It looks like our especially long console generation may be coming to a close starting by the end of this year with the launch of the Wii U and new consoles from Sony and Microsoft following in 2013. This isn't really much of a shocker given how old current hardware is getting, but there is some news that likely will surprise you. From the sounds of it, it is practically confirmed that both the Ps4 (or Orbis) and the Xbox 720 will not feature used game support. This is undoubtably an attempt to stop the use game trade that has cost publishers millions (and possibly billions) throughout history. Unfortunately, this means that you won't be able to play your copy of a game with your friend, and buying an older, possibly discontinued, game would be nearly impossible. However, used game locks may cause the prices of new games to drop, which would be nice, as I'm not wild about the fact that games cost sixty dollars.
Rumored specs have also been leaked regarding the power of these machines. From the sounds of it, these new machines will completely dwarf the ones we have now and will be another huge leap in hardware, for Sony and Microsoft at least. When comparing these two they will be incredibly similar in power so for many cnsuers it will come down to things like price, software, and features as deciding factors.
Unfortunately for the Wii U, some anonymus developers are complaining about the system not being up to par with the PS3 or Xbox 360. Seriously, if Nintendo can't even make hardware that can match the current generation how the hell do they expect to be relevent in comparison to the next generation of consoles. If these reports are true, then Nintendo should really step up thier hardware if they expect third- parties to give an honest to god care about the platform, even if it means dropping the gimmicky tablet controller. I don't know about you guys, but I find the whole tablet thing a little desperate and gimmicky, as I don't know that it would actually improve gameplay of "normal games".
So let's talk game rumors now. Whilst virtually nothing has been confirmed for the PS4 or Xbox 720, it has been made clear that devs are working on projects. On the Sony front, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the rumored God of War IV was unvieled at this year's e3 as a PS4 game. What better way to showcase a system than to have it launch with one of the Playstation brand's biggest and best-looking action titles. Also, the Naughty Dog team that recently finished Uncharted 3 has shifted thier focus to a new project that is almost guaranteed to feature Mr. Drake once again. With the job's listings report that Naughty Dog is hiring character artists that can work with one million polygon characters, a next gen game would be the only answer. It's also safe to assume that some of Sony's other talented studios have plans for the system, but only time will tell what these games will be.
We're still yet to here much about what games Microsoft is working on, but more Halo and Gears are pretty much guaranteed. However on the cross- platform front there are quite a few possibilities. Hideo Kojima is currently at work on a game titled "project Ogre" that runs on his new Fox Engine and there is almost no way this game would appear on current gen systems, both because of hardware power and the current generation quickly wrapping up. Fans of the under rated gem Beyond good and evil also just might be getting a sequel to the game if rumors are to believed. Unreal Engine 4 will also be showcased this year and will probably run a lot of good software.
Of all the systems, the Wii U is the one we know most about, but that isn't saying much. Whilst some details are out there we will have to patiently await e3 for more information, including a rumored Mario title being unvieled. As with much of this article, this is mostly just speculation and we'll have to wait for more official details in the months to come.
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