Thoughts on innovation during the next console generation

[Menegrothx]

Quite many gamers agree that the 1990s was the golden age of video games, both computer and console. Technology was getting better but the gaming industry was a lot smaller, so there was more room for innovation, risk taking, smaller game studios and so on. There were ”alternative” consoles like Neo Geo, Jaguar, 3DO, CD-i and Turbografx-16/PC Engine alongside ”The Big 2/3” (Nintendo, Sega and later on Sony) that were still somewhat viable. Some even had great potential.

Ever since the Dreamcast died in the early 2000s, there have only been 3 viable current gen consoles by the same 3 corporations for 2 consecutive console generations now. Nintendo is the only ”real” game company left, competing against Sony and Microsoft. By the looks of it, thats the way it will be during the next generation too, which should end around 2020 or so. To make matters worse, PC gaming is dying. During recent years there have been some new non-Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft consoles getting released, but they have all been either dedicated consoles for cashing in on old retro games or platforms meant purely for emulators.

None of us can accurately predict the future, but what do you think? Will the status quo remain the same for the next decade with no new console manufacturers trying to enter the market?
Is it just natural selection that there are less game systems to choose from these days, or do you think that the future of console games is becoming a bit more bleak as a result of 3 companies achieving permanent status quo?
I think some new competition is needed, its healthy for the market. We need more exclusives. Xbox 360, PS3 and even PC share mostly the same games while Nintendo mostly makes rehashes of their old franchises (albeit they are at times very innovative and brave) .
I do not think that Nintendo can ride on that nostalgia gimmick forever. After that it would be just one of the biggest manufacturers of consumer electronics and well, Microsoft.

Video game industry is still quite young, about 35 years old, from the late 1970s (not counting pong, first model of Magnavox etc) to this day. A quite considerable amount of that has been under the current rule of Sony, MS and Nintendo. From 2001 (Neo Geo Pocket Color and Dreamcast discontinued in the West) to this day, almost 33% of its ”lifespan” so far. The 80s were the child/experiementing years when there was no proper foundation, 91-2001 were the creative and edgy adolescence/early adulthood rebeling years (controversy probably peaked for the second time at around 03/04 with Manhunt and GTA VC/SA?) and now the game industry has finally settled down?

I think that the problem is that gaming has become too big as an industry. Theres too much money and financial risk involved. Smaller companies cant start manufacturing hardware against giants like Microsoft and Sony and game developers are too scared to make anything radical. Youll get a mediocre game that wont dissapoint nor amaze you. I think that the overall quality of games has risen (truly awful games dont get released and officially sold anymore these days) and that you will get atleast in theory more for your moneys worth, but having a good and well told storyline or fun gameplay isnt enough anymore. Of course there are some exceptions like Alan Wake and many wii games, but you generally need to have achievements and/or online play. Even games like Bioshock 2, Dead Space 2 and Uncharted 2 have online game. And conversely games like Colladoody Modern Warfare have single player campaigns.

There have been games like Portal and some indy games that have got their fair share of the spotlight and some times even a physical release during the recent years, but those games arent really meant to compete with ”proper” games anymore. Portal 2 totally lacked the athmosphere that made the first game so great, it wasnt really innovative and it was really short so I think in this case it didnt deserve to have the full price tag, not that all those generic shooter games that are flooding the market right now deserve it.

So do you guys think that as a consequence of what we are seeing now happening in the video game industry, and the fact that there most likely wont be a challenger for ”The Big 3” during the next generation, the same thing will happen to video games that happened to movies? Sequel after sequel (bad sequels that try to be exactly like the first game with out even trying to incorporate new elements to the gameplay to be exact) , cashing on nostalgia, bad remakes, pointless re-releases and so on. A whole industry dried up of new ideas.
Although I have to admit that Rayman Origins, Donkey Kong Country Returns and Sonic Generations are one of my favorite games of this generation.

[Xeogred]

To me it's just going to get worse and more over-saturated. I don't see the next generation being a great one.

I'll always be a gamer and keep up with the current stuff, but I haven't been happy at all with how many trends have popped up this generation, from "sequel fatigue" (going off our thread name for that), to DLC nickel and diming, the dying single player experience, Japanese developers really falling behind, etc, it goes on. I was never this grumpy during the PS2/GC/Xbox era, even if it wasn't up to par with the N64/PSX to me.

I definitely can't see the next generation being that radical or anymore genuine than the current one. If there's any "innovations" to come, the 3DS and motion gaming are testaments that it'll just more than likely be more junky gimmicks.

The next line of consoles will also more than likely just be semi-PC's / social media hubs. This all might be convenient for some, but I'll miss the simplicity of slapping in a disc and getting into my game instantly. When an ad for the new Adam Sandler movie is on the front page of the 360 dashboard, you know things aren't heading in the right direction.

[Erik_Twice]

I don't see any lack of ideas, I see lack of willingness of the big publishers to take risks leading to blockbusters and sequels. But we are already crossing that era, the number of Indie developers is ever growing, many niches are becoming firmly rooted and designers are getting a growing respect in the industry.

To make matters worse, PC gaming is dying.

No. Just no. And if anything, it's growing pretty fast.

I do not think that Nintendo can ride on that nostalgia gimmick forever.

I don't think Nintendo has ever relied on nostalgic gimmicks, rather, they have relied on games with very good realization and wide appeal to cement their position in the market. I don't think they were particularly innovative other than in technical regards.

There have been games like Portal and some indy games that have got their fair share of the spotlight and some times even a physical release during the recent years, but those games arent really meant to compete with ”proper” games anymore.

They are not meant to compete with blockbusters because they aren't one. The mentality, marketing and appeal is completely different from that of blockbusters so they compete on different levels in the same vein that a good Chinese restaurant doesn't compete with McDonalds.

[Nemoide]

I'm going to say No/No. I don't think the current landscape is particularly vapid. Heck, there's a spiritual successor to Panzer Dragoon, Crimson Dragon on the way. And Child of Eden just came out last summer. Those are two games that, if not the most innovative things ever, are pretty ballsy creative moves - especially since they both use motion-controls to distinguish themselves from predecessors.

I do think that the next generation of consoles is going to be a bit less then stellar. I expect more RAM and higher-density optical discs than DVDs. But I think the current technological level is so advanced that even with better hardware, things on the whole won't be that different.

Gaming is a lot bigger than it was 20 years ago. As such, it might be more work to find the standout titles that appeal to "hardcore" gamers, but they're still out there IMO.

[Damm64]

Well i don't have any of the current consoles, but the media is ALLWAYS talking about the next call of duty, or final fantasy or those new games that have a "sequel" each year, i don't find those games appeling to me. But games like brutal legend, or bayonnetta, rayman origins and splatterhouse look pretty good, there's still a bunch of good games on the systems. I will put my hopes on nintendo if they take out that move the wii mote to make the character jump, wich was THE reason why i don't have a wii yet. I wanna play DKC Returns with a controller!

I find the WiiU controller innovative but i thing it will be more expensive than the console itself.

There's still hope in the game industry, you just have to ignore the suck money companies like i don't know CAPCOM!

[Menegrothx]

The next line of consoles will also more than likely just be semi-PC's / social media hubs. This all might be convenient for some, but I'll miss the simplicity of slapping in a disc and getting into my game instantly. When an ad for the new Adam Sandler movie is on the front page of the 360 dashboard, you know things aren't heading in the right direction.

My thoughts exactly.
Although I would apperciate it if you could mod console games like PC games, but I doubt we will see that happening any time soon.

There was such a great diversity of games on the Playstation and Dreamcast. Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Kula World, N2O, Silent Hill, Sonic Adventure, Typing of the Dead, Rez, Abes Odyssee&Exoddus and Heart of Darkness, Ape Escape, LSD (Japan only though) Crash Bandicoot games, FF7, Pandemonium and Klonoa and so on and so on. Maybe some might say its a bad thing, but I like how games like Kula World and N2O could share the shelf space with massive AAA titles like FF7, Metal Gear Solid and Grandia.

They are not meant to compete with blockbusters because they aren't one. The mentality, marketing and appeal is completely different from that of blockbusters so they compete on different levels

I dont think that quirky/unique/innovative titles like that should be pushed aside and sold as downloadable arcade titles just because they dont have as much content as sandbox and online games.

Oh and not to mention PC games from that era, Deus Ex, Baldur's Gate, Half Life, System Shock 2... although I personally miss point and click adventures the most

I don't see any lack of ideas, I see lack of willingness of the big publishers to take risks leading to blockbusters and sequels

Exactly, too much financial risk involved so they will settle for pleasant but unsurprising titles.

I don't think Nintendo has ever relied on nostalgic gimmicks

With out motion control gimmick games that appeal to people who wouldnt normally play video games and big name Nintendo franchises that loyal fans will buy out of obligation, where do you think the Nintendo Wii would stand right now? Yes there are great exclusives and every now and then some actual innovation like Super Mario Galaxy, but they can get away with outdated games and lazyness simply because they have built such a strong foundation for many of their characters so early on.

II don't think they were particularly innovative other than in technical regards.

Well yes, but its great that they are willing to do technological experiments with stuff like Virtual Boy, Nintendo 64 controller, DSi/3DS, Wii etc.

No. Just no. And if anything, it's growing pretty fast.

Game producers are unwilling to develop for the PC these days. Sure the games that get released on Xbox 360 and PS3 will get released on PC through Steam, but Im talking exclusives here. There have even been rumors that Valve is now building a PC/console hybrid.
I mean what has PC got besides MMORPGs (WoW, Korean grindfests and all the new WoW killers that end up dying a few months after they have been released as all the people who play it restart WoW again) and RTS games nowadays? Consoles ”stole” the FPS genre from the PC somehow with out even having mouse cursors, so its only a matter of time before next generation PC/console hybrid that comes equipped with a keyboard becomes the main platform for the remaining PC genres like strategy games, MMORPGs and other games that require a keyboard and a mouse.

[BoneSnapDeez]

To me it's just going to get worse and more over-saturated. I don't see the next generation being a great one.

I'll always be a gamer and keep up with the current stuff, but I haven't been happy at all with how many trends have popped up this generation, from "sequel fatigue" (going off our thread name for that), to DLC nickel and diming, the dying single player experience, Japanese developers really falling behind, etc, it goes on. I was never this grumpy during the PS2/GC/Xbox era, even if it wasn't up to par with the N64/PSX to me.

I definitely can't see the next generation being that radical or anymore genuine than the current one. If there's any "innovations" to come, the 3DS and motion gaming are testaments that it'll just more than likely be more junky gimmicks.

The next line of consoles will also more than likely just be semi-PC's / social media hubs. This all might be convenient for some, but I'll miss the simplicity of slapping in a disc and getting into my game instantly. When an ad for the new Adam Sandler movie is on the front page of the 360 dashboard, you know things aren't heading in the right direction.

I basically agree with this.

And speaking as a retro gamer, I believe the best games of the 8th generation will be on the Vita/3DS, just as the best games of the 7th generation were on the DS/PSP. Technical limitations force handheld developers to keep things "old school", at least a generation or two behind, and I hope to see the 3DS and Vita become hubs for Xseed/Atlus games just as the DS and PSP were.

As for the Xbox 720, PS4, and Wii U... I expect more DRM, DLC, American Hollywood games, etc. No thanks.

[dsheinem]

no/no

Just because this is a retro gaming forum doesn't mean we have to pretend that nostalgia and hypotheticals substitute for an argument. Times change and so do games and the games industry. To try and compare one time in gaming history as qualitatively "better than" another is pretty much ridiculous, and personifying the industry as a growing human (from child-adolescent-young adult) is also inane.

[AmishSamurai]

no/no

Just because this is a retro gaming forum doesn't mean we have to pretend that nostalgia and hypotheticals substitute for an argument. Times change and so do games and the games industry. To try and compare one time in gaming history as qualitatively "better than" another is pretty much ridiculous, and personifying the industry as a growing human (from child-adolescent-young adult) is also inane.

QFT

[BoneSnapDeez]

no/no

Just because this is a retro gaming forum doesn't mean we have to pretend that nostalgia and hypotheticals substitute for an argument. Times change and so do games and the games industry. To try and compare one time in gaming history as qualitatively "better than" another is pretty much ridiculous, and personifying the industry as a growing human (from child-adolescent-young adult) is also inane.

See, I don't get this attitude. The nature of video games has changed significantly over the past few decades. Many of us believe that the games of the 1990s (or later 80s or whatever) were vastly superior to those being released today. When I say that the SNES is superior to the Xbox 360, it has nothing to do with "nostalgia" and everything to do with the fact that the hardware was much more durable and the software library much more exciting.