What defines a "Next Gen" console?

1. 63

   TNT Huskyposted 10 years ago

   What  defines a "Next Gen" console?
   
   I've been hearing the Term "Next Gen" thrown around like bad jokes. Its prompted me to write a hub about what defines a "Next Gen" console. So what do you people think? In particular, gamers. What do you think makes a "Next Gen" console?

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2. 81

   Souther29posted 10 years ago

   I think for something to be truly 'Next Gen' it needs to offer something unique, groundbreaking and above all exemplify a true sense of progress compared to the past generation.
   
   New technology pushing graphics to new levels, more realistic AI behaviours, more complex lighting and environmental detail as well as grander, large scale universes pushing the consoles to their max in terms of memory usage.
   
   Exciting times ahead.

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   1. 63

      TNT Huskyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      and frustrating times, if these "console wars" persist (which, unfortunately, they likely will). But thank you for the answer.

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   2. 81

      Souther29posted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Sadly we'll always have console wars. I still remember when it was N64 Vs PlayStation and an N64 racing game had a 'PlayStation Mode' which made the cars much more blocky than they were originally.

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   3. 63

      TNT Huskyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      What game was that? I'm curious now. actually, I remember the game "hey you, Pikachu" if you told Pikachu "playstation" he would get angry.

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3. 77

   JohnGreasyGamerposted 10 years ago

   I've never understood the whole 'generation' term, and everybody seems to have a different idea of what generation different consoles are. Let's not forget that how people define the beginning of video games will be at different periods, thus it's unfair to say that there's a single, universally agreed upon timeline.
   
   Generations are usually defined by the amount of competitors at a set period of time, and when new consoles appear on the market versus their counterparts'. It is also defined by the technology used, one example would be the Bit Wars, going from the NES (starting with 8) era all the way to the Playstation 1 (ending with 128). But even then, some would want to say the Atari 2800 or 5200 or Jaguar began the Bit Wars, so once again it's subjective.
   
   Right now it's just a marketting term - next gen sounds so far away, so futuristic, like when people used "X" and "2000" (before the year 2000) and such. The term "next" alone implies it will be another, and unfortunately many consumers believe it will be an improvement, but in many cases it's been proven wrong.

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   1. 63

      TNT Huskyposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Very true. I never experienced the "Bit wars" but it's good to have some insight on it. thanks for the answer!

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