the next generation of console wars

[Lynx]

so this genartion of console wars are over as far as system releases not games or improvements on them. and today me my cousin and my brother as we were playing WII we thought whats next? the only thing we could think of would be virtual reality.

what do you think the next generation of video game consoles will be/have?

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

I kind of doubt anyone's going to have fully-functional virtual reality ready to go within the next five years. Holographics may be slightly more feasible, but all the same, I don't think we're going to see another huge paradigm shift like we have with the Wii in the generation immediately after this one.

[Shlup]

Better graphics, more attachments. Sony and Microsoft'll probably give their next systems some Wii-type functionality once they realize how awesome it is.

[Samuraid]

In the very least, consoles will continually shift to become more like personal computers and home theater entertainment systems as well as game systems.

[Paro]

what's the next step in gaming? ames agre more immersive and realistic than ever. the wii seems to be an attempt at taking immersion one step further, utilizing (hopefully) intuitive, realistic controls. But not everyone seems to want this.

most of the vr gimmicks in the 90s fizzled horribly, but you could argue that was due to poor execution. arcades, which used to get by offering more immersive games than what was available at home, are doing worse than ever.

it's made me wonder: do gamers really want to stand up and interact with virtual environements through body movements, or just with our thumbs? the question is where do you want to see gaming go?

[Craig]

I want virtual reality at some point, man. That'd be awesome.
Especially in an MMORPG.

[Paro]

I want virtual reality at some point, man. That'd be awesome.
Especially in an MMORPG.

vr can be so much more then a gimmick, if implemented properly.

[JKTrix]

VR is scary. Watch the first few minutes of this anime... (Mature Content warning)

http://anime.fansub.tv/episode.php/4309/BALDR%20FORCE%20EXE%20Resolution/1/

[Ender]

Proponents of "interactive control" should be concerned regarding the "nature" of gaming. I'm guessing a huge majority of the "gameplay-hours" around the world are people sitting by themselves in front of the computer or TV. Intuitive, interactive control is far more conducive to a social play setting, while people by themselves are just going to be more comfortable playing in comfort with a controller in their hands IMO. I don't see why that's going to change. Yes, the typical gamer will happily use a Wii-style interactive control system as a changeup, but IMO they're going to always want the option to play games "normally."

The Wii itself is a novelty, so it will enjoy its popularity, but over the long term, Nintendo's strategy seems to be to change the makeup of the pool of gamers, because they have been unable to compete amongst "typical gamers" who traditionally place the highest priority on processing/graphical power when it comes to their systems of choice (generally because those systems enable an overall better library of games). But, as somebody on these forums pointed out in another thread somewhere..."Nintendo seems to even want my grandma to be playing games." They have enjoyed some success with that, particularly with their handhelds...

...but with consoles, it remains to be seen whether they can convince current non-gamers that playing games (with enough frequency that it's a viable business model for Nintendo and the companies that make games for their systems) can be "hip." Because if immersive, interactive gaming systems like the Wii sort of aspires to be are something to be broken out when you have friends over, but otherwise remain in the closet, is it anything more than filling a niche?

IMO games and game systems will continue to develop primarily along the lines of improved graphical quality, game-world physics, and the motion/maneuverability of the game's characters within the gameplay environement, as well as continuing to develop and innovate with online play--at least for some time still. And I'm fine with that.

[Kawaii Ryûkishi]

Threads merged.

[Tidus Andronicus]

Well I dont think we'll get to see VR in the next gen... I DO think that all consoles will incorperate the Wii's Pointer.

Motion detection is cool and all, but as far as whats actually worth it for the general gaming consoles... I can really see the pointer features of the Wiimote taking off in many other places.

[JKTrix]

Wii's thing is more than just 'motion detection', it detects the controller's position in a 3D space. PS3's controller is more of a 'motion detector', as it tell you what direction you're moving the controller in. In addition to that, Wii's can determine how close or far away you are from the screen.

Pointing technology has been around forever, and all we've gotten for it up until now are lightgun games. Not that it's a bad thing. Unless the other guys decide to make 1-handed controllers, the pointing could be cumbersome. Imagine having to hold your Dual Shock with 2 hands to aim it at something on the screen. You could do it with one hand, but you would either have to change how you hold the controller or compensate for holding it slightly off balance with that one hand. Not very intuitive. Unless they start making controllers like Voltron (which Nintendo has started), able to connect and disconnect different pieces.

[Tidus Andronicus]

JKTrix, all the Wii controller is, is Motion/tilt/acceleration detection, and a Pointer. Thats all... and although those sensors can be combined to give the Wii a general idea of where you are, it still doesn't know exactly where you are in 3D space, thats an old misconception created by a badly worded sentence or 2 from Nintendo.

Not saying the Wiimote isn't great, but I just wanted to make a correction there.

And actually, the Wiimote pointing features are so simple, so low tech, that you can replace the sensor bar all together, with just 2 birthday candles!... Ok well Lowtech isn't the best word here, but at least that applies to the Sensor bar, because in reality the sensor bar isn't anything more than 2 points of Infrared Light. Its not a sensor, it doesn't transmit any data to the Wiimote... And as I said, you can replace it with anything, as long as you have 2 points of infrared light.
The Wiimote on the other hand, has the more advanced part of this equasion, an infrared camera. Of course its not a very good quality one, and it can't see anything more than a direct source of Infrared light, but its still a camera, and it Sees the 2 points on the sensor bar, and tells the Wii where its pointing.
This also makes it extreamly easy for future console to use this feature... Hell, even future TVs and/or cable boxes could use this feature. TVs could be build in with infrared lights at the corners and u'd have great pointing for any device that needed it.

Motion detection in the Wii is great, but on a whole... if we are talking about ALL the consoles in the future, I could see them using Tilting sensors, But not general motion detection... motion detection is really hard to do right, the Wii makes due pretty well though.
The other feature I'm sure will make its way into more consoles someday, is the Pointing, and I see this as more important than anything else, Because its relatively simple to make/use, and it adds some really great features to the games.

[JKTrix]

I know about the sensor bar's lack of magic (http://forums.eyesonff.com/showthread.php?t=97523). If you go into the sensor bar settings, you'll see that the remote's rotation is integrated partly into the sensor bar.

I also realize that the thing doesn't tell you exactly where the remote is, it's just a combination of all the different factors that make it more than simple 'gesture sensing'. The fact that it can recognize how close or far you are from the device adds another dimension to it.

One problem some folks have with the Wii's sensor bar/pointing thing is that where you aim on the screen doesn't line up with where the cursor actually is on the screen. This is because you're actually 'aiming' at the sensor, and not the screen itself--which would be a problem for any potential 'light-gun' style game. It's not impossible for this to happen in the future, though. If Nintendo arranges to have 2 sensor bars and put them on opposite sides of the screen, you can callibrate the field between them to be the active area. There is a lightgun device out there (http://gear.ign.com/articles/689/689009p1.html)that uses this method, since previous versions of lightgun don't work on HDTVs. I have one of these myself.

I do agree that the pointing is a more universally friendly feature than motion sensing, especially when it comes to UI navigation. The way the navigation on Wii works (to those who don't know) is that when you pass over a menu item, the controller gives a tactile jolt. It really feels good. On the DS and PDAs, it's as simple as touching the thing with your finger or stylus.

However I stand by my opinion in my last post that if 'traditional' 2-handed game controllers try to integrate this feature it could be the opposite of intuitive. Technology aside, most are used to pointing at things with one hand. Then again it might not be that bad, I guess we won't know until it happens. Either way it can only be good for the growth of gaming.