The Next Generation of Gaming
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Now that the craziness over the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii has ended, let’s take a look at the next generation of consoles. It’s highly likely that all of these companies are going to come out with a next gen console. In this article, we'll consider what lessons this generation has taught the market, and what we can expect to see in our gaming rooms (whether it's our living rooms or somewhere else) sometime in the not-too-distant future.
Microsoft has gained tremendous ground in market share, starting last generation with the original Xbox. They have exclusive rights to many of the top-rated games. The PlayStation 3 is the most powerful machine, but does have a few downfalls. Finally there's the Wii, and it's the best-selling console out of these three. It's been voted most popular and most likely to succeed. This generation is great, but that doesn't mean much for the next generation, which is what we are here to talk about.
More powerful isn't always better
The number one lesson that has been learned this generation is that a more powerful system isn't always better than one with less oomph. It's quite the opposite; the best-selling game console had the slowest parts in it.
The PlayStation 3 had the Cell processor that was supposed to be great, and the Xbox 360 is a very powerful machine. The PS3 was a nightmare to finally get out of the door and not as powerful as was once thought. The Xbox 360 had horrible heating issues and the famous Red Ring of Death (RRoD).
Of course, nothing could drive this lesson home better then the Wii. It isn't much more powerful than the GameCube, the previous generation, and yet it is winning the console wars.
There is a trade-off here. Less powerful means that the graphics won't be as good, which is the big selling point for new consoles. Power is very important, but too much power could hurt you. More power also means more complex parts, which are more expensive, the next key factor.
Next: Price Kills >>
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