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Next Generation Consoles: The Future Looks Grim

By David Cornell
Published on: 12:47 PST, Apr 8, 2013

The next generation of consoles isn’t looking so good.

Letdowns are already surfacing about every next generation console we are currently aware of. Some aren’t graphically as impressive as we thought they should be, some won’t allow technical bonuses that we enjoyed from the current generation, and some have already faced bad reviews before they were even released.

Let’s start with the PlayStation 4. Yes, it is still several months before the system is even released, but Sony already gave us their specs on the next generation console. It is planning to run on Unreal Engine 4 graphics, but internet critics have already pointed out that it doesn’t measure up to PCs running the same engine. This indicates that PlayStation 4 may already be behind the curve. It’s probably the fault of being run on an x86 architecture, which is actually inferior to the x64 architecture the latest high-end PCs are running on. Oh, and it seems the PlayStation 4 will suffer from more problems the Xbox 720 also appears to be facing, but I’ll get into that later.

The Wii U suffers even worse, not even getting the Unreal Engine 4 because it isn’t powerful enough. Combine this with the current track record of sales and games available, and the profit margins for new gaming units, and Nintendo could be looking into following Sega as a game developer, ditching consoles completely. I hate to see that happen, as Nintendo has always been the innovator for new technology when it comes to consoles.

Now we come to the Xbox 720. Considering the secrecy Microsoft is attempting to maintain around their next Xbox, what we think we know could already be enough to doom the console. The recent drama surrounding a certain Microsoft employee’s tweets revealed that the Xbox 720 will most likely require an internet connection just to function. That’s all fine and dandy, but I’d rather not have to choose between playing a game and surfing the internet if my internet connection is slow. Xbox Live already has a history of kicking gamers off if the connection isn’t fast enough. Imagine your game just cutting out on you if the router starts needing a power reset, or there is an unexpected outage, and you’ll understand where I’m coming from. Who wants to just sit there staring at an error screen when the power is still working fine?

Combine this with the Xbox 720 not being backwards-compatible with older games, and not even letting me play used games, and I see a deal-breaker. I only buy used games. It’s just less expensive that way. And it’s the deal-breaker that the PlayStation 4 is also facing. I don’t want to start my entire collection over because a “new and better” console was released and I don’t have room for both. And remember what I said about the x86 architecture? Good, because I don’t like repeating myself.

Finally, the Ouya comes to light. The Android-powered console that got its start on Kickstarter has already had inferior consoles and controllers sent out to people who paid to see it made. The controllers were flat and felt cheap, the Bluetooth controller connection is randomly laggy, and the hardware it runs on just can’t compete with the bigger consoles. If I want to play Android games, I’ll play them on my Android phone. It works better overall.

In the end, I don’t think the future of next generation consoles looks bright at all.

What do you think about the next generation of consoles?

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