Poll: Is it time for new Sony and Microsoft consoles?

In light of Nintendo's recent comments that they believe people want a new wave of next-generation consoles, let's put it to you. Do we need new consoles from Sony and Microsoft? Do you want them yet?

While I definitely agree it's time for a new console from Nintendo, I don't think Sony and MS need to right now. I wouldn't want them to. Recent games on both consoles prove that there is still so much more to come from each system. I could easily live with my PS3 as my main source of games, certainly to sit alongside the Wii U, for a good few years to come. Whether each company will succumb to any pressure if they see that the Wii U is significantly more capable than their systems is a different matter entirely. But personally I don't need to see PlayStation 4 come out any time soon.

Have your say.

I could definitely get a few more years out of my Xbox. I'm okay with a new generation coming if MS and Sony insist on bringing it, but I'm fine with playing my 360 for a good while longer too. There's still so much left for me to play on the thing, and we still have several standouts coming like Mass Effect 3 and Bioshock Infinite. I'd eventually like to get a PS3 too -- there's so much from this generation I haven't even touched yet. I could easily wait.

It's definitely time for the Wii U though.

When you see these incredible looking games like the ones you mentioned, plus The Last of Us, Resident Evil 6, Uncharted 3, FF Versus XIII, GTA 5 and Gears 3 to name just a few more examples, you really think, do we even need new consoles yet? I definitely don't think we do. My guess is that most others would agree, so it's interesting to hear it from Nintendo. People want a new Nintendo console yes, but new PlayStations and Xboxes..?

Great thread! I'll try and be as legible and ramble-free as possible. My short answer = NO. My longer answer is that, unlike Wii, the other two only financially settled-in a couple years ago. MS and Sony have been playing a real dicey game with their finances, this console generation. Things are relatively settled for both of them, now.

As for "power" etc - I personally wouldn't be surprised if cross-platform games (WiiU/PS3/360) only look a little better on Nintendo's new machine. If that turns out to be the case, then there's really no need for the other two to panic. I can see MS maybe getting nervous, it's been used to having the most powerful console on the market since 2001.

On the other hand, I couldn't really imagine Sony giving two shits if it's just a small difference. They suffered being graphically the worst-off between the three major consoles in the sixth generation. True, it was a relatively-small handicap compared to Wii vs PS3/360. But then that was the basis of my hypothesis of Wii U vs PS3/360, that it'd be a small difference in graphical fidelity, and that MS might crack in this situation, but I doubt Sony would.

If they're smart they're just quietly beavering away on their next offerings, with no urgently-imminent launch in mind. They'll probably have a goose at how The U fares when it hits the market.

Lastly, we must remember that the consumer of today generally hasn't the money that the consumer of 5-6 years ago had. Especially for stupid things like games. Double especially if they already have a perfectly good game system at home with reams of peng games they've never even played.

As I said elsewhere yesterday, I picked up both Dead Space games for my PS3 for really cheap. Had a demo of one ages and ages ago (I have almost no memory of it). Never really grabbed me, didn't buy the game. Now here I am, having spent the last three days wasting a lot of my free time on playing an old PS3 game from 2008 that I recently got for absolute pittance.

I think I'm touching on the same thing Jacob mentioned. There's just so much stuff to get. 360/PS3 are now entering that awesome stage of their lives where you can go into an establishment, and look at a big healthy wall of new games, and have a browse. New awesome games mind, because the developers can now make these consoles jump through hoops.

Of course, they're also now old enough to have a fucking massive back-catalogue. So along with the amazing new stuff, you can do that awesome thing where you go thumbing through decks of obscure pre-owned stuff, looking for that diamond in the rough!

Tbh, I think anyone who would say "Yes" here has either way too much money or just isn't aware of how big of a backlog his consoles actually have. Heck, I just got myself a PS3 (I know, very late) and barely even know where to start. There are just so many games on those two platforms that noone could have possibly played all of them and there are still a lot of new titles coming up for them.

Nintendo, on the other hand, really needs a new console. Their franchises are going to really benefit from the upgrade and a real online network is long overdue. It's hard to tell how Sony and Microsoft are going to react to it as it all depends on how the Wii U turns out. I'm sure they're sane enough to not want a new console anytime soon but if they feel pressured by something the Wii U can do then they might just join in as well.

I have a PC.

Echoes221 said:
I have a PC.

As do I.

As for the rest, I'll just repeat my post from the E3 2012 thread.

Stulaw said:
I guess people thinking the next generation has come too soon is both due to the fact that gaming's never been this good, and because they're growing up and realising that they'll have to pay for everything themselves, rather than their parents buying things for them. In fact, money restrictions are probably the No.1 reason that people don't want a new console.

But that's ok, I mean no-one really has to buy anything at launch, they can still sit on their current console(s) and get the most out of them while they still have them. The massive backlog helps a lot.

But the hardware really does need to move forward, there will eventually be a point where everyone might as well just have a PC; I mean, they're the best all in one devices. But until that time comes, there's no point in current outdated hardware holding games back.

I will say however, that I wouldn't be surprised if it's a couple of years before Sony and Microsoft release anything.

( Edited 28.01.2012 14:24 by Stulaw )

I curious to know why the six people who voted "Yes" would want new consoles. Please share your thoughts.

Marzy said: I curious to know why the six people who voted "Yes" would want new consoles. Please share your thoughts.

Because they have monies...!

I don't think it's time for a new PS or XBox - though I think E3 2012 would at least be when there'll be a few announcements and a gentle push towards the next generation, but I can't see anything too substantial happening before E3 2013, with a late 2013 release for either at the very earliest.

But who knows really?

Both consoles are good enough to keep outputting great games, both multiplatform with Wii U and first party/exclusive efforts - I think we really are reaching a point where it just can't get that too much better without developers going OTT to justify the hardware jump.

I echo what people are saying though, definitely definitely time for a new Nintendo console. This year seems right, but I hope none of the platform holders rush a new piece of hardware.

Don't care for incredibly great graphics, good enough will suffice. But something to evolve from PSmove and kinect would be great.

It is time, the 360 was released in 2005. Technology has improved in 7 years. I want better graphics, more power, just like I did with the original xbox. Add some new integrated technology like Kinect or some other cool invention. Current games are great, but on a new console will be better. I don't care about the cost, because my 360 cost me what, like 6 bucks a week on average? That's not much to spend on a hobby.
New console from Nintendo is definitely needed , I like the controller but my head hurts from switching to wii after xbox or even tv.

I guess people thinking the next generation has come too soon is both due to the fact that gaming's never been this good, and because they're growing up and realising that they'll have to pay for everything themselves, rather than their parents buying things for them. In fact, money restrictions are probably the No.1 reason that people don't want a new console.

The exact opposite is true for me. I never had too many video games when I was younger because my parents didn't buy them. I might get a new system or a new game for Christmas or Birthdays, but during the year I had to buy that stuff on my own.

Now that I'm older and I have an income, money isn't such a problem. Time is the bigger issue.

Also worth remembering is that Microsoft and Sony don't generally aim their consoles at children, whereas Nintendo do. Obviously children do own PS3s and 360s, but the 'market' for those consoles is young adult males. Or was. They perhaps made their target audience a little wider when they started copying Wii. I don't know, this is just my opinion.

There's probably a relatively-equal ratio of all ages who own those consoles, with the adolescent-young adult male sector dominating to some degree.

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SirLink said:
Tbh, I think anyone who would say "Yes" here has either way too much money or just isn't aware of how big of a backlog his consoles actually have.

Anyway, I would also go with no. Why?
-Both consoles are still reasonably expensive, and are still selling well.
-There's still plenty of games coming out from them.
-Nothing shown of the Wii-U seems to require a knee-jerk reaction from Sony or Microsoft.
-What can a new console actually offer that the current lot can't do? Obviously graphics, AI etc will all move up a notch, but how much higher can they go?
-As Martin says, it wouldn't make financial sense.

I'm thinking Christmas 2013 for Microsoft, maybe early 2014 for Sony.

Yep if new consoles came out I would have the money for them and buy them buuuut that doesn't mean I think it's a good idea for many reasons, both for the consumer and for Sony or Microsoft.

Sony and Microsoft have said there would be no console reveals from either of them at E3 (last I heard anyway). Not only does this give the consumer a breather (I think the industry is pretty close to being overcrowded again at the moment) but also gives Sony and Microsoft time to analyse and tackle the WiiU, I actually think that Nintendo releasing the console so early is a huge gamble because its competitors will inevitably be a fair bit more powerful than it, the situation could end in the same way as current gen did, with Nintendo's system far weaker and losing out on many multiplatform titles.

Right now the WiiU strikes me as a 7.5th Gen console rather than an 8th Gen console. Sony and MS will probably go for ~true 8th Gen~ in a year or so.

( Edited 31.01.2012 13:51 by SuperLink )

Will that bother Nintendo, though? I mean, the scenario for Wii 1 was/is that although the catalogue of games probably doesn't interest a normal gamer as much as the other two, the console itself found a massive audience elsewhere, and was financially hugely-successful for Nintendo.

As long as that audience graduates to Wii U then Nintendo won't care, regardless of what core gamers want.

Cheesing it up said:
Er, is it just me, or does the backlog argument make no sense? Surely the fact that the console already has so many games out is an argument for bringing out a new console?

@Martin_: They seem pretty concerned about core gamers this time around. Emphasizing on the 'seem' since we don't have a lot of information to go by. It could really go either way at this year's E3.

( Edited 31.01.2012 14:24 by SirLink )

Martin_ said:
Will that bother Nintendo, though? I mean, the scenario for Wii 1 was/is that although the catalogue of games probably doesn't interest a normal gamer as much as the other two, the console itself found a massive audience elsewhere, and was financially hugely-successful for Nintendo.

As long as that audience graduates to Wii U then Nintendo won't care, regardless of what core gamers want.

I'm speaking merely from Sony/Microsoft's point of view, when it comes to combatting the WiiU I think a little wait would probably be in their best interests out of fear of confusing/overcrowding the consumers with all this new stuff at once.

One thing I look forward to next gen is Sony using a faster Bluray drive, the current one needing installs and all that bollocks is really weird

SirLink said:

Cheesing it up said:
@Martin_: They seem pretty concerned about core gamers this time around. Emphasizing on the 'seem' since we don't have a lot of information to go by. It could really go either way at this year's E3.

I haven't really followed it all, to be honest. How have they showed concern for core gamers beyond the stuff they said when people complained that Wii was too casual?

SuperLink said:
No I don't think it'll bother Nintendo, unless their losses continue.
But Nintendo aren't idiots when it comes to business, so it they say they're trying to sort out their losses from the last year then I'm pretty sure they can.

I imagine their losses have as much to do with the economy as anything else. All they need to do is slim their business down a little, maybe dissolve a few branches or something.

Martin_ said:

I haven't really followed it all, to be honest. How have they showed concern for core gamers beyond the stuff they said when people complained that Wii was too casual?

As of right now, 2/3 of voters say No to new consoles, and 1/3 say Yes.