Next Gen Xbox - Your Thoughts?

[gtmtnbiker]

Does the 360 Slim use lead solder? They finally fixed their shit?

I don't think any of the consoles use leaded solder due to ROHS restrictions. They probably reduced the heat output or improved the cooling. They may have also improved for the formula for lead-free solder.

Lead-free solder is here to stay. It's not to prevent toddlers who eat computer chips but rather to avoid polluting our air/water supplies when the electronics eventually get disposed.

[Dakinggamer87]

I am not really sure where the next generation console is going. As for graphics, PS3/360 graphics still look amazing even though I can see how it can be improved, I dont think I will switch on the PS4 and go "OH WOW!!! LOOK AT THOSE GRAPHICS" I just dont think that jump is here. I could be wrong.

other than graphics I dunno what else. Look at what we have already:
-Storage: 100's of Giggs
-Online gameplay
-downloadable and streaming movies,shows,sport events
-25/50GB disc capacity on bluray(adding bluray to next xbox wont be amazing like ps2 dvd)
-DLC, XBL, indie games xbox originals
-Motion controls

I dunno, I guess we have everything we want right now. I really dont know whats coming next.

I'm satisfied with the current-gen systems. The games look amazing and keep getting better!! I have all the features I'm looking for: gaming, music, movies, etc..

I expect better hardware specs and more integrated social network apps but aside from that I'm not sure what to expect..

[alienjesus]

Whilst I agree Nintendo's consoles tend to be really reliable compared toother consoles, I've still had a gamecube stop reading discs, my wii's needed a lens cleaning and my DS hinge broke. It's certainly not as bad as Sony though. I own 2 PS1's and 2 PS2's and only one of them works. The supposedly more reliable slim PS2 doesnt read discs even after I swap the lasers and both PS1s have trouble with the same issue.

My girlfriend went through 5 2nd hand 20 GB XBox 360s in 3 weeks (thats a lot of numbers in one sentence 0_0) before the shop she bought it from gave up and gave her a new 60GB model for the same price. They'd run out of second hand xboxes that hadn't red ringed.

I guess the risk with old consoles is that you're gonna encounter a fair few ones you'll need to fix. I have a model 1 mega drive that doesnt work atm, need to figure that one out too. And damn that game gear and it's lack of audio


As for the actual topic, I'm gong to be honest and say that I'm really not fussed unless microsoft pull out something totally unexpected a la Nintendo. It's not that I wouldn't want to play it sometime, but it'd be years after launch (I normally only go Ninty for current gen then catch up later for the other systems) and if it's not exceptionally different then I don't see the need to get excited. The graphics can't improve much further without studios being made up of 99% artists, and even if they did I doubt I'd notice much change once I was involved in a game.

[RCBH928]

i think for the first time, next gen consoles hardware wont be the important thing or reason to upgrade. I think we got to a place where hardware is very capable.

I think next gen. consoles should be based on great game design and new IPs instead of bigger better graphics.

Maybe hardware can be improved on 3D(which I know no one wants to use) or integrating camera or motion controls but that is it for hardware

[RyaNtheSlayA]

i think for the first time, next gen consoles hardware wont be the important thing or reason to upgrade. I think we got to a place where hardware is very capable.

I think next gen. consoles should be based on great game design and new IPs instead of bigger better graphics.

Maybe hardware can be improved on 3D(which I know no one wants to use) or integrating camera or motion controls but that is it for hardware

While I wouldn't use 3D in most things, playing racing "simulators" (GT5 etc) in 3D is about 200 times better than without. Depth perception is key in braking late and taking a corner perfectly.

Beyond that, graphics will still have a pretty massive jump with the new generation. People say it can't really get much better but it can. I went over to a friends on Sunday and he showed me Battlefield 3 at 1080p, highest settings, and 8x AA.

Trust me, the jump is pretty large. I'd say Xbox-Xbox 360 level of jump in graphics.

[alienjesus]

i think for the first time, next gen consoles hardware wont be the important thing or reason to upgrade. I think we got to a place where hardware is very capable.

I think next gen. consoles should be based on great game design and new IPs instead of bigger better graphics.

Maybe hardware can be improved on 3D(which I know no one wants to use) or integrating camera or motion controls but that is it for hardware

While I wouldn't use 3D in most things, playing racing "simulators" (GT5 etc) in 3D is about 200 times better than without. Depth perception is key in braking late and taking a corner perfectly.

Beyond that, graphics will still have a pretty massive jump with the new generation. People say it can't really get much better but it can. I went over to a friends on Sunday and he showed me Battlefield 3 at 1080p, highest settings, and 8x AA.

Trust me, the jump is pretty large.

For me though, it's not so much about whether graphics can be improved, it's about whether it's feasible in terms of costs to achieve much higher than we have now. It's hard enough for games to break even as is, without all the extra modelling, texturing etc that would need to be done to improve graphics further.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

i think for the first time, next gen consoles hardware wont be the important thing or reason to upgrade. I think we got to a place where hardware is very capable.

I think next gen. consoles should be based on great game design and new IPs instead of bigger better graphics.

Maybe hardware can be improved on 3D(which I know no one wants to use) or integrating camera or motion controls but that is it for hardware

While I wouldn't use 3D in most things, playing racing "simulators" (GT5 etc) in 3D is about 200 times better than without. Depth perception is key in braking late and taking a corner perfectly.

Beyond that, graphics will still have a pretty massive jump with the new generation. People say it can't really get much better but it can. I went over to a friends on Sunday and he showed me Battlefield 3 at 1080p, highest settings, and 8x AA.

Trust me, the jump is pretty large.

For me though, it's not so much about whether graphics can be improved, it's about whether it's feasible in terms of costs to achieve much higher than we have now. It's hard enough for games to break even as is, without all the extra modelling, texturing etc that would need to be done to improve graphics further.

That's in part why standard graphics engines have become popular, it significantly reduces the costs which can then go to actual art design. I think Battlefield 3 is about as good as games will get cost effectively (in the future).

Besides, proper animation, lighting, and effects work much further towards realism than textures do now. Proper shadows and HDR go a long way in making a scene more real than a game with megaultrasupertextures. Especially since you're not likely to notice texture flaws that are away from the player and while the game is in motion.

[RCBH928]

I must say i am very interested to see how the next gen. will be like.
For the first time we dont know what to expect.
It was always better graphics, and current generation was online gameplay.
now we dont know whats coming

[Droid party]

I went over to a friends on Sunday and he showed me Battlefield 3 at 1080p, highest settings, and 8x AA.

Trust me, the jump is pretty large. I'd say Xbox-Xbox 360 level of jump in graphics.

What sort of system were you running it on to achieve that? I'm in the market for a new video card and bf3 is a game I'm very interested on running once I get it.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I went over to a friends on Sunday and he showed me Battlefield 3 at 1080p, highest settings, and 8x AA.

Trust me, the jump is pretty large. I'd say Xbox-Xbox 360 level of jump in graphics.

What sort of system were you running it on to achieve that? I'm in the market for a new video card and bf3 is a game I'm very interested on running once I get it.

I'm not running it on anything. I have currently a netbook (getting a decent desktop in a few weeks). He, IIRC, was running it on an i5 with two GTX 570s (may have been 580s). I only got to look at it for about 15 minutes before we went bowling.