Could be what you think either the next xbox will be ore the ps4 or the apple console if there is one for example but what do you see a console doing, having and being in terms of the next gen machines?
You can void the actual hard nuts and bolts like cpu and clock etc but mainly what you felt was good and bad about all the current machines and what you see to take from these onto the next gen as well as the lessons learned.


- For me the 360 has a success offering different versions of the console at different price And Sony Followed this and this trend will continue onto the next gen
- The lack of hardrive option by MS was a mistake, they half looked at the ps2 and the comments from the Xbox and made an error on this, for developers not being certain that a gamer had a hardrive or not has put some limitations on the 360 games.
- A hardrive but that can be removed for me is a good thing becuase bigger sizes come out and you can move them about to someone with a 360 and use what is on there with your account details etc in terms of movies, games and saves etc and I think this should continue into the next gen
- Larger capacity disc drive for 360 perhaps blu ray and blu ray still on the next Playstation
- Live to go one better: I think the steps in regard to revamping old games with a fresh hd look for live downloads is a great thing and looks to grow in this regard and Live is doing it best so far and I see even modern developers making more small games for download in this regard. I also see small live games being part of retail games in the sense mini games will be able to download and play based on a game story or concept and what you earn in that could tie into the actual game. I also like the fact Live will soon have consumer made games and expand the choice and variety even further.
I think Sony and Nintendo have to do more then they are with their online experience, I do not see home working either.
- I think more media through the net in terms of movies and moreover digital broadband streaming / download tv and I think Live will do it first I think with Sony following but not Nintendo
- Controllers are an interesting one, I got no clue on this, I think Sony and MS will probably stick to the same format still, they may add a speaker in the controller or come up with a better use of axis systems as a feedback element rather then a direct input to effect the game As you play you naturally move the controller, and rather having a active role or function (you deliberately moving the controller in a way to get a response) it is there watching what you naturally do and have a impact into the game in some form. I like the idea of what rumble is as being an added element to your controller but not one you directly control like a speaker for example just to add an effect or two to your gameplay.
I see the next version of the wii controller being much of the same but packed with more abilities and the console having some camera and use for the camera?

LCD - I quite liked the Saturn controller and the initial concept of it and I can not see why even a small one would not have some use to you
A mate mentioned a touch pad, not a touch screen but a pad in a controller, can see where is coming from but not really practical
I do not think touch screen controllers is there yet although some time down the line these would have a lot of cool use and function but not quite yet.

Thinking about it the 360 xbutton and the fact that RTS games have actually made it to consoles with some success they could change this part of the controller very easily into a track ball, offering the same function as it does now but then allowing a mouse style action which could be used in games such as RTS?

- Games I see much of the same but with storage as standard in all 3 machines and more on the disc capacity wise I think you will see not only visually stunning games but a better performance in terms of load and actual content within a game.
- Links with arcade machines? Heard this about in terms of live/MS/Sega and atari and capcom with links of beatum ups etc at the arcade with live and to console versions of the game??


What do you think you will see in each or as standard in all of them or anything new you think may happen or would like to see?

I thought that was what the original X-Box was.

I can definitely see them being provided with word processing and printing facilities, at which point there would be little reason for the average person to buy a computer both would have merged. TBH there is little difference now.

I disagree, I think they will be still more a media centre then a pc.

If at some point a line is crossed where PCs and Consoles merge, so people have a wireless keyboard down next to the tv for when they need non-game stuff, how about some form of SLI technology?

Itd be redundant in games, theyd focus on producing games for "1 unit". But then if they provided the means to dock two together, you could then have things like DVD copying, faster processing etc. I remember reading that theres been quite a bit of research done using PS3 tech and cell processors etc lately heh.

I think interface changes are the key

For me

Nintendo will push more of the same with new features to how you play the current console
M$ will push for more online abilities and features and Push live into another level
Sony - No idea, will they learn the lessons from the PS3 or try and push an insane machine that is hard to code and be the last of the 3 machines out and just watch what the others do and try and copy? OR will they learn their lesson and create a gaming environment to code well under?

If the console companies had any sense, I think Sony and MS mainly they should while creating different console environments and hardware still at least sit down and create some form of structure at least some unifed principles etc to create coding environments or concepts for the developers that are similar or at leas easier thus cutting some costs on development and allowing multi format games to at least run well on all the machines.

Yes, but if they made the consoles have the same underlying coding environment you will essentially have no competition.

Not what I meant m8, If they make some unified decisions about devepment and standard practises etc a together the coding environments can be very different but standard practises would allow better cross development and porting for the developers cutting costs.

what they need to stop doing is making cross platform games, it never works, you end up with one version being better than another. Yes it makes lots of money for companies like EA that just churn out crap no matter the quality. But most of the really high end games, the ones that go down as the greatest games have always been coded especially for a platform. That is why the games are good.

This will not change but allowing for better conventions in the development process it will be down to graphics and gameplay on each console but still at the end of the day its about the games.

All the games now seem to be {insert game series} sequels that have no reason to be made other than to make some more money by hoping they sell as well as the last one.

But then you have games like the next gta which are or look to be amazing.

That is why gaming is dying, the only people to have seen this are nintendo, but even their market is being flooded with people trying to flog old dead ideas with bad control systems. Hell even sega are getting in one the game, i cant remember the last time i enjoyed a sonic game since the dreamcast.

Nintendo Are the worst at it in my opinion, yes they have a new control system but every console they do while at first has the wow factor the games are basically the same constantly with every console. Developers make sequals but Nintendo while they make great games have far less vision then anyone else these days and the later versions of a series are basically exactly the same constantly and why their consoles and games drop off far quicker then the others.
They are doing well and again make great games but they still just make the same bunch of games constantly and rare do they get other developers etc. The silly thing is their DS platform is the only true console out there at the moment that actually as a great variety of games out there on any platform but then they do not do that on their main consoles.
Trying to unify the market is only going to make this worse, we will have more games being churned out by developers cashing in on the fact they can just throw as much as they can out in the hope that something sticks.

Microsoft know they own the high end games market now, with DX10 and the 360 it is making it easier for developers to make games between the two. Unfortunately it doesnt work, just look at the disaster that was shadowrun on 360 and PC for how trying to unify console and pc can create a game that is crap on both

But then take command and conquer which was a huge success even for an rpg on a console and the success of the 360 but more over the games and the fact developers like games for windows and many signed up for it etc it says otherwise in regard to being a disaster.

IF we want to see a disaster we just have to look at Sonys online experience and laugh, Nintendo was stupidly slow on this front saying it would never take off but they have caught up well.