Playstation 4 reveal...
 

Sony is reminding me that I am getting older. Thanks, Sony.

Anyhoo, some info about the new console, controller and some game announcements:

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/02/...unches-ps4-hub

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/02/...ion-4-revealed


:Broncos:

Freaky. Straight up freaky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUMOHSL53L8

Meh. I went back to PC. Really is a better gaming experience overall.

Not to discount consoles' place in the industry, but outside of shooters, I think they're irrelevant.

Crazy. Looks like selling my PS3 will soon happen.

I wouldn't be so hasty. Article indicated that the PS4 won't be backwards compatible with the PS3 as they are moving away from the Cell architecture.

Ah, thanks for the info. I rarely even play it. I bought NCAA13 Football and Skyrim and got bored after about two weeks. I stream Netflix off of it. Haven't gamed hard since about 2006. Just can't really sit down and veg out like I did in college. Ain't nobody got time fo' dat!

I hear you. My PS3 is mostly a glorified bluray player at my house any more. The only game I regularly play on it is the latest in the MLB the Show franchise when spring training rolls around every year and the baseball bug bites me.

I forgot PS3 even had BlueRay. Hilarious!

While the video of games was impressive (somey so), I think it was an ubber fail by Sony's part to hold an event about revealing the PS4 and not showing it! LoL! Plus, what the heck? The announce they are going to announce a new Final Fantasy at E3? Hey Sony... it's been 7 years since you guys announced FFXIII Versus, how about finishing that first!

Still love my Xbox 360, and I am looking forward to seeing what they come out with. But I still have to have my fix of PS and Nintendo games. Like God of War, Metal Gear and Zelda.

If it's as overpriced as the PS3 was when it hit market, I'll pass. PSX and PS2 made me big sony fans. PS3 priced me out and I went with the Wii and 360. If Nintendo didn't have Zelda and Metroid, I wouldn't even consider their new system. I'll probably wait at least six months after all the systems come out before diving in and see who will have what I want and what price. It seems like the early systems also experience hiccups (red ring of death, I'm looking at you) so if I'm going to shell out four hundred bucks for a system, I want to see all my options first.

Since my collection is full of ps3 older games no PS4. I think sony should do a newer backward compatable as well. Be interesting to see how sales are. Hard to believe everyone will just toss their collection of games.

It was a bit overpriced at the PS3 launch. But back then no other game consoles were throwing out Blu Ray. A Blu Ray that was consistently ranked at the top in performance and quality. Beating out all others. I don't even play games but bought it back them just for the Blu ray. Most people didnt know what it was, or even had a TV that could play a Blu Ray.

Hype.

The Killzone PS4 demo didn't look any noticeably better than shooters on current gen games. Maybe the cut-scenes are more realistic, but the gameplay so far has yet to really impress.

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that is supposed to by gameplay.

I'll wait a year till the first price drop before picking it up. I'm happy with the ps3 right now. No need to rush to get the new one.

Nice lighting, physics, characters, VFX there. We'll see about the actually game(s) though.

It'll be interesting to see how disruptive Valve's "upgradeable console" model will be.

That looks like a slightly more high resolution version of Skyrim....which is cool in itself but not really groundbreaking.

If the "next gen" consoles just amount to HD level graphics ("I can see his hair follicles!") then I think it's gonna be a let-down.

What's the really big innovation here? This Deep Down game could be Infinity Blade 3 for all I know.

You can never grade a system's potential off of the first wave of games that are released. Most consoles don't start really tapping into their graphics potential until a few years into release, and many systems are retired with the majority of the games released never fully utilizing the computing power of the systems they were played on.

Here is the problem with the video game industry, specifically AAA console games:

You have a model that is increasingly expensive and hit driven with each leap in technology. It's very difficult for most studios to cover cost because, despite big sales numbers, the audience still isn't big enough to sustain more than a few heavyweights. There are only a handful of studios that don't have to risk everything each time they put out a new game. This reduces risk taking both from funders (publishers) and creators (devs). The result is an industry that needs to expand its audience to sustain itself but refuses to take the risks necessary to cater to more types of people. It's stuck producing teenage power fantasies that cater to one or two demographics.

The $60 price tag is also alienating to potential new gamers but is viewed as a necessity given the audience size. The high price then puts pressure on developers to pad their games with filler content to make them longer. The time commitment of many AAA games is another alienating factor. Controls and gameplay mechanics need to be mastered before you even get into the meat of the 30+ hour experience. Give me a $15 two hour game any day of the week because, as a working adult, I really don't have much disposable time to devote to entertainment. This is a big reason why social games or games like Call of Duty and Madden are so popular - they're relatively simple and offer quick play sessions with easy rewards. Players also have a sense of when they're going to end - imagine going into a movie theatre and not knowing if you'd be there for a few hours or a few days. Existing members of the gaming community don't like to hear this because it suggests that their lives lack balance. In reality I think it just suggests they're deeply passionate about games.

The smaller the audience, the less diversity of talent you're going to get entering the industry 5-15 years down the road. That diversity is essential for long term growth because it spurs the kind of creative innovation needed to attract new players. In the film industry, they at least have a large, global, if a bit battered, independent community and its visibility continues to push people with diverse backgrounds and interests into creative roles. Granted, only a tiny fraction make it, but the result is a medium with offerings for everyone.

There is hope in the emergence of "big indies" like That Game Company (Flower, Journey) but these examples are far too few. To its credit, Sony in particular has recognised the value of pushing indies to the forefront of its online experience. Hopefully all the big players can continue to nurture indies from the small experiments to larger mid-scale games that have the potential to really grab large swathes of people. I look to possible disrupters like the Valve console and the Ouya for additional help in this arena.

And with that I announce my retirement from the video game industry!

What is a teenage power fantasy?

This! That is one of the reason I love Bungie (Marathon,Myth,Halo). Every time they come up with a new video game franchise they leave a huge footprint. They did it with Marathon, I still haven't played a better RTS game than Myth, Myth II (Crazy awesome, and crazy hard). Halo took the FPS in the PC and made it own on a console. (it's thanks to halo that almost all FPS have the same action/button mappings plus the use of both analog sticks). Can't wait for their new game! Pretty sure it will be something that most games will look to imitate or perfectionate. Plus, finally the PlayStation fan base will get to see what an awesome company they are.

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No Madden on PC, which sucks.

Your going to notice it much more in terms of details. The computationally expensive stuff like physics simulation and the ability to animate much larger parts of scenes. The overall experience is going to feel a ton more immersive.. even if it doesn't look like a big next-gen leap.

"A power fantasy is a form of wish fulfillment for a powerless person.

It can be anything, from vast physical strength or invincibility (popular with adolescent boys), to wealth or political influence (popular with middle-aged men)."

Superheros are a teenage power fantasy, for example. Being a bad ass dragon or zombie slayer are others.

I didn't talk about design at all but it's much easier for games to simulate the power fantasy typically associated with a teenager than those of a grown man. Being really strong and causing havoc is a lot easier to do than some sort of sophisticated social interaction.

Don't forget 1080P. My 360 doesn't do that.