliver is fat]

lol

Can you imagine how far behind PC gaming these boxes of shit are going to be in 3 years when they're just "getting into their stride"? lol

1080p already feels a bit behind the times on PCs with 1920x1200p being more of a standard, and high end now meaning 1440p

I've always bought consoles, but I'm fucked if I'm pissing money away on these things

[mobias]

I've always bought consoles, but I'm fucked if I'm pissing money away on these things

As long as there's still great first party exclusive games then I'll continue to buy a console.

[Thursday]

Can you imagine how far behind PC gaming these boxes of shit are going to be in 3 years when they're just "getting into their stride"? lol

1080p already feels a bit behind the times on PCs with 1920x1200p being more of a standard, and high end now meaning 1440p

I've always bought consoles, but I'm fucked if I'm pissing money away on these things

But consoles usually go in cycles of about 7 years, there were 8 years between the release of the 360 and XBONE, We probably will have a shorter cycle this time with Microsoft and Nintendo fucking up their consoles so much, but I'd be very surprised if anything comes that soon.

[mobias]

This is apparently pretty much what Sony has in store for E3 in a few weeks.

Uncharted 4 PS4 – 3 minute trailer
Gran Tourismo 6 – Mid to late 2015
God fo War 4 – teaser
Wipeout for PS4 – announcement
The Order: 1886
Heavenly Sword Sequel
RPG from Guerrilla Games
Project Beast
The Last Guardian
DriveClub
GTA V - PS4 exclusive.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

This is apparently pretty much what Sony has in store for E3 in a few weeks.

The Last Guardian

I've heard that one before...

[mobias]

I've heard that one before...

Sony are apparently aiming for a Winter 2014 release for the Last Guardian. We'll soon see I guess. Uncharted 4 isn't going to be until the middle of next year.

[VegaLA]

If finances are the reason you're still sitting on the fence,...

http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/27/xbox-one-holiday-2014-price-drop/

[Consignia]

If finances are the reason you're still sitting on the fence,...

http://www.engadget.com/2014/10/27/xbox-one-holiday-2014-price-drop/

Not for the UK, of course.

[hoverdonkey]

I posted this in the GTA thread, but I bloody love my PS4 these days. My favourite console ever already. On a slight downer, has anyone else been hit by the 'rest mode' bug since the last update?

[mobias]

Eurogamer has done a list of games that have defined the first year of this new generation. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-11-07-the-games-that-have-defined-ps4-and-xbox-one

It has been a bit of a shit first year and I agree that its almost surprising that the PS4 has sold so well considering it really hasn't had that many must have games. The Xbone does possibly beat it for games currently released but I guess people are investing in exclusives they know are on the horizon. Microsoft are a bit less clear about what exclusives the Xbone is getting in the next year. GTA V will shift a few consoles from the shelves but I think if Bloodborne turns out to be as good as people are saying then it'll really be one of the first proper new games people can't be without.

[Mister Six]

Still not seen anything that's made me want to bother with one of the new consoles. GTA V looks bloody impressive graphically, but I still can't be arsed to complete the 360 version, so I'm not going to spunk money on it all over again.

I think I'll wait until Dragon Age 4 or Fallout 4, whichever comes along first.

[Thursday]

Just about everything on that list is available for previous gen consoles.

[Fry]

I had a gaming PC for years, but just as I was about to leave the country the hard drive failed. Which is no big thing and I could probably just get a new HDD, but this is the 4th thing to go wrong with it in a year and I am just getting fed up with the hassle. Coupled with the fact I am now in China for a year and I couldn't bring it along with me anyway I am seriously considering buying a PS4 for my Next Gen gaming needs[nb]I've had a fairly middling laptop with which I have been playing the fuck out of some old classics I needed to get up on.[/nb]. The more I've thought about the idea the more excited I've become - it makes sense to me, being without a PS3 or PC there's a lot of games I want to catch up on in the last year (Shadow of Mordor, Last of Us, Wolfenstein, AC: Black Flag, Watch Dogs and Destiny will probably last me until the console kicks off big time.) Also, the prospect of playing through some PS2 classics from the playstation network has given me the right job on. GTA V coming out has sold me on this idea big time - I've wanted to play through that again since I borrowed my brother's copy to complete it the first time. What's the deal with region locking though? Would I be able to bring it home with me?

[Mister Six]

You won't be able to buy a PS4 on the Mainland until December, I'm afraid, and as there are only 200,000 units being shipped to a country of more than a billion people, you probably won't be able to find one through traditional means. You're reasonably close to Hong Kong, though, so if you've got the cash and time you could pop over to there for a holiday shop (don't be ashamed - everyone does it). However, this most likely means your PS4 will only play Region A/1 Blu-Ray (same as the US), which could be a pain when you move back to the UK, which is Region B/2.

You could also look around for technology malls; the ones in Beijing usually have an entire floor dedicated to flogging game consoles and software imported from HK. IIRC, you're in a very affluent part of China, so I'm sure there'll be something similar there, too. There will be a mark-up, though, and the 'buyer beware' maxim kicks in double on the Chinese Mainland, as there's every possibility you'll wind up with a fake, defective or out-of-warranty product.

Regarding region-locking, PS4 games are region-free as standard, though DLC is country-locked (from what I can tell, this means that if your PSN account is registered to country A and the game disc you bought comes from country B, it won't install or work properly... though they'll still charge you for it. There's a workaround here.) and Blu-Ray discs are region-locked.

BTW, if you're going to buy a laptop, you should do that in HK too. It won't have Mainland spyware or shithouse proprietary software loaded as standard, which happens on the Mainland, and the builds should be sturdier too.

Alternatively, Play Asia is a useful source of games and tech, including PS4s from the US, Japan, Asia and Europe regions and usually offers multiple regions. However, you'll need a credit or debit card to pay for it, and good luck getting one of those on the Mainland. I'm assuming you're planning on using UK funds to pay for this anyway, mind?

Also, if you're looking to buy a flatscreen telly, it's worth spending a bit extra to get a Western brand (or taking advantage of the Singles Day sales that will be happening tomorrow, November 11). I got a Chinese brand for 1,000RMB less than it would've cost to get a Philips or Panasonic or something, and it was a stupid mistake - the screen blurs something rotten during fast movement, the settings are minimal and I can't seem to get my PC to fit the screen when I connect it via a HDMI cable.