Do we need "next-gen" consoles?

[namename11]

Just realized the PS5 is like 6 years old and we're due for a new console soon. But, I have not idea what I want from it. PS5 already fulfills all my needs and then some but maybe that isn't the case for everyone else.

 

[emigre]

Considering the price of proponents, think we all might need to settle on what we have now.

 

[DinohScene]

Weren't we supposed to get slim line consoles first?
Really does not feel like 6 years have passed.

 

[namename11]

Considering the price of proponents, think we all might need to settle on what we have now.

I think the next-gen systems are supposed to have 40-64GB RAM. Unless the manufacturers take a huge price hit, I think a lot of people will not be able to afford one.

Weren't we supposed to get slim line consoles first?

I don't think Xbox will make any at this point, but Sony already has PS5 Slims. They're not as radical as PS2 or PS3 redesigns but still pretty decent for the replaceable disk drive along.

Really does not feel like 6 years have passed.

Even the Switch 2 is almost a year old. It still feels like last month though.

 

[SAIYAN48]

What can consoles do that computers can't?

 

[namename11]

What can consoles do that computers can't?

Simplicity. I'm tired at the end of the day, I put a cartridge in and start playing before bed. A bit slower for discs if you need to install them but you get the point.

Of course physical media is a huge reason too for me personally.

 

[Kwyjor]

I expect a lot of people reading this have likely accumulated enough games at this point to keep them occupied for the rest of their lives.

 

[hippy dave]

I think the diminishing returns are diminishing pretty hard at this point

 

[AkikoKumagara]

I just recently picked up a Series X. I'm not super excited about the next Xbox, personally, if it's just going to become even more of a PC. I have a PC for that. Also gonna point fingers at AI for the stagnation of progress in the tech space in general. Lots of money going into pandering to that space and the "improvements" it offers gaming are kind of a facade.

 

[retrofan01]

Are developers actually running into technical limitations with the current generation of consoles? I'm not one myself but I can't imagine anything worthwhile that would only be possible on next gen and isn't possible on current gen.

 

[Hayato213]

Not really 6 years, more like 5 years 4 months to be exact, with current RAM and SSD shortage it is a bad idea to release a new console.

 

[shadowflare7799]

I'd say no, I'm against a console release as of right now from sony and microsoft. Nothing good on switch 2 either but will wait another year for the releases to come piling in.

 

[cearp]

forget about new hardware, we don't even need new software, or any new media for that matter
there's plenty of existing books / music / movies / games out there for everyone

radical I know, but it's true

 

[Magnus87]

I still believe that the PS5/XSX generation should have arrived in 2024 since both the PS4 and the XBOX One still had a lot to offer.

 

[Lumstar]

What can consoles do that computers can't?

Abolishing mechanical storage. All current consoles ship without hard disks.
A developer of console exclusives no longer has to even consider the most remote possibility their game will ever be run from an HDD. (whereas most multiplatform games continue to offer HDD support on PC)

 

[namename11]

Not really 6 years, more like 5 years 4 months to be exact, with current RAM and SSD shortage it is a bad idea to release a new console.

Sony (and presumably Xbox too) has a lot of money riding on this from what I have read, and with agreements, production lines etc. the current expected release is next year!

Are developers actually running into technical limitations with the current generation of consoles? I'm not one myself but I can't imagine anything worthwhile that would only be possible on next gen and isn't possible on current gen.

I remember reading that the PS5 has a weak CPU and not great RT as it was mostly an afterthought, so maybe they want to improve on those even though a lot should be solved by optimization. Still, none of this completely disqualifies the PS5 as a platform for releases during next gen, so we'll probably just get the same stuff at lower res.

I still believe that the PS5/XSX generation should have arrived in 2024 since both the PS4 and the XBOX One still had a lot to offer.

I will have to disagree. The previous gen's slow loading times were a huge immersion breaker and it's still common for PS4 games to take long to load on PS5. At least for me who only had cartridge based systems before that. PS5's and XSX's SSDs are game changing.

 

[hippy dave]

At least for me who only had cartridge based systems before that. PS5's and XSX's SSDs are game changing.

Hey, do you remember in the DS/3DS era, when suddenly cartridge games had LOADING TIMES?!

 

[Bladexdsl]

we need a ps6 and nothing else

 

[namename11]

Hey, do you remember in the DS/3DS era, when suddenly cartridge games had LOADING TIMES?!

Those are handhelds, not home consoles. And they are still faster than hard drives or not as egregious, if only because the games are tiny and low res.

we need a ps6 and nothing else

There's going to be a PS6 Pro, a Slim, maybe even an Xbox or two.

 

[AncientBoi]

With the wars, tariffs and oil prices. NO.