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Features that ALL next-gen consoles should have

T

tedtropy

$50/hour, but no kissing on the lips and colors must be pre-separated
While I'm sure that each of the upcoming consoles from the big three will have their own unique strengths, I feel there are certain small features that all of them should have regardless.

- A direct DVI output, with a VGA adapter IN THE BOX. High res, crisp, gorgeous gaming? Great, now let me view it on the high-res display that I already have on my desk.

- A Optical/coax digital audio output port should be available directly on the back of the console.

- At least two USB 2.0 ports. Allow us to use our damn keyboard/mice with a FPS if we choose to do so. I'm sure there's other PC hardware that could easily be adapted for console gaming as well.

- Make an earnest effort to make it quite. I can't say the Gamecube is really too guilty in this particular department, but jeebus the XBox is one noisy console, as is my PS2 in its age.

I don't think that any of these features would drive up the cost of a console too much. Any others I'm leaving out?
 
HDMI, not DVI will be standard. As at least 2 of the 3 next-gen consoles will have High-Def DVD players built it, this is a must.

The PS2 already has a Toslink port on the back, there's no reason to assume the PS3 won't.

Ditto for USB ports.
 
Hmm, when I read that title I was thinking each console should have LOTS OF STATS in the main menu that says how many hours you've played each game for, and with how many players, total time your system has been turned on etc. I've always wanted something like that, for some reason. Or a virtual garden that grows with every new game... ok now i'm taking it too far.
 
Grubdog said:
Hmm, when I read that title I was thinking each console should have LOTS OF STATS in the main menu that says how many hours you've played each game for, and with how many players, total time your system has been turned on etc. I've always wanted something like that, for some reason. Or a virtual garden that grows with every new game... ok now i'm taking it too far.
Click to expand...

The PS2 has something like that, with the "Memory Card City" at boot.
 
Grubdog said:
Hmm, when I read that title I was thinking each console should have LOTS OF STATS in the main menu that says how many hours you've played each game for, and with how many players, total time your system has been turned on etc. I've always wanted something like that, for some reason. Or a virtual garden that grows with every new game... ok now i'm taking it too far.
Click to expand...

Hah, yeah, I was thinking the same thing on the drive to work, just forgot to add it to my original post. Often I formulate thread ideas while bored and waiting in traffic. All consoles should henceforth have a 'total hours logged' counter than gets saved in NVRAM. I want to see just how much life I've wasted on a particular console, dammit. If my SNES had one, I think it would've long since rolled over. :D
 
Force Feedback, HDTV, default (minimum) 8xAF 2xAA, DVD playback, online enabled and built in fleshlight.

OK, so the last one can be optional..
 
- A direct DVI output, with a VGA adapter IN THE BOX. High res, crisp, gorgeous gaming? Great, now let me view it on the high-res display that I already have on my desk.
Click to expand...

You're much more likely to have a generic AV out, and a set of RCA connectors for composite video.

Then you can spend $50 on the DVI pack.
 
Make an earnest effort to make it quite. I can't say the Gamecube is really too guilty in this particular department, but jeebus the XBox is one noisy console, as is my PS2 in its age.
Click to expand...

The more recent PS2 models (both PSTwo and PS2) are EXTREMELY quiet (almost silent).

The XBOX and Dreamcast are probably the loudest consoles, though.
 
Doom_Bringer said:
Fixed!

Next gen gaming will be all about online gaming. Fuck 4 controller ports.
Click to expand...


Provided it's free and they come to personally hook lifetime broadband into the cardboard box I'll be living in after college.
 
Speevy said:
You're insane. There are never more than two people in a room playing games at the same time.
Click to expand...

We play PES3 with 3-4 people on the PC all the time. I guess that means you're full of crap.
 
- Screen centering like the Gamecube currently does.

- HD options for PAL consoles (In 50 and 60hz).

- Wireless and Ethernet connectivity out of the box.

- Region free (not going to happen in my mind except maybe for Xenon since Xbox is)

- 4 Memory Cards slots on console if not putting them on controllers ala Xbox, DC and N64. (Gamecube pissed me off with this on PSO)

- Support for some kind of media card (Like SD cards, Memory Sticks) so you can play your mp3s in your games should there be no hard drives in consoles. Preferably memory cards would be these standard media cards.
 
Azih said:
4 controller ports.
Click to expand...

This person is a genius, folks. Give him a prize. Sony shouldn't have even been allowed to release the PS2 without four controller ports built-in. :D

Split-screen gaming is slowly dying, but I still love it. Please keep the four player split-screen in there, developers! Or you will face the consequences.. ~shakes fist~
 
Wireless, Wireless, Wireless. I am sick to death of the perpetual wire snag that comes with multiple consoles, surround sound system, etc. Enough.

A built in VGA adapter would rock the universe. I'd buy multiple units of a single machine just for that.
 
Gorey said:
Wireless, Wireless, Wireless. I am sick to death of the perpetual wire snag that comes with multiple consoles, surround sound system, etc. Enough.

A built in VGA adapter would rock the universe. I'd buy multiple units of a single machine just for that.
Click to expand...

Wired controllers don't really bother me, but I don't play in a very large room. Plus, I don't want another thing that needs batteries replaced. There's no real reason that the system shouldn't have a wireless controller receiver already built into it though, for those that prefer it. Now what would be nice is if the system had a 802.11g connection built in for those moments when you want to play system-link games. Having a 30-foot cross connect cable dragged across my floor, down the hall, and into my brother's room so I can play against him on his XBox gets annoying.
 
4 controller ports
Broadband included
2 gamepads instead of one in the box.
The best sound hardware you can fit in
USB
NO JAGGIES!
D-pad- im not prepared to have an analog only gamepad
Gamepads better have long cords or they should be wireless. If they are wireless should be able to recharge them by docking them on to the console.
VGA support
 
I honestly can't think of much that I want from the next generation that isn't already implemented on one of the consoles. Ideally, all consoles would have:

- Media playback (including DVD)
- Big memory cards at launch and at the very least, optional large-scale storage
- Decent controllers available at launch
- Enough main memory to handle ports from the market leader
- Software backward compatibility

And my big pipe dream...

- Peripheral backward compatibility. I don't want to have to buy bongos, dance mats, arcade sticks, etc. all over again, and I think it's kind of unfair to have to do so. Still, this won't happen because peripherals are such a cash cow.
 
tedtropy said:
Wired controllers don't really bother me, but I don't play in a very large room. Plus, I don't want another thing that needs batteries replaced. There's no real reason that the system shouldn't have a wireless controller receiver already built into it though, for those that prefer it. Now what would be nice is if the system had a 802.11g connection built in for those moments when you want to play system-link games. Having a 30-foot cross connect cable dragged across my floor, down the hall, and into my brother's room so I can play against him on his XBox gets annoying.
Click to expand...

Even if you don't play in a large room, the snags that result from multiple console controllers all over the place annoy the hell out of me. At least one of my xbox controllers got busted after getting tangled up in dualshock cords falling to the floor a few too many times. Or maybe I just need smarter roomates, heh.

802.11g, or equivalent, would be cause for outright celebration. Joyous.
 
Umm.. i use my PS1 stick for my PS2 all the time. Likewise, i use my Logitech Cordless Action (PS2) controller on my old modded PS1.
 
I really hope they do away with controller ports in general and just have everything wireless with a max of 16 or 32 players or something ridiculous like that. I mean, 32 is probably excessive but just imagine being able to play a football game where pretty much every player is controlled by a human in the room right there, it'd probably have to be a big room.
 
Well aparently you people have not experience the extasy of 4 player gaming. Online doesn't compare. Yeah, it would be better to have 4 TVs but still, you suck! :P

A lot of wishfull thinking in this thread.
 
I remember reading somewhere that EA said that the next-gen systems would act as wireless hubs.

Would that assist the DS and PSP to be connected wirelessly to the internet from your own home?
 
Spike said:
I remember reading somewhere that EA said that the next-gen systems would act as wireless hubs.

Would that assist the DS and PSP to be connected wirelessly to the internet from your own home?
Click to expand...

I hope so. These next-gen consoles really need to strive to be more than just slight evolutions of the previous ones. They need to push the whole media center in a box idea. I've no doubt Microsoft's next console will emphasize this heavily...
 
Killer App #1: Wireless controllers that can be recharged on the base unit
Killer App #2: WiFi AND Wired connections built-in with the ability to stream media to/from the base unit from/to a PC or other device. A WiFi PS3 with a wireless PSP would offer possibilities for connectivity that wouldn't require cables or even complex code. PEACE.
 
tedtropy said:
- At least two USB 2.0 ports. Allow us to use our damn keyboard/mice with a FPS if we choose to do so. I'm sure there's other PC hardware that could easily be adapted for console gaming as well.
Click to expand...

Not to mention eliminating the need for a hdd, and allowing us to choose how much save/download memory we'd like.

YAY FOR USB DRIVES!
 
alejob said:
Well aparently you people have not experience the extasy of 4 player gaming. Online doesn't compare. Yeah, it would be better to have 4 TVs but still, you suck! :P

A lot of wishfull thinking in this thread.
Click to expand...

My god!!
People will never understand that 4 player splitscreen does not look good, cost resources and is not something than an interesting majority of gamers are looking for?
Why would compagnie HAVE to invest in a niche phenomenon??????
2 controllers and 2 players offline mode are enough.
 
Wyzdom said:
My god!!
People will never understand that 4 player splitscreen does not look good, cost resources and is not something than an interesting majority of gamers are looking for?
Why would compagnie HAVE to invest in a niche phenomenon??????
2 controllers and 2 players offline mode are enough.
Click to expand...

Well...you spelled phenomenon correctly....
 
Wyzdom said:
My god!!
People will never understand that 4 player splitscreen does not look good, cost resources and is not something than an interesting majority of gamers are looking for?
Why would compagnie HAVE to invest in a niche phenomenon??????
2 controllers and 2 players offline mode are enough.
Click to expand...

I can't tell if you are being serious or not. Did you miss Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Conker, and Halo 1 and 2?
 
pdk27 said:
Wireless Controllers with the receiver built into the console
Click to expand...

IAWTP

perhaps enable the ability for more than 4 controllers utilizing this since the receiver built into the system.
 
CONNECTIVITY!!!!!!:P

All I really want is wireless pads, a harddrive and memory card slots and if Sony can do the impossible, 4 controller ports. I also want each console to be online and use the most powerful format, so preferably Blu-ray, but Hd-DVD wouldnt be bad either.
 
AndoCalrissian said:
I can't tell if you are being serious or not. Did you miss Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Conker, and Halo 1 and 2?
Click to expand...

I played alot of Goldeneye multi and Perfect Dark multi. And it's hard to see in 4 player split. I haven't played much Halo and Halo2 but let me tell you that 4 people (or more) playing online with voice and they are all friends = it's a blast. I guess it's not as hot sometimes to play online with unknowned people but this depends on what your are playing and looking for.
Just a little precision on my opinion about all this: I understand the great feeling of being 4 of us in a room having fun playing a game and swearing and beating the crap out of each other when you loose etc...
But in this topic here, we speak about what we expect for next gen, the futur. The futur is not about 4 players splitscreen. It's too tiny, cost resources for nothing, you can look easily in other people screens and, the most important of it all, it's not a majority of gamers wishing for 4 player split. So i understand perfectly when a develloper does not support this or if a console maker doesn't care about that. There is other ways to reproduce the kind of fun you have being together playing 4 pl splitscreen.
 
IN all seriousness. All they really need is a nice medium, a good pad design and TV out. But here's what makes a console really nice for me:

Hard drive:
It's inviting piracy, especially if there's an ethernet connection... but my god they rule. Even before you get an Xbox modded, it's good for music, saves, and buffering... once you get it modded you can do, quite literally, nearly anything with the thing.

4 Controllers
Sony better get with the fucking game.

Wireless controllers as standard
The Nintendo Gamecube's Wavebird is the most liberating pad ever. The console can stay tidy (ie. not on the floor in the middle of the room), and you can play anywhere in front of it comfortably, and with NO performance issues. Whats not to love?

HDTV support
Hi def TV isn't really big in Britain yet or anything, but I would like the option of high res modes. In fact it's certain all three consoles will boast it anyway.


Other things that I don't really care about, but would make nice extras:

Wifi / Ethernet
Wifi would be awesome. Wireless networks are gonna expand in a big way. Home wifi APNs, routers etc are becoming very affordable too. At the very least, Ethernet is an absolute must for all three. That means you Nintendo.

USB 2 or Firewire
One or both of these would be hot for peripherals. I love that you can use EyeToy with a PC for example. Thumbs up there. It might also be a good idea for them to try and integrate with CD backup / online download services (like iTunes). It'd be an especially good idea for anyone including a hard drive. Not to mention the two companies providing handhelds.

Audio
Optical / coaxial out. In Europe, RGB scart leads that split the audio off seperately for surround sound receivers.
 
I'd add a slot-loading drive to the list, but that's more a luxury item that would drive up cost. Still, it'd make for a sleek Apple-like-in-design console.
 
Halo Lanning was pretty damn popular. Plus the more players in a sports game one tv. the better. look ma! no splitscreen.
 
Support for multiple displays from a single console which would help in the lan party aspect :P

Going on top of the headphone jack feature, the vendors that go online should also have the headset jacks on the controllers themselves too. All the headphone jacks should also have a seperate audio signal too which would just be for your screen/portion of the screen.

Oh and something that wouldn't really be a feature of next gen controllers but a peripheral that they should sell... again from the companies that do go online... sort of mixes with the headset/headphone thing... a combination headset/headphone (hi-fi, not those cheesy $5 phones) in 1.
 
tedtropy said:
I'd add a slot-loading drive to the list, but that's more a luxury item that would drive up cost. Still, it'd make for a sleek Apple-like-in-design console.
Click to expand...
Yet another nice idea. This is the other part of my consoles that's gotten hammered in my house- the open drive trays.

Did I mention my roomate is a clumsy fuck when he's loaded? :D
 
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