The Next Generation of Video Gaming

In May, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft all fired their first warning shots at gamers, letting them know that the next generation of video gaming was on its way, and we should all be prepared. Amidst the chaos that followed, mostly at the gamer's paradise known as E3, we learned of the wonderful cavalcade of things each system could offer. We learned that the XBox 360 would come equipped with cameras, near fully wireless connectivity, a media center extender, allowing the machine to fully utilize video/still cameras, digital audio, fully wireless access for everything, and allow a level of personalization never before seen on a console. Sony essentially said "ditto", touting many of the same features, with SCEA head Ken Kutaragi hinting towards more, calling the Playstation 3 "A supercomputer for computer entertainment".

It was about this point during E3, I found myself glancing over toward my ever-reliable PC. And I said to myself "You know, I think I've got one of these already. Thanks." And this is my worry with the next generation: In the past, sure, you have corporate game company heads touting their new system as the next level in every single way. And of course, they never live up to that hype, but the jump in technology and in game quality was always plain to see. This is the first time that it's not. In fact, it seems Microsoft and Sony both seem more interested in making their system an all-in-one entertainment device rather than focusing on the only part that matters: the games.

As the producer of the Romancing SaGa series, Akitoshi Kawatsu, recently told Gamespot, "When the machines evolve this far, they lose characteristics. As a developer, I'm most concerned about how much memory they're equipped with. The more, the better. The other specs aren't that important. I don't think that their graphic capabilities are too far apart from each other."

It's not an accident that some of the most critically and gamer-acclaimed games of the past 5 years haven't necessarily been the ones with the best graphics, or taking advantage of some gimmicky accessory. They were the ones that were just an all around great experience, that made an immersive world and characters worth caring about, and ways to kill or create or just plain compete in a way that engrossed us. The Icos and Katarmari Damacys and Prince of Persias and GTAs and Halos of the world are all well designed games that succed alongside the technology powering them, not because of it.

When the time came to show off their wares, we saw technical showcases, and not a lick of gameplay. Meanwhile, the current systems, finally settling into a groove of creativity and ease of translation for developers, find themselves being quietly shuffled off to the side, as evidenced by the recent announcement Microsoft has halted production of the NVIDIA chip that powers the big Box. The move isn't motivated so much by necessity, as it was when Sony and Sega made the initial jump from 2D to 3D, or when the PS1 had just plain reached its logical limits in terms of what developers wanted to do, and what the little grey box actually could do. It's just a case of having newer toys and wanting to play with them sooner rather than later.

Never mind the fact that most of the games we're seeing look like higher res XBox games.

Granted, Sony needs the boost most of all. The PS2 is the technical weakling of the big 3, and having more under the hood this time around will save everyone a lot of problems down the road. But at the same time, listening to Kutaragi go into total technical mode every time he's interviewed now still distracts from what's important. And Gates and his crew, well, they're Microsoft. They're treating their game systems as they do everything else electronic they make, and it's a mistake to make assumptions that the gaming public REALLY wants so much of the focus taken away from the reason we own a Playstation or an XBox in the first place.

Which is why, as always, I pray Nintendo does well. Of all the Big N's numerous flaws, not putting fun first has never been one of them. As Nintendo President Satoru Iwada recently said in Gamespot, "It will be more beneficial to the consumer if we took the money for [adopting the use of] a next-generation disc format and used it somewhere else where we can present more new fun. Nintendo is a company that likes to see smiles on the faces of people that love entertainment. We're not about selling new kinds of TVs or taking control of the living room." In other words, Nintendo is a gaming company and they've never tried to be anything else. And, despite some of the gimmicks falling flat on their face, they are at least dedicated to the cause of making games and devices that people pick up and play to be interactively entertained. They may be falling flat on their faces more than they succeed nowadays, but their empire of simplicity has never been more welcome in the gaming world than it is now.

Like it or not, the next generation is coming. And right when we're seeing the current systems reach their peak (Gamecube aside, which has basically been about passing the time between releases), they're about to be swept under the rug, for the bigger, but questionably better. And, if we can't stop it, we can at least make some pleas.

Microsoft: Nobody thought you had a gaming system in you in 2001. You proved them wrong. But keep in mind - console gamers are not PC gamers. In terms of technicality, less is more. More is more only applies to your games. Especially if that game is Halo 3. And speaking of which...Bungie? It better have an ending this time.

Sony: Kutaragi's nuts. Don't take that whole 8 million sold thing too far to heart. You sold the first million based on the DVD player. That slump for a year after was your fault for forgetting your system also played games. Put out a decent game in the first generation, and you could sell a whole lot more.

Nintendo: Just don't forget adults need your love too. If for every Mario or Kirby there was a Resident Evil 4 or Metroid Prime, you system wouldn't be the laughing stock it is sadly considered. By the way....you wanna save the DS? Do yourself a favor: Remake Goldeneye 64 on it.

Of course, like everyone else, I'm curious and I'll more than likely end up getting one, or even all 3 of the new systems when they arrive. But make no mistake, I'll be wanting to play games with it when I get them home. Everything else is, well, just an accessory.