Uh-Oh!! Is Microsoft setting up to answer Sony?

[Robert Maxwell]

The only positive I can see from the developer side is that programming the system is easier, in that you can always assume the system is online and never have to worry about putting in code to handle an "offline" mode. If your game never goes online, then no harm, no foul--you can just ignore the online functionality. But if you have a game with both online and offline features, an always-online system makes it very easy to handle.

That said, I am not at all a fan of sacrificing user convenience and usability for the sake of making programmers' jobs easier--and I am one!

 

[Haggis and tatties]

The only positive I can see from the developer side is that programming the system is easier, in that you can always assume the system is online and never have to worry about putting in code to handle an "offline" mode. If your game never goes online, then no harm, no foul--you can just ignore the online functionality. But if you have a game with both online and offline features, an always-online system makes it very easy to handle.

OK stop shooting holes in my previous rant. lol

That said, I am not at all a fan of sacrificing user convenience and usability for the sake of making programmers' jobs easier--and I am one!

Great i have been looking for one of you programmers for ages now, ok i want you to make me a Dr who game, i want it to being a mix of FPS and Portal 2 type puzzles game, i want a fully working Tardis and it must able to take me to any time period past and present that i desire, but also anywhere in time and space, i want no restrictions on where i can go in the tarids, if i die instead of losing a life i regenerate, and like borderland i can have up to 3 other compainions with me, be they ai or real people in coop.

I also want a entire universe filled to the brim with unlimited stories and lifeforms, i never want to see the same planet twice when i leave the tardis, i want everything that has ever been in the Who universe in it and i want it all for £19.99 with free DLC every month.(Although if its ok i will wait till its on sale) .

Now as a programmer i think you will agree i am not asking for much, so how long till its ready and can i be in the beta for having the idea.

 

[Kelthaz]

I just want a Doctor Who Point 'n Click adventure game. Hey, maybe Lucas Arts can make it!?

Oh, right.

 

[RoJoHen]

I just want a Doctor Who Point 'n Click adventure game. Hey, maybe Lucas Arts can make it!?

Oh, right.

I want a Doctor Who first-person shooter, where you just run around pointing your sonic screwdriver at everything.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

New xbox reveal May 21st.
http://majornelson.com/2013/04/24/xboxreveal/

On Tuesday May 21st, we’ll mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment. On that day, we’ll be holding a special press event on the Xbox campus and we invite you to join us via the live global stream that will be available on Xbox.com, Xbox LIVE and broadcast on Spike TV if you are in the US or Canada.
On that day, we’ll share our vision for Xbox, and give you a real taste of the future. Then, 19-days later at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, we’ll continue the conversation and showcase our full lineup of blockbuster games.
We are thrilled to pull back the curtain and reveal what we’ve been working on.

Ok i only hope the phrase "our vision" is not short for always on and second hand game block. lol

 

[Roshi]

Only sales will tell.

 

[Kelthaz]

It'll be interesting to see how this generation unfolds.

Will the 3DS maintain its momentum and possibly overtake the lifetime sales of its behemoth predecessor?

Will the Wii U pull out of its nosedive thanks to some inevitable heavy hitters from Nintendo? Will Nintendo come out with a second "Wii Sports" killer app to sell their console to the casual mainstream once again?

Will the Xbox 720 launch with an online only console and if so how will this affect its reception?

Will the PS4 repeat their mistake with the PS3 by releasing an expensive console aimed at the hardcore or repeat the successes with the PS1 and PS2 by making a cheaper console aimed at the mainstream?

Will the Vita be able to recover from its -- heh, okay, the Vita is deader than disco. How long until it dies and I can pick one up for sub $100?

Will the Ouya/Steambox/Project Shield systems make major inroads into the gaming industry and change gaming as we know it?

 

[ATimson]

Will the 3DS maintain its momentum and possibly overtake the lifetime sales of its behemoth predecessor?

Possibly. It'll certainly do well for itself regardless.

Will the Wii U pull out of its nosedive thanks to some inevitable heavy hitters from Nintendo? Will Nintendo come out with a second "Wii Sports" killer app to sell their console to the casual mainstream once again?

No. Not with the name confusion. They're doomed this generation.

Will the PS4 repeat their mistake with the PS3 by releasing an expensive console aimed at the hardcore or repeat the successes with the PS1 and PS2 by making a cheaper console aimed at the mainstream?

Those "cheaper consoles" came later in the lifespan. I'm sure the PS4 will be cheaper than the PS3 was at launch, but if you're expecting a $200 machine you're dreaming.

Will the Vita be able to recover from its -- heh, okay, the Vita is deader than disco. How long until it dies and I can pick one up for sub $100?

Not until we get the Bioshock game we were promised.

Will the Ouya/Steambox/Project Shield systems make major inroads into the gaming industry and change gaming as we know it?

Not until Valve makes Steam as household-friendly as this generation of consoles were.

 

[Kelthaz]

No. Not with the name confusion. They're doomed this generation.

The same was said about the 3DS last year. Don't count Nintendo out so easily.

Those "cheaper consoles" came later in the lifespan. I'm sure the PS4 will be cheaper than the PS3 was at launch, but if you're expecting a $200 machine you're dreaming.

Of course it won't be $200, but Sony seems to have it in their heads that higher and more expensive tech equals better sales. This strategy failed with the PSP, PS3, and the Vita. I hope they've learned their lesson.

Not until we get the Bioshock game we were promised.

Meh, I'd rather play that on a PC or console. The big appeal of the PSP for me was the truckload of quirky Japanese games that wouldn't have worked on a console. What I really want is Prinny 3 and more Ys games before the system dies.

 

[AlphaMan]

I just posted this over at another BBS

This is what baffles me. The people at Microsoft are smart. Very smart. They've made all the right moves this generation and are poised to take the lead in console sales in the next generation if they continue on this path. An always online DRM ridden console would kill them... especially since Sony is on record as saying the PS4 won't block used games.
But used games aside, I still wouldn't want an always online console that renders my box useless if my internet goes out. Rumor has it that this is the case... and this is from reliable news sources.

Microsoft is smart. They can't possibly not see the bad PR that this would bring. I find myself wondering what potential upside they see in an always online console that would give them an edge... Could they be partnering with cable companies and plan to deliver Cable TV service through an Xbox? Will it have a Coaxial cable input on the back and now they can sell you comcast/CableVision in areas that they couldn't before and therefore, these companies will subsidize the 720? Would you buy an online console for $99 and a $99/month fee for 3 years with cable TV package? If the PS4 is $399 and the 720 is $99 with a monthly fee, I just might consider getting the 720 and waiting for the PS4. I think that with an always online console, they will try to get some other companies that might find value in that to subsidze the Xbox 720 much the same way Apple did with AT&T for the iPhone. Just speculation on my part.

I hope they at least address it on May 21.

 

[AlphaMan]

I'd love to see a Skyrim or Fallout type western RPG on the Vita.

We never did get that Borderland 2 port that Gearbox was willing to make happen either... And there was a Ratchet & Clank port too that fell off the face of the Earth.