This generation's been going on so long

[BoringSupreez]

It's been going on so long that the games that came out the first two years of it ('05, '06) feel old and behind the times, almost as if they're part of a previous generation. Take Call of Duty 2, for example. It came out seven years ago. It was part of the old trend where all big FPS games had to be set in WWII vs the Germans. Or Quake 4, which ran on the Doom 3 engine and is now impossible to find in retail stores anymore (at least on PC). And remember the days when we expected at least one high-quality Tom Clancy game every year? Xbox 360 remembers.

I know "hardcore" game-savy teens now who were just dumb kids who'd play anything when this gen started. I'm not complaining about the length, but I never had the slightest inkling how long the 360 would be with us back in 2005, especially since the oXbox only went four years. Is this just a fluke? Is this how things will be from now on? Can I expect an equal and opposite situation next gen?

[BoringSupreez]

For a visual example, here's how graphics looked on the outset of this gen vs today.

2005:

Call of Duty 2

Quake 4

2011:

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

Rage

I'd have used screenshots from 2012 instead of 2011 but there haven't been any FPS games released this year that I'm aware of (yet).

[isiolia]

I think it'll become more the norm, going forward.

The trend, outside of Nintendo at least (for the most part), has become even more one of losing money on hardware to recoup in other way. Developing a modern console isn't cheap, nor is building one, but the longer they can milk the hardware the more of a return on that investment they'll see. Sales have declined, but they're still far from terrible, so the business model is likely working.

Another angle to it is that the platforms have been reinvented a fair bit during their run. The 360's dashboard has evolved a lot, and has grown to accomodate more entertainment features than it initially had. XBLA was expanded from the original concept (far as I can tell - remember, they originally had a max app size too, until they decided to scrap it for SoTN). On top of that, the whole Kinect angle, which did sell fairly well.

PSN was expanded too, and Move and 3D were other big pushes.

Plus, the 360 and PS3 were (semi) forward-thinking with regard to HDTV. There's been a huge shift to that over the life of those systems, including the death of non-digital broadcasting in the US. For those upgrading, the games may have gotten revitalized (or become playable in some cases).

Nintendo, not as much, but that's why the Wii U is impending and the others have yet to even show next-gen hardware.

[Pulsar_t]

I'd say the rendering technologies of the mid noughties have held up well enough. Battlefield 3 looks good on consoles, good enough is what it is. Advancements in AI and physics have slowed down to a crawl as well.. but game development has taken a cue from Hollywood and you seldom see anything creative that is being bought by the mainstream in quantities that prompts the largest publishers to invest in innovation.

The law of diminishing returns applies to consoles as well, but I'm more worried about the shift to free-to-play and gimped gaming experiences.

[Retrogamer0001]

Personally, I don't see the hurry for pushing the current gen out the door - we're only just now seeing some of the graphical possibilities that the 360 and PS3 are capable of. I'm honestly not sure what else people want out of a new machine - the new games for all the major franchises look great, as far as I'm concerned, they are only lacking somewhat in the gameplay department (which is not a graphical flaw, but a design flaw). Besides all that, look at the PS2! Games are STILL being made for the PS2. I say the best if yet to come for the current generation, and I don't mind waiting a few years for the next one.

[BoringSupreez]

Personally, I don't see the hurry for pushing the current gen out the door - we're only just now seeing some of the graphical possibilities that the 360 and PS3 are capable of. I'm honestly not sure what else people want out of a new machine - the new games for all the major franchises look great, as far as I'm concerned, they are only lacking somewhat in the gameplay department (which is not a graphical flaw, but a design flaw). Besides all that, look at the PS2! Games are STILL being made for the PS2. I say the best if yet to come for the current generation, and I don't mind waiting a few years for the next one.

Actually, the only thing left coming out for the PS2 is a reprint of Psychonauts.

Edit: It's not a reprint, it's being released on PSN. My bad. The PS2 is completely done in North America.

[Gunstar Green]

We're at a sort of "where do we go from here?" point. The next generation's upgrades aren't going to be too stunning a difference and gaming itself has become split between high budget graphical bonanzas and cheaper, less demanding titles.

Upgrading just doesn't seem like a big priority when the current generation of consoles does things well enough. We also have a situation where nobody is really certain what direction gaming is going to take in the near future.

[Retrogamer0001]

Personally, I don't see the hurry for pushing the current gen out the door - we're only just now seeing some of the graphical possibilities that the 360 and PS3 are capable of. I'm honestly not sure what else people want out of a new machine - the new games for all the major franchises look great, as far as I'm concerned, they are only lacking somewhat in the gameplay department (which is not a graphical flaw, but a design flaw). Besides all that, look at the PS2! Games are STILL being made for the PS2. I say the best if yet to come for the current generation, and I don't mind waiting a few years for the next one.

Actually, the only thing left coming out for the PS2 is a reprint of Psychonauts.

Edit: It's not a reprint, it's being released on PSN. My bad. The PS2 is completely done in North America.

"As of 2012, over 12 years after its initial release, new games continue to be developed and sold. The latest game is MLB 2K12, released in March 2012 in North America only;[10] FIFA 13 and PES 2013 are also due to be released for the system in September 2012."

That's per Wikipedia. So, 12 years after the PS2 was released, games are still being made. We've had this generation for what, 7 years? I don't think it's a stretch to get a couple more out of it.

[marlowe221]

We're at a sort of "where do we go from here?" point. The next generation's upgrades aren't going to be too stunning a difference and gaming itself has become split between high budget graphical bonanzas and cheaper, less demanding titles.

Upgrading just doesn't seem like a big priority when the current generation of consoles does things well enough. We also have a situation where nobody is really certain what direction gaming is going to take in the near future.

I 100% agree.

Could new hardware make graphics better than they are now? I'm sure it could - but so what? If all we get is slightly shinier CoD/Battlefield/etc, I'll pass

[isiolia]

That's per Wikipedia. So, 12 years after the PS2 was released, games are still being made. We've had this generation for what, 7 years? I don't think it's a stretch to get a couple more out of it.

The PS2 was only the flagship console for Sony for half of that time. 2000-2006. More than likely, we still would get a bit more time out of the current consoles, they'd just be positioned as budget products and not the top of the line.