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THQ Doesn't Want New Consoles Yet

By Stuart Lawrence (Stulaw)

33218 on 29.10.2010 at 06:03

In the way of gaming we've accepted as the norm, every 5 or 6 years, we usually see a new generation of consoles released with updated graphics, and usually new ways to play games that couldn't have been done before. However, it now seems publishers want to take a stance against that formula.

In an interview with IGN, THQ President and CEO Brian Farrell says that Kinect and Move for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 respectively, will extend the life cycle of the current generation consoles.

Frankly, the last thing I think the industry needs now is new hardware. You look at the games coming out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 now and they look stunning,

Better graphics? They're pretty darn good now. Better sound? No. Gameplay? Probably not. So I think the ways games are evolving now is really a direction we're going. Where it's going to be is in the play experience; richer stories, better characters, production values that are much more like movies.

I think that's the direction, rather than technology and graphics. I think those days are over.

Do you think it's too early for a new generation of consoles? Do you think that Brian Farrell's right about the Next Generation not being necessary?

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Alosjs (guest) on 29.10.2010 at 06:27#1

Yes, the Wii has a lot to give, a good FPS, a good Wii Zelda & more.

PMD (guest) on 29.10.2010 at 06:34#2

The Wii is the only console that, technically, could use an upgrade, if only to support HD. However, I don't think just an HD upgrade is enough- both Nintendo and many consumers feel that a true sequel would be better than just an upgraded Wii.

Ifrit XXII on 29.10.2010 at 07:00#3

I think there will definitely be a proper Wii successor by late 2012. Next year will be all about the 3DS so 2012 would be the prefect time.

Sonic_13 on 29.10.2010 at 09:09#4

Ifrit XXII said:
I think there will definitely be a proper Wii successor by late 2012. Next year will be all about the 3DS so 2012 would be the prefect time.

It could be next year. It will be five years and it wouldn't be the first time two systems were released in a single year (GameCube and Game Boy Advance).

If the comments are true that "our jaws will drop" when we see the next system, they won't reveal anything until a few months before launch.

PMD on 29.10.2010 at 09:46#5

If it is revealed next year, I doubt they would release it that year too. I can only guess that we will hear rumblings about a successor around E3 2011 and it won't be until E3 2012 or later that we will get a reveal. This is just based on previous experiences.

Mush on 29.10.2010 at 10:17#6

I can see a Wii successor releasing December 2011 or early 2012.

Squidboy on 29.10.2010 at 13:39#7

Nintendo 2012
Microsoft 2013
Sony 2014

3DS Code 2578-3122-0744

SirLink on 29.10.2010 at 14:19#8

I'm really looking forward to seeing what Nintendo has in store for us with the Wii successor. Knowing them, it sure won't be a Wii HD with upgraded motion technology. Probably something completely new again. Our jaws are bound to drop when we are going to see it. Smilie

Iwata said that they won't show anything too soon because they are afraid that the competition copies them again, so I guess that we won't see anything until close to release which will probably be 2012.

meeto_0 on 29.10.2010 at 14:25#9

SirLink said:
I'm really looking forward to seeing what Nintendo has in store for us with the Wii successor. Knowing them, it sure won't be a Wii HD with upgraded motion technology. Probably something completely new again. Our jaws are bound to drop when we are going to see it.
Iwata said that they won't show anything too soon because they are afraid that the competition copies them again, so I guess that we won't see anything until close to release which will probably be 2012.

Something completely new would be good in some ways but motion tech hasnt been fully realised at all. We havent had that game which really defined motion sensing gaming. We have only had glimpses. Red steel is as close as we have gotten. But with wooden voice acting, closed environments, repetitve play, generic story it hardly a gem.

SirLink on 29.10.2010 at 14:59#10

meeto_0 said:
Something completely new would be good in some ways but motion tech hasnt been fully realised at all. We havent had that game which really defined motion sensing gaming. We have only had glimpses. Red steel is as close as we have gotten. But with wooden voice acting, closed environments, repetitve play, generic story it hardly a gem.

Yea, Skyward Sword next year will very likely take that place. Anyways, it's very hard to predict what Nintendo is planning. They've always been doing things differently than the competition so I doubt that they will just 1-Up their tech.

Mush on 29.10.2010 at 20:53#11

Squidboy said:
Nintendo 2012
Microsoft 2013
Sony 2014

Sony will definitely be last, just so they can mooch off of the other companies' ideas. Smilie

Darkflame on 30.10.2010 at 00:01#12

True.

That said, I hope Nintendo keep their basic Wii controller design (which Sony has taken). Let that become the multi-platform "standard" just refined with more features.

Red steel is as close as we have gotten. But with wooden voice acting, closed environments, repetitve play, generic story it hardly a gem.

It didnt even use the motion plus very well.
It was more about combo then skilled 1:1 movements.
(something WSR did very well, imho)

( Edited 29.10.2010 19:02 by Darkflame )

Please give our little random review show a try;
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We have special effects and umm...stuff...

PMD on 30.10.2010 at 03:28#13

The reason 1:1 isn't used like people think isn't because the technology isn't there. It's because it would break gameplay. There are things that you could do with the remote that you wouldn't do with the sword. You could toss it in the air, spin it around, attach it to your dog, etc. If the developers were to put restrictions on the angle in which the 1:1 registers, then you'd have problems lining up the animations if you were to exceed that angle.

In short, full 1:1 is impractical in all but limited environments.

Darkflame on 30.10.2010 at 06:10#14

But you don't need "FULL 1:1"

WiiSportsResort used 1:1 great, and Red Steal could have done the same.
1:1 rotational movement sensing is perfectly possible, 1:1 displacement and absolute positioning isn't....but isn't needed to make quality games, as Nintendo has already demonstrated.

To say we need to have "full" 1:1 on everything is a bit like saying we can't use any 3D in our games untill we have a holodeck. You can't wait for crazily-hard to do hardware solutions till we get any improvement. We can have 1:1 now in the same way we can have 3D now...limited, but still an improvement.

The problem is thus 99% software. You gota have dynamic character animations, not "precanned" ones like most games are now. Analogue movements, not boolean triggers.

And, sure, we can't have the sword stop in mid-air....but it doesn't matter.
Its still giving the player much more control then a stick or pre-set combos. It still makes the game both more accessible and more skillful.

( Edited 30.10.2010 01:11 by Darkflame )