Hello guys, long time no speaky? Nevermind, It's E3! Full of all the gamey goodness we love. Well, some of the stuff we love (looking at you, Microsoft). What is abundantly apparent this year is how much new stuff is coming to consoles, with the major updates, Microsoft's Kinect for the 360 (sweet Jesus if I see another anthropomorphic elephant driven by Cirque du Soleil actors I may die), and on a less mind-scaringly insane note, Sony's Playstation Move.
But in addition to these big hardware updates, we're seeing smaller software ones, especially from Playstation, who have swung in with a new subscription service offering access to exclusive content and beta, but not putting a price on currently free content. Microsoft, for their part, have given the Xbox a makeover;
...SHINY! But aside from built-in wi-fi, a 250GB HDD, and apparently running quieter, not much change hardware wise. Now, this is an interesting trend, as it's been roughly five years since the launch of the Xbox 360, and almost 4 years since the release of the Playstation 3, yet not even a whiff about next-gen. This is in stark contrast to the traditional 3 year lifecycle of consoles. Why? Two major reasons;
Firstly, there isn't really need to, neither console is past its used by date (although the 360 is just beginning to look a bit dated). Both consoles are still strong in both the technology and graphics areas, with the PS3 recently picking up 3D (for the 5 people who have 3D televisions).
Secondly, cost. It takes billions to develop a new gen console, and console companies simply cannot make enough money on the current gen, before needing to develop the new one. It's cheaper to simply extend the life of your current gen models, which is what both companies have been doing.
This has really been the first gen of gaming consoles with the ability to really update at will (through internet connections), and both Microsoft and Sony, and even Nintendo, have taken advantage of that. If you were to take Microsoft's newest iteration of the 360, complete with current software, and compare it with the release model with release software, you're almost looking at two different consoles. The same is somewhat less true for the PS3, but with recent updates to the subscription service and 3D, as well as the dropping of multi-OS support (thereby perhaps making it easier to develop for), Sony is catching up.
Essentially, the console you have today is not the console that was released 4-5 years ago, arguably, it isn't even the same gen.
...unless you have a Wii.
-Havok
Firstly, there isn't really need to, neither console is past its used by date (although the 360 is just beginning to look a bit dated). Both consoles are still strong in both the technology and graphics areas, with the PS3 recently picking up 3D (for the 5 people who have 3D televisions).
Secondly, cost. It takes billions to develop a new gen console, and console companies simply cannot make enough money on the current gen, before needing to develop the new one. It's cheaper to simply extend the life of your current gen models, which is what both companies have been doing.
This has really been the first gen of gaming consoles with the ability to really update at will (through internet connections), and both Microsoft and Sony, and even Nintendo, have taken advantage of that. If you were to take Microsoft's newest iteration of the 360, complete with current software, and compare it with the release model with release software, you're almost looking at two different consoles. The same is somewhat less true for the PS3, but with recent updates to the subscription service and 3D, as well as the dropping of multi-OS support (thereby perhaps making it easier to develop for), Sony is catching up.
Essentially, the console you have today is not the console that was released 4-5 years ago, arguably, it isn't even the same gen.
...unless you have a Wii.
-Havok
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