Next Gen Battle

[nellhows]

So I was wondering what the good mutants feel is going to happen with the next generation of video game hardware (what is it, generation 8? 9?).

Anyway, the choices are limited: Wii, PS3, or Xbox360. Which do you expect to buy, and which do you expect to win the hearts and minds of video game geeks everywhere.

For me, I'm thinking I'm going to get a Wii, and I have no idea what'll come out on top. I used to be a huge Nintendo supporter, but got a PS instead of a N64, and then a Xbox instead of a Gamecube. But I recently got a DS, and realized how much I missed those little Italian plumbers. Plus the controls look pretty sweet.

What are your thoughts?

[PoolMan]

I have been thinking about this a lot, and it's probably about the time I got out of the console race.

I'm a longtime Nintendork, and will always have a soft spot for the big N, but I just can't be bothered to buy a new $300-$500 machine every couple of years anymore. I simply don't have the time to game that I used to, and that situation isn't going to change any time soon.

I will likely simply stick to PC gaming from here on out, mostly because I have a PC already, and a parts upgrade is easier than the "buy a new box" phenomenon we've all gotten used to.

Now, that said, I'm still really excited to see what Wii will be like. PS3 and XBox 360 are wonderful, I'm sure, but ultimately they're just amped hardware doing the same old thing. It will look prettier than what we're playing now, but nothing's really going to change. Nintendo's Wii looks to innovate and do something genuinely different. They've already come out and said their machine won't be as powerful as the other two, but it WILL feature gameplay you can't get anywhere else and fresher, more original game ideas.

The question is now whether the world is interested in fresh and original or bigger, better, and faster. Guess we'll see...

[Spiderdancer]

Bwa ha haaa! Come over to the dark side, my Mutant Brother!

[PoolMan]

Well, it's not like I've never been a PC gamer before. I just happened to like consoles and PC gaming. It's pretty much a cost thing, at this point, and I NEED a PC in my life. I don't need a Wii, as much as I'd take a free one if it fell out of the sky.

[eatmyshorts]

I am just going to keep my Gamecube/Xbox. screw Next gen games.

[StarOpal]

poolman said:

I don't need a Wii

Insert "Wii" joke here.

I'm a bad person...

[blinkfan]

I am going to buy my own PS3 and Let my little brother get a Wii. Love Nintendo but I really want a PS3 or a XBOX360 for halo 3 only.

[TheLuckyOne]

I don't foresee buying any of the NextGen systems right off the bat... I mean, if I get one for a Christmas or birthday gift, that'd be cool, but I wouldn't say I'm so eager for one that I'll actually be asking for any. (Yeah, like anyone's dropping $500 on me anyway.)

That said, I'll definitely never be a PC gamer because, come on, that's for dorks. (Um... except for Justin and Shalen and PoolMan! *cough*) But I'll probably do what I did with the GameCube- wait 2-3 years after the release until it's dirt cheap, then scoop up the hardware and games for a song. A lot of Nintendo's best games come out late in their system cycles (like the new Zelda game or Resident Evil 4), and those early ones that are worth it... enh, I can wait, like I did for Super Smash Brothers Melee.

-D

[Spiderdancer]

Er... Whereas console gamers wear clothes from The Sharper Image and talk to each other on tiny cell phones while driving their Aston Martins to work?

No form of gaming is ever going to be cool, my friends. I have accepted this, and am now serene in the fact that I am a geek. Besides, consoles can't be modded, except with copout official plugins. Who wants to play a game that's limited to what the tired, underpaid employees of some huge corporation could come up with in time for their ridiculous deadline when the game can be improved, expanded, and personalized by people with way too much spare time?

I really want to know how all these modders are getting 3ds Max, though, since it costs around 2k.

[PoolMan]

That actually IS an interesting point, Shalen, but the embarassing truth is that I've never, ever used any mod for any game. Not a one. So for me, that's kind of a non-issue.

[Hucklebubba]

theluckyone said:

But I'll probably do what I did with the GameCube- wait 2-3 years after the release until it's dirt cheap, then scoop up the hardware and games for a song. A lot of Nintendo's best games come out late in their system cycles (like the new Zelda game or Resident Evil 4), and those early ones that are worth it... enh, I can wait, like I did for Super Smash Brothers Melee.

-D

Give that man a Kewpie doll!

By which I mean, yes, I'm going to do that too. And I'm giving my vote to Sony.

spiderdancer said:

Who wants to play a game that's limited to what the tired, underpaid employees of some huge corporation could come up with in time for their ridiculous deadline. . .

The upshot being that, when the game produced thereof is placed in its delightfully homogenous console, it will actually work 999 times out of 1000.