Scorpio is well and truly a leap forward and Sony should follow M$'s lead

I have to admit, despite the xbone being a piss weak system, the Scorpio is definitely the right step forward for not just Microsoft but gaming in general. Given that technology advanced twice every 1.5 years, 2-3 is how long a console cycle should last for. The ps3 and x360 lasted far too long and towards the end, games were running at subpar barely playable framerates ie. The Last of Us - luckily for Sony Naughty Dog are geniuses and managed to make one of the most beautiful games ever and the story was also very mesmerising which is why people were able to play through the game despite it running at 20fps...This is why we have so many remasters on the ps4 and xboned, many of the games at the end of the cycle did not get justice for the developers hard work with the game running around 20fps due to piss weak systems.

This is not an unreasonable request provided subsequent systems are fully backwards compatible. Considering pc gamers upgrade every 2 years if not every every year and spend 600usd for a new gpu, a new console at 2/3 price of a gpu is piss all... Hell I built my current rig just to play the witcher 3 at Max settings.

Those who don't want to upgrade can play their pissy little indie games, we cannot drag pc behind because of the limitations of the consoles

You need to let it go.

7th gen lasted longer than it should have, but 2-3 years for a console? **** that. Consoles should last at least 5 years and get their $$$ worth. If you want to upgrade so much then stick to pc entirely.

If, and that's a big "IF", they make their consoles dirt cheap and offer 100% bc, then that would be awesome. Do you really see them doing that though?

Edit: gamespot censoring swear words again?

@GhostHawk196:

Last of Us and late ps3 games did so not "barely run". They were at the very least 30 fps but no slow downs. You can't blame consoles for the pc lacking AAA exclusives. If it did then you'd have nothing to complain about.

The ps3/360 life span is just right, I believe. There's no reason to constantly upgrade just to catch up with pc specs. That's just petty and would force console game developers to work double. If you like upgrading constantly then stick to pc but you can't use consoles as a scapegoat for AAA developers having little interest in pc exclusivity.

@killered3: unfortunately, I doubt that's doing to happen, the reason last generation lasted so long was due the stock crash of 2008-2009 and the lack of technological advancement in other peripherals. These days there's so much innovation going on in the tech landscape it's a terrible move to move consoles at a slow pace.

No cash after all their VR BS, it's goona wind up as Sony's Kinect and I think they're all out of buildings to sell sooo I dunno... :P

I'd prefer to make a one time purchase per gen, and now that I've gone digital it's gonna be a pain re-downloading the 40+ games I own.

I kind of think this gen should last a little longer imho. Games come out way too slow compare the older gen. We finally see games rolling in for both ms ans Sony platfors and now you want next gen start?? I don't know man.. I fell kind of cheated.I

I think a lot of people are still processing this kind of shift in the industry. I've been gaming since the Atari 2600 and my memories of each console is distinct. The NES has its games, then when I bought the SNES the NES was no more in my mind, that was left behind and a new System with new games, accessories, etc. took its place. I'm used to not having any form of backwards compatibility in my consoles.

Now this is becoming more like the PC model where you just upgrade rigs when you feel your current PC just isn't as powereful anymore. The difference with the Scorpio thing is that you cannot just upgrade to the next Xbox whenever you want, Microsoft has to make the next iteration. So it's not exactly like the PC ecosystem, and not exactly like the old console ecosystem we are used to...something in between.

I'm open to new things and as long as it makes sense I'm all for it. My life is very different than when I was a younger playing games, that's for sure....I can afford a new system every 4-5 years instead of 8 years or whatever, that's not an issue.

I did get a taste of this in the past too, it's not completely new to me because with the N64 I had to buy the memory pack to get the full Turok 2 experience. I remember that you didnt have to buy the memory pack, you could still play Turok 2 but the graphics were lower settings. But I Was able to pay a fee for a nice graphical upgrade so I did it. No big deal, it's always on a case by case basis with me and right now I have lots of games to play this year I'm not worried at all about this industry shift. I just hope for that MS takes care of the people who dont want to upgrade. The people who are fine with current XOne and they dont care about Scorpio whatsoever, make sure those people are well treated....same with SOny if they decide to do the same. For now, I can say I like this change....instead of waiting 7-8 years for the next powerful upgrade, I'm getting one next year, sooner....and it is way, way more powerful. Now what remains to be seen is how the software game will play out in all this?How good will the Scorpio launch be? etc. Looking forward to seeing it unfold.

I think Sony will be fine, especially sony fans.

Look at what they've been able to do with the PS4. Xbox Scorpio being more powerful won't stop Sony devs from being able to utilize a system twice as powerful as PS4. It's all about games in the end and their catalog looks fantastic for the upcoming future.

It's great if MS will have a more powerful system than Sony this time because it will force sony to push the games argument even harder as their selling point and produce more must have games, just like with E3.

I see this as good competitive argument for MS consoles and a good games situation for Sony fans with Sony having to dial in even more on them to push the brand.

@SOedipus: xbone came out in 2013. It will be 4 years by the time Scorpio comes out and xbox one will still play Scorpio games. Don't see the issue

But 2-3 years? I suppose if I bought a Xbone I wouldn't see an issue either.

Xbox One has been out 3 years already.

"2-3 is how long a console cycle should last for." tc's post. I was referring to that. No issue with Scorpio.

@daniel_su123:

But longevity is a big reason why console gamers prefer it. People would lose interest if they kept constantly updating console hardware every 3 years. As long as the games are still playable on original versions, why bother with new ones? Then most people would still only upgrade once every 9 years or so because that's the usual generation gap.

I remember ps2 lasted even longer and so did ps1. There's literally no reason for this gen to be any different. It's worked for consoles so far in sales and it's not broke, why fix it? If the Neo and Scorpio are real and when they do release, I highly doubt it would have anything to do with the spec update than making VR more functional.

Woo! Scorpio! Now about those hammocks.

I'm glad it happening.

I think 5-6 years is good enough for a console generation, that way gamer's get plenty of games to play so they feel like it's a good value. Then when a new console does come out the graphical difference is huge and amazing.

3 to 4 year console cycles are fine, as long as backward/forward compatible just like PC.

The real issue is game development. The short console life cycle inhibits on that area.

Yes sony should release a new system a month or two after with a more powerful gpu.

That's the upside of this mid gen refresh however because devs aren't starting from scratch with a whole new hardware design and development environment since the new systems are designed to work like previous units but only more power. This can extend the generation as a result.

@casharmy:

Yet even the hardware out now has not pushed game design to warrant new hardware.

@GhostHawk196: Did you somehow miss the dozens of Neo rumors and how the Neo will be released Fall/Early Next year?

futureproofing, tech is still moving regardless. It's like people buying more powerful GPU when they are not needed yet. It's like a security net of upcoming games so I don't see an issue with it.

@casharmy:

Game design, ideas. Those are the things which should bring new consoles to market.

Consoles will soon be a year over year model..... as it should be. Why not make new models every year? Tech gets better and people will buy them... let the consumer determine how good of a gaming experience they need.

Just look at phones and tablets for reference.

If I was interested in 3-4 year long cycles, I'd just rather be PC only.

This thread smells of acceptance and defeat.

Well, I know Digital Foundry thinks its too late to reverse course for the Neo but the way I see it the thing might be pointless now so they could very well go back to the drawing board with it now, aim for a more comparable design to go with, ship new updated dev kits. That I feel is Sony's only worthwhile option, otherwise putting both the PSVR and then the Neo out, then in a couple years throwing out a fresh new power console, that's asking for a lot from a loyal consumer base in such a short time. If I were MS too, I'd prepare for that possibility already.

Sony dropped the ball with Neo. The ball is in MS's court now, and they're looking to knock it out of the park with Scorpio.

Sony should scrap Neo (if it isn't already too late), and instead come up with something that is at least equal in power to Scorpio even if it means releasing late next year..

Your op sounds a little sarcastic...

Eh it's about the games.....if you want continually upgrades to your system....stick with PC. Though I think the announcement of the Scorpio next year prevents some sales of the One and the One S.

I don't recall most PS3 games I played being at 20fps, so I'll assume the rest of the post must also be hyperbole.

Alts alts everywhere

A steady 20 FPS? probably not. Constant drops below 30 and as low as the teens... I would say that's true of MOST late in the gen (and many earlya nd mid in the gen) PS3 titles. Specially multi-plats (which is most consoles games anyway). Same is true of the Xbox 360 however.

People are forgetting Sony hung, drew and quartered MS this gen to such an extreme extent that they had to literally cut themselves off at the knees and force a whole new generation early just so they weren't the butt of all the jokes they created for themselves in 2013.

But in saying that, Sony just has to release the PS5...it will launch after Scorpio and be higher spec'd. Sony and MS will be leap frogging each other now from now on.

@misterpmedia: in the meantime Sony has to eat some crow pies and deal with the PSVR clown show that's about to commence. It's got moments of brilliance but its got more moments of move 2.0 with a headset. It will sell out because cows like to be milked, but overall it's kinda floppie looking.

You see hardly anyone is even talking about it. Over half of Sonys floor space at E3 was dedicated the VR but most sites are only talking about a couple of VR games.

I'm not buying the base premise here. Why should console generations be shorter than a AAA development cycle?

Lol.

Because $$$. Console gamers, prepare to get milked. Hard.

yea real gamers buy $60 games

funnys like you live off F2P

Actually I don't. I buy games as well -- sometimes for the painful 60 usd pricetag.

There's nothing inherently wrong with a free to play model until it makes players invest in resources that help them win. Paying for aesthetics (music, costumes etc.) is not bad.

My point is I am a gamer I pay $60 for xbox Live pay $60 for games Sometimes More so people acting like this consols are expensive shood Quit gaming because gaming is expensive Hobby

Scorpio from the sound of it is a goodish PC without the PC exclusives and will have absolutely no exclusives of its own what with it being part of the Xbox 'family' so for PC gamers it has zero appeal, for PS4 gamers who already have and are looking forward to more platform exclusives it will mean nothing at all.

I don't know who MS think Scorpio is aimed at, probably because none of the eggheads at MS who made this all happen have ever played a videogame in their entire lives.

Console gaming is supposed to be cheaper than PC gaming. That's literally the biggest advantage it had.. until now. What is supposed to be enticing about short generations with 500-600 dollar consoles on top of yearly subscription fees?

Getting milked doesn't deserve lend rights imo...

No more so than cell phones that constantly upgrade. Besides, it continually lowers the price of the original Xbone so even the poorest of kids will eventually be able to obtain a gaming system...well providing they even have internet I guess.

Each year, companies come out with new TV models, Cell phones, Tablets, Laptops, GPS devices, Amplifiers and audio equipment, security systems, routers, streaming media devices....virtually every electronic has consistent upgrade cycles and has for years. Why should consoles be any different? They are actually lagging behind in terms of modern marketing.

I can guarantee you that if you spend $600 on a new GPU then you won't need to upgrade that badboy every two years. A $400 GPU can easily last as long a 5 year Console Cycle.

If you follow Chip Manufacture's Architecture, then you know with each new Generation their goal is squeeze the size of their transistors down to achieve The Same Performance for less power, granted every now and then the die shrink will allow the Manufactures to squeeze more transistors on to the Circuit Boards, but the performance difference isn't enough to warrant a brand new GPU every two years.

Also, I don't know where you got this notion that last gen games ran at 20fps.... they could do 30fps most of the time. And lastly but most important..... even though the performance upgrade will allow the developers to make games run at 1080p 60fps no problem, that just isn't what they are going to be used for. The purpose of the new consoles is to combat the issues associated with People buying Bigger TVs. Bigger TVs are going to need higher resolutions to maintain clarity. Bigger Resolutions = lower framerates, so yeah, you can pretty much say good bye to seeing 60FPS on consoles, outside of a few niche genres its just not going to happen..... its not going to be the new standard.