Are You Buying A New(ish) Console Next Year?

Both Sony and Microsoft have had rumors and leaks around them indicating new "half-measure" consoles (or possibly add-on upgrades in the case of Microsoft) are coming in the next few months. I know more about the playstation situation, which basically involves an upgraded PS4 releasing this fall code named Playstation Neo. It will play all PS4 games, but will run better and output 4k fidelity.

For me it's a bit weird, since we're only a few years into this console generation. But I've never been a big graphics junkie, so I won't mind not having it...

UNLESS...

My concern is that developers will start prioritizing game specs for the Neo, resulting in games that run well on the Neo but perform poorly (Bethesda-length load screens, frame rate choppyness, etc) on the regular PS4. Sony has reportedly given a mandate to puiblishers that their games must run a minimum framerate on the Neo, but I know of no such quality mandate for the original PS4. I suppose the market will determine which PS4 is prioritized by developers, and I suspect most people will stick with the PS4s they have. But the possibility remains of games running poorly on the PS4 that would have been quality controlled better if the Neo didn't exist. So label me with a big "we'll see".

The Nintendo NX console has just been given a March 2017 release date. I am VERY curious about what Nintendo is going to roll out. Unfortunately it sounds like they won't be sharing NX details at E3 this year, focusing instead on the Zelda game that was just delayed until the NX comes out... (Sigh)

I have the feeling that if Nintendo doesn't knock it out of the park with the NX they could become a game software company only in the near future... which honestly I think consumers would love. (Can you imagine being able to play your favorite mario games and all new mario releases on your console of choice?)

Xbox is a real point of curiosity for me. For the sake of getting Sony to do the same thing, I hope Xbox reveals "1.5" Xbox as well as some kind of external box add-on for less money that upgrades existing xbox ones to the 1.5 specs. This is what I think Sony should do too, instead of asking customers to buy an entirely new console to keep up with modern console gaming.

As for PC gaming... well by the look of things we'll ALL be playing on PCs of some kind in the near future. They might still call them consoles, but we'll all know better, won't we?

PC is my console.
I hope to upgrade mine in the near(ish) future, but I'm not holding my breath
As my favorite games tend to be PC products (strategy games for the most part) consoles haven't piqued my interest since Playstation (1st). Graphics are pretty low on my list of things I want out of a game so a PC I buy is going to be cheaper than a console as well.

mikel.withers wrote: Graphics are pretty low on my list of things I want out of a game so a PC I buy is going to be cheaper than a console as well.

Are you playing mostly older or retro games? I would think that even on low graphics settings you'd still have to keep pace in a way that costs more than a console purchase every 5 years. What has your experience been?

I went console-only many years ago and have never looked back. I got sick of constantly having to upgrade my PC to keep up with game requirements, plus difficulties running games, switching games, storing games on the hard drive.....

Nintendo is my gaming console, and it's going to be for the foreseeable future. The reason is pretty simple: they've got the games that get played in my house. This is not accidental. Many years ago Nintendo made the conscious decision to focus on a particular segment of the gaming market and started building their hardware specifically for that market. Even more important, they tightly controlled the software that was released for their console in order to cater to that market. This is still their model, and it's working well for them.

PlayStation and X-Box are competing for a the same consumer share in a market that is already saturated, with "new" consoles that offer very little in the way of a changed end-user experience. Nintendo wants the family market; both the games and the hardware reflect that. I don't think they have to "knock it out of the park" with the next hardware set, they just have to remain profitable. If another console is not going to change the user experience, they won't release it.

I've no desire to see Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon on another platform just for the sake of it. The move to a software company would not be a good decision for Nintendo. They are dominating their market space with the 3DS hardware, have a solid market share with the WiiU, and show steady sales of both original and third-party games. If anything, their focus on the younger demographic will give them greater longevity in the market with the need for a much lower outlay.

$0.02 from a non-non-non-hardcore video gamer.

I'm console only too

Sony: I might ask for a Sony VR for Christmas but I think that's it as long as the games still play on the regular PS4 I don't see the point in getting a Neo especially since I don't have a 4K TV.

Nintendo: I really want to know about the NX before I decide

Microsoft: I will probably get an Xbox 1 eventually but so far there hasn't been many games that I want for it the only exception is Rise of the Tomb Raider and that is coming to PS4 at the end of this year so I can wait.