The Next Console War Is At Hand

[BP2K2Max]

according to the march issue of Electronic gaming monthly, the nest console war is upon us. they provide little tid-bits of info about the next upcoming systems from nintendo, Sony and Microsoft.

Sony:
system code names: Next generation playstation, PS3
Expected Debut: March 2005, will be shown at a premier event at the end of this month
Expected Launch: Late '06
Technology parternships:IBM and Toshiba for the processor and Nvidia for the graphics.
Rumored release Titles:Gran Turismo 5 and Final Fantasy XIII
Misc: Will most likey have online capabilites out of the box, will be backward compatible(meaning it will play ps1&2 games). the system will use blue-ray discs able to hold 6 times the amount of data as a PS2 disc.

Microsoft:
Code names:Xenon, Xbox 2, Xbox Next, Next box
Expected debut: March-May 2005. is supposed to debut at the Game Develpoers Conference in march or at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in May
Expected Launch:Late '05(kinda soon)
Technology partnerships:IBM(cpu) ATI(graphics)
Definitely will be online ready
Rumored Games:Halo3, Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo:elements of power, Dark Sector, and The Elder Scrolls:Oblivion
Misc: Microsoft will release multiple variations of their new x box(with hard drive/ no hard drive, with network adapter or without, etc.
They are still unsure if it will play old xbox games since the regular xbox uses an nvidia Graphics card while the new one will be using ATi hardware.

Nintendo:
Code name: Revolution
Expected Debut: May 05
Expected launch:Late 2006
Technology partnerships:IBM and ATI, same as with the current GC
Online ready: NO!, president Satoru Iwata seems to believe that the average person does not want online games, which is why nintendo will always be 2nd or 3rd best.
Rumored Games: new installments of classic nintendo games like Zelda, Mario and Metroid
Misc: will not have a hard drive, and will not be backwards compatible with GC games, and this is supposed to be the first nintendo system not to sport the traditional "A" and "B" buttons.

[Shaguar47]

I think sony may have the lead in this competition since xbox came out after the ps2 and pretty much now is showing it's strength in the graphics department since the ps2 graphics are becoming a little old. But having the xbox come out before the ps3, that just gives sony more time to see how well the xbox does and make the ps3 compete better.

The other thing that makes me more ps3 bios is the fact that sony, nvidia and IBM are trying to make a processor like no other. The "Cell" processor seems far fetched, but I do think they can pull it off and if they do, it will be worth it.

I have no comment on Nintendo.

[SniperX13]

nintendo needs to wake up, and stop the mainstream console systems, and stick to what sell swith them, and thats the portable systems. they have been out of touch with what gamers like since they built the damn N64.

[Mustang-man]

Nintendo seem to be away in a dream. Xbox's hard drive? Bloody brilliant idea. PS2 & Xbox online capable - again a really good idea.

They are also selling quite well too (well okay, PS2 is way ahead in world sales with about 74 million compared to Xbox's 15 million or so).

Yet 'tendo don't seem to notice their popularity?

Yeah...

[BP2K2Max]

i think nintendo will be the next Sega if(more like when) this system flops like GC did. it sucks that the company that was best at producing home video game systems is gonna fizzle out and die.

[xlxviciousxlx]

The funny thing about nintendo is theve lost all the company that make their good games. all thats left for nintendos game market is NINTENDO its self and capcom which is just making games that were already made for the PS1........

Look, Nintendo used to be my favorite company i would do anything to keep people from dissing on them.....but their biggest lost was Rare. When they lost that to Microsoft, that just foretold (every one i know agrees to this) that Nintendo will fall as a platform gamer system, a for their hand helds.....its kinda like a kidney shot, may not do any thing, may hurt for a wile. you never know. but as far as i know Nintendo it dead as a platform system company..... the least they could do is be like sega but at least have handhelds, unlike sega were gonna go farther with the VMUs (witch is a great idea, and i still love DC) like more memory, LCD COLOR SCREENS decided not not continue and fell because of it.......

Better stop there befor i loss it because just thinking how stuped some people are just make me want to kill them........

ok im gonna go hit my speed bag and other equiment....
I WILL BE BACK.........

[XeVeNskyLiNE]

i'm sorry, but what the hell is Nintendo's president thinking?! the average person doesnt want to play online??? where the hell has the guy been lately. videogames have always been about competing, and ofcourse people are going to want to play against other people half way across the world just to get that human interaction thats missing in game that dont have online abilities. Nintendo shouldnt even waste their time making a console if its not gonna have online games and still remake same old ass games, dont get me wrong, Mario and Zelda are badass, but honestly man, change is good. Hopefully they'll just stick to making good handhelds, thats one thing they can still actually do well, but now Sony is tryin to get a peice of the pie, and if they work out the bugs on the PSP, they might end up gettin the whole damn bakery.

[drewh4386]

Originally Posted by SniperX13

nintendo needs to wake up, and stop the mainstream console systems, and stick to what sell swith them, and thats the portable systems. they have been out of touch with what gamers like since they built the damn N64.

Originally Posted by SniperX13

they have been out of touch with what gamers like since they built the damn N64.

no since the vitrual boy. damn nobody remembers that thing.

[BP2K2Max]

^ i do. i was the man at virtual tennis. the red got to me after a while though.

[xlxviciousxlx]

the VIRTUAL BOY was awsome

[Shaguar47]

I've got one in my closet right now. I've got the whole thing plus the tennis and pinball games for $20 at a flee market. Runs awesome, but the way it's setup is just hard to play with. I use to lay on my bed, plug it in and let it lay on top of my face. Was easier to play and didn't hurt my neck.

[speed_star]

Backwards compatibility is not yet a guranteed feature on the PS3, but if it is backwards compatible with the first two playstations Microsoft has got to make the Xbox 2 backwards compatible as well in my opinion. Just the same if they don't have a harddrive they need to have one as an accessory like Sony. M$ has already stated the Xbox 2 won't be as powerful as the PS3, however it will allow developers more liberty in how they want to use the power. Xbox used its power compared to the PS2 as a selling point this generation along with having a hard drive and Xbox Live. They really don't have a selling point for next generation. Xbox Live is great, but you can expect Sony to work harder on their console's online stuff. XNA will help developers make games easier to make for both Xbox and PC, but it may make it harder to make versions for the PS3 and Revolution. I really don't know which system will be the best. I have an Xbox right now, but the reasons I got it over the other two systems is the power and technology. The PS3 seems to have the edge in two of those areas. If PS3 has backwards compatibility I will most likely get it. If the PS3 doesn't and the Xbox 2 does I still won't buy an Xbox 2 for sure.

[PreludePassion]

Here are a few interesting stats to think about for the upcoming console war:

1. 73% of XBOX owners have only one game for their system (Halo, I expect this to have changed since the EGM issue it was stated in was released, with the advent of HALO 2)

2. 68% of XBOX owners also own another console (Mostly PS2)

3. 97% of PS2 owners have more than one game in their library, and of those, 90% have more than 10.

Approximate number of XBOX only video games (that stayed XBOX Only): I'd estimate around 150, being generous

Approximate number of PS2 Only titles: At least 300

Sony has the developer support to come out ahead in the console wars even if they delay the release of their next gen system for a year.

Gamecube: Well, not much to say here... They'll always be around, because of the Nintendo proprietary titles (Zelda, Metroid, Mario, etc). Online support would be nice, but I have all three systems, and have never taken them online. It's a nice feature to have, but not all gamers have the time to invest. I also have a strict policy of avoiding paying more monthly charges than I have to, so XBOX live has no appeal to me whatsoever. I also refuse to buy PC games like Everquest, or WOW.

There are a lot of kids who have to save up for a month or more to buy a single video game, and their parents may not necessarily want to pay the fees for online play for them.

Just some points to make the debate interesting... flame away!

[eckoman_pdx]

Okay, some bad, inaccurate and un-true information is in this thread that I want to correct right now. I am shocked and surprised that no one in this thread managed to point out some of this bad information. That being said, I'll be the one to do it right now, as all of the things you all are bashing the Revolution for are outright wrong, untrue and inaccurate.

1)- Nintendo's Revolution WILL BE BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE WITH GAMECUBE GAMES. They have stated this as a definate.

From IGN

Yes. At the March 2005 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata confirmed that Revolution would be backward compatible.

"Contrary to much speculation, I can announce today that Revolution will be backward compatible. The best of the Nintendo GameCube library will still be enjoyed by players years from now," Iwata revealed.

The announcement was a surprise because analysts and media, IGN included, figured that Revolution's radically different new input device would make backward compatibility a near impossibility. Evidently Nintendo has found a way around this hurdle.

The one of the major reason's the GCN wasn't backwards compatible was due to the Media change from Cartigdes to Discs.


2)- It's rumored the Revolution will have a built in 15 GB Hard Drive.

3)- The Revolution WILL feature online play out of the box.

From IGN....

Nintendo at the March 15, 2005 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco announced an aggressive new Wi-Fi strategy for both DS and Revolution. Wi-Fi enables wireless, high-speed connections to the Internet using such popular standards as 802.11b and 802.11g. Company executives made strong statements about Nintendo's belief that gamers should be able to wirelessly go online and play against each other.

"We intend to incorporate wireless technology in all we do," Iwata announced at the event. "Therefore, Nintendo Revolution will be Wi-Fi enabled, built into every system."

Also, unlike Xbox live, you won't have to pay to go online through nintedno's infra-structure.

4)- The Revolution will also be able to hook up out of the box and interface with computer moniters.

Now that you all know the current facts, more facts will be known on the revolution after E3 in LA in May 05.

Also...intersting from IGN rumors section....

From U.S. Patent filed on July 21, 2004

This rumor centers on new technologies that would change the way a gamer actually watches a game. To start, here's a brief intro: a fixation point is whatever a gamer stares at most of the time when playing a game. Thing is, most games feature several of these fixation points, so developers have needed to devise methods of including every object on screen at all times. When this wasn't possible, the display needed to shift and prioritize objects according to the action. Developers accomplished this by zooming the image up or down, to help gamers re-focus their attention. Just look at any number of sports games. The camera invariably follows the soccer ball, baseball or football. The document argues that the constant change in perspective makes playing games tougher than it should.

The patent describes a technology that would prevent a fixation point from moving and prevent the display area from changing in size. Regardless of where a player sits, he (or she) would command a deep view of the happenings on screen. This would also carry over into multiplayer gaming, where multiple players would normally require multiple fixation points. The new set of technologies would eliminate the strain associated with split-screen gaming. In summary, this would all make for excellent game sessions thanks to unparalleled view of the display. Changing the way a gamer watches the action unfold on-screen would be somewhat revolutionary, but again, it's too early to tell exactly how Nintendo plans on using the tech described in the patent. Unless, of course, they already have to some degree...

But that didn't stop anyone from speculating. Once again, rumors seeped into websites and forums. The conjecture pointed at everything from holographic imaging to new methods of image processing where a developer could create hyper realistic vistas at a fraction of the current processing cost. The latter of which alleviates concerns over the rumors that the Revolution will lack the raw processing power of both the PS3 and Xbox 2. If Nintendo has found a way to render realistic imaging at a relatively low processing cost, then it really doesn't matter that the Revolution will lack some of the punch of competing consoles. What matters is that it will stand on equal footing from a graphics stand point. Furthermore, the technologies developed to nix the forever-changing "fixation points" problem will only reinforce the new rendering methods...or so go the rumors.

Also, the next gen xbox will debute in May @ E3. As for Prefect Dark and Kameo...I'll believe that when I see it. Those games are now 4 years+ and 3 systems (GNC, Xbox, next gen xbox) in the making.

[BP2K2Max]

if you can get your hands on a copy of the march issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, you'll see that all the info matches up with what is in their article. any innacuracies are on them.
also, the nintendo system having Wi-Fi doesn't necissarily mean it's online capable, it just means you can link systems without wires, like the PSP and Gameboy DS.