Many rumors have been springing up over the past several months about what the big guys in the gaming hardware industry have been cooking up for the next generation of game consoles. The general idea is the next generation is bigger, better and faster but it doesn’t entirely seem that way with the next batch of consoles being developed. Microsoft and Sony have both had rumors circulating about their next consoles having technology that in essence blocks the use of used software not to mention rumors of the system needing to be online all the time just to run anything. This is frightening to me, it seems like extremely heavy handed tactics to combat the perceived threat that used games and piracy have on the industries bottom line and I just don’t understand it. No other market is like this, no other normal market is exempt from the 2nd hand market. You don’t see the Automobile Manufacturer having you pay them when you buy a used car from a used car dealership nor do you see used bookstores or thrift shops having ‘book’ passes or percentages going back to the manufacturer for an item who’s 1st hand sale has come and gone. Yeah, the development of video games is very expensive but so is the development of other technologies and other entertainment outlets but you don’t see anti-second hand market sentiment from them. The Industry is stuck in the past and seems it can’t catch up nor does it seem to want to. Fact is, not all of us have the money to throw around whenever a great new game comes out, sometimes we wait too long and they go out of print. The only way to get that game at that point is on the 2nd hand market. See where my problem with anti-used technology is? I hope so.
We also have Nintendo. They use to be the front runner of the hardware race when they first released the NES which helped salvage the industry from the Great Crash of 1984, with each successor being a significant upgrade from the previous generation. The SNES blew away the Genesis and TG-16, then the N64 came and gave Sony a run for its money. I Guess it was around the time of the Gamecube that Nintendo started to lose its thunder not to mention the much earlier failure of the Virtual Boy. With the Wii we had a rather insignificant upgrade in terms of power in favor of a gimmick that did prove to be popular however with their future prospect we see this again. If rumors are true about the Wii U, we are going to see another console banking entirely on its gimmick compared to its competitors. The Wii U according to some developers is on par with the PS3 and 360 as opposed to being closer in power to what the PS4 or Xbox 720 will be and this makes absolutely no sense to me. On the other hand we have developers from Epic and Gearbox saying the complete opposite about the hardware. Its hard to figure out what the truth is and Nintendo isn’t denying nor confirming it. Only time will tell it seems.
As these are merely rumors… we can only take them with a grain of salt. Rumors come and go and only time reveals the truths behind them. I can only wait and see if the next generation will be truly worthwhile or if my concerns are valid or not.
Many rumors have been springing up over the past several months about what the big guys in the gaming hardware industry have been cooking up for the next generation of game consoles. The general idea is the next generation is bigger, better and faster but it doesn’t entirely seem that way with the next batch of consoles being developed. Microsoft and Sony have both had rumors circulating about their next consoles having technology that in essence blocks the use of used software not to mention rumors of the system needing to be online all the time just to run anything. This is frightening to me, it seems like extremely heavy handed tactics to combat the perceived threat that used games and piracy have on the industries bottom line and I just don’t understand it. No other market is like this, no other normal market is exempt from the 2nd hand market. You don’t see the Automobile Manufacturer having you pay them when you buy a used car from a used car dealership nor do you see used bookstores or thrift shops having ‘book’ passes or percentages going back to the manufacturer for an item who’s 1st hand sale has come and gone. Yeah, the development of video games is very expensive but so is the development of other technologies and other entertainment outlets but you don’t see anti-second hand market sentiment from them. The Industry is stuck in the past and seems it can’t catch up nor does it seem to want to. Fact is, not all of us have the money to throw around whenever a great new game comes out, sometimes we wait too long and they go out of print. The only way to get that game at that point is on the 2nd hand market. See where my problem with anti-used technology is? I hope so.
We also have Nintendo. They use to be the front runner of the hardware race when they first released the NES which helped salvage the industry from the Great Crash of 1984, with each successor being a significant upgrade from the previous generation. The SNES blew away the Genesis and TG-16, then the N64 came and gave Sony a run for its money. I Guess it was around the time of the Gamecube that Nintendo started to lose its thunder not to mention the much earlier failure of the Virtual Boy. With the Wii we had a rather insignificant upgrade in terms of power in favor of a gimmick that did prove to be popular however with their future prospect we see this again. If rumors are true about the Wii U, we are going to see another console banking entirely on its gimmick compared to its competitors. The Wii U according to some developers is on par with the PS3 and 360 as opposed to being closer in power to what the PS4 or Xbox 720 will be and this makes absolutely no sense to me. On the other hand we have developers from Epic and Gearbox saying the complete opposite about the hardware. Its hard to figure out what the truth is and Nintendo isn’t denying nor confirming it. Only time will tell it seems.
As these are merely rumors… we can only take them with a grain of salt. Rumors come and go and only time reveals the truths behind them. I can only wait and see if the next generation will be truly worthwhile or if my concerns are valid or not.