Editorial (external): Nintendo’s Roaring Nine

[misterd]

Sqrl said:

misterd said:

@sqrl

MS and Sony: Right now they are going to be expected to push the envelope as usual on graphics, maybe not to the extent they did this generation but they will be expected to push it nevertheless. While they spend literally hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars to push their graphics they also have to then be concerned about motion controls. But their motion controls will be lacking a generations worth of thorough trial/error. Sony has the SIXAXIS of course and that will give them a leg up on MS but its not the same as the Wii where almost every developer is giving serious time and consideration to the motion controls.

Do you really think, if things stay as they are, anyone will be expecting them to push the envelope on graphics? I suspect even most developers would say at this point pushing the envelope gains far less than it did with earlier consoles. I think the design teams at Sony and MS are going to be seriously challenged when it comes to the next gen, because they will have to find some way of both copying and topping what Nintendo has done (given that MS's response to the Wii resulted in SceneIt! 360 I think it fair to say they have a LOT of work ahead of them), while still pushing for that unified home entertainment system that has justified the investment (and loss) of billions.

 

 

 You could make an argument that the industry players aren't expecting a big boost, but I am pretty sure after the boost from the PS2/Xbox to the PS3/360 a lot of consumers will be expecting another graphical boost. 

I think you hit on something important actually, with the graphical increases at the core of their strategy the last two generations I think you are correct when you say "Sony and MS are going to be seriously challenged when it comes to the next gen".  If they decide to not go for a large graphical boost they are going to have to find a reason to justify to their user base why they should be upgrading to the new console.

The result is they would then have to venture into untested waters. So more than likely even if they do come up with interesting new ideas they are still going to be risky ventures just like the Wii was.  They will need to prove the technology and the idea and there is no gauruntee of success.

So in a lot of ways I agree with what you said, and I think it supports my points quite well. 

If you're talking a minor push (on the scale of Wii over GCN or maybe a little more) then I think we agree.

But if you're talking another exponential graphical leap (as we've seen in all past generations), then we don't. I do think if either company does go in this direction they would have a hard time justifying it based on the Wii's success and the needless cost it would impose on the console and consumer. I think themain lesson they should learn is that people want it better AND cheaper, not "better at any cost."