How long was it before current Gen Consoles really showed what they could do ?

Johnmiceter

Johnmiceter

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Sep 15, 2013
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A lot of people are saying Next gen consoles really aren't that good, but I remember when Xbox360 came out and PS3, they were saying things like, 360 is only like a Xbox1.5 and nothing really special about the PS3 either.

But how long did it take for current consoles to really show their muscle and do you think it might be similar for next gen cosnoles ?

I do, and really can't wait until we see the 2nd and 3rd waves of games for both consoles.
 
Gears of War was the first game I remember playing where I thought "This is next gen". There may have been others but that one sticks out.
 
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Gears was pretty early. So it happened fast on the 360.
 
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Honestly? Launch games never show the potential of a console, the devs are usually working on games that were designed for the last console and kinda ported over during the dev process, and they have to develop for a moving target as things keep changing all the way up to the launch. I'd say about a year or so before games come out that started development after the launch and can really be admired, plus devs will take time to learn the tricks of the tool kits.
 
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Johnmiceter said:
A lot of people are saying Next gen consoles really aren't that good, but I remember when Xbox360 came out and PS3, they were saying things like, 360 is only like a Xbox1.5 and nothing really special about the PS3 either.

But how long did it take for current consoles to really show their muscle and do you think it might be similar for next gen cosnoles ?

I do, and really can't wait until we see the 2nd and 3rd waves of games for both consoles.
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Because they aren't. Well at least for those who don't just game on console.
 
Johnmiceter said:
But isn't it similar to this gen as well ?

What were they saying about the 360 and PS3 when they first came out, what were they comparing them to, same as PS4 and XBox1 now ?
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Basically, the launch games on current gen systems were compared to the same titles on the PS2/OXB. Most launch games that had multi gen titles were underwhelming on the 360, most just "slightly" improved graphics and such, some were even worse than the same games on the PS2/OXB, Madden, Tiger Woods come to mind. All in all it took the current gen systems a couple years to really hit their strides. It'll be no different with the PS4/XB1
 
Honestly it took about four years to get there. All I have to do is look at my stack of games for proof. Fortunately I would say that today the games surpass what I had envisioned when the consoles first came out.
 
Johnmiceter said:
But isn't it similar to this gen as well ?

What were they saying about the 360 and PS3 when they first came out, what were they comparing them to, same as PS4 and XBox1 now ?
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No. Technology is light-years ahead. Last gen they at least managed to stay within the ballpark (at release). Now... not even close. Old hardware is mold.
 
REDSILENTSCOPE said:
No. Technology is light-years ahead. Last gen they at least managed to stay within the ballpark (at release). Now... not even close. Old hardware is mold.
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But how come the launch games look so good then. There are a few games that look really good andthe launch games on current hardware weren't the best.

This is why I'm thinking maybe people have jumped to conclusions,people may think going by the specs Xb1 and PS4 aren't that powerful, but if we are seeing launch games that look a lot better then current gen games, why won't the next batch of games say 3-4 years look way better again ?

I'm hoping they do anyway, there has to be ways for them to keep up with PC's otherwise these consoles aren't going to last 10 years like Sony and MS are hoping for.
 
PGR 3 impressed me at launch but it was Fight Night Round 3 in early 2006 that really showed off the 360.

It was the 'second wave' of games 6 - 12 months later - FNR3, GRAW, Dead Rising, Gears of War etc - that made you realize the generational difference.
 
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Probably Dead Rising for me with all the zombies on screen at once followed by Gears for the graphics.

Fight Night 3 had awesome looking fighters but a few launch titles also stand out for various reasons [Kameo, Heavenly Sword]
 
Johnmiceter said:
But how come the launch games look so good then. There are a few games that look really good andthe launch games on current hardware weren't the best.

This is why I'm thinking maybe people have jumped to conclusions,people may think going by the specs Xb1 and PS4 aren't that powerful, but if we are seeing launch games that look a lot better then current gen games, why won't the next batch of games say 3-4 years look way better again ?

I'm hoping they do anyway, there has to be ways for them to keep up with PC's otherwise these consoles aren't going to last 10 years like Sony and MS are hoping for.
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Dude the graphics your seeing now is what pc gamers have been seeing since 2007 (the release of crysis). Along with witcher 2, arma2-3, crysis1-2,bf3 and whole slew of titles and mods (especially gta4). The platform has gone and left these consoles in the dust. Why do you think most of the demos for these next-gen games have been done on pc. There are laptops with twice as much power and more than these consoles. Graphics are going to get better for the console(thanks to optimization) as the years go by but they will always be poor (and pc hardware will continue leapfrogging). You have to be delusional if you think the console can keep with the hardware thats been out for years, out within the coming months, and the foreseeable future. I mean you dont play on pc so you wont know any better so good for you. But nothing these consoles are offering or will offer will come close. The gap is just that WIDE. I mean 3rd party devs will take advantage or just be lazy and port crap out, but even then theres just a night and day difference. Thats what you get for 400 bucks.
 
Johnmiceter said:
A lot of people are saying Next gen consoles really aren't that good, but I remember when Xbox360 came out and PS3, they were saying things like, 360 is only like a Xbox1.5 and nothing really special about the PS3 either.

But how long did it take for current consoles to really show their muscle and do you think it might be similar for next gen cosnoles ?

I do, and really can't wait until we see the 2nd and 3rd waves of games for both consoles.
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Fight Night and Oblivion which were released the spring after the 360 launch was when i thought these are true next gen games graphically. I imagine it will be similar this time around as well. Maybe Destiny, Infamous and others could be those games. It will be hit or miss for awhile.
 
REDSILENTSCOPE said:
Dude the graphics your seeing now is what pc gamers have been seeing since 2007 (the release of crysis). Along with witcher 2, arma2-3, crysis1-2,bf3 and whole slew of titles and mods (especially gta4). The platform has gone and left these consoles in the dust. Why do you think most of the demos for these next-gen games have been done on pc. There are laptops with twice as much power and more than these consoles. Graphics are going to get better for the console(thanks to optimization) as the years go by but they will always be poor (and pc hardware will continue leapfrogging). You have to be delusional if you think the console can keep with the hardware thats been out for years, out within the coming months, and the foreseeable future. I mean you dont play on pc so you wont know any better so good for you. But nothing these consoles are offering or will offer will come close. The gap is just that WIDE. I mean 3rd party devs will take advantage or just be lazy and port crap out, but even then theres just a night and day difference. Thats what you get for 400 bucks.
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I'm not thinking the consoles can keep up with $1000 PC's, I'm saying when Xbox360 and PS3 came out what were they like compared to PC's back then ? Because I remember people saying the graphics weren't that good for them at launch and maybe PS4 and XB1 will be the same and the next lot of games will be a big jump from these launch games.

I don't care about PC games because I never play them. SO to me doesn't matter how good a PC game looks it will make no difference to me, I only care about Consoles.
 
Johnmiceter said:
...I'm hoping they do anyway, there has to be ways for them to keep up with PC's otherwise these consoles aren't going to last 10 years like Sony and MS are hoping for.
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The PS4/XB1 are consoles not PC's though, they don't need to keep up with PC games. Just like this current gen, we're 8 years in and the PS3/360 can't hold a candle to current PC games, however, the games for them are still great and the services offered are pretty diverse and have unmatched ease of use. Next gen will be the same.
 
x1/ps4 launch games look a fine shot better than current-gen. the potential for these games excite me, just look back at 360/ps3 launch graphics and compare it to where we are now. the negativity about 'underpowered' this and that doesn't phase me, i'm perfectly happy with the next-gen jump
 
I think there are probably a few phases to the process.

Phase 1. 1st and 2nd party games show the difference. That is their job -- to be "showcase" titles for the new platform, to wow people into making the next-gen jump. This typically happens within the launch window. You can already see this with Killzone or Forza, for instance.

Phase 2. Most 3rd party games show a difference. At this point, a new standard has been set. When people say of a 360 title, "That looks like an original Xbox game," you know what they mean. The difference has become clear for most games. My best recollection is that this happens about 2 years in.

Phase 3. Developers continue to squeeze additional power out of the console, even late into the lifecycle. I haven't played GTA yet, but that may be an example.
 
I think the next-gen console games do look a fair bit better than the old gen consoles, but I will have to reserve judgment when I see it on my TV. If these games on next-gen only render at 720p, then they will not be much better than current gen. I'm sure they will show comparisons of BF4 on PS3 vs. PS4. We'll see then...

In any case, the PC games are truly next-gen with regards to graphic quality. They have been since late last year IMO.
 
I'd expect the good looking exclusives on both consoles to churn out from about 2015. gears of war and bioshock are some of the earlier games that impressed me this generation.
 
Quite honestly, everything I've seen on both consoles looks noticeably better than anything present gen. To each their own though, everyone typically uses confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance in these sorts of matters, so it's hardly an accurate way to judge anything.
 
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I really didn't say "Wow, next gen is truly here" until Bioshock
 
I'm like most of you's that think next gen games do look a fair bit better then current gen titles and these are only launch games. But I wonder if it's becuase PS4 and XB1 are more like PC's this time so it's alot easier to get the games up and running to make them look good.

I do remember seeing Fight Night 3 and that made me buy a 360 and I got Cod 4 online which was nice back then.

People keep comparing next gen consoles to PC's but you spend so much on a PC to make it as powerful as you want (having to upgrade every few years) where a console is a cheap thing where it keeps you going for years with no need to upgrade. Of course PC's are always going to be stronger so that's why I don't understand why people compare a console to a PC all the time, they should be comparing the last gen of console to next gen, not PC to console.
 
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Johnmiceter said:
I'm like most of you's that think next gen games do look a fair bit better then current gen titles and these are only launch games. But I wonder if it's becuase PS4 and XB1 are more like PC's this time so it's alot easier to get the games up and running to make them look good.

I do remember seeing Fight Night 3 and that made me buy a 360 and I got Cod 4 online which was nice back then.

People keep comparing next gen consoles to PC's but you spend so much on a PC to make it as powerful as you want (having to upgrade every few years) where a console is a cheap thing where it keeps you going for years with no need to upgrade. Of course PC's are always going to be stronger so that's why I don't understand why people compare a console to a PC all the time, they should be comparing the last gen of console to next gen, not PC to console.
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I think they compare consoles to PCs because they play the same games for the most part. So when you have two separate categories (consoles and PCs) that play the same games, people will want to compare the two and point out that since the PC is the most powerful, it's the best. I don't think that's a fair assumption though, IMO.
 
This gen had the advantage of going SD to HD. I bought CoD2 and GRAW with my 360 and they both looked amazing compared to Xbox games. I considered the 360 to be 'next-gen' the first time I played it.

A big problem for me with the coming gen is that a lot of games from 3rd parties will be both gens for at least a year or two. So even though PS4/XB1 games may have better IQ, they are essentially last gen games. It will be when publishers start creating games for just next-gen consoles only that we will really see what the next-gen is capable of. It's not all about IQ, 8gb of RAM could make a massive difference to lots of things, level design and AI being just as important to me in games.
 
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Yossarian said:
This gen had the advantage of going SD to HD. I bought CoD2 and GRAW with my 360 and they both looked amazing compared to Xbox games. I considered the 360 to be 'next-gen' the first time I played it.

A big problem for me with the coming gen is that a lot of games from 3rd parties will be both gens for at least a year or two. So even though PS4/XB1 games may have better IQ, they are essentially last gen games. It will be when publishers start creating games for just next-gen consoles only that we will really see what the next-gen is capable of. It's not all about IQ, 8gb of RAM could make a massive difference to lots of things, level design and AI being just as important to me in games.
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That's a good point I think a few people forogt like me :), it really made a difference when I bought a LCD TV coming from a old Sony trinitron Box TV playing games on my 360.
 
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REDSILENTSCOPE said:
Dude the graphics your seeing now is what pc gamers have been seeing since 2007 (the release of crysis). Along with witcher 2, arma2-3, crysis1-2,bf3 and whole slew of titles and mods (especially gta4). The platform has gone and left these consoles in the dust. Why do you think most of the demos for these next-gen games have been done on pc. There are laptops with twice as much power and more than these consoles. Graphics are going to get better for the console(thanks to optimization) as the years go by but they will always be poor (and pc hardware will continue leapfrogging). You have to be delusional if you think the console can keep with the hardware thats been out for years, out within the coming months, and the foreseeable future. I mean you dont play on pc so you wont know any better so good for you. But nothing these consoles are offering or will offer will come close. The gap is just that WIDE. I mean 3rd party devs will take advantage or just be lazy and port crap out, but even then theres just a night and day difference. Thats what you get for 400 bucks.
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im a pc gamer and understand that PCs will always be unmatched in graphical power, BUT, its not that simple and clear cut. Killer instinct 3, Forza 5, and Ryse hang with the best of them graphically in their respective genre ATM and saying those games look poor is not correct. Sure PC ports can always look better, but console exclusives hold their own and are not really meant to outshine the PC, but rather the previous console generation, and in that respect, they are easily doing that at the moment. The gap is not that wide like you make it seem, and I base that off NBA 2k14 next gen outshining the PC version (i know based off 360 version), forza 5 rivaling project cars (in motion and not in stills and replays), and Killer Instinct 3 looks like the best fighting game ever, especially from a particle effects stand point. I plan on buying BF4 on X1 because 60fps is more enticing to me than constant frame dips (im gaming on a 7970 OCd) and I hate Origin and all the bugs that BF3 had trying to play online with PC. Besides with Kinect and smartglass, games on consoles can offer some different type of gameplay experiences, see dead rising 3 for example and not all games will release on PC, like Madden or UFC, and those games will look great and not poor /rant.
 
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