Where do you think gaming is going?

[ShadowTiger]

Let's think about this for a moment. Technology is constanty on the upkeep. It's just what they have to do. After countless upgrades to gaming technology, will they reach a point where they can't upgrade any more? Look at this:

Pong: Your basic game. Core level gaming.

NES: Crude graphics, but gameplay is significantly evolved since Pong due to the variety of the games.

SNES: Dramatically improved graphics over the NES, relative to the times.

Gameboy: Allows for the transportation of your gaming experiences.

N64 & PSX: Three-Dimensional gaming. Definitely a landmark for gaming everywhere. Graphics are polygonal in nature.

GBA: Linking systems is a pivotal step for gaming communication. Multiplayer without wires. Great graphical improvement over the Gameboy.

Gamecube: ... ... ... ... ... um ... ... SSBM is awesome, and Zelda is hot. Graphical improvement over

PS2: Wow, you can play DVDs on it. Sweet.

XBox: Lots of little improvements. Graphical, DVDs, ... and throwing the controllers at people can actually knock them unconscious. Very handy sometimes.

PSP: You can do all sorts of things with this li'l system. It shows the fallability of the gaming industry with dead pixels though. It's one of the most readily blatantly obvious errors discussed in the open.

Nintendo DS: Touch screen! Wifi! Mario Kart DS will steal your soul very quickly.

XBox 360: Finding all new ways to set fire to your room/basement/house/life.


... But ... ... What comes next? The graphics are already pretty damn good, and in my opinion, we're sort of nearing the highest level of graphics that can be seen! In my opinion, there may be an internet-focused multiplayer revolution, in which Single-Player is only training, .. or .. hell, .. even during training, you'll be online. The online unit will be built into the system anyway. Might happen. :shrug:

Where do you think Gaming is going?

[ONeilcool]

A few years ago I heard about this system called the phantom or something like that. It was completly online based.You even bought you games online and all that stuff. It acutally seemed kinda stupid, but similar to what your saying.

Hopfully video games will come out with a new twist, thats what I think nintendos trying to do. The revolution probably won't bring that big twist around, but you never know until its out.

[Sir_Johnamus]

The revolution, where you can download any Nintendo game known to man.
Think back to Animal Crossing, where you could play full Nes games(I have 35 different ones) :
Maybe, in 100 years or so, there will be a game where you could play full GCN games, apart from the full story and crap.

[MacWeirdo42]

Personally, what I'd like to see are bigger, more expansive, more immersive game worlds. I'm of the opinion that graphically speaking, we've gone pretty high. How about, rather than working to improve the graphics, leave the graphics the same for a while, and push the hardware to its limits in other ways. It seems we always get the same thing as before, only a little more detailed. I remember a LONG time ago here, somebody brought up the idea of "What if they made a 2D Zelda game, using Gamecube hardware? Just imagine how freakin' big the gameworld could be." I think Rockstar kinda has the idea with GTA. In each new game, rather than making major graphical improvements, they simply expand where you can go. Or maybe, rather than having five incredibly detailed enemies attacking you, how about 50 medium-detailed ones, or 500 low-detailed ones?

[Monica]

I hope they will be like .hack, with Virtual Reality helmets that put you inside the gaming word. Or maybe hologram world where you are the charecter and you can meet all the other party members/charecters.

[VT_Hokie_Fan]

Where do you think Gaming is going?

Well, I know one thing that's not going to change. Nintendo fanboys are going to continue to bash all non-Nintendo Systems and companies. The thing is, Nintendo and Sony were going to work together, but Nintendo decided to switch back to cartridges, which pissed Sony off and caused them to make the Playstation. The success of the PlayStation spawned the X-box.

Back on Topic- Graphics are going to be so amazing they will burn out the eyes of the mortal.
Edit-Oh, and Mario Party XXXIII, Final Fantasy XXIV, and Halo XIII. And, of course, Pokemon Kind-of Orandish. There are only so many colors/rocks they can use. :shrug:

[AlexMax]

The indie developer. I think that as the big studios keep chruning out Tony Hawk American Wastelnd: "We should have stopped at 4" and Madden 2006 "Roster Update", that we'll be seeing games distributed over systems like Steam. That's one reason why I like how the Xbox 360 has the Live arcade, it has awesome games like Marble Blast Ultra and Geometry Wars to compliment the big budget titles. And with all the awesome stuff like Darwinia and Sin coming soon for Steam, it's going to be even better.

I jsut hope the Revolution decides to offer indie games in addtiion to older games, because from what they've shown they HAVE the infostructure.

Also, I really hope that Algorithims make a comeback. In the average game, a LOT of the space taking up that DVD is data, instead of code. However, there are people out there who are more like the oldschool coders, and create GIGANTIC worlds based on a set of algorithms. Just take a look at the 96k first person shooter..kkrieger (http://www.theprodukkt.com/) They cram a TON of shit into 96 measely kilobytes. Will Wright, the creator of Sim City and the Sims, realized this, and for his next game, Spore (http://spore.ea.com/) he hired a ton of forigen guys who were experts at procedural methods and is creating something gigantic with a relatively small dataset, but with extremely complicated algorithms. I highly suggest people watch Spore's GDC conference video to get an idea of how unbeleivably massive this game will be.

[Daarkseid]

but Nintendo decided to switch back to cartridges, which pissed Sony off and caused them to make the Playstation.


Switch back to cartridges? What the fuck are you talking about? The SNES already had cartridge game capabilities. The point of the addon was to allow games to also come on CD.

The announcement of the N64 and that it would use cartridges came well after Nintendo's deal with Sony and Phillips fell through.

[Master Ghaleon]

. But ... ... What comes next? The graphics are already pretty damn good, and in my opinion

I cannot wait until the day that you put on a full set of "armor" on your body that will detect impact and will cause you pain for football games. The "helmet" that you would wear on your head would kinda be the game system itself and the screen would be right where the football visor would be. Kinda like a Virtual Reality type game.

[VI3T_DR@GON]

Yes, but you could get hurt very easy...What I think that COULD happen in the future, is we go into the player themselves. We put motion sensors on our bodies, and we see what they see. We dont feel pain, but we feel the push and pull of a monster attacking you. You could feel the weight of the sword you are carrying, and you could finally become, the "Hero Of Time". Awesomeness

[Cloral]

Also, I really hope that Algorithims make a comeback. In the average game, a LOT of the space taking up that DVD is data, instead of code. However, there are people out there who are more like the oldschool coders, and create GIGANTIC worlds based on a set of algorithms. Just take a look at the 96k first person shooter..kkrieger (http://www.theprodukkt.com/) They cram a TON of shit into 96 measely kilobytes. Will Wright, the creator of Sim City and the Sims, realized this, and for his next game, Spore (http://spore.ea.com/) he hired a ton of forigen guys who were experts at procedural methods and is creating something gigantic with a relatively small dataset, but with extremely complicated algorithms. I highly suggest people watch Spore's GDC conference video to get an idea of how unbeleivably massive this game will be.
The forests in Elder Scrolls IV are also procedural as I understand it. I watched a video trailer for the game where one of the developers was running through the forest, talking about how they studied soil erosion and the like to create realistic procedural forests.

One thing that could help would be better (i.e. less robotic sounding) voice generation. On sports titles the voice acting takes up about 80% of the disk space - so announcers that could generate lines on the fly could really help save some space.

[Master Ghaleon]

Yes, but you could get hurt very easy...

Dude, if your afraid of getting hurt, go play as the punter. :laughing:

[VT_Hokie_Fan]

Switch back to cartridges? What the fuck are you talking about?
The N64 was originally going to use a cd-format which would be done by Sony, who Nintendo dropped and switched back to cartridges.

[goKi]

Sony and Nintendo's project was a CD addon for the SNES. Nothing to do with the N64. Like was mentioned above. Sony did not get 'pissed off' at Nintendo and leave to make their own console, they realised they could market a console using CDs that would be a direct competitor, rather than an addon. Please, before you repeat something incorrect twice. Check it the first time.

EDIT - There we go. A little article, with quotes from Sony's website. - http://www.gamersmark.com/articles/72/

As for advancing gaming, i think that Nintendo have got the right idea, and are heading in the right direction with the Revolution, how games develop in the future could be reflective of how people grasp the revolution's concept

[Linkafier]

Well, movies have certainly changed a lot in 100 years.

Video Games have made about as much changes (if not more) as movies in just 30 years.

I predict in the future, gaming graphics will be top-notch. The sound will be revolutionary. Changes in society will cause new games (Ex. a new war will cause a whole new line of games about that war). The virtual reality idea is also considerable (hey, we thought of DDR).

[vegeta1215]

I can't help but agree with this article about the impending crash of the video game industry:
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=27976
(yes I know it's from the Inquirer, but this isn't celebrity tabloid junk. read the article)

[Orion]

I would have to say (without reading the article vegeta provided), that eventually, vidoegames are going to go the way of the dinosaur, and kids are going to find a new way to amuse themselves. I don't know that they will ever disappear completely, but once all of the ideas have been done to death, people eventually will get sick of them. Besides, something new is bound to come around.

And personally, I think anyone who is expecting full virtual reality or full body suits really need to get a grip. Odds are that isn't going to happen, let alone be affordable, in our lifetime, and if it does, we'll all be too old to use it.

[MottZilla]

The industry is always moving torward bigger/better/faster technology.

It will always be about trying to make hardware that can do more calculations in less time. To crunch more complex game engine code, render more detailed graphics. But you can also expect to see them trying new things to keep it new. No one can believe that you can keep cranking out game systems with the same kind of games being played the same way with only graphical and other improvements.

Also, you can bet that in the future there will be more shots taken at Virtual Reality hardware. I still remember one of those old VR games at an arcade. You had a mounted headset (as that stuff weighs a ton) which would come down to your height. You had some kind of gun and you'd wander around a really bland by today's standard, 3d virtual world and shoot things. But these days you could probably make Virtual Reality components cheap enough for the more hardcore gamer. In the past that kind of hardware, just like other gaming hardware, was too expensive for home gamers.

[DarkDragoonX]

One thing that could help would be better (i.e. less robotic sounding) voice generation. On sports titles the voice acting takes up about 80% of the disk space - so announcers that could generate lines on the fly could really help save some space.

We can only hope that the first iteration of such voice generation doesn't generate Zero Wing quality lines, eh? Not to mention overcoming the problem of stringing words and inflections together to make it sound natural.


I would have to say (without reading the article vegeta provided), that eventually, vidoegames are going to go the way of the dinosaur, and kids are going to find a new way to amuse themselves. I don't know that they will ever disappear completely, but once all of the ideas have been done to death, people eventually will get sick of them.

Bullshit. every movie idea and book theme has been done a trillion times, as well, but I don't stop watching television or reading books, do I?

[Aegix Drakan]

where do I HOPE gaming is going? (points to Revolution) I hope Gaming becomes really innovative, while still allowing us to play old favourites. BEGIN THE REVOLUTION I SAY!. (points to Dragon quest 8 too) That, looks like an awesome game. Wish I had a PS2, but I still like my Gamecube.

Where do I THINK gaming is going? (points to the ://.hack series) People will be falling into comas constantly due to viruses. not sweet.

[VT_Hokie_Fan]

Sony and Nintendo's project was a CD addon for the SNES. Nothing to do with the N64. Like was mentioned above. Sony did not get 'pissed off' at Nintendo and leave to make their own console, they realised they could market a console using CDs that would be a direct competitor, rather than an addon. Please, before you repeat something incorrect twice. Check it the first time.

EDIT - There we go. A little article, with quotes from Sony's website. - http://www.gamersmark.com/articles/72/

As for advancing gaming, i think that Nintendo have got the right idea, and are heading in the right direction with the Revolution, how games develop in the future could be reflective of how people grasp the revolution's concept

I guess I was wrong. I apologize.

I'm looking forward to what the future versions of the PSP(if it sells enough) and the Gameboy are going to be like. It could possibly grow to a point in which the portable systems are actually on par with the consoles.
Oh, and I would love for Nintendo to stop making consoles to make games for the Playstation. Its not going to happen, but I would love it if it did. The only reason I don't have a Gamecube is because of the lack of games :(

[Pineconn]

The only reason I don't have a Gamecube is because of the lack of games :(

Ooh, you'll want a GameCube because of Zelda: Twilight Princess. :D I want it badly...

Anyway, where is gaming going? Excellent question. I think Microsoft's Xbox 360 will DIE in sales (it's a TERRIBLE system!), so MS will fall out of the gaming industry. It will be back to Sony and Nintendo: Sony making the violent games, Nintendo making the good games.

Revolution will probably sell okay, but some people won't buy it because: 1) They hate Nintendo; 2) They don't like having to move their wrists :rolleyes: , or 3) They are GRAPHICS HUNGRY. The Rev won't have the best graphics, obviously, but the idea of motion-sensative is excellent.

I really want the Rev to sell well. All that is important is that they'll have one buyer: Me.

[Grasshopper]

Speaking of the Revolution, what other darn secrets are there about the controller?
http://www.gamespot.com/6140790
I thought they dropped a big enough ball back in September, they can't be serious, that there's even more. Is it as shocking? Does it actually shoot lasers? Is it made of rubber? Are the buttons adhesive? Perhaps I can teleport with it.

Anyway, I figure the industry won't crash. I figure it will be like movies. It will be so broad that it covers a very large audience and very few innovations will be seen. I think one of the reasons there was a crash was because video games appealed to a small audience at that time, and when they stopped buying games, companies didn't get money. If one of us doesn't buy games, theres probably 10 other people that will.

50 Cent: Bulletproof is a prime example. Game was horrendous from what I hear, but who can't say they didn't sell out of that game in the first week. Bleh. I think 50 Cent is two quarters shy of a dollar, if you know what I mean.

[MacWeirdo42]

Come to think of it, I can't wait to see Animal Crossing on the Revolution. I never really got into the original, but the concept is great, and I really do think they could do some really cool things with that new controller of theirs. Maybe then I could even get into it, if interacting with the game itself were more fun.

It's an odd game, Animal Crossing. And it's one of those situations where I realize that it's a brilliant game, I just can't get into it. KOTOR was another example. Or Civilization.

[ONeilcool]

Come to think of it, I can't wait to see Animal Crossing on the Revolution. I never really got into the original, but the concept is great, and I really do think they could do some really cool things with that new controller of theirs. Maybe then I could even get into it, if interacting with the game itself were more fun.

I build 3 different towns because everytime I deleted one becuase it took up too much memory i would want to start another one. I wonder if anyone built a town on the day it came out and is still running it...

[Wander Panic!!]

I think we'll see a huge shift towards multiplayer gaming, and in particular online gaming.

If there is any justice in the world, the Revolution will change the face of gaming forever, and games will rely more and more on the gamer's input -- not just physically, with the controls, but in the game world. The trend will be shifting away from "Beat our challenge - get to the end of the level without dying!" to something of a more customisable, sandbox nature. We'll see lots of GTAs, Morrowinds and Everquests.

In short -- slap an MMO label on everything we have now and include some level editors.