This Gen ... 10 Years From Now

[MotoRacer]

Well, after blurting out some of these points in another thread, I figured I'd put my thoughts in a dedicated thread by first asking a simple question:

 

What will we honestly be playing from this generation in 10 years?

 

First, let me start with my first point. This generation has been a major disappointment. Let me explain:

 

From developers promising major features in games that would never come to be (read: Destiny, Watchdogs and No Man's Sky), to other titles that simply disappointed because they felt like rushed-out cash grabs (read: the last two games plus others like Battlefront, SFV, AC, Batman, etc). Most of the biggest AAA releases of this generation have been major disappointments. Hardware has also been a disappointment. Graphically, it doesn't seem like much of a jump, and some games like Star Citizen are literally impossible with this "new" generation. Through in systems like the Wii U that definitely feel dated and flat out backwards at times, and I just don't see any of these consoles being "classics" in the future.

 

Second, most of the good games are online-focused or online-only. Rocket League, Overwatch, Plants VS Zombies, Mario Maker, The Division (ok, this game sucked, but just run with it...),etc. won't be able to be played in 10 years. So... yeah. Hope you enjoy them while you can. Because once the server is unplugged, bye bye game.

 

So basically, you'll be left a select few titles like Doom, Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros, etc that have decent single player offerings. But to be honest, these types of games are more the exception than the norm nowadays.

 

So seriously, what will we all be playing on these soon-to-be-useless boxes? Ironically enough, the biggest disappointment this generation... the Wii U... might be the most used in a decade, as the Wii U has more single player experiences than the other two systems. 3DS will be largely functional as well. PS4 and Xbox One? Eh.. not too sure.

 

I still can play Battlefront 2 on my Xbox 360 today. What will you be doing in Destiny 10 years later?

 

Maybe Microsoft's "one platform" idea of the Xbox One is a good idea, making their consoles more like PC's with all systems either able to play all software, or at least backwards compatible... kinda like PCs. While these games' servers might go down one day, at least the offline capable games will be there to be played on whatever system they'll have a decade from now.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

 

 

[Mord]

 

and I just don't see any of these consoles being "classics" in the future.

 

That's probably because there won't be many functional consoles available for the current gen 10 years from now.

[omegadot]

I had a longer post typed but but then I was like 'All this text isn't needed'. We have a Jaguar forum and people regularly post ngage collections. As long as the consoles don't boil themselves alive I'm sure people will play them. Hell, probably even after that. The Wii U having very little requirement for connectivity if you buy discs makes it the most resilient, of course.

 

It's not as exciting since we didn't get anything super new and cool like 3D but the SNES / Genesis / etc generation was much the same.

 

The neat thing about classic games collection is that what is classic to some is terrible to others and that will fuel arguments and and top 10 lists for years to come.

[Flojomojo]

We don't like the same stuff as it is, so projecting that into the future is really difficult. Subjective for sure. I like the XBLA oldies on my Xbone now, a total waste of power. Ten years in? I dunno, Splelunky, Joust, No Man's Sky?

 

I've already written off some old favorites because of the passage of time and the shutdown of legacy servers, like Crimson Skies or Halo 2. Life goes on and there are always current releases to try -- which is probably what the industry wants and exactly what you DON'T want, eh?

[boog]

Life goes on and there are always current releases to try -- which is probably what the industry wants and exactly what you DON'T want, eh?

 

I think this is spot on for the direction the 'mainstream' industry is pushing towards. Shift games to focus on online play so they can shut down servers and force players to buy the latest games/sequels if they want to keep up. Release as much DLC as possible so you have to keep spending to keep up with the online community. Shift gamers to digital distribution so they don't have to share profits with retailers and can eliminate the used/resale market. It all seems anti-consumer to me but I don't think most modern gamers really care. It's what they've come to accept from the mobile market and consoles are following the same path.

 

If people still want to play the current AAA games in ten years, they'll probably have the option of buying all of their old favorites again as 4K HD remasters for $60 each.

[Flojomojo]

Software as a service.

[Punisher5.0]

This is where the PC market shines. I can still play Age of Empires online and that game is 20 years old! For this gen I'm just sticking with PC. I'd still like to have a PS4 or Wii-U for their exclusives but they would have to be super cheap.

[negative1]

i don't play online games. so most of the new games released don't impact me.

 

same with first person shooters, etc.

 

mostly play retro games, arcade classics, and puzzle games, with a few shooters and fighting games in there.

 

this has been the best generation yet for me now, with the xbox 360 leading the way.

 

i will never get an xbox one, or anything from sony or nintendo, so i don't really care what they are releasing.

 

 

later

-1

[Blazing Lazers]

The 180's servers will likely still be up, but I'd be surprised if many are for the 360. More than a few already have gone the way of the Xbox's servers.

 

Longer term, and I've said this before too, the games that have all offline Achievements will be extra desirable due to future "retro" gamers trying to boost their Gamerscores and wanting to complete every games Achievements.

[spacecadet]

I agree that the Wii U will probably be the system that retro gamers play, in the same way it seems like more people now go back and play Dreamcast games than games on their PS2 or original Xbox. The types of games that appeal to people over the long term aren't necessarily the same as the ones that appeal to people at the time, because fads and trends fade away, graphics become less important and what you're left with is the core gameplay. So many of the PS4's and XBone's games are so similar to each other, and mostly online.

 

Don't misunderstand this to mean I think the Wii U is some underrated, great system - I just think it'll do better as a retro system than it has as a current one. But I think this entire generation (and *maybe* all future generations, "if current trends continue" as they say) will not be remembered all that fondly in the future. We're past the golden age of replayable offline single-player games, IMO.

 

The games that *will* be played in the future on PS4 and XBone are going to be things like Final Fantasy XV and the FFVII remake. Sprawling single player games that you will only be able to play on those systems... at least until somebody remakes them in 2030 or 2040.

[bretthorror]

This generation has been a real disappointment for me, I basically may as well have not gotten the new consoles at all. The fact that so many games are online only irks me because I play games of all eras. The way I play, it could take me ten years to play a game, but I can't even buy games for future play because they likely won't even work, or will be broken out of the box with no patch to download. That's a huge drawback to me, though modern gamers don't seem to mind.

 

Plus, honestly, if I play a game once a week on new systems (that would be very generous these days), you have to sit and wait for all the updates to download and that takes a long time unless you have lightning quick internet. I know when I got Doom, I came home from work excited to play it. By the time the update downloaded for the system and the game, it was like 9:30 already. Patches and whatnot are a good thing and part of modern gaming, I get that, but at the end of the day, I'm paying a lot of money for these games and services and when I decide to play them and can't because of updates, that really takes the piss out of gaming for me. Gears of War 4 is going to be a similar situation, I work the day it comes out. By the time I get home and download the patches, how much am I even gonna get to play it? It kills the excitement for me. And if, for example, say I want to play a few rounds of Call of Duty every once in a while, well you can't really play on the spur of a moment because you're downloading updates. I think this generation is especially flawed from mandatory disc installs, lack of hard drive space, lack of single player, etc.

 

I used to refuse to PC game, but with HDMI out to my big TV, I do it now and while I'd like to buy digital indie games for my consoles, I know Steam is the better option. The prices are better and it's more reliable than hoping your shit gets switched over to your new console and going through the hassle of doing it. And if I recall correctly, when I moved my Wii VC games over to the Wii U, I think it makes the games unplayable on that original Wii console. I understand why they did it, but not being able to play games I bought on my own systems is just another reason you shake your head at modern gaming and throw in the towel.

[Emehr]

If my Wii U is still working in 10 years, I'll be playing Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Bros Wii, Super Mario 3D World, Yoshi's Wooly World, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze at the very least. Probably the new Zelda as well if it actually comes out for the system. My interest in the Xbox One and PS4 is still riding around nil so there's not much hope for those at this point.

[MotoRacer]

If my Wii U is still working in 10 years, I'll be playing Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Bros Wii, Super Mario 3D World, Yoshi's Wooly World, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze at the very least. Probably the new Zelda as well if it actually comes out for the system. My interest in the Xbox One and PS4 is still riding around nil so there's not much hope for those at this point.

 

Yep, seems like you and many others here agree with me on that front. I don't much like what Nintendo did with the Wii U, but there will be more to play on that system 10 years from now than the other two.

[Video]

I tend to concentrate on the single player or primarily single player games. I don't care much for the online experience with most games. Most of that is people cussing at a second grade level (I know all the words but not the proper usage)

 

Yes I know "but just turn in game chat off" well I might as well play offline with bots. In most games those are better on higher difficulty than the average player anyways.

 

I do NOT support "online only" games at all and wont knowingly purchase one. I hate being locked out of a game especially a single player experience because the Internet is down or running rough.

 

Destiny and elder scrolls online are the only online only games I own. Destiny had lots of potential as a single playered experience which is how I typically played it. But it was down to regularly and actually what started me on minecrack.

 

Elder scrolls I had high hopes for. Its elder scrolls after all. But I was disappointed to see a game dumbed down to a game I played and didn't care for 20 years earlier.

 

I will be purchasing no further online only games.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Video

[toiletunes]

ten years later, I'll still play the NES Plug&Play, Atari Flashback Handheld, and (maybe) Goat Simulator.

[cimerians]

If I'm alive 10 years from now, and I'm able to play games then I'll be playing them. Could give a shit what platform its on a decade from now, I just follow the games I like and lean on PC for longevity. When new dedicated consoles come out though it's a real exciting time, I'm all over them. Also, for every assclown company like EA there will be a goodfella like CD Projekt Red.

 

Old games (70's 80's):

I have mandatory time once or twice a week for the VCS and CV and maybe a Nintendo console here and there..........or whatever I choose. Have no reservations on using emulation either.

Modern games:

I love the stuff that's out now. Why? Cause when I was 12 in 1981, I couldn't even dream of what I'm playing right now. That's what I think as I'm playing Uncharted, it's unbelievable. Being a long time D&D player on top of that, some of the RPG's today like Elder Scrolls and Witcher is something I've been wishing for since first playing Ultima.

 

An old geezer like John Carpenter playing Borderlands. Yes that will be me.

[HammR25]

If consoles continue to simply be an upgrade of the current x64 architecture these games could theoretically be playable on the consoles of 2026.

 

Personally I think two issues will keep games from being all that different than they are now.

 

1. It's becoming more and more difficult to make faster CPUs using silicon.

 

2. It already costs a lot of money to pay artists to render the current worlds we have in games so only developers with enough money to pay a lot of artists can pay to have the best graphics. If graphics get much better it's going to be more and more difficult to guarantee anything but a AAA blockbuster will make money with the latest graphics.

[Flojomojo]

I'll probably be a 100% mobile gamer instead of the 85% I am now.

[negative1]

Plus, honestly, if I play a game once a week on new systems (that would be very generous these days), you have to sit and wait for all the updates to download and that takes a long time unless you have lightning quick internet. I know when I got Doom, I came home from work excited to play it. By the time the update downloaded for the system and the game, it was like 9:30 already. Patches and whatnot are a good thing and part of modern gaming, I get that, but at the end of the day, I'm paying a lot of money for these games and services and when I decide to play them and can't because of updates, that really takes the piss out of gaming for me. Gears of War 4 is going to be a similar situation, I work the day it comes out. By the time I get home and download the patches, how much am I even gonna get to play it? It kills the excitement for me. And if, for example, say I want to play a few rounds of Call of Duty every once in a while, well you can't really play on the spur of a moment because you're downloading updates. I think this generation is especially flawed from mandatory disc installs, lack of hard drive space, lack of single player, etc.

 

whats the rush, just start the downloads at nightime, and they should be ready the next day.

 

you do know that you can schedule downloads right?

 

unless its a huge download patch when you first get it, most of the updates are small and don't take long.

 

i don't care for this method either, but thats the price of modern gaming.

 

later

-1

[Gabriel]

I don't know of anything worth playing in the PS4, Xbone, WiiU generation now.* Why would I care 10 years from now?

 

* Slight exaggeration, but only slight.

[MotoRacer]

I don't know of anything worth playing in the PS4, Xbone, WiiU generation now.* Why would I care 10 years from now?

 

* Slight exaggeration, but only slight.

 

Well, you made me laugh.

 

I was more referring to the fact that what few ones that are good will be unplayable in the future, but yes... very funny.

[spacecadet]

This may be getting slightly OT, but I also think that we're eventually going to get to a point where "generations" are forgotten. I guess in that sense console gaming will be more like PC gaming. I have PC games from all different eras; I don't separate them in my mind by "generation" or even what PC I originally played them on. They're just PC games; some older than others.

 

All the console manufacturers are now trying to set up online stores where they can sell their old games, and while I know Sony at least separates these out into PS1, PS2, PSP, etc. games, I think eventually they'll just be a big list sortable by genre and maybe year. The console they first appeared on will be a footnote, because they'll all have sort of "remastered" graphics anyway, akin to just upping the resolution and frame rate on a game when you get a new PC. This is sort of the wet dream of every console maker, because it'll mean a continuing revenue stream from these old titles that used to generate $0 in revenue once a console was retired, and it'll mean a built-in library of games every time a new system releases. Worst case, you get upgraded graphics just like a PC! Sony is already reportedly trying this with the PS4 Neo - the new games are all going to have two graphical settings, for the OG PS4 and the Neo, which means they could easily have more settings down the line.

 

In the end what you'll end up with is a Steam-like system where a variety of consoles are supported (say, two current ones of different power levels, plus the equivalent previous-gen models), very PC-ish in a way, but totally closed and controlled by the console maker.

 

I guess my point is that it probably doesn't really matter what games we play from the current gen in 10 years, because you won't even remember what's from what generation, and you'll still want the latest console so you can play the original The Last of Us in 8K resolution with all-new zombie ragdoll physics or whatever.

[leods]

"Through in systems like the Wii U that definitely feel dated and flat out backwards at times, and I just don't see any of these consoles being "classics" in the future."

 

I think the WiiU definitely has its place in history. A dozen really good games on there. Mostly no need to patch and install.

 

Now PS4 and xbox one have a bunch of good games too. Xbone has Rare replay for starters, and that's pretty neat. The problem is patches, DLC and all that crap. I don't know how things are going to play out, but maybe one day these servers won't be up, and by then I don't know how many games will even run. I have never seen an effort of listing games that require patches for the new gen, but it's kinda scarry. I don't buy games like that if I can avoid.

 

But the funny thing is people talking about PC gaming, when it's basically the same. I mean, I buy everything I can DRM free, but still a huge ammount of the games, specially the bigger ones, are on Steam and other DRM portals. In the future we might be pirating the games we already bought so we can play them...

[Agamemnon2]

Speaking of specific games, I think Shovel Knight will be remembered fondly as one of the great indie games of this generation.

[Skippy B. Coyote]

As many others have already said, I think the Wii U (in spite of being the commercial failure that it was) will end up being the popular home console to collect for and play from this generation 10 years down the road. The overall lack of required online connectivity and update patches will make it a lot more functional a decade from now than the Xbox One and PS4 will be, and the Wii U does still have a few dozen standout titles published on physical media that will likely become pretty sought after by collectors in the future.

 

The same goes for the 3DS series as well. Generally speaking, the consoles that require the least online connectivity are the ones that are going to hold up best over the long term. More games released on physical media to collect, a greater focus on the offline single player experience in those games, less update patches, etc. The more geared towards offline usage a system is the better it will hold up in a decade's time when all the servers from this generation are down, and from this generation I think the winners are going to be the Wii U and 3DS series.

 

 

...and Doom, because Doom is always a winner.