1132: Stop Calling it “Gen4”

The eighth generation of video games consoles is upon us — yes, despite the fact that EA desperately wants everyone to believe that it’s the fourth generation it is, in fact, the eighth. Don’t believe me? Allow me to prove it before proceeding further.

• First generation: Magnavox Odyssey, Atari Tele-Games Pong, Coleco Telstar, Nintendo Color TV Game
• Second generation: Magnavox Odyssey2, Intellivision, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, ColecoVision
• Third generation: NES, Master System, Atari 7800
• Fourth generation: TurboGrafx-16, Mega Drive, Super NES, Neo Geo
• Fifth generation: 3DO, Jaguar, Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation, Nintendo 64
• Sixth Generation: Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Gamecube, Xbox
• Seventh Generation: PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
• Eighth Generation: PlayStation 4, Wii U, something from Microsoft.

See? Proof. Thank you, Wikipedia.

Anyway. My point was not that people are getting the generation number wrong (I KNOW it’s the “fourth generation of 3D consoles” but it’s still stupid, so sod off) but that we are well and truly into the eighth generation now. One of the “big three” game console manufacturers has already released their new console (Nintendo with the Wii U) while a second has announced some skimpy details about what is to come (Sony with the PlayStation 4). We can doubtless expect something from Microsoft very soon.

It’s going to be an interesting generation, I think, because the leaps hardware is taking forward with each subsequent generation are getting smaller. Graphics and performance still have room for improvement, sure, but there’s actually been something of a backlash towards the striving for photorealism that has been the driving force behind most new game-related technological enhancements. Turns out people still like games that look like video games, which explains the popularity of heavily-pixelated titles like Fez as well as the heavily-stylized artwork of a lot of Japanese games. It also explains why people are so cynical about the “brownness” of Western games, though this is actually nothing new — I vividly recall my brother referring to the original Quake as “the brown game” before the turn of the century, so a drab colour palette is something we’ve been enduring for a while yet.

Because the leaps in hardware are getting smaller, though, that means each platform has to distinguish itself in different ways. Nintendo has fired the opening salvo with the use of its Gamepad for asymmetrical multiplayer in titles like Nintendo Land, and it works very well when used appropriately — we just need some more games that make creative use of this second screen. The lack of games isn’t really cause for concern as yet, despite what professional industry doomsayers like Michael Pachter might say, because it also took developers a while to get their head around the two screens of Nintendo’s last handheld the DS, and that ended up being the most popular handheld in the history of ever. There’s no guarantee the Wii U will catch on in the same way, of course, but it’s far too early to declare it a failed experiment as some have.

Besides, Nintendo are doing some other interesting things, too. The integration of the console’s proprietary social network “MiiVerse” into a variety of different games is a really nice idea — complete a challenge in Nintendo Land, for example, and you can see drawings and messages from other people who are playing, and you can interact with these people. In games that are built for playing socially — think of the possibilities in something like Animal Crossing, for example — there’s a lot of potential here, though from a personal perspective I really hope that it’s not something that makes it into all games. Or if it does, I hope you can turn it off. Seeing silly messages after a go on Donkey Kong’s Wild Ride or whatever the minigame in Nintendo Land is called? Fine. Seeing “lol i cant beet dis bossss lol xx” message while I’m playing an epic RPG? Not OK.

This “social” thing seems to be a big deal with the PlayStation 4 too, though I’m yet to review the information about the new console in any great detail. Apparently the controller has a “share” button right there, allowing players to do things like record brag clips and share them with their friends. Perhaps fun for someone 15 years my junior, but I personally don’t really see the point for the most part — we’ll see if it’s used for anything interesting in the long run.

I’m a bit torn about the increased emphasis on “social” aspects of games consoles. On the one hand, it’s quite fun to be able to see what other people are playing and talk to them about it. On the other hand, the vast majority of games that I enjoy are single-player experiences that I don’t want interruptions from. I can’t help feeling that my experience with, for example, the Halo series was tarnished somewhat by continually being frustrated by popup messages from friends inviting me to play multiplayer when all I wanted to do was see if the dreadful story was going anywhere. I could have just gone offline, of course, but it felt a bit “rude” to do that. Irrational and silly, I know. But it’s the way I felt.

As for “sharing”? We’re yet to find a really good balance of that. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 allow you to share Achievements/Trophies to Facebook to brag about cool things you’ve accomplished, but neither are implemented particularly well. Part of the problem is the tendency for modern (younger) Internet denizens to “overshare” and make absolutely everything they do public, which diminishes the meaning of these “brags”. This is a trend which is perpetuated by a large number of mobile and social games, many of which post crap all over social networks without you really wanting them to or, in worse cases, bribing you to do so. It’s a means of marketing the game, yes, but more often than not — among my circle of friends anyway — it’s a turn-off rather than something that makes people want to check out the game in question.

I don’t have much interest in the promise of streaming games to PS4 via Gaikai because 1) my experiences to date with game streaming via OnLive haven’t always been optimal, 2) I like to own my games and 3) I’d rather the quality of experience I get from my games not be reliant on my Internet connection, thank you very much. I hope Sony includes some form of backwards compatibility in the PS4 through a means other than Gaikai, but I won’t be surprised if they don’t. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have all made it clear that backwards compatibility is not a particular priority for them, and this is a trend I expect to see continue in the next generation. Consequently, I don’t see myself getting rid of my 360 and my PS3 (or my PS2, for that matter) when the PS4 hits.

In short, I’m yet to be totally won over by the PS4, but yet to be dissuaded entirely either. A number of developers that I like have reportedly pledged their support to the new console, so that’s something, but I’ll have to wait and see if there’s anything I want to play before I’m convinced to pick one up. Triple-A just doesn’t cut it for me any more; I need something that appeals to my specific and peculiar tastes, and if it ain’t there, it ain’t getting my support.