Topic: E3 2016 predictions

Time to say your predictions

I can see MS announcing the 'NeXtBox' and it will be more powerful than PS4k.Games will be upscaled to 4K and run native at 1200-1440p - some even native 4k but these will be indies/remasters. It will run the same software as XB1 inc the BC XB360 games and so will slot into the eco-system. XB360 games will be playable with XB360 and XB1 owners and party chat will work across all windows devices so instead of 'splitting' the user base it slots in with them. Some older XB1 games could receive a patch to boost resolution and/or frame rates. Your XB1 external Hard Drive can just be plugged into it transferring all your games instantly across.

I can see it having Oculus Rift support to rival Sony's PSVR. Because Sony's PSVR has to run on PS4, it will limit some of the games that will be available to VR but these will run on the new Xbox/OR. Because its a new 'system', MS won't specify that all games have to have 'exactly' the same 'content' as XB1 meaning that games, not just VR, could have extra features (like split screen) not found in XB1, PS4, PS4k consoles. Unfortunately though, this could also mean that 'some' games may not get a XB1 version.

As for games, MS will show ReCore, Crackdown 3, Halo Wars 2 and Sea of Thieves with announcements about release dates. Crackdown could also coincide with the launch of the new Xbox console. Scalebound will get a new video and show the new consoles visuals (personally I think the delay could be because of the new console). Some new announcements like a new Forza Horizon and 1-2 surprises announced too.

Games like Battlefield 1 will get showcased with DLC first to Xbox. Some new footage will be shown and it will look amazing - people will say its PC footage but at the end, it will say 'nextbox' footage. Rockstar will also announce Red Dead 2 with an Xbox partnership and Red Dead Redemption will be announced as BC now.

• Xbox One S w/ ac Wi-Fi and faster processor (no exclusive content, only better performance for Oculus support)
• ReCore, Scalebound, Gears of War 4, Halo Wars 2, Sea of Thieves, & Crackdown 3 trailers
• Rockstar finally okays Red Dead Redemption for backwards compatibility in the wake of a new Red Dead announcement
• Cortana & headset voice commands
• Offline Media/Game DVR storage & QR code support for Smartglass [AKA common sense] (a man can dream)
• Halo 6 teaser?
• CoD 180?
• DEUS EX HELL YEAH I ASKED FOR THIS!!!

@Vincent294: For a console to have Oculus support, it would need to be about 3 times as powerful as the current XB1 (about as powerful as the rumoured PS4k). It would need to have a faster CPU and a much better GPU because graphics would need to run at 90fps and at a higher resolution (1200p). The added processing power is needed for the movement tracking (no lag). Just by adding OR though, it would have exclusive content - VR software and apps. I can see MS releasing a 'Slim' XB1 too as the 'budget' option but won't have the performance of the new console. As I said I can see MS going bigger than Sony on this and not limiting developers by making them release 'poor' versions or cutting content of games because they have to release the 'same' for both - like Sony are doing. I can see them also trying to integrate console and PC gamers into the same online experience and the extra power will be used to bring game performance closer.

Posted this over at PushSquare...

PlayStation press conference
Expectations:
1. Back patting for Naughty Dog on the stellar job it did with Uncharted 4 followed by details and trailer for the story DLC
2. Lots of VR talk
3. PS4K, Neo, whatever you want to call it, it has to be talked about at this point, even if very briefly
4. Another showing of The Last Guardian and release date details
5. new Horizon: Zero Dawn demonstration followed by announce of 'delay' into early 2017, I'm thinking with sometime in March being listed as a tentative release date.
6. God of War PS4 debut trailer
7. Gran Turismo Sport demonstration and launch details
8. Sizzle reel for new indie games we don't know about yet
9. Activision talks Destiny and Call of Duty

Hopes:
1. Spider-Man game developed by Sucker Punch
2. Gravity Rush 2 details
3. new Crash Bandicoot game for PS4

Xbox Press Conference
Expectations:
1. Gears of War 4 is going to dominate the headlines for the press conference... new gameplay segment shown off, multiplayer details and reconfirmation of October release date
2. Like with Sony, MS has to address rumors of new console hardware
3. Forza Horizon 3 made official, set for release this fall (and I will buy day one)
4. ReCore trailer and more details about game, including release date, possibly pushed into 2017
5. Halo... as the Xbox brand's biggest property it has to have some kind of presence, maybe we'll learn more about Halo Wars 2
6. EA discusses Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2
7. Crackdown 3 multiplayer demo, talk of plans for singleplayer

Hopes:
1. Sunset Overdrive 2
2. Dead Rising 4
3. Saints Row V

@Vincent294:
You upgraded to Xbox One recently?

@BAMozzy: If Oculus support doesn't come at a realistic price then a boost in power is logical, but making exclusives ruins what makes consoles consoles: guaranteed support, no frills. Cutting content [BO3 campaign] is bad enough, and if it went full PC but not PC, well why not go PC?

@Gamer83: Before the rumors. I'm okay with an Xbox 1.5, but if consoles become walled-garden PC knockoffs I'll just stick with their controllers.
Edit: Then again, there are the exclusives. And I'm with you on Sunset Overdrive hopes.

@Vincent294:
I think that's exactly where we're headed and I'm not really sure if I'm for or against it. I have to see how all this is handled, but for now I'm not too bothered by the prospect of the PS4 'Neo' or Xbox One.5. The only thing I know for sure, or at least think I know for sure, is that this will be the last 'traditional' console cycle.

@Gamer83: I wouldn't be surprised but I really hope not. I think the console industry will decline if it goes that way. I'll be cool if the Neo and company turn out how they're rumored to be, but if they're anything but I'll probably go PC only from here on out.

@Vincent294:
Just makes E3 this year all the more intriguing. Which is nice since Nintendo couldn't be bothered to have anything ready to show regarding its new console at the biggest video game tradeshow of the year.

@Gamer83: At least there's Zelda. Nothing else though, and recent history has done nothing to quell my doubts about their future. It'll be interesting to see though, with all eyes on them and them only. It'll make or break them, that's for sure.

@Vincent294:
Yeah, I don't even know what to think about Nintendo anymore. I always hope for the best but it's been so long since I've truly been a fan of that company. If it wasn't for the Mario platformers and Zelda I'd be entirely indifferent, and Skyward Sword was a massive disappointment, imo, so this new Zelda better impress.

@Vincent294: What determines a consoles lifespan? How long its been out or the technology/software advancements? The reason last gen lasted so long was because of the software and technology and why this gen won't last as long. It has nothing to do with 'turning consoles into PC's' although internally they are similar. Its not about turning consoles into phones either. Phones are on contracts and so its easier to get the latest. Its about keeping up with technology and providing us with the latest games in a good playable state.

Since the launch of Gen 8 consoles, we have had a number of 'big' leaps in both Software and Hardware - things like DX12, Vulcan etc and next gen GPU's, VR etc. The smaller chips in the new wave of GPU's are faster, more efficient and more powerful and 'affordable'. Just by using the new 'Polaris' GPU, the PS4k is effectively 2.5x as powerful as the PS4, 3x that of the XB1. This gen saw an 8x power jump fro last gen. It is possible to build a console today that can be 8x the XB1 and not cost £1,000's. The new wave of nVidia GPU's are performing better than the Titan and Fury cards - running 4k at playable frame rates where the others can't.

Developers will be using all these 'bells and whistles' to make games, which will make it harder to get games to run on consoles. The Frostbite 3 engine games for example are 720/60 on XB1 so games like SW:BF, BF1, Mirrors Edge will not look their best. Games like DS3 struggles to maintain a solid 30fps at 900p. Even Doom doesn't manage a locked 60fps or a full 1080p all the time - in fact it drops down to 720p in places and runs mostly at 900p. Maybe that doesn't matter to you, but that matters to a LOT of people. If MS don't release a much more powerful console soon, it won't be able to offer the latest games, not without compromising the experience - fewer enemies, poor draw distances, long loading screens, fewer lighting/particle effects low resolution/frame rates etc. Do you think people will buy it when there is a much more powerful option and a cheap option that has VR and better performance? Maybe the NX will take sales away too leaving the XB1 as the WiiU this gen - only good enough for exclusives.

MS know they can't compete with Sony with the XB1. Even though it is now cheaper, offers BC and has a good range of exclusives, it still can't match sales - let alone try and close the gap. A lot of that is because of the power difference and the fact that difference is noticeable in gaming. Unlike Sony though, it has its UWP which means a new, much more powerful device could be slotted in to the eco-system. It 'could' offer OR to rival and better Sony's PSVR because it doesn't have to cater to an underpowered console too. The fact it could play XB1 and XB360 games also mean it adds to the user base rather than splits it. A good example of this is the recent CoD:BO BC game that is now populated with XB1 and XB360 owners. If MS make a console that is 6-7x as powerful as the XB1 (which is possible and still affordable for us), that would be twice as powerful as the PS4k and could sell more too. It wouldn't be a 'PC' because unlike PC's, that box wouldn't be upgradeable, wouldn't have variable configurations of hardware/clock speeds etc - it would be a 'static' console.

@Utena-mobile:
The problem is looking at the current gaming landscape, making an impression in North America, and especially Europe, is more important than Japan. If Nintendo doesn't want to show up at E3, the next best venue is Gamescom.

@Utena-mobile:
I grew up with the NES and SNES, Nintendo's real glory years if you ask me. It's a shame seeing what the company has become since. I'm always interested in what it does because like you, I love the Zelda series and I also still love the Mario platformers be it 2D or 3D and frankly of all the Big 3, Nintendo is the company that does the least bullsh*tty, stuff. As companies on the whole, Sony and MS have a lot of people who despise them for good reason. The thing is, I always find myself, and have been finding myself going to Nintendo's competition since the 16-bit days because they're a little bit looser with certain restrictions and do a better job with the genres I like. Genesis had a better lineup of sports games and the best version of one of my favorite fighters at the time, Mortal Kombat 1, so I was more of a Genesis guy (though I'll admit at the end, SNES was the better console), PSone had the sports games, the racing games, the survival/horror games, action/adventure. Since the PS2 and original Xbox days we've seen franchises like Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid, Burnout, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Doom, Need for Speed, Far Cry, Deus Ex, just to name a few, get just a one-off or skip over Nintendo consoles completely. That's an issue. Not having Madden NFL, FIFA, NHL, NBA 2K or a Major League Baseball game is also a serious problem and until it changes, PlayStation and Xbox consoles are always going to have my interest over a Nintendo console.

As you posted, Nintendo has a lot of questions to answer, the main question is... Is it too late to get third parties on board? When I go to Nintendo Life it seems like hardcore Nintendo fans detest series like GTA or Madden, which is fine, but for people to deny their importance - and especially the importance of Madden in the U.S. - is ignorance to the highest degree.

@Gamer83: Personally I feel that Nintendo have made a conscious decision not to take on Sony or MS but to offer a more niche product. Its as if they are trying to be the unique but '2nd' choice console. By that I mean that many will opt to buy a PS4 or XB1 as their primary choice for mainstream gaming but buy a Nintendo as a niche, unique 2nd console. Many won't buy both a PS4 and XB1 because they are ultimately similar and so Nintendo have consciously made the decision to be 'different' to give gamers a unique experience and appeal to both PS4 and XB1 owners. By making themselves different, it opens up that whole market. If they were too similar to MS/Sony, that puts them in direct competition which could see them lose out on the 'alternative/2nd console' market.

@BAMozzy:
That might be what Nintendo is trying to do but that didn't work too well this gen and personally I know more people who are like, owning a PS4 and Xbox One (some have all 3 plus a PC), as opposed to PS4 or X1 and a Wii U. It's widely accepted Nintendo makes the best exclusives, not sure I agree with that, but it's the consensus opinion, and that is what will always help Nintendo standout, not an under-powered console with ridiculous gimmicks like motion control or putting a giant, useless screen in the middle of the controller. A high-powered console with all Nintendo's games plus possibly the best versions of some big third party games? Sounds like a better idea to me than what Nintendo has tried recently.

@Gamer83: Nintendo have been that 'something different' option for a while. The Gamecube was hardly 'powerful'. The N64, probably the last 'great' Nintendo console in terms of market share, opted for Cartridge when that medium was over but gave us 'unique' gaming with the analogue controller. The Wii was underpowered but beame a big seller because of the motion control - great for families and non-gamers but became obsolete when PS had Move and Xbox added Kinect. It seems they want to separate themselves from mainstream gaming and be that niche, unique product. I know more people that own a PS4 or XB1 and a Wii U myself and many who say I won't buy an XB1/PS4 if they own a PS4/XB1 because the games are too similar - Halo/Killzone, GT/Forza etc. The main difference is the Japanese games but the majority of games released are available on both where as the games on WiiU are unique to that console. Even games like ZombiU is supposed to be better with the screen as it was designed that way.
For those that want Nintendo to be their primary console, I can understand why they would want it to be more powerful and offer 3rd party games. it also increase the library and options but it seems Nintendo are content to be an 'individual' product rather than a mainstream one.

@Utena-mobile: Lack of backwards compatibility comes to mind. As for Battlefront, that [server issues] sounds like EA's problem if I had to wager a guess. Microsoft shutting down Lionhead was a mistake in my eyes. They really need to get Fable 4 started with someone else ASAP.