The Next Generation of Consoles: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 1/4/2006, 3:54 pm

Finally got mine......New Years Day, WalMart.....kinda sweet the ad for this week leaked like Monday of last week, so I had a head's up. Drank until about 3am, then cut myself off......drove to walmart around 6 in the morning for the store re-opening at 7. I was #2 in line.

Anyways.....the system is better than I expected. Although, I only have Madden '06 and Perfect Dark Zero, right now. I have Call of Duty 2 and NFS Most Wanted on the way in the mail cuz I have a subscription to Intelliflix.

You can now change your gamertag for 800 Microsoft points......my gamertag right now is "cLuMsY cOnGrEsS" but I think I wanna change it.

Any ideas????? Something still related to OLP is cool. My motto on my gamer profile is OurLadyPeaceROX and the wallpaper on my 360 guide is a picture of the band. Might as well keep it flowin'

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 1/4/2006, 4:17 pm

I tired out my cousin's 360 a couple of times over the holidays. It's pretty sweet. Played Tiger Woods golf (meh, but I'm not into sports games anyways), Project Gotham Racing (which was pretty good, but we didn't play enough to actually get used to the physics), and Call of Duty 2 (in which I kicked tonnes of ass).

The graphics are pretty good, but to be honest I expected better. Call of Duty, for example. From a distance, everything looked amazing. But as soon as you get up close to a wall or object, it's just as pixelated and detail-less as older graphics. Multiple levels of detail would (it seems to me) have been a step in the right direction. Everything looks fine the way it is from a distance, but as you get closer more detail could be rendered. I would think that by this generation of consoles, we'd have something of that nature. Either that or they just didn't impliment it in this game.

I think a major hurdle for all the next-gen consoles is going to be deciding what - besides a small boost in graphics - are they going to change? With N64/Dreamcast/Playstation, we had the first fully 3D generation. With PS2/Gamecube/XBox we saw a HUGE leap forward in power and graphics.

With this generation, it seems like 360 and PS3 are just going for another leap in graphics. It's been done. It was exciting and new last time. This time it's not enough of a change to make it worth while.

Revolution is the only console trying to really change things. Problem is, I don't think it's going to be a change for the better. It sounds like it started out as a great plan, until some exec said "Hey. If we can make different controller attachments for each game, consumers will have to buy each game AND each special controller! We're looking at a huge boost in profits!"

A boost in graphics like we're getting with the 360 and PS3 would have been great IF it came along with something else. If they were only going to go for graphics boosting, they should have waited for convincing realism in real-time graphics. Either that or come up with something innovative to introduce with the currect graphics boost.

Granted, software developers will likely be able to harness the technology for improved graphics down the road (as seen on the PS2 when comparing Metal Gear Solid 2's graphics to those in MGS3, which were much improved on the same hardware by the same developers). But remember seeing the first screenshots and videos for the PS2/XBox generation? Remember how exciting it was to see such amazing graphics? When we were used to the PS/N64 graphics, we thought they were pretty damn good. When we saw those first videos, it made our then-current systems look like complete crap. The gap was that big, the leap that huge.

Now we're looking at consoles that are giving pretty good graphics. An improvement from the last generation, for sure, but nothing to really make my jaw drop.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/6/2006, 4:58 pm

To be fair, the only launch game that should really be considered "Next Gen" in Project Gotham Racing 3. Keo, and Perfect Dark Zero were both originally built on the Xbox. They just recieved an upgrade of sorts. Call of Duty 2 and Quake 4 are both PC ports so that rules then out as well. Besides Madden, every other sports game that I'm aware of are simply upgrades of the xbox originals. The real heavy lifters in the graphics department will be the second generation of games. Gears of War for instance is pretty spectacular.

All that aside, graphics will continue to impress less and less. The move from the SNES to the N64 was major because there was a jump into 3D. The move from the N64 into the Xbox, Gamecube and PS2 was major because all sorts of graphic bells and wistles like bump mapping, light bloom and reflective mapping were put in place as well as a much greater emphasis on lighting and shadow. The move into the next generation doesnt seem to be as big a deal because the graphical touches introduced are not as noticable.

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 1/6/2006, 7:43 pm

Exactly. But they should have SOMETHING new and exciting, or else it's just going to become an endless progression of minimal, useless system upgrades that propagate sales of generation after generation of consoles.

Sad thing is, they'd get away with just that. Stop making games for one system, and gamers will have to buy the new system if they want to keep gaming.

reza · Post by **reza** » 1/6/2006, 11:43 pm

I agree, I still remember when I first saw the graphics for Gran Turismo 3 when the PS2 first came out. It just blew my mind, and I just don't see that with the 360.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/16/2006, 10:08 am

I picked up a 360 this week. Call of Duty 2 is pretty amazing. Also, Kameo has flat out amazing graphics. If there was ever a game that had TO MUCH color, neat particle effects, and shine, Kameo would be it. There is literally to much to take in. I don't think I've ever been as impressed with a games graphics as I am with Kameo. However, if you were to go off screen shots alone, you'd think the game was mere upgrade from games seen on the xbox. But when the game is in motion... man its jaw dropping.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that none of the screen shots I've seen for any of the games have done them justice.

Also, I agree that Call of Duty's graphics arent amazing in the next gen sense of the word. They beat out any current gen game by quite a bit, but its nothing you cant see on a PC. (although the game runs smoother than I've seen on any PC.)

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 1/29/2006, 7:10 pm

Honestly.......I'm not expecting Revolution or PS3 to be much greater.....

I think that's why Microsoft attempted to concentrate on trying to make the 360 more than simply a console. I mean with the Xbox Live Arcade gaining HUGE support (especially with Street Fighter II Hyper coming out) along with the whole concept of Marketplace Points.........its more than just a gaming console, and that is what is attracting the masses.

Note: My gamertag is now Clumsy 7Twitch (if anybody wants to look me up!)

Also.....Dead or Alive 4 rocks......and if ya like basketball do NOT do NBA Live '06, do ESPN NBA2K6.

Aaaaaaaaaaand........the beta version of FF11 online sucks balls.

Neil · Post by **Neil** » 1/29/2006, 7:12 pm

Joe Cooler wrote:I picked up a 360 this week. Call of Duty 2 is pretty amazing. Also, Kameo has flat out amazing graphics. If there was ever a game that had TO MUCH color, neat particle effects, and shine, Kameo would be it. There is literally to much to take in. I don't think I've ever been as impressed with a games graphics as I am with Kameo. However, if you were to go off screen shots alone, you'd think the game was mere upgrade from games seen on the xbox. But when the game is in motion... man its jaw dropping.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that none of the screen shots I've seen for any of the games have done them justice.

Also, I agree that Call of Duty's graphics arent amazing in the next gen sense of the word. They beat out any current gen game by quite a bit, but its nothing you cant see on a PC. (although the game runs smoother than I've seen on any PC.)

Did you sign up for that Xbox Live Diamond Card, yet?

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » 1/29/2006, 9:33 pm

You know, I'm not even sure if I want to get a 360 anymore. I heard that not all regular xbox games can be played on it.

don't ask why · Post by **don't ask why** » 1/29/2006, 9:37 pm

Chanandler Bong wrote:You know, I'm not even sure if I want to get a 360 anymore. I heard that not all regular xbox games can be played on it.

I think I read that somewhere too.

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 1/29/2006, 9:42 pm

That's true. Not all XBox games are compatible.

here's a list of the games that ARE compatible: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwar ... eslist.htm

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/29/2006, 9:47 pm

Right not all games are, but the system is constantly being updated, and more and more games are becoming compatible. All xbox games on the 360 are emulated so Microsoft has to create a seperate emulator for each which is why some of the more popular games were not compatible on launch.

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » 1/29/2006, 9:50 pm

I see that the Brothers in Arms series isn't compatible. I'm definitely not getting a 360 any time soon.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/29/2006, 9:52 pm

It probably will be in the near future.

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » 1/29/2006, 9:53 pm

I can only hope so.

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 1/29/2006, 9:55 pm

I love how they chose which ones to do. Brothers in Arms? No. Barbie? Hells yeah.

starseed_10 · Post by **starseed_10** » 1/29/2006, 10:01 pm

new systems are for new games.

if you need the old ones too, why not just keep your origial kicking around?

Johnny · Post by **Johnny** » 1/29/2006, 10:11 pm

Why?

Microsoft could have easily made all Xbox games compatible for the 360. Sony did it with the PS2 and now they're doing it with the PS3.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/30/2006, 12:06 am

Chanandler Bong wrote:Why?

Microsoft could have easily made all Xbox games compatible for the 360. Sony did it with the PS2 and now they're doing it with the PS3.

No if they were forced to do it with emulation they probably could not done it easily. So why is it harder for Microsoft than it was for Sony to make older games compatible? Easy. The xbox had a hard drive. Some developers used it extensively, some not at all. That my friend is the difference.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 2/1/2006, 2:38 pm

Goin' Down Fighting wrote:
Joe Cooler wrote:I picked up a 360 this week. Call of Duty 2 is pretty amazing. Also, Kameo has flat out amazing graphics. If there was ever a game that had TO MUCH color, neat particle effects, and shine, Kameo would be it. There is literally to much to take in. I don't think I've ever been as impressed with a games graphics as I am with Kameo. However, if you were to go off screen shots alone, you'd think the game was mere upgrade from games seen on the xbox. But when the game is in motion... man its jaw dropping.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that none of the screen shots I've seen for any of the games have done them justice.

Also, I agree that Call of Duty's graphics arent amazing in the next gen sense of the word. They beat out any current gen game by quite a bit, but its nothing you cant see on a PC. (although the game runs smoother than I've seen on any PC.)

Did you sign up for that Xbox Live Diamond Card, yet?

No, not yet but I will. BTW how are you liking the whole "gamerscore" idea. As it stands, I think it may well be one of the greatest features added to xbox live besides the Arcade.