Feature
1UP Community Feature: Consoles in 2012
The 1UP Community discusses what is to come in the New Year.
By: J. Kartje January 13, 2012
Well, 2012 is here and I still don't have this in my living room, but the Kinect is bringing us closer every day.
Welcome to the revival of the weekly 1UP Community Feature! This article will run every Friday and highlight the discussions of our wonderful readers. This week's topic was "Gaming Trends in 2012." That's pretty broad, but it's easy to see what everyone has on their mind rolling into this New Year: new consoles. The growing adoption of the 3DS, the impending PS Vita, the enigmatic Wii U, and the big brewing storm containing the PS4 and Xbox 720 will be the center of attention this year. Let's take a look at what the 1UP Community predicts.
The Nintendo 3DS and the PlayStation Vita
CloudStrife_CA thinks the US launch of the PS Vita will roll out smoother than it did in Japan. "The launch lineup is almost tailored for the North American audience with games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Hot Shots Golf, Touch My Katamari, Mod Nation Racers & Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, this has to be probably one of the strongest portable launch lineups that I can remember."
The fate of the 3DS and the impending launch of the PS Vita will be very interesting stories to watch. Sunmofo thinks the PS Vita will struggle at first, "The Vita will probably mirror what the 3DS did last year, only on a smaller scale. It will have a slow launch and a quick price drop followed by resurgent success. The 3DS, on the other hand, will come into its own and thrive. But probably will still not live up to Nintendo's original far-too-lofty expectations."
The Xbox 720 and the PlayStation 4
No one knows exactly what Sony and Microsoft have up their sleeves for this next generation, and Unkn0wn3ntity thinks the time is near. "The hardware is showing its age, and gamers are likewise getting antsy for something new." One thing is for sure: people are skeptical of Microsoft and Sony's chances at maintaining their market share. EXTomar predicts, "Smart TV start to gain traction and change the game like Smart Phones did for cell phones. Apple and Google jump in with (even more) branded HDTV while Microsoft clumsily gets left behind." This is quite insightful given the recent news from GoogleTV and OnLive. Deep_Search also adds, "I think cloud computing poses an interesting option considering the next gen hardware. Effectively it will allow future developers to make the games exactly as "big" as they please, regardless of tech specs because obviously, gamers will be running games off premise. I think too with Microsoft's recent dashboard "upgrade" and Sony's attempt to keep up with these "innovations", it seems more or less, with a change so late in consoles' lifespans, like they are prepping us for their next moves- of which the digital medias and social networking's further convergence will be of central importance."
The next console generation definitely has a possibility of becoming your all-in-one media station, and Krae_Man discusses how this can be possible. "512gb or RAM is probably a roadblock for some of the things they want to do, especially if they want to have multiple apps running. It also doesn't have DVR Functionality yet. That's something I could see. How about a system with a huge hard drive and more RAM for $199 with a 2 year cable contract for example?"
The Wild Card, the Wii U
The Wii U is the one that could toss a wrench in everyone's plans. One long-anticipated wish may come true, though: Nintendo games in HD. Simba1983 writes, "With current graphics, and the Zelda HD tech demo, you can equally imagine other Nintendo IP franchises, applied in similar fashion, which I think will shock people even more, as at long last, the big N, is going HD." Crispy4001 is hopeful for Nintendo's chances: "What the Wii U is doing is actually pretty smart considering. No one can compete with the TV next-gen. But if you don't have to rely on the TV, your platform will likely be used more." But what will that new tablet controller mean for gaming? Hopefully this year's E3 will answer our questions without disappointing.
The Games
In our weekly poll, we asked for your most anticipated game of 2012. Mass Effect 3 was the clear winner, with 32% of the votes. The good news is that we don't have to wait long for this one, as it's scheduled for March 6th. That's not the only game to look forward to though, Lemon33 thinks JRPGs may fight their way back. "The question on my mind is Will the release of Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story revive the JRPG again?? If sales are extremely good in this upcoming dry year for new games, will Microsoft and PS3 try to capitalize on it too? Maybe I'm just hoping, but JRPG could be the next big trend."
And finally, we wrap up the predictions with rcf1105, "Episode 3, I want to believe". Yes, we all want to believe, too.
Let us know what you think in the comments and chime in on next week's topic, "Controllers: the good, the bad, and the inspiring." Tell us which controllers you think were legendary and which were forgotten for a reason. Let us know in the blogs or on the boards.
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My thinking...
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� IssacS
I am not sure, but this year is sure to be very interesting.
I was saying when the 3DS was launched, I will say it now... this market is a marathon not a sprint. Nintendo will not corner the market in days, it will do so in months, years even (if that). So I outright expected for the strategy to be, well... slow. Why this missed most analysts is anyone guess. But the fact that it's hit the ground run by the end of the year is expected... the fact that it took a massive price drop to do it, not so much. So long as there are not major issues, I think that the 3DS will make a name for itself over the next year.
Which brings me to Vita's outright dismal performance in Japan. First off, I will be blunt. What has happened so far is BAD. "Vita is Dooommmed" no, but bad all the same. The second thing here is that, Vita's library is not that major at the current moment... and that will change over time.
That said, Vita will have issues going forward... the biggest elephant in the room is due to price and scope. Sony at this moment is still rather insistence that the Vita should be a "Portable PS3" (that the experiences between them should be the same) and honestly that is not the best way to go around a device this unique... it really does need something that shows off the system that both Nintendo, Android, and iOS can't with more impact than a simple tech-demo. And honestly, for a system like this... $250 is asking for a lot, but I wonder if Sony can do anything about that in the near-term (with them selling the Vita at a loss, even now).
And with that there is a lot of tech-over lap with modern smart-phones.... and that might be a good thing (easier for ports from Android/iOS) or a bad thing (for the same reason). And given that modern smart-phones are popular, I question if Vita can stand out on it's own even in North America with the overlap and issues.
But all that said, let me say this... this is Sony's market to forfeit. If they want to say in it, they will have to do something that attracts interest... They can't wait for modern smart-phones to drop off in popularity nor Nintendo making a massive error. It's all a matter of how Sony reacts to this, and so far... they have yet to do so.
With the rumors rolling around, over the next gen. A new Xbox and Playstation platform would be interesting. But that said. I outright FEAR what happened on the digital side of things. A lot of people have quite the investment into Xbox Live and PlayStaion's Network, so any massive change to either will be met with screaming if things are not smooth. And Xbox, honestly, has a rather bad history of this with the change over from Xbox 1 to 360... That CAN NOT happen again, with either platform.
Outside of that, graphics can't be the only thing getting an upgrade. For next gen, I want Sony and Microsoft to do more than the expected... if I am looking at more GPU ram and CPU power, then there is little point to getting the new systems.
With the WiiU, I am more curious than anything. First off, again... I expect things to start out slow. I am not sure but I am not expecting for third-parties to start standing out at launch. The HD factor aside, WiiU is risky... but that is the thing that I like out of it the most. This is not what I expected for the Next-Gen Nintendo system, it's has massive built-in possibilities. Developers have to look at this thing differently, which is what I want... BUT... IT IS RISKY. Established thinking and titles a better suited for this than the Wii per se, but that is not saying a whole lot. We'll have to see what happens when it launches, but it's a matter of pricing and marketing from here on out.... that said, I am still... curious.
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i'll pass on wii U
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� photardic
Reports have said that the wii U will be more powerful than a PS3 and Xbox and will have a tablet� type controller.� It just sounds like more of the same from nintendo- a gimicky controller and a hardware facelift. But lets face it - games make the console. If the wii u's library is anything like the wii's library I'll pass.
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"512MB of ram..."
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� learningKnight
...Is I think what that quotation is supposed to say.
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Not ready for new consoles yet!
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� Wakkamakazi
I believe both the 360 and PS3 have a few years left before they push for the next gen. It's even been stated by some higher-up guy from Sony that they have no plans on releasing any info at E3 this year for the PS4. I got my PS3 in June and I feel there is so much more that can be done on this system. It's abit like the iPhone 4S that everyone believed to be the iPhone 5. Why go for a major upgrade that isn't needed before they perfect their games with better coding, for example texture loading issues (Rage, Oblivion). Would you rather keep playing your current console with all your hard earned trophies and points or start over all again from scratch?
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Meh
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� klumminati
I'm more curious about the console names, today. Will Sony simply call it the PS4? Will Microsoft name it's system, Xbox: Fore or Fore Runners in a nod to Halo? Will google tv or onlive be involved with the new consoles? Will Wii U rock You? I need to know these things....
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consoles are losing focus =(
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� invidcyborg
These consoles have plenty of life in them.� At least 3 years before MS and Sony even think of making a next gen.� Nintendo on the other hand. It will be nice to see HD nintendo games.�
On to my main point, the consoles should be driven by the software not by how good it looks.� First you make a good program foundation...then you make it look good. �
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@Klocknov: Your preference is blinding your judgements
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� Krisgebis
I don't know why you think MS would rush out their console. Have a high failure rate the beginning of this gen has been far to costly. Going to the next gen they enjoy a much better position in the marked, and the 1 billion reparations cost is still a sore point, so next gen they are going to be extra careful regarding hardware quality.
Sony on the other hand has stated two things regarding what they have to change going forward. Making the PS3 without listening to developersand launching a year behind MS were big mistakes. This is essentially everything we know about the next PS, that these admitted mistakes will be�rectifie. They have to launch alongside or close to the neXtbox, and they know it. 3-4 years of would be insane. You appear to have FAAR to much confidense in your brand of choice, which also show when you put Vita>3DS. Sorry to say, but that seems extremely unlikely.
And Sonys better then the rest tech support? What are you talking about, Sony hardly wants to fix fabrication errors, they charge overprice for fixing hardware error, that should have been covered by warrenty.
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stupid idiots who dont know gaming aka rpgs
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� stealth20k
Lemon33 thinks JRPGs may fight their way back. "The question on my mind is Will the release of Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story revive the JRPG again?? If sales are extremely good in this upcoming dry year for new games, will Microsoft and PS3 try to capitalize on it too? Maybe I'm just hoping, but JRPG could be the next big trend."
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jrpgs have been the big trend this entire gen, they dont need a revive..........
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in the first 3 months of this year in all regions there are 15 jrpgs launching. More than almost any other genre.
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Wii Remote
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� nemo83
WiiU: I do not anticipate that they will show anything at E3 that will make me want this console-- when I think next generation; I think graphics and I think 5GB of RAM.� Nintendo has�the task of blowing my mind to get me to spend $300-400 in this great depression.
The tablet controller has only one use in games that I am curious about-- the panoramic video demonstration suggests that first person games will have the option of using the gyro to use the tablet screen as a window into the game with 1:1 camera control in any direction (with no need to point anything at the television to get it to work).
What Nintendo needs to show at E3;�in terms of controllers,�is a revision of the Wii remote which includes a thumb stick in place of the d-pad and A button, the removal of the camera from the controller, the use of multiple mounted cameras to track the remotes in 3D, and a built in light source which wraps around the bottom and/or top of the controller so it can be tracked no matter which direction it is pointing.
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"Needs"
Posted: 01/15/2012 by� crispy4001
There's a big difference between needs, reasonable wants, and impractical wishes driven by pie in the sky theorizing.
As usual, you're claiming the latter is necessary.
The Wiimote Plus isn't broken.� There's no pressing need to fix it with "multiple mounted cameras." $$$ Ugh $$$.
Wii U's controller is enough of a distinction anyhow.� A 3rd generation Wiimote wouldn't have much marketable appeal.� Certainly not mainstream, console selling appeal.
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Broken
Posted: 01/17/2012 by� nemo83
It's old technology; the design of the controller with the dpad and A button�forces the�use�of a secondary controller�with further�gimped motion�control technology,�and it's a hindrance to free-handed game design.
Skyward Sword for example doesn't care what your arm is doing; whether you have the remote behind your back or between your legs, it detects eight 2D directions and a jab-- you're left with an experience in which you are pretending to swing the sword when you're just moving a gyro inside that doesn't track in three dimensional space.�
There is nothing negative about designing a new one handed controller that permits the player to swing the sword 1:1.
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My comment about the Wii U...
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� crispy4001
... was taken from a side discussion about the impact of Smart TV's in the next gen.�
The controller idea isn't smart just for the screen.� What's important is that it steps away from the multimedia-center console approach that's quickly becoming a dead end.� Console use is bound to go down the better TVs get at multimedia out of the box, and the more they become commonplace.� Un-tethering that console experience from the TV is one way to sidestep the issue, to some degree at least.
I'm very curious to see what Microsoft and Sony's response is, not just to Nintendo, but to Google, Apple, Samsung and other companies currently vying for the living room in general.
The biggest mistake they could make is thinking that multimedia is where they'll get ahead. -
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I think Nintendo is going to do it again with the Wii U.
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� SamuraiTerry
tablets are huge right now, so a home console that intergrates a tablet will potentially be huge with the main stream audiences. �They just have to make sure it is packed with Wii Sports 2. �
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Wii U
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� Unkn0wn3ntity
Sorry, but I don't get the name choice at all and think it's pretty stupid. As for the system itself, I'm reserving judgment until there is more info on it especially concerning games. It all hinges on the games. Of course, aside from a handful of good games, the Wii's library was absolute shit that gave the definition of "fodder" a bad name. For every good game there were at least twenty bad ones; yet despite that glaring fact it still old astronomically. Talk about illogical. Nintendo truly did make a deal with the Devil this gen.
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Shovelware
Posted: 01/15/2012 by� crispy4001
Shovelware wasn't the issue in itself.� It was the misnomer that the Wii audience had an unquenchable appitite for shovelware that brought its software library down.
Not because the bad games make the good ones worse.� But because the cash-in attitude resulted in fewer good games.� A platform can still have plenty of shovelware and quality games (ie: PS2, DS).
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......
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� sepewrath
The Vita I think will do better in its western launch, the system seems to be geared towards a western audience anyway--that's just the feeling I get from it. How much better remains to be seen, no matter what currency you apply to its still an expensive proposition. I mean you can get the 3DS, a game and even the circle pad addon if you want and still come out less than the Vita alone.
The Wii U, despite what some people want, has to be about the games. That has the weak point for Nintendo hardware the last two gens, the lack of the 3rd party. The have to get the Assassin's Creed and GTA's of the world on their platform. People are looking down on it already as saying its not "next gen" but I think its going to be more than comparable with the next wave of hardware from Sony and MS. I don't see them go with souped, really expensive hardware.
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NES
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� Killingjok3
the Nintendo console looks stupid with that controller but Im very interested what will be shown and how much it will be.
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De-Ja Vu
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� spanky_mcnasty
The PSV does seem to have a strong release schedual for launch, but there are some striking similarities towards 3DS (Capcom fighter, 3rd person shooter etc); not to mention the similar launch sales in Japan.
Either way, pricing is king (�200-odd for PSV pre-orders!?!) and I predict a similar price drop inn the first few months...if the similarities are to continue, that is.
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No...
Posted: 01/13/2012 by� octoberfleshed
the drop was a bit worse for Vita. �There was of course still a drop for 3DS, but that's why the Vita "doom and gloom" has been going around. �Of course I don't think the Vita will necessarily have the same troubles in the west, but who knows...
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No...
Posted: 01/14/2012 by� octoberfleshed
the drop on the 3DS wasn't as big or as fast. �3DS sold about 370k units its first week on the market, then about 200k vs. 320k for Vita in its first week to about 72k in its second (both are representative of Japan, NOT worldwide sales, btw) �so that's a substantially larger drop on the Vita's part.
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The Wii U...
Posted: userComment.createdDate by� antman85
The Wii U might surprise some people, but it all depends if developers take advantage of it. I also think that the North America launch of the PS Vita will go well, I know I'm getting one. The Box 720 and PS4 are prolly still about 2 years away, in my opinion, with all these games coming out this year, why would they release a new console the next year, but we will have to wait and see.
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Maybe
Posted: 01/15/2012 by� Klocknov
I think Microsoft is going to do what they did with the 360 with the 720 and rush it to market to beat the competition. I am thinking holiday or first quater of next year. So yes still a year but I think they are going to push out another mistake like they did with the 360 with what I hear floating around the hardware world.
The WiiU I am looking forward too, I am not going to be jumping right on board but the controller is looking like the next legendary setup for console gaming. Will just have to wait and see though on that to much is floating on HD and the tablet controller for the big N. Though I am hoping the 3DS starts seeing some new models that are better supporting backwards compatability. That right there would earn them tons of win on handheld market though I am still leaning towardws the Vita.
Sony is at least two years out on the the PS4 in my books. Not enough is floating around about the PS4 other then the players want it. They are most definitely in the works but as I have not heard any floating rumours with hardware I am doubting they are anywhere past the drawing boards. I say two years min and will probably be looking at three with four at the most. Though with the PSVita hitting stateside market here soon and with it being more geared for a launch on the US side I am thinking that is going to be their major carry suit with some good focus on getting the PSN and PS3 setup to smoothly move over to the PS4.
But yeah I am thinking that things are going to be changed massively with this next generation. With MS promising a much better recognition with Kinect2 hopefully landing with the 720 and WiiU looking promising with the big N we are now just waiting for what Sony is going to work with to get people looky at the PS for next gen. And hopefully it is not just their better then the rest tech support....
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