I also think that Kinect will be able to extend the lifecycle of the 360 another few years. If done right, this will end up being an excellent accessory for the casual gamer in your home. It may sell another few million consoles over the next few years, but I think what will make it successful enough is with hardcore gamers who already own a 360, but their spouces/girlfriends etc... who aren't but want to play these kinds of games. It is cheaper than a Wii is right now, and it looks like ...
Hmm, hardware wise, I say it will be more of an evolution in terms of processing power rather than a radical change in hardware. A new ATI/AMD CPU coupled to another IBM based CPU, with an increase in overall processing power and cores, slapped with a great deal of RAM, that is what I think we will be seeing. It won't be like the Wii was to the Gamecube, but it will probably be like what PC's are now, maintain compatibility at the hardware level, but drastically upgrade the specs. ...
Probably just needs more time to throw in that DRM Ubisoft loves so much, just to make sure it is more bulletproof. Sigh, another non-purchase.
They probably want to give people more time to pirate the 360 version first before releasing the PC version as well. Wait, 360 games don't get pirated... right?
It's definitely true that the current consoles are not tapped out yet technology wise, far from in fact, however the one key problem with them is that they do not have very much RAM, no matter how you look at it, and that is what will hurt STALKER 2's development if it comes out on the current consoles. The PS3 can do streaming from the HDD to help that out, but the 360 has to work without the HDD, and that hurts.
If the current consoles had more RAM, I could defini...
I actually think that a good idea might be to make a PS3/360 specific title, that takes advantage of that hardware. Then, release Stalker 2 on PC and the next console generation.
Like when GRIN made specific PC versions GRAW 1 and 2, tuned to the PC, while Ubisoft made the console versions. Two completely different games under the same title. A side story on 360/PS3 would be awesome.
Hmmm, this is a difficult one. I do think multiplatform development with the current generation of consoles might not be the greatest idea, as Stalker always had very big, open worlds that might not work so well on the console, and it had very PC specific controls.
I do believe that a better idea would be to make Stalker 2 for the next generation of consoles and the PC, that way the developers will (most likely) have more processing power and more RAM to deal with. A consol...
I agree with this, as Nintendo has a bad track record with voice acting in their games. Playing through Mario Sunshine right now, bleh, absolutely terrible (And by absolutely terrible, I of course mean the voice acting, the game is no Mario 64 but it is pretty decent). I just hope they don't make the game overly wordy like some other Nintendo titles, like Paper Mario: TYD.
As for other characters, if they can't speak perfectly, don't speak at all. Save some room...
Whoa, not talking in the third person, that must be a first!
I think it is pointless for any company to release a console like that unless the first version and the software was designed from the start to run in HD. Otherwise, developers would have to go back and add programming to their older software, it's just not likely to happen. I don't think any company has bothered with this.
The only way to truly be able to play your older games at better settings is to play your games on the PC at this point. However, I wouldn't...
I think it was Michael Pachter, the analyst.
Playing through Monkey Island 2 again was a treat, and it reminds me how hard games could be back then. That game stumped me a few times, even though I had beaten the older version by myself (no cheating) around 10-12 years ago.
Even that game, however, was easy because you couldn't die. The old King's Quest adventure games, now those where harder. Multiple ways to get to the end (I'm thinking of KQ6), the possibility of death and the possibility of missing some...
Hmmm, it would be nice to have an HD capable Wii console, but I don't know if Nintendo really would bother, as most people who own the Wii probably wouldn't want to spend more money just for HD capabilities. The hardcore would, sure, but if they both played the same games, only one did 720p and/or 1080p, I don't think there would be enough incentive there to get enough people to buy one. Also, Nintendo and third parties would have to spend time and money updating game code to supp...
If I was to hazard a guess, we will be seeing a new, powerful Nvidia GPU coupled to a derivative of the Cell CPU, something that is at least hardware compatible with the last one. I think the initial teething that went into programming for the cell has past, and Sony will utilize that design in the new console. Probably the Cell with upgraded SPUs and multiple PPUs, based on next generation tech.
As for discs, blu-ray compatibility will be there, but who knows what they wil...
I don't think Sony, or Microsoft and Nintendo for that matter, are going to risk as much money this next round on more exotic, expensive tech in the next round of consoles, until the time is right where they can sell them at or close to cost. Both Sony and Microsoft lost enough money when they sold their consoles at a loss, I don't think they are going to risk as much going into this next generation.
I can see some powerful new hardware coming into play in the next ...
I think it is great Microsoft is finally putting out a PC release after all these years (2007 was their last release I believe....), so kudos to them for that. Now, if they would release Fable II out so we PC gamers could try that game (and maybe Gears 2 if they can get around to it).
GFWL is alright, I've never had a problem with it, and my old router was kicking me off of Live like every 5 minutes, and I was still able to play Dawn of War II just fine, and all my other Live games (Batman, RE5, Dark Void, and Fallout 3). So I personally have not experienced these types of problems with Live...
however...
I do believe going with Steam for DRM is by far the best, least comprimise situation. Steam doesn't have to be online consta...
Any DRM removal and base building added back? No, okay then, move along. Seriously, I have to say if I wanted to play a game like this, I would just stick to Dawn of War II.
It's nice to see its arrival on Live. I've been using the system for quite awhile now, and it has improved a lot. It's no Steam, but it's nice to integrate with the Live System of the 360, I like having one, ubiquitous system for my stats.
What they really need to distinguish themselves with GFWL is more cross-platform titles. That would really give them a leg up on the competition. I'm hoping we see Lost Planet 2 with that kind of a system.
True true, Steam just has the deals, especially around Christmas/Boxing Day. This year it was just insane, Stalker for 2 bucks! Wow. You don't see deals like that on the consoles except in the bargin bin. The amount you save is enough to pay for a decent few upgrades to put you a generation ahead of the consoles.
Except the other day, my buddy managed to get Supreme Commander on 360 for 5 bucks, brand new, from GameStop. Weird... Sometimes it's good the store clerks there are m...
Agreed, with Kinect coming out, it would be foolish for them to announce anything new coming out soon, or bring out new hardware soon. They have to give Kinect a few years first before releasing another console.