RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS!

[Morgoth]

http://www.gamrrevie...t-for-next-gen/

 

So DA3 is delayed and now next-gen.

... and at EA Shanghai? Seems legit.

 

Business as usual. The Chinese and Indian sweatshops do all the menial prep work in games development these days.

[HoonDing]

Hopefully EA Tokyo will do the romance scenes.

[Hurlshort]

I think he's right, the prevalent mentality today is that any game should be "jump in and play" straight away. Its precisely those genres which are irreconcilable with this philosophy that have already died (flight simulators) or dying/transforming (RPG). So called hardcore gamers as a public are shrinking as opposed to every other type of customer and the industry is changing to follow suit.

 

I don't care much either way - games are in such a state of hyper-production that something good (something that I want to play) will, even by chance, always show up.

 

He is definitely right, but that doesn't mean you can't challenge gamers anymore. The popularity of games like Demons Soul are good examples of that. It's more about making the controls and gameplay intuitive

[Nightshape]

In other words a gradual increase as per usual.

 

Its because so much time has passed between this generation and the next that people are expecting a quantum leap. The other part is marketing strategy, no one is going to shell out a ton of cash for next gen consoles if you tell them they're pretty much going to be playing the same stuff they are now in the beginning.

 

Oh there will be a massive leap, around the 2nd generation of next gen games.

[Morgoth]

In other words a gradual increase as per usual.

 

Its because so much time has passed between this generation and the next that people are expecting a quantum leap. The other part is marketing strategy, no one is going to shell out a ton of cash for next gen consoles if you tell them they're pretty much going to be playing the same stuff they are now in the beginning.

 

Oh there will be a massive leap, around the 2nd generation of next gen games.

 

...which we won't see prior ~2016. My understanding right now is that Next-Gen games currently in development are hybrid titles, being made for High-End PCs (and later ported to PS4/Xbox Next as soon as they have close to final DevKits) and of course current gen consoles, to minimize risk in case people won't immediately switch.

[AwesomeOcelot]

In other words a gradual increase as per usual.

 

Its because so much time has passed between this generation and the next that people are expecting a quantum leap. The other part is marketing strategy, no one is going to shell out a ton of cash for next gen consoles if you tell them they're pretty much going to be playing the same stuff they are now in the beginning.

 

Oh there will be a massive leap, around the 2nd generation of next gen games.

 

...which we won't see prior ~2016. My understanding right now is that Next-Gen games currently in development are hybrid titles, being made for High-End PCs (and later ported to PS4/Xbox Next as soon as they have close to final DevKits) and of course current gen consoles, to minimize risk in case people won't immediately switch.

 

I think you could say that about the Xbox, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U, since AMD and Nvidia moved into the console space, high end PCs have been used to test and demo console games, I'm pretty sure some of the original Xbox devkits were PCs, the Xbox 360 devkits were Macs, because of the almost identical hardware.

 

I don't really buy the rhetoric about how launch titles don't make use of the hardware and that it takes the next generation to really see what the hardware can do. The Xbox 360 launch titles were a massive leap compared to any Xbox titles. Project Gotham Racing 3 looked a lot better than PGR 2. Launch titles can be pretty rushed, they're definitely not going to be the best developers could have done, but I don't see the massive improvement from launch titles to titles that are released at the end of the console's life. It has way more to do with who developed the games, and what kind of sacrifices they make with freedom and other areas of fidelity like resolution.

 

I expect the PS4 and Xbox 720 to have at least 4GB of RAM but I think 8GB, DirectX 11 type shaders, all games to run at Full HD 1080p (I don't believe the rumours about Ultra HD/4K), much larger levels and textures. I wouldn't be surprised if both have 8 core processors, 4 at the minimum. Neither is going to blow people away that have seen a high end PC, but that's always been the case. The biggest changes in this generation should be what Sony and Microsoft are doing with internet stores and DRM against pre-owned discs. Sony will probably try to do something stupid with their controllers.

Edited November 29, 2012 by AwesomeOcelot

[Morgoth]

I think he's right, the prevalent mentality today is that any game should be "jump in and play" straight away.

 

Yeah right. Or maybe they want the huge untapped paraplegic market.

 

Given how many fat sacks of dumb****s who roll on these little e-carts around need some change in their life (rolling from one Walmart to the next), I can see why this is actually considered a new lucrative business avenue.

 

"If they can manage to handle a facebook game then they certainly can poo money for us too."

 

-CEO of xyz Game publisher

Edited November 29, 2012 by Morgoth

[Morgoth]

I'm currently replaying Crysis 1 since a very long time and it makes me almost weep. It plays so beautifully slick and quick, exactly what I'd expect from a true PC FPS game.

 

Compared to this 5 year old game, C2 and even the C3 Alpha demo played like I was stomping around with a 500kg automaton made for people who can't use a mouse or quick reflexes. Far Cry 3 it seems has the same first-person slow-arse movement bull**** going on. You know, press E and watch for 5 secs some stupid first-person animation playing out. I don't have the patience for this.

[AwesomeOcelot]

I'm currently replaying Crysis 1 since a very long time and it makes me almost weep. It plays so beautifully slick and quick, exactly what I'd expect from a true PC FPS game.

 

Compared to this 5 year old game, C2 and even the C3 Alpha demo played like I was stomping around with a 500kg automaton made for people who can't use a mouse or quick reflexes. Far Cry 3 it seems has the same first-person slow-arse movement bull**** going on. You know, press E and watch for 5 secs some stupid first-person animation playing out. I don't have the patience for this.

 

One of the main reasons I couldn't play Far Cry 2. Crysis 2 isn't that bad compared to Far Cry 2 & 3, but yeah, before the aliens and the technical problems at the end, Crysis is the pinnacle of pure FPS gaming for me in terms of gameplay, but it's also still a damn beautiful game, it's a pity they decided to go in many different directions for Crysis 2. You can have first person animations that don't break gameplay, Tribes does it, it's not even like it would be more difficult to do it the right way. This and quick time events, completely ruined FPS for me.

Edited November 29, 2012 by AwesomeOcelot

[Hurlshort]

Are we really yearning for the glory days of Crysis?

[Guest Slinky]

Who's "we"? You make it sound like this forum somekind of weird schizofrenic entity.

[WDeranged]

Massive bargain with the new THQ Humble Bundle at http://www.humblebundle.com/

[Nepenthe]

Who's "we"? You make it sound like this forum somekind of weird schizofrenic entity.

It often seems that way.

[Morgoth]

 

Edit: Watched it now. It's like they're afraid of showing the real game, knowing it's gonna be a turd. Will Relic go out of business with a bang, or a whimper? I can't say, but THQ in all it's wisdom is aiming for a ~March 2013 release, you know, the same month the SC2 expansion comes out. Good luck with that.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Morgoth

[Morgoth]

Rumor: New PS4 details, may be called Omni

 

Sony is near the middle end part of their Project Orbis, their next generation PS4. It will not be called Playstation 4, teams have started to call the final name as Omni. Omni will reflect their new hardware and content delivery philosophy. Omni will be “very capable” of doing modern day graphics compared to a Direct X 11 level of technology like Unreal Engine 4 and Frostbite 2. Compared to Wii U, it is better, but not the biggest leap in the world according to developer friends of mine. The key is the Omniviewer, a thin, lite and slick head mounted autosteroptic display that can track the users head and presents a 360 image view with semi transparent AMOLED screens. This can turn any TV into a 3D TV, as well as add extra augmented reality information outside of the TV screen. One application from an entertainment perspective seeing movies in 2k, 4k or IMAX resolutions as their original size where you have to move your head to look at the full picture being displayed. Can also synch with the Vita. The new controllers weather it’s the Duo-Moves or the Classic DuoShock will have pulse sensors in the grips for biofeedback gameplay. Plans are a Basic Unit with 160 gigs and just the system with controller at $350-$399 and one with the Omniviewer and a pack-in game for $450-$499. Aims are for a September 2013 launch.

 

– Omni is also part of their philosophy with the new OmniCloud, the new version of Gaktai. This service will not only cloud stream PS1, PS2 and select PS3 games to Playstation Certified devices but will also allow every digital and retail purchase to have access to a copy on the cloud. Basically, you buy one game, you can use it on any Plyastation device. Direct hardware Backwards Compatibility will be available by a $70 – $99 dongle that is plugged into the Omni that contains a PS3 on a chip with Cell to run games.

[Mamoulian War]

If there will really be dongle for PS3 HW compatibility, I am a game at launch... But no mention of PS2 compatibility besides cloud streaming :/ Which I do not see ever available here, because SONY is still unable/unwilling to launch PSStore in half the EU...

[Morgoth]

Sounds all very gimmicky to me. I don't see how 3D and extra AR elements on your glasses can actually make a game better. How about making better games instead of offsetting your lack of talent with hardware gimmicks, dear Sony and MS? Well, let's just wait and see...

[Nightshape]

In other words a gradual increase as per usual.

 

Its because so much time has passed between this generation and the next that people are expecting a quantum leap. The other part is marketing strategy, no one is going to shell out a ton of cash for next gen consoles if you tell them they're pretty much going to be playing the same stuff they are now in the beginning.

 

Oh there will be a massive leap, around the 2nd generation of next gen games.

 

...which we won't see prior ~2016. My understanding right now is that Next-Gen games currently in development are hybrid titles, being made for High-End PCs (and later ported to PS4/Xbox Next as soon as they have close to final DevKits) and of course current gen consoles, to minimize risk in case people won't immediately switch.

 

You may be spot on sir

[AwesomeOcelot]

I don't really believe most of that article, from the claims and the tone:

 

It's not exactly shocking or a rumour that Nintendo pushed for 3rd party titles like Bayonetta 2 with more to come, or that they're going to release Nintendo franchise games.

 

However Nintendo is banking on the argument that the other two jumped too soon to upgrade, with only the top-tier of the triple A studios such as Infinity Ward, Crystal Dynamics, ect only having next-gen level technology with most being stuck on very advanced Unreal Engine 3 level tech.

 

Tech that the Wii U can't run at 1080p. Even if they can't use Unreal Engine 4 yet, they could use Unreal Engine 3 with more AI, larger levels, and more complex gameplay, things that should actually matter.

 

Plans are a Basic Unit with 160 gigs and just the system with controller at $350-$399...

 

Do they even do 160gb drives now? If they do I don't see them still manufacturing them in a few years time.

 

Direct hardware Backwards Compatibility will be available by a $70 – $99 dongle that is plugged into the Omni that contains a PS3 on a chip with Cell to run games.

 

How is that remotely plausible?

 

Microsoft is the most vague out of all of them. It’s slated to be the most powerful out of all the next gen consoles about 4 to 6 times more powerful than Wii U and 2 to 3 times more powerful than Playstation Omni.

 

How is that at all meaningful?

[Nepenthe]

That actually sounds pretty good. I'd dingle the dongle. Or something like that.

[Mamoulian War]

Direct hardware Backwards Compatibility will be available by a $70 – $99 dongle that is plugged into the Omni that contains a PS3 on a chip with Cell to run games.

 

How is that remotely plausible?

 

 

IIRC When PS3 launched the PS2 price went down under 149USD for a console, later going down to 99USD.

 

(correct me if I am wrong)

 

So if it will be just a dongle with Cell, it might be plausible for the price of 99USD

 

I just wish SONY would make something like that for PS2 compatibility on PS3 long time ago...

[Nepenthe]

Direct hardware Backwards Compatibility will be available by a $70 – $99 dongle that is plugged into the Omni that contains a PS3 on a chip with Cell to run games.

 

How is that remotely plausible?

 

 

IIRC When PS3 launched the PS2 price went down under 149USD for a console, later going down to 99USD.

 

(correct me if I am wrong)

 

So if it will be just a dongle with Cell, it might be plausible for the price of 99USD

 

I just wish SONY would make something like that for PS2 compatibility on PS3 long time ago...

I'm pretty sure you could do something like that with Thunderbolt fairly easily. Would be a good call, IMO, but console manufacturers make calls I think are good even more rarely than the big game publishers do...

[Mamoulian War]

Thunderbolt?

[AwesomeOcelot]

Direct hardware Backwards Compatibility will be available by a $70 – $99 dongle that is plugged into the Omni that contains a PS3 on a chip with Cell to run games.

 

How is that remotely plausible?

 

IIRC When PS3 launched the PS2 price went down under 149USD for a console, later going down to 99USD.

 

(correct me if I am wrong)

 

So if it will be just a dongle with Cell, it might be plausible for the price of 99USD

 

I just wish SONY would make something like that for PS2 compatibility on PS3 long time ago...

 

It costs to miniaturize the hardware so you can't compare it to a fullsize console, the price isn't the most unusual claim. Just fitting the Cell, GPU, RAM into a dongle and making it work doesn't seem plausible, the power would be a concern. The Cell processor is dead as far as I can tell, years ago, the only reason it's still in production is the PS3. The Cell I don't think has gotten any smaller but the PS3 has, and a super slim version will be out this year, but it's much bigger than a dongle. Also how is it going to connect to a PS4, something like Thunderbolt? That invites hacking, and that would be a major reversal for Sony, also Thunderbot in no way would be able to carry the type of bandwidth Cell uses.

Edited November 30, 2012 by AwesomeOcelot

[Morgoth]

It costs to miniaturize the hardware so you can't compare it to a fullsize console, the price isn't the most unusual claim. Just fitting the Cell, GPU, RAM into a dongle and making it work doesn't seem plausible, the power would be a concern. The Cell processor is dead as far as I can tell, years ago, the only reason it's still in production is the PS3. The Cell I don't think has gotten any smaller but the PS3 has, and a super slim version will be out this year, but it's much bigger than a dongle. Also how is it going to connect to a PS4, something like Thunderbolt? That invites hacking, and that would be a major reversal for Sony, also Thunderbot in no way would be able to carry the type of bandwidth Cell uses.

 

It's technically perfectly feasible. They just need to put the Cell and RSX into a MCM or even better a single die with a proper die shrink (I think the PS3 Super Slim right now already uses 32nm lithography processes, which is very small). Blu-Ray drive, HDD, RAM etc. can be used with the PS4 hardware. I'd say if those rumors are true and Sony beats MS in terms of release date and offers PS3 hardware backward compatibility, then they already have a huge advantage.

 

The NextBox sounds like it's gonna be an incredibly expensive piece of hardware anyway, if they truly want to add Kinect 2.0, as we all know is quite pricey.

Edited November 30, 2012 by Morgoth