How fast and what tech do you think will be in the next consoles?

[A5]

No reason to use SSDs unless they're trying to eliminate load times...but developers have gotten pretty good at hiding the slowness of optical media, especially on the PS3 where they can force a HDD install. Gamers have accepted loading screens as part of the process, so there's no reason to hugely increase the price of the console with a large SSD. A SSD/HDD hybrid drive may actually be a good idea for consoles - after the initial loading screen, it can load the rest of the game in the background to the SSD part to speed things up.

 

[bullbert]

Whatever you guess will be wrong.

I am guessing that one of those consoles will have a horrendously high failure rate. I am also guessing that it will take 2 years of accumulated consumer legal actions before any corrective measure is taken to remedy the design and manufacturing problems.

Anyone care to place an over-under number on the house fires attributed to overheated next-next-gen console or power bricks?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I am guessing that one of those consoles will have a horrendously high failure rate. I am also guessing that it will take 2 years of accumulated consumer legal actions before any corrective measure is taken to remedy the design and manufacturing problems.

I'm guessing Microsoft will be far more careful the next time around, but it doesn't matter -- unless I have a VERY good reason to get the next Xbox, I will pass. My guess is that there are hundreds of thousands of people who feel the same way. I have had way too many Xbox hardware issues and I am pretty fed up.

Back on topic, I don't know that we're even going to see a next console generation in 2012 as some have predicted. My guess is that it might slip even further.

 

[bullbert]

I think that 2GB of memory is likely, however I don't think it will go beyond that. The focus of the next generation is going to be on 1080p gaming and they're going to want more than 1024MB of memory for those textures.

Depending on the Consoles' OS, that 2GB might be split 1GB for CPU usage and 1GB for GPU usage, however a 2GB+1GB scenario might be more realistic. When (if) 3D matures, make that 2GB+2GB.

 

[GrumpyMan]

I would love it if they would make a PS3 or Xbox that would also let me play with a wireless mouse and keyboard if I didn't want to use a controller. That would be cool for me at least, I know you purest would be horrified.

 

[JackSpadesSI]

I'm not usually against innovation, but I'm not sure I want motion control or 3D to be a major part of console gaming for the next generation. Not that they shouldn't play some part, but I don't want that to be the standard.

I really don't want to pay $90 for a 3D game that other people in the room can't even watch me play because I only own one set of glasses.

 

[Malak]

Looking at the level of graphics and gameplay being done on current consoles, I don't see a need for a huge update. Really the only thing holding back developers is memory capacity. PS4 could be a simple update. Stick with the cell, throw in a newer GPU(doesn't have to be the latest and greatest), and just increase the memory. Don't waste R&D on trying to do something new again, what they have works right now. We don't need a huge leap, just a little hop. Memory capacity will go a LONG way to improving game development on consoles, much more than any new CPU or GPU will.

Right now shooters have to compromise split screen for better graphics. I want both.

 

[borisvodofsky]

Probably get a DUAL core amd/intel, if we're lucky, AND an 8800gt equivalent.

Everything else you guys are talking about is ridiculous.

Lots of power means lots of heat means giant power brick means high failure rate.

If you want all the high end stuff then you need to guarantee quality, that is going to be way too expensive.

At cheapo console prices, you can only afford low end budget parts.

 

[JTsyo]

The load time can be reduced if they move from optical to flash cartridges. While it wouldn't be able to compete with the cost of disc, it would be a marked improvement in performance.
A co-worker recently got a SSD/platter hybrid drive. I forget the sizes of each section but he said the drive saves most used data on the SSD portion for faster loads. It's not a buffer though since the data is written there, not loaded from HDD.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Probably get a DUAL core amd/intel, if we're lucky, AND an 8800gt equivalent.

Everything else you guys are talking about is ridiculous.

Lots of power means lots of heat means giant power brick means high failure rate.

If you want all the high end stuff then you need to guarantee quality, that is going to be way too expensive.

At cheapo console prices, you can only afford low end budget parts.

Ahhhh I don't see them going to x86 so I'd expect PowerPC across the board again. Changing CPU architecture makes BC a nightmare and I don't know that x86 is the optimal architecture for them.

The biggest issue with the 360 (and it's power/heat issues) weren't that it made too much heat, it's that it didn't have anything to do with that heat but dissipate in the case until it overheated. If the Xbox 360 had a larger case with more intelligent thermal design it wouldn't have had nearly the same failure rate.

The business can afford to put high end chips into the consoles because they rely on large margins late in the cycle to make up for any losses early on. It's happened before and it'll happen again.

 

[purbeast0]

Probably get a DUAL core amd/intel, if we're lucky, AND an 8800gt equivalent.

Everything else you guys are talking about is ridiculous.

Lots of power means lots of heat means giant power brick means high failure rate.

If you want all the high end stuff then you need to guarantee quality, that is going to be way too expensive.

At cheapo console prices, you can only afford low end budget parts.

well with consoles even if they get the equivalent of a pc counterpart, they won't be paying nearly as much as the pc counterpart would cost since they are literally going to need millions of them at once and they strike deals with the companies that make these components.

so just because these parts costs a lot for us end consumers does not mean they will cost nearly that much for microsoft when placing an order for 5 million at once