The Greatest Generation?

When the long history of video game console cycles is written, this generation should be counted among the most important to the industry. I realize there is great affection for days of old and memories of the NES, SNES, PS2 and even that long-toothed great-grandfather, now long laid to rest, the 2600. But this generation, the one that began with the Xbox 360 and which is already six years gone with no end in sight, has been a stealthy cavalcade of advancement, most of which took place in ways I had never expected.

I remember what seems like not so long ago being amazed that an arcade game like Super Mario Bros. could be recreated in a home experience. Imagine the quarters I would save! As a child that grew up on games where combat(!) between a red square and a blue square was at the apex of electronic action, the watchword for three decades was graphics. Advancement was easy to measure in wo to the power of x bit processing.

Frankly it got to the point where it felt like the only upgrade to be seriously considered in any generational advance was strictly from the perspective of raw power. As I look back over the last half decade, one in which graphical advancement has if not stagnated, at least become secondary, I see now that there is and has long been so much that can be made better, and it doesn’t necessarily require new hardware to accomplish.

Just a great generation of highly adaptable machines.

Five years ago, it seemed laughable, dare I say folly, to bastardize console machines into central pieces of home entertainment. Now, my Xbox 360 is a cornerstone of media consumption on my television. Games, while a major component of what I do with the machine are not the alpha-and-omega of my console experience. I value my 360 as much as a Netflix delivery, music player and streaming video system as I do a place to play Halo. Once Hulu or some similar service locks in, I can all too easily imagine a world where I get rid of satellite television and depend on that magic white box for all my mindless endorphin firing digitainment.

I mention the 360 specifically because it is my living room platform of choice, but the reality is that the same kinds of things can be said just as easily of the PlayStation 3. As a complete media experience, both consoles have reached the unimaginable capacity to be what seemed ridiculous at launch.

I’m not necessarily arguing that everyone, particularly casual users, have unlocked the full potential of their Modern Warfare 2 boxes. But each day it seems more and more reasonable to expect that they might, because the interface, the capabilities, the integration becomes more and more seamless with each pass.

It might be enough to shine the spotlight on media integration and marvel at how far we’ve advanced, but this generation has also changed the way we play games like never before. Achievements, seamless integration of multiplayer, online co-operative gaming, sophisticated matchmaking and friend management capacity, high-definition, motion controls, and digital downloads are just the tip of the iceberg.

The Wii alone was a revolution (sic) in how gamers and games interfaced. Many words have been penned to support that statement. If you still need convincing on that point, then there’s probably not much I can say to change your mind.

Finally, and perhaps of greatest importance, this console generation has driven down the cost of gaming like none before it. I realize this may seem a controversial statement, particularly to those who opted out of this generation precisely because it seemed more expensive, and I’m not arguing that the barrier to entry was insignificant. However, games have long bucked inflation trends and in a world where we line up to pay $400 for a phone I remain unconvinced that the big three got disproportionately greedy.

When you dig in, though, and discover the vast wealth of high quality games at or under the $15 price point on every system, the argument that this console generation is anything but a steal melts. It would be one thing if PSN, XBLA and WiiWare games were throwaway diversions from second rate development houses, but the reality is that some of the best games I play in any given week cost less than an entree at Chilis.

Not only do these platforms broaden the diversity of games that are at our disposal, but they do so at manageable costs.

In the end, I have a sweet place of affection for each of the three systems, and I’m in no hurry to see this wildly successful generation enter its twilight. As long as the platforms continue to support the creativity and capacity for change that defines the industry, I’m not looking for the next level of graphics rendering capability that too long was the only advancement companies seemed interested in pursuing.

Comments

Anyone think there's a chance for this generation to get a "1.5" version of the PS3 and 360? While both systems have a lot of horsepower, they could use a RAM and video card upgrade, which probably could be done fairly cheaply at this point. They could make games for the old hardware, but those with the new hardware could get additional effects and a bump to 1080P, much like PC games do.

To follow up on some of the comments - i am also not all that interested in a console upgrade. I think that the graphics/gameplay of a lot of games now are just fantastic - I dont want better graphics. I don't want games that look like real life (I can just, you know, live that) - I just want good games.

interstate78 wrote:
Jonman wrote:

... and a Nintendo Puu,

Aah, God, that made me giggle a lot.

My inner self is 5 years old, I swear. I'm a bit disappointed in myself now

The day I stop finding poo gags funny is the day my life ceases to have meaning.

Seriously. I just found myself giggling at the thought of a gag made of poo.

What the consoles need now is more RAM. I've heard interviews with developers saying they would kill for a gig of RAM in the 360.

Unfortunately, that would fracture the market. It won't happen.

TheCounselor wrote:

Anyone think there's a chance for this generation to get a "1.5" version of the PS3 and 360? While both systems have a lot of horsepower, they could use a RAM and video card upgrade, which probably could be done fairly cheaply at this point. They could make games for the old hardware, but those with the new hardware could get additional effects and a bump to 1080P, much like PC games do.

If they did this for the Wii, I would definitely buy one again. With the way my entertainment setup is laid out / hooked up everything needs to be HDMI.

TheCounselor wrote:

Anyone think there's a chance for this generation to get a "1.5" version of the PS3 and 360? While both systems have a lot of horsepower, they could use a RAM and video card upgrade, which probably could be done fairly cheaply at this point. They could make games for the old hardware, but those with the new hardware could get additional effects and a bump to 1080P, much like PC games do.

That would sort of defeat the whole purpose of having a console: a blanket hardware platform to develop for, and a guarantee that the game you purchase will run on the hardware you have. Sega experimented with upgrading their consoles mid-stream (Sega CD, 32X) and weren't very successful with it.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

That would sort of defeat the whole purpose of having a console: a blanket hardware platform to develop for, and a guarantee that the game you purchase will run on the hardware you have. Sega experimented with upgrading their consoles mid-stream (Sega CD, 32X) and weren't very successful with it.

Maybe so, but a lot of developers are already doing that for the PC anyway. They can just include some of those features in the console games.

Besides, it'll give Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo an excuse to sell the hardcore another box, which they presumably wouldn't have to sell at a loss to start.

TheCounselor wrote:

Anyone think there's a chance for this generation to get a "1.5" version of the PS3 and 360?

I really don't see that happening for 360 or PS3 (unless you count the motion control systems) but for the Wii I think it is likely. After all, Nintendo has a history of incremental upgrades with their portable systems that maintain backwards compatibility while pushing the graphical capability a little bit further: Gameboy Color, GBA, DS, DSi, presumably DS3D. Even the RAM pack for the 64.

I think it is especially likely to happen since the Wii has hit saturation to a greater degree than the other consoles, and HDTV is becoming much more standard than it was in 2006. They could sell it on the basis of upscaled graphics, integrated MotionPlus controllers, more internal storage, and greater graphical capability for the hardcore, at $199 easily, and I think they would have a strong SKU for 2011-2012. You can even use your old remotes for 4 player tennis, making up somewhat for the investment - Its compelling from multiple aspects.

For the 360 and the PS3, though, it really doesn't make sense. Small graphical boosts are about all they have to add on the hardware side, and being graphically equal to a $600 PC really doesn't call for an incremental improvement yet.

So, come back in 5 years, but my guess is Wii HD in fall 2011, a new Xbox in 2013, and a PS4 in 2014. Also, heh, Valve and Apple co-launch a Mac SKU for gaming in 2013 with Steam pre-installed.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
TheCounselor wrote:

Anyone think there's a chance for this generation to get a "1.5" version of the PS3 and 360? While both systems have a lot of horsepower, they could use a RAM and video card upgrade, which probably could be done fairly cheaply at this point. They could make games for the old hardware, but those with the new hardware could get additional effects and a bump to 1080P, much like PC games do.

That would sort of defeat the whole purpose of having a console: a blanket hardware platform to develop for, and a guarantee that the game you purchase will run on the hardware you have. Sega experimented with upgrading their consoles mid-stream (Sega CD, 32X) and weren't very successful with it.

Except the Genesis standalone could not play Sega CD and 32X games. TheCounselor is proposing that all the systems can play the game, but the 1.5 would be able to render GTA IV at 1080p instead of 720p.

The only area where I could see this being questionable is competitive console shooters where having a resolution advantage would give you a meaningful edge.

TheCounselor wrote:

Besides, it'll give Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo an excuse to sell the hardcore another box, which they presumably wouldn't have to sell at a loss to start.

The thing is with that, is the "1.5" worth developing another hardware revision, telling developers they can optionally use it, giving them two versions to develop, support, and test, or optionally enable better image quality behind their backs which will no doubt break some clever hack a developer used. I think economically there would be minimal payoff, as a primarily PC gamer I would say it would be awesome, but I'd also say if you want that then get a PC, or sit on your hands for the next generation.

Elysium wrote:

But this generation, the one that began with the Xbox 360 and which is already six years gone with no end in sight...

Just out of curiosity, how are you arriving at this figure? The 360 launched in November of '05, less than five years ago.

UnclGhost wrote:
Jonman wrote:

Here's something to consider too. The multimedia capabilities of these boxes give them lifespan beyond this current generation. I can picture the day when I have a PS4, an Xbox 1080 and a Nintendo Puu, and I'll most likely still have a 360 tucked under my TV to be used exclusively to stream TV.

Assuming, of course, there's still support for these capabilities in the future. One of the largest flaws of this generation may very well turn out to be how much everything depends on serverside support.

(And assuming said 360 lasts more than a few more years physically.)

I'll be surprised if some enterprising homebrewer doesn't figure out a way to hack much of the online functionality back into current-gen consoles after their respective companies stop supporting them. There are still crazy people out there who play vanilla, unpatched and unupdated launch-window WoW on private servers, after all.

Homebrew is great for extending the useful life of a system. I did all kinds of fun stuff with my Dreamcast after Sega pulled the plug, and I understand the Xbox 1 still makes a pretty decent little media player with the right hacks.

ChrisLTD wrote:

Why shouldn't the newest generation of gaming hardware be the "greatest"? Has there been any new generation worse than the one before it?

My Dad told me a story of when he and his buddy were riding their motorcycles through San Francisco on their way to an anti-war rally. My dad was pretty excited about the social movements happening at the time and he shouted to his buddy at a stoplight, "This has the be the greatest time to be alive!" His buddy replied, "That's because we're living it!"

Mr. Sands makes terrific points, but I don't remember a time in my life when I thought that there was a previous generation that was better than new games that were coming out.

While I can certainly see this generation's longevity and experimentation to be reason enough for labeling it the best in the business thus far, my heart tells me that the Dreamcast and Xbox deserve more credit for pioneering online console gaming while simultaneously providing a very solid roster of games.

Is the sharpening of a blade more monumental than the creation of it?

FenixStryk wrote:

Is the sharpening of a blade more monumental than the creation of it?

Is it really a blade until it's sharpened?

wordsmythe wrote:
FenixStryk wrote:

Is the sharpening of a blade more monumental than the creation of it?

Is it really a blade until it's sharpened?

I don't know how I'm typing this right now because my mind just entered a Zen-like state of metaphoric bliss.

Farscry wrote:

I'm not really impatient for another console generation.
It really does feel like there's a lot of untapped potential in the 360/PS3 (the Wii could use an upgrade to a true HD platform) yet to be utilized. ....

For example, I really can't emphasize enough just how impressive Red Dead Redemption is on a technical level, and I honestly don't know how they pulled it off on the 360. It's so far beyond what I ever expected to see on that console that I know there's a lot of incredibly impressive work that can be done on it yet.

I'm totally impatient for the next generation. The 360 and PS2 basically have the power of a mid to low range PC from 2005. Most of the major titles for all of the consoles render at funky upscaled sub-720p resolutions.

With so many games these days, I feel like I'm spending a good part of the game looking at the cracks in the world - the compromises and shortcuts the programmers took to get their game running on ancient hardware.

Red Dead Redemption is incredibly impressive. But, playing the game, I think, "Wow, I wonder what they could have done with 2-3 gigs of RAM, six cores, and a modern GPU?"

More processing horsepower opens the door to novel and varied experiences.

One of the saving graces of this generation is that pretty much all industry game development is stuck on supporting the current generation of consoles. That means that I've felt almost no pressure to upgrade my PC for the last three years. Still, I feel like we've been in stasis for too long.

I dunno. Call me a jaded old man but these three machines don't really impress me.

Last time around, the PS2 alone created Ico, SOTC, Disgaea, at least two or three really good, not just playable, JRPGs, the golden age of Madden,the MLB series and who knows what else.

It's true that the new machines manage to draw graphics without that looks-like-crap filter, and that they have online play, but I don't think the combined current gen game library has yet matched what you could get on just the PS2.

wordsmythe wrote:
FenixStryk wrote:

Is the sharpening of a blade more monumental than the creation of it?

Is it really a blade until it's sharpened?

I applaud this statement with the sound of a thousand single hands recursively self-clapping.

polq37 wrote:
Farscry wrote:

I'm not really impatient for another console generation.
It really does feel like there's a lot of untapped potential in the 360/PS3 (the Wii could use an upgrade to a true HD platform) yet to be utilized. ....

For example, I really can't emphasize enough just how impressive Red Dead Redemption is on a technical level, and I honestly don't know how they pulled it off on the 360. It's so far beyond what I ever expected to see on that console that I know there's a lot of incredibly impressive work that can be done on it yet.

I'm totally impatient for the next generation. The 360 and PS2 basically have the power of a mid to low range PC from 2005. Most of the major titles for all of the consoles render at funky upscaled sub-720p resolutions.

With so many games these days, I feel like I'm spending a good part of the game looking at the cracks in the world - the compromises and shortcuts the programmers took to get their game running on ancient hardware.

Red Dead Redemption is incredibly impressive. But, playing the game, I think, "Wow, I wonder what they could have done with 2-3 gigs of RAM, six cores, and a modern GPU?"

More processing horsepower opens the door to novel and varied experiences.

One of the saving graces of this generation is that pretty much all industry game development is stuck on supporting the current generation of consoles. That means that I've felt almost no pressure to upgrade my PC for the last three years. Still, I feel like we've been in stasis for too long.

I suppose that's the big question for whether there needs to be a new console hardware upgrade: are they limited in gameplay by the current hardware. For graphics I'd say yes, but anything else I'm not so sure.

If an upgrade comes, I don't think it needs to be huge. I just want to be able to play all games in 1080p 60fps.

You're welcome, Internet.

However, games have long bucked inflation trends and in a world where we line up to pay $400 for a phone I remain unconvinced that the big three got disproportionately greedy.

For Sony and Nintendo, I agree, but Microsoft's hard drive and wi-fi adapter prices say hello.

I used to think that there would never be a better time in life than being a kid, but as a gamer, that is not true. As a kid I was limited to the systems I had and the games my parents would buy me. Occasionally I would dig up some cash (from mowing lawns or birthday money) to buy my own stuff, but not often.

As an adult, I can buy any system or game I want. Which console should I choose? All of them! I don't own all of them, but the option is always there. Now, instead of lacking the money to buy the stuff, I only lack the time to play everything. Still, it's great to be a gamer.

You said it, spambot.

wordsmythe wrote:

You said it, spambot.

Whoa, let's cool it on the cyber-epithets, shall we? Supernaturally Predisposed Artificial Morphs have feelings too, you know.