If the Next Generation of Consoles Plans to be the Best, There are a Few Things That Could Be Learned from the Classic Era

Submitted by Christopher Groux; February 28, 2013

Article Index
1. If the Next Generation of Consoles Plans to be the Best, There are a Few Things That Could Be Learned from the Classic Era
2. Simpler Gameplay Concepts Invites More Players
3. Split-Screen Multiplayer Could Use a Comeback
4. There is a Point Where Games Can Get Too Big
5. Build the Hardware With Toughness in Mind

Page 1 of 5

Cheaper Games

Back in the early days of gaming history, any average Joe could walk into their nearest Funco Land with a $20 bill and pick up one of the latest and greatest Mario releases. My how things have changed right? Today, we have suddenly become okay with the fact that if we are looking for something brand new, we're going to have to pay three times that classic price point. The increase in how much games cost has in large part contributed to the rise in second-hand game sales, but the truth of the matter is, whether you prefer to unhitch the shrink wrap yourself or not, you're still paying a whole lot more than you used to to get some action on your favorite game machine.

Funco

I understand that in a lot of cases these games can cost millions of dollars to produce to the level that the industry demands, but the reality is everywhere around the world the masses are in a state of economic panic. A lot of people simply can't afford to be paying those kinds of prices, and this can easily be fixed by producing more smaller budget titles alongside the steady stream of triple A releases. We've seen how popular and profitable certain $1 smartphone apps can get (Angry Birds I'm looking at you) so this generation developers should really be looking for ways to help consumers with a thin wallet. When you price content that low, it invites more people to make the purchase. This in turn means you might even wind up making more money than a full game if the concept catches on. Seeing as Sony execs say games could be priced from $1-$60 it seems like a turn for the cheap in some respects is about to become more popular. I sure hope it does.

Along with making games cheap, I would also argue they should be simple too. See the whole argument on the next page!

Back - Read Page 2 of this Story >>

Tags: Microsoft, next-generation console, Nintendo, PS4, Sony, Xbox 720

Where Do you live? $400 is like the new $40

think about it for a second, your paying $400 for HOURS upon HOURS upon HOURS of entertainment..

the price tag EASILY pays for itself if you add the math up.

cant afford 400.... get a fucken job..

hell when i was younger and wanted my playstation i had to toss papers for a few months to pay for my own.

cant rely on mommy and daddy for your toys kids..

+1 # RE: If the Next Generation of Consoles Plans to be the Best, There are a Few Things That Could Be Learned from the Classic Era — jaykay 2013-02-28 13:11

gameplay has not changed since ps1 days in some games

only graphics and boring stupid trailers

the new consoles will be nothing more than just glorified computers in a box

+2 # OldSchool still works — Lerpo 2013-02-28 15:05

I have a Dreamcast, Megadrive 1, PS1, SNES, Atari and ZX Spectrum. They ALL Still work. 30 years + for the spectrum and it still works and is playable.
They just dont make them like they used to.
Although saying that, the newer models are more and more thrown about than they used to be too because people don't see it as a massive part of the household anymore. its just a gadget that can be replaced

# RE: OldSchool still works — Christopher Groux 2013-02-28 17:57

The sad part is, I think the companies are what gave us that mindset. They love when we pay twice for the same thing!

# RE: OldSchool still works — Acid_Snake 2013-03-01 12:12

yes the gamecube seems to be a lot more resistant to hits, its plastic is think compared to the thin, cheap, ps2 plastic, not to mention how it is inside, it's very well built to keep every piece in its place and has a lot of really good screws plus metal parts that protect the different boards, unlike the ps2 (specially slimlines), which have small, weak screws and most parts are not secured into the system (i.e there's nothing that prevents you from brutely take the laser assembly out of the motherboard), and there doesn't seem to be much protection inside the system either. Hardware-wise, the gamecube was an excellent console, but it lacked in games due to the miniDVDs, nintendo failed on that one

+1 # RE: If the Next Generation of Consoles Plans to be the Best, There are a Few Things That Could Be Learned from the Classic Era — ccfman2004 2013-02-28 17:07

My NES which cost a pretty penny back in 1989 still works today minus some cartridge blowing here and there. Even my PSX still works. I've had a PS2 for many years and only had to replace the laser once when it stopped reading CDs (but could still read DVDs). I think the GameCube was like a tank. Someone did a test and dropped a PS2, GameCube and Xbox 1 off a 1 story building and only the GameCube still worked.

Another problem is that Europe requires the use of un-leaded solder which isn't as strong as the leaded kind.

Also these consoles are getting more and more complex so there are more things that can go wrong and the fact that they aren't the easiest things to fix since a lot of components are all together on one board.

# RE: If the Next Generation of Consoles Plans to be the Best, There are a Few Things That Could Be Learned from the Classic Era — Christopher Groux 2013-02-28 17:56

Wise points being made. I fixed my PS2 by myself thanks to an online guide but when my PS3 stopped reading discs I just didn't want to risk taking it apart so I sent it to Sony.

My NES and SNES still work though too like yours. My hope is that with emphasis on digital I'll be able to use my drive less and keep it so that it will at least last for as long as the generation.

# RE: If the Next Generation of Consoles Plans to be the Best, There are a Few Things That Could Be Learned from the Classic Era — Irixion 2013-03-01 05:19

Aside from the multiplayer aspect I couldn't disagree with you more. and clunky for today's standards. New Super Mario Bros was kinda crap too. Simple game play? I never got into Mario. The physics are ass, and I never did beat any Mario game for that reason. Simple, maybe, but it's repetitive for today's standards. Games don't get too big. The fact that they're cinematic is the entire purpose of having it being cinematic. Like you're part of a movie. Cut scenes play an important role in telling a story. That's the way it's going to be, and there's no problem with it. Price? It costs a lot more to make. It costs a lot more to market, it costs a lot more to distribute and manufacture. The only ones that are 60 bucks are the really popular ones, that are going to sell whether you have the money or not. Console durability? The older consoles had trouble reading discs/carts. That was their fault, that's what made people go out and buy something. The fact is, you can get a thousand N64s and not have the same computing power as a PS3. Costs need to be kept down, and the other half of it is, they need a portion of their products to fail so people go out and buy them. That's how companies make their money. With backwards compatibility and digital downloads, they're not making the big bucks selling the games anymore. A console doesn't just play games anymore, so a fail margin is good for their wallet. So essentially, everything (including local multiplayer), would be bad for their wallet, and is probably not going to happen. As much as local multiplayer is great, online gaming is the future.

And frankly, dropping shit off of a building doesn't test its longevity. Consoles aren't shock absorbers. Shock and electronic longevity are two different things. Consoles break. You're probably going to go out and buy another PS3 to play all of the PS3 games you've spent your money on instead of throwing the glove in and giving up. They make the money. This is all on purpose and logical from a financial point of view. Either way, the manufacturers win.

# RE: RE: If the Next Generation of Consoles Plans to be the Best, There are a Few Things That Could Be Learned from the Classic Era — Christopher Groux 2013-03-03 12:01

I should clarify. When I said I want games with simpler gameplay I didn't mean that every single game for the system had to be like that. I just think having those types of games to attract the casual market is a huge part of everybody's plan right now. As are creating games that could cost as low as $1. The fact is the smartphone app market is stealing a lot a way from consoles, so I really mean to say is they're probably going to adopt a strategy that appeals to that audience.

As far as durability goes, systems may have had trouble reading carts, but most didn't stop reading carts period. As we both said though, the reason they produce cheap is so they can make more money. So sadly I don't think that will change.

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If the Next Generation of Consoles Plans to be the Best, There are a Few Things That Could Be Learned from the Classic Era

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