I was thinking.. do we really need a next gen?

You run across the old "Nextbox/PS4/Wii2 in 2014" once in a while etc. But will we see a next gen? And do we really need one? We got hardware that manages graphic beasts such as GOW3 & Uncharted 2, and sometime this gen will even see Crysis 2 on our consoles. Also..  Microsoft is soon releasing what they believe is the next step in gaming, Natal. Sony already got the Blu Ray and 3D going, and the Wii is still doing wonders with its innovative motion controller setup. Microsoft and Sony got their online feature constantly updated and with a huge community and good business models. Sony seem to be bringing us a PSN Premium at some point too.. and so on.

Hardware-wise i feel we dont really need that much more. And i dont think any company, besides maybe Nintendo, needs a hardware upgrade to justify a new console launch (just to be able to get the same 3rd party support and limit the "Wii edition" games). Atleast not in the same magnitude as the jump from last gen to this gen. Dont you think these small hardware upgrades to the SKU's we have today is just fine? And in the future we might see some re-designs, graphics card upgrades, new harddrive sizes etc. But do we really need a "next gen", a new console launch?! And if you feel that you need it.. do we really need it before 2015?

Do you think that all current consoles will be outdated and "useless" in comparison to hardware possibilities we might have in 5 years time? And to such a degree that we have to have a brand new next gen console?

Its not just about hardware it reenergises the industry and gives the console makers a chance to pull ahead of the competition.

As for the hardware not needing to be expanded well the PS3 may be able to huff and puff for the first few rounds of nex gen but imagine if it went up against an Xbox with

250 GB user replaceable HDD as standard
Out of the box Natal and controllers
Full 3D support
HD media (Blu Ray or proprietary)
Quad Core Processor coupled to 4GB DDR RAM
Dual ATI Evergreen GPU to ensure 100 percent 360 backwards compatibility and 1080p 3d Games at 30+ fps
A decent cooling solution coupled with exhaustive testing


Now that would shake up the industry !

First of all, Nintendo is going to need a next gen soon simply because they're going to lose their 'unique' appeal soon. They have the advantage in marketshare, but everyone is moving in to try and take a huge chunk of the 'casual' market. From Sony and Microsoft to Apple and even smaller companies. Nintendo has to come out with a new console with a fresh idea just to reclaim the market.

As for the other companies, they have an even bigger problem. Most of them envisioned their systems lasting 10+ years and their 'piece of the pie' being much bigger than today. So they either need to quickly pull together a new system or hope everything stays exactly as it is today and no one else (such as Nintendo) comes out with something 'new' to rock the boat.

Basically, this gen is starting to level out and not much is going to move forward hardware-wise. The only thing we're going to see is major software sales for games like Halo: Reach or Mario Galaxy 2 or etc. Something is going to have to happen to make either the existing consoles more popular...or a new console is going to be announced.

In like 3-4 more years then sure. In the next few years? Hell no.

In all honesty I don't see the need for a new generation at least for another 4 years, because if you think about it 360 and PS3 are nowhere near to reaching their full potential and even the Wii (which has seen some nice improvements in graphics quality).

are you crazy? of course we need a next gen. There's always more they could do with the hardware.

that seems conservative when do you expect it to be released this year? 

by 2012 or late 2011

we could have at least

250-500GB HDD for the two base SKUs

quad layer Bluray or derivative

at least a hexacore CPU at, at least 3GHz

4GB of GDDR5 128bit bus maybe higher/more memory 6-8GB 256bit by late 2012 lol

single high end GPU of at least the HD 6000 series will outperform a 5870 at least

should get 1080p 60fps 3D 4-8X AA with textures better than Alan wake and much higher geometry thanks in part to next gen tessellation etc

more likely IMO

im still pulling for 2020! i don't think we will need a new console from the big three for 15yr's since the start of this gen.

Yes we do, relying simply on software will only take you so far, it is absolutely crucial for development that one pushes the hardware limits every now and then as well.
Should we also stop striving for more efficient car engines while we're at it? Or stop developing computer technology as a whole?
It won't stop, it never does and I'm glad.

I agree with this post I do. lol