Found this in the latest GamePro issue.

We heard this gossip from several industry analysts, who reasoned that Microsoft has lost too much money on the Xbox and Xbox 360 to risk investing more cash on another console. Microsoft will continue to refine the 360 hardware and release games for years, our sources say, but they may never release a proper "Xbox 720." It's an interesting theory that's spurred plenty of heated debate at GP HQ, even if it is pure speculation. Should Microsoft make another console?

Discuss.

There was another rumor recently that M$ plans on releasing a new console as early as 2009 (http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Gaming/Industry/U9C2F7B5). It's best to take all these rumors with a grain of salt.

Interesting, and I agree that they should be taken with a grain of salt. I just wanted to spark up a debate/discussion.

2009 seems a bit early though, hell, 2010 does too!

It's absolutely ridiculous. I hope it's a load of crap.

On topic though: Unless another viable competitor for Sony and Nintendo appears during this generation, I can't see how Microsoft being removed from the console market could end up being anything but a bad thing.

What about the rumor that Rare is developing a motion sensing controller/remote for the 360.

Link (http://kotaku.com/377798/more-info-on-xbox-360-wiimote)

anybody want to brawl?

What about the rumor that Rare is developing a motion sensing controller/remote for the 360.

Link (http://kotaku.com/377798/more-info-on-xbox-360-wiimote)

Heard about this as well.

Interesting...

I don't really know whether to care or not. I've owned both consoles. Meh, if that were to really happen, I highly doubt many people would try and petition that they release another console. My guess is that they'll just grab a different console that they like that is available. But that's just me.

So long as Fable II goes to PC as well the I couldn't care less about the whole 360/720 situation (since it's more of a reality than KOTOR III :()

By the time the next generation of consoles is released, I think the market will be a very different place - higher broadband speeds and the convenience of purchasing games from your couch means that digital distribution is the way to go. In the PC gaming market, Steam revitalised the flagging industry, and even helps combat software piracy.

That said, the line between consoles and PCs are blurring - I can already stream media from my computer to both my X360 and PS3, and a planned future addon for the PS3 means that it can be used as a HDTV recorder - integration is the way of the future. Add to this the fact that most third parties release titles for all possible consoles to ensure the widest possible player base, and you find that the reason to have different consoles diminishes.

I think the most likely form gaming is going to take in the future is that all current console manufacturers will release boxes that are compatible with each other - similar to how companies at the moment release DVD players and AV receivers that are compatible with each other. Games will be directly downloaded to the HDD of these media gaming devices, and brand choice will be based on just that - what brand/design/price you prefer - rather than exclusives.

Kind of like the Colecovision being able to play Atari 2600 games, eh? (With a Genesis controller, even!)

Exactly! And given the premium of space these days, it makes the most sense - I needed to buy a new cabinet so I could fit all my consoles neatly under my TV. One box, one set of cables and no scratchable media sounds like a great idea to me.

David Jaffe, creator of God of War, has countlessly said there should be one unified console and it would benefit everyone.


I agree.

David Jaffe, creator of God of War, has countlessly said there should be one unified console and it would benefit everyone.


I agree.

It would benefit nobody. Monopolies = bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad unless you have some sort of govnerment regulations on the max price of the console. Sound ridiculous? That's because it is ridiculous.

However, if there was one unified console and there was no greed behind it and it was <$500 or so, then I guess that'd be alright.

I wouldn't be so surprised if the 360 was MS' last console, I mean they have apparently lost a helluva lot of money becuse of it.

Microsoft is making money off the 360 now. Can't remember which quarter they started turning a profit on it in, though.

Anyways, I tend not to pay any attention to these rumors, but it is not a big deal to me whether or not it is true or false. I really only care about the games.

I will say that it bums me out to think that a new generation could be coming so soon. :(

It would benefit nobody. Monopolies = bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad unless you have some sort of govnerment regulations on the max price of the console. Sound ridiculous? That's because it is ridiculous.

However, if there was one unified console and there was no greed behind it and it was <$500 or so, then I guess that'd be alright.

Well I believe the point he was bring up was there would probably be no high console prices, and everyone would get the games they wanted since developers wouldn't have to pick and choose which console to make for. In a nutshell, if it had happened this generation, it'd be like buying a console for $400 and being able to pay Halo 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Brawl on the same console. Also, be aware I don't know by memory his arguement for this so if I'm doing a bad job of relaying, it's expected.



I will say that it bums me out to think that a new generation could be coming so soon. :(

I agree with your sentiment. I just got my PS3 in December and now people are saying the next gen are coming out in 2 years? Man, I wouldn't mind so much if they were saying 2012 or later. But 2009-2010 seems so soon.

solution would be a one platform console with open hardware. in the vein of open source. that sort of hardware isnt very far along imo, they can barely produce crap graphics cards. i don see any huge benefits for the companies who develop games, or any reason why sony, ms, etc wouldnt develop better ones. but open consoles could be made by just about anyone, so you'd have max competition. not sure about quality control though.

anyways, not going to happen. but if it did, i'd rather it be that sort of model than owned and manufactured by a single company.

NES - Oct '85
SNES - Aug '91
N64 - Sep '96
NGC - Nov '01
Wii - Nov '06

PSone - Sep '95
PS2 - Oct '00
PS3 - Nov '06

X-Box - Nov '01
360 - Nov '05

My guess, the next Nintendo will be sometime in 2011 and the next PlayStation will be sometime in 2012. But Sony did say they want the PS3 to last for 10 years so I'll just say 2016. Also, the next X-Box will be 2009. :p

I also predict that the next Sega will be in 2013 as a joint venture with Apple.

MarvinStraightadomis has spoken.

I AM DOWNGRADING TO THE COMMODORE-64 FOR SOME OLD FASHIONED LEISURE SUIT LARRY GOODNESS

we should all rebel against next-gen consoles and downgrade, imo!

We're more likely to see a new Nintendo console first, to be honest. Because of Nintendo's choice to go SD, their graphics will look crappier and crappier as more people get HDTVs.

I think we'll see an incremental upgrade (a HD Wii) sometime in the next couple of years, to be honest.

I am gonna play me some lode runner, and bubble ghost, and aztec challenge on the C-64!

Sooner or later Nintendo will have to go HD. But playing Wii in 480p on a 32" HDTV is not bad at the moment. I just don't know how it looks on anything bigger or what future consoles will look.

We're more likely to see a new Nintendo console first, to be honest. Because of Nintendo's choice to go SD, their graphics will look crappier and crappier as more people get HDTVs.

I think we'll see an incremental upgrade (a HD Wii) sometime in the next couple of years, to be honest.

man i need one because my tv is hd wii looks not as great as 360 on it man

We're more likely to see a new Nintendo console first, to be honest. Because of Nintendo's choice to go SD, their graphics will look crappier and crappier as more people get HDTVs.

I think we'll see an incremental upgrade (a HD Wii) sometime in the next couple of years, to be honest.

Brawl on 480p looks pretty good, imo.

Montezuma's Revenge looks pretty darn awesome on my tv~

I'm running 480p, Brawl and Metroid Prime 3 ain't that bad. It's not as nice as my PS3 with HDMI at 720p, but I'm hella impressed with how the Wii looks. Even the NES, SNES, N64 & Genesis virtual console games look amazing. Zelda Ocaraina of Time looks so much more beautiful that I'm ready to just give away my N64.

it still looks bad
compared to
real
HD

Garamond, do you want my N64 and Zelda game? I'll even throw in Banjo Kazooie.

MS, I still say you should boost your TV up to 1080i.

720p > 1080i for gaming.

When it comes to movies, it's debatable, but I still stick with 720p.

Also I have a 32" 720p TV as well Marvin, and although Wii 480p games do look great, they just can't compete head to head with 360 and PS3 graphics - and considering that PC graphics are going to surpass those in a couple of years, the Wii is going to be really behind.

noskillbassist, don't you mean downgrade it to 1080i? If so I've already tried that and it looks like shit. Here, Benjamin Higginbotham will explain...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-JXfyvlPh0

we should all rebel against next-gen consoles and downgrade, imo!

already with you on this one! but man i look like shit, was up all night playing zork =/

720p > 1080i for gaming.

When it comes to movies, it's debatable, but I still stick with 720p.

Also I have a 32" 720p TV as well Marvin, and although Wii 480p games do look great, they just can't compete head to head with 360 and PS3 graphics - and considering that PC graphics are going to surpass those in a couple of years, the Wii is going to be really behind.

After playing PS3, when I turn on the Wii I'm like, "Damn, all the words and icons are so huge!" lol.

But Sony did say they want the PS3 to last for 10 years so I'll just say 2016.
Well, I'd say 2011-2012 is on the money. Knowing Sony, they'd introduce a new console halfway through the life of the current console (when the PS2 was introduced, the PSOne was still in production. Ditto for the PS2 when they introduced the PS3).

noskillbassist, don't you mean downgrade it to 1080i? If so I've already tried that and it looks like shit. Here, Benjamin Higginbotham will explain...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-JXfyvlPh0

Saying it looks like shit is a bit of an overstatement, eh?

I've got a question for ya, what if a game supports 1080i, would't it look better than 720p?

Maybe it is an overstatement. But the picture quality is very noticable to me that it needs to be 780p.

As for supporting 1080i, I believe that would mean that's as good as it gets, but would look better if it supported 780p.

Oh, and what do you think of the new PlayStation Store? The icons are now starting to show.

The PSN Store is definitely better.

Also, what is 780p?

Also also, I meant if you take a game, say LAIR, that supports 720p, 1080i and 1080p. But your TV only goes up to 1080i, so since the game supports 1080i, would that mean it was optimized for that resolution or would 720p still prevail?

Sorry, meant to say 720p.

720p would still win. Especially for a game like LAIR where there's lots of action going on at once, you're going to want to watch the game in progressive scan to keep all of the action from bluring as much.

Really? Well then... what's the fucking point of 1080i?

I think I'm gonna go try out my new dragons...

Edit: the new dragons are awesome and Analog control is meh. I still won't use it, but I DO enjoy the D-Pad additions (left is U-Turn and right is dash)