Random Gaming Thoughts

[marurun]

The PS5 and next XB are being build on AMD x86-compatible core hardware, just like the current generation. They would have to actually try to NOT have backwards compatibility.

[isiolia]

I think we are at a point where we should think "not can we, but should we" ? Those large endless worlds and complex games are not really more fun than simple retro games. Bigger and badder is not more fun. Indeed, I find a lot of big games overwhelming because now I have to complete it in 30hrs+ and learn all the rules, controls, and tips to master it and the maps and the weapons etc etc. I won't lie though, there was a time when I wanted to play an open world living game where every building is a house that i can enter, and every shop is a place I can go in and interact with.

There are other experiences out there, today, that are more intuitive. VR tends to be, but it also takes a lot of GPU power to do well, along with other considerations. Still, it's often what the Wii wanted to be, with far more capable motion controllers and an immersive environment (takes care of a lot of the orientation/point at screen problems I find with TV based motion control).
Or there are any number of other possibilities beyond just ever-growing world size and complexity. Smarter AI, better physics, etc.

Video games are inherently limited by technology. Each generation has the potential to make new ideas feasible. Fewer compromises on iterative designs, and more potential for doing something that we haven't seen before. Obviously though, sure, if your focus is on a game style popularized 30 years ago...then there may not be a lot left to add that'd require more CPU power.

But I don't think they will be backward compatible, my understanding is that consoles are specifically built in a way to maximize their custom hardware and hence are not backwards compatible. For the most part, no console could run the prior's games except ps1->ps2 and ps1->ps3 . I was told the only reason PS3 could run PS2 games, because there was a small PS2 inside it that they dropped in later iterations.

Well...There is the NGC->Wii, but the Wii was a beefed up NGC or am I wrong?

As mentioned, the next gen machines are essentially based on the same setup as the existing 8th gen consoles. While there are some additional tweaks, they're effectively further-upgraded machines over the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. They're just a big enough jump that games designed around them might be too much for the older hardware to manage. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of dual branded games though, sorta like we often get DVD/Blu-ray or Blu-ray/4k combo packages.
Either way, I hope we see PS1-3 support too, but just for me... I ended up cancelling my PS4 preorder due to no real interest in the launch lineup that materialized. When the PS5 hits, if it enhances the pile of PS4 games I have yet to play, then that alone is appealing.

[noiseredux]

yeah we've talked about this in the past, but I see future consoles adopting the iOS/Android strategy of just making new iterations that are basically the same machine but more powerful. Thus backwards compatability will (mostly) be a thing.

[MrPopo]

yeah we've talked about this in the past, but I see future consoles adopting the iOS/Android strategy of just making new iterations that are basically the same machine but more powerful. Thus backwards compatability will (mostly) be a thing.

Us old guys call that the "PC model".

[noiseredux]

yeah we've talked about this in the past, but I see future consoles adopting the iOS/Android strategy of just making new iterations that are basically the same machine but more powerful. Thus backwards compatability will (mostly) be a thing.

Us old guys call that the "PC model".

well yes, but I think it easier to compare it to (shudder) iPhones. People just call them "iPhones," and y'know there's "the new one," and the new one plays the same stuff (mostly) that the old ones did, but there's some stuff the new one plays that the old one can't, but it's basically just the same device with a higher model number and fancier updated hardware.

[RCBH928]

The PS5 and next XB are being build on AMD x86-compatible core hardware, just like the current generation. They would have to actually try to NOT have backwards compatibility.

aha, in that case it makes more sense now to release the beefier hardware. I thought, as it was historically, new generation means a completely new hardware build up and configuration.

Or there are any number of other possibilities beyond just ever-growing world size and complexity. Smarter AI, better physics, etc.

Video games are inherently limited by technology. Each generation has the potential to make new ideas feasible. Fewer compromises on iterative designs, and more potential for doing something that we haven't seen before.

I wish we could see more of that kind of stuff, but for the most part its always about more detailed 3D graphics and larger worlds. Maybe VR/AR will play bigger role next time around.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of dual branded games though, sorta like we often get DVD/Blu-ray or Blu-ray/4k combo packages.
Either way, I hope we see PS1-3 support too, but just for me... I ended up cancelling my PS4 preorder due to no real interest in the launch lineup that materialized. When the PS5 hits, if it enhances the pile of PS4 games I have yet to play, then that alone is appealing.

I too think we might see this most games will be released for past+current generation, in fact, that used to happen in older generations. I think hardware is capable of running PS2 emulation as we have seen it done on older PCs by now, but maybe the PS3 is just too much for it to handle. I don't know.

[Forlorn Drifter]

The PS5 and next XB are being build on AMD x86-compatible core hardware, just like the current generation. They would have to actually try to NOT have backwards compatibility.

PS4 is definitely coming (as in, it has been confirmed for PS5 to have PS4 BC). But, they have also stated recently that they are having to do some work to get it working, which makes me think certain titles are giving them problems. No idea what, but something is.

[marurun]

The PS5 and next XB are being build on AMD x86-compatible core hardware, just like the current generation. They would have to actually try to NOT have backwards compatibility.

PS4 is definitely coming (as in, it has been confirmed for PS5 to have PS4 BC). But, they have also stated recently that they are having to do some work to get it working, which makes me think certain titles are giving them problems. No idea what, but something is.

That probably has more to do with some of the specific support hardware or with specific video card functions or routines that might have changed a little in newer hardware. It's certainly not perfectly seamless to ensure backwards compatibility, but the value it adds to the console it so much greater than any minor cost to accommodate it given the vast similarity in core hardware.

[Melek-Ric]

Unlike MS and Sony's plans, Nintendo is charging for BC on the Switch. NES/SNES games require a Nintendo subscription (similar to GWG and PSN+ games) and they have been porting Wii U games to the Switch. I feel like they should have thrown a bone to Wii U owners and offered those NS ports as a free download with proof of purchase.

[marurun]

I think that logic is a bit convoluted. Sony isn't providing backwards compatibility for PS1 games to PS4 owners at all, and certainly not for free. And Nintendo has always provided backwards compatibility gratis where it was reasonable to do so with similar architectures, such as Gamecube to Wii, Wii to WiiU, GB to GBC to GBA, GBA to DS, and DS to 3DS. Microsoft is sort of the odd company out in providing Xbox and 360 compatibility without a paid subscription to Xbox Live Gold. Further, WiiU games are basically having to be ported over to Switch. The Switch isn't nearly powerful enough to emulate them, so it's not like they can make a one-time emulator and just tweak the settings optimally for each title. It's also a completely different architecture, so there are no shortcuts there, either. No, Nintendo isn't violating some modern industry practice or expectation, not by any definition, really.