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the next next gen: talking about the ninth generation of videogame consoles

Gaer

chat.exe a cessé de fonctionner
Staff member
Moderator
pretty excited for 2023 when they announce cheaper revisions

Pete always has the score. We will probably get a PS5 sooner or later for the house. We got a PS4 fairly late and we have Switch and FFXIV PC.

We only ever bought a 360 and it was the worst decision ever. It was literally my Blue Dragon machine, and any Xbox controller is destined for the bin.
 

Droewyn

Smol Monster
(She/her, they/them)
Pete always has the score. We will probably get a PS5 sooner or later for the house. We got a PS4 fairly late and we have Switch and FFXIV PC.

We only ever bought a 360 and it was the worst decision ever. It was literally my Blue Dragon machine, and any Xbox controller is destined for the bin.

Blue Dragon and Beautiful Katamari machine for me.

Isn't today the rumored Day of Revelations? It's the 25th anniversary of the PS1 and Twitter seems to think that preorders will go live.
 

MCBanjoMike

Sudden chomper
(He/him)
any Xbox controller is destined for the bin
Man, I can't get behind that statement. The 360 controller was a great controller with an awful dpad. Then they upgraded the dpad for the Xbox One controller, making it the best all-around controller ever made IMO. I have half a mind to buy a Series X controller even if I don't get the console, just to see if it's even better.
 

muteKi

Geno Cidecity
I really thought *all* Xbox games were simultaneously released on PC, so if you like playing on PC and have a good PC, seems like there's precious little reason to get an Xbox. I thought Microsoft was just more invested in getting people into their game ecosystem, whether that be on Xbox or on PC.

Ironically it's a small handful of first-party stuff that most obviously hasn't crossed the gap, most notably for me being Rare Replay
 

Paul le Fou

24/7 lofi hip hop man to study/relax to
(He)
At first I got a wireless 360 controller...then the damn dongle I needed to connect it...but that's how I played all of the Dark Souls games and more. Later, I was once able to pair my Switch Pro Controller with my PC and play with that - that's how I played all of Sekiro, for example - but recently had a lot of trouble getting to use it for a non-Switch game. My girlfriend dug out an old wired xbox-style (unofficial) controller, I plugged it in, worked perfectly right away. Don't think I'll bother using anything else and save myself the headache.

Wait, this is the next-gen thread. Uh, I like Xbox controllers fine, but I also like PS controllers, and Nintendo controllers (esp. the pro).
 

Gaer

chat.exe a cessé de fonctionner
Staff member
Moderator
Man, I can't get behind that statement. The 360 controller was a great controller with an awful dpad. Then they upgraded the dpad for the Xbox One controller, making it the best all-around controller ever made IMO. I have half a mind to buy a Series X controller even if I don't get the console, just to see if it's even better.
Awhile back I cashed in several Amazon gift cards and got an Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, which I use exclusively with my PC. It's amazing. That controller has done more to increase the amount of gaming time I invest into PC over console than any other piece of hardware I have.

Y’all can love them. But I absolutely loathe them. Just incredibly uncomfortable to hold. I’ve tried every single controller MS has put out.

The only controller worse is the fuckin’ Wii U pad.
 

4-So

Spicy
I wouldn't say I loathe the Xbox controllers but they are definitely not my favorite gamepads. That distinction goes to the DualShock 4 and the Switch Pro controller.

I'm very curious how the DualSense is going to feel.
 
Awhile back I cashed in several Amazon gift cards and got an Xbox Elite Series 2 controller, which I use exclusively with my PC. It's amazing. That controller has done more to increase the amount of gaming time I invest into PC over console than any other piece of hardware I have.

Absolutely agreed. It's a bit of a silly extravagance, but it's by far the nicest controller I've ever used.
 

Becksworth

Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
Considering I mostly used the 360 controller to play indie games on my 360 and PC back in the day, it’s dpad was a glaring problem.

The XBox One controller is better in that department, but now its lagging behind in the gyro controls. Yet somehow xy/ab has become standard over yx/ba on PCs (Is this your king.gif).
 

Droewyn

Smol Monster
(She/her, they/them)
Y’all can love them. But I absolutely loathe them. Just incredibly uncomfortable to hold. I’ve tried every single controller MS has put out.

Same. The controllers are consistently too big for my hands.
 

LBD_Nytetrayn

..and his little cat, too
(He/him)
*I remain in awe of the Xbox dedication to confusing grandmothers everywhere with which Xbox console to purchase for their grandchildren

If they can figure out iPhones and Game Boys and Nintendo DSes and PSPs, they can figure this out.

We now have a price for the PS5 ... ... ... made out of 24k gold.


Not going to lie, I like that design far better in that color. Doesn't even need to be actual gold and whatever they're putting there, just the color alone works so much better to my eyes. It looks more like some sort of award trophy than... whatever the white one looks like depending on which way it's turned.

Y’all can love them. But I absolutely loathe them. Just incredibly uncomfortable to hold. I’ve tried every single controller MS has put out.

The only controller worse is the fuckin’ Wii U pad.

That is so wild to me. No issues with the DualShock 4, and the Switch Pro is pretty good, but the Xbox One controller just literally feels like it was made for my hands. I've never felt anything like it before. If it were possible for man and machine to somehow fuse based on touch, it would be 100% compatible with me. That's why Nadia got me that Design Lab controller.

I will admit that I'm still wary about the new one's Dpad. Xbox One's is the best they've ever had, at least that I've used (never used an Elite, or the turny one on 360), but at least if it doesn't work as well, I can still use my Xbox One controller on games where that's the primary input method. All I'll be missing then is the built-in capture button.

And I far prefer holding the Wii U GamePad to an undocked Switch. But then, I've kind of got this issue where my hands hurt if they're keep a sort of narrow pinching/"clamp" position for any real length of time.

Anyway, I'm excited for the Series X. I'd entertain the Series S more if it had a disc drive, as I've got a bit of a library, and those would be needed for backwards compatibility, plus I want to make sure stuff like Yakuza: Like a Dragon is firmly mine to play, regardless of what may happen to servers or hard drives or whatever in so many years. I don't consider myself a physical game collector in the broader sense, but I do like to collect certain titles and series I really like.

But yeah, I have a pretty basic HD TV, no 4K or anything, so if it weren't for that, the S would likely do me fine. Oh well.

Not sure how I'm getting one yet, though. That All Access plan certainly sounds appealing, if I find I'm not able to get it all in one go.

As far as games, Gears Tactics has my eye, and I'm oddly intrigued by Halo Infinite. And Forza is usually a winner with me. Plus, I can keep on with PSO2.

That said, while I've liked exclusives like Ratchet & Clank on PS4, I've always preferred anything multiplatform on Xbox One. So it kind of balances out, and I figure that will continue with the next generation.
 

4-So

Spicy
Playstation 5 event happening on September 16th. It says they'll be displaying launch games but I can't imagine they'd trot out the launch games and not give at least a date for launch? We'll see.

Xbox Series X/S pre-orders go live on September 22nd.
 

ShakeWell

Slam Master
(he, etc.)
I am completely uncertain what I want to do regarding the next generation of consoles! Seven years ago, I made myself a nice PC instead of buying a PS4 or Xbox One and, honestly, I feel like it was the right call. It's more expensive out of the gate, but games tend to be a lot cheaper on PC game stores and the power and flexibility of the PC are great if you're willing to deal with the occasional hassles of computer life. Now we're a month or so away from some seemingly-very-powerful consoles that are going to launch with essentially no games, a slightly-less-powerful version of the Xbox that seems like it might be a great value proposition, and a new series of PC video cards that apparently blow everything else out of the water. I have a nice 4k TV and would like to play some good lookin' games on it, either at full resolution or upscaled from 1440p, but there are too many avenues for me to choose from. Also, I don't actually play that many fancy 3D games! So I'm a little paralyzed by choice at the moment. If anything, I'm considering grabbing a 3070 to put in my existing PC and then upgrading the rest some time next year (because I almost certainly don't have a strong enough processor to output 4k graphics at this point). That way I can get some of the benefit right away and spread out the cost of upgrading a bit. We'll see if I change my tune once I see what the 3070 actually retails for in Canada, though.

I have a 1070 in my PC right now (2 years old), and while it plays most everything very well, if the PS5 launches at like $100 less than an RTX 3080, that feels like a better choice for the money? I mean, even as of now, I'm already planning to play Resident Evil 8 on PC, because I'm not trying to spend $500-$600 on a new system JUST to play that game (the only next gen game I'm currently STOKED on). I will eventually get a PS5, probably after the first price drop, but I'm probably sticking with PC for now.

It's crazy to think that 7th gen is the only one where Sony didn't get the lion's share of the console market, and that because the 360 was, red rings aside, a very good machine and it wasn't until the end of the generation that the PS3 got a truly compelling high-profile exclusive. Even Nintendo only truly dominated the 3rd generation, so Sony has been the major force in console gaming for almost 25 years now.

So, it depends on how you quantify "lion's share," and how you view the Wii, but a weird thing I think a lot of people don't realize is that when all was said and done, the PS3 outsold the 360. Not by a lot, but the final reported sales were 86m 360s to 87.4m PS3s. Which makes the PS3 the 5th best-selling home system of all-time, behind... the Wii and the other three Playstations.
 

WildcatJF

Let's Pock (Art @szk_tencho)
(he / his / him)
I'm in no hurry to jump into another gen. I have so much to play on my Switch, and most AAA experiences don't really jive with my preferred genres in games anyway.

If the PS5 is backwards compatible with more than 100 PS4 games, I'd be more interested. I doubt it. Sony feels a little "going into PS3" cocky atm to me.
 

MCBanjoMike

Sudden chomper
(He/him)
I believe the PS5 will probably support almost all PS4 games in BC, but it's a huge bummer to me that they aren't pushing for PS1/2/3 support. I never bought a PS4 but I almost certainly would have if they had added in PSX compatibility - I have like 30 PSOne Classics that I bought from PSN! I know not everyone cares about legacy game support but I think it sucks that Sony (and Nintendo to a certain extent) is so disinterested in their own history.
 
I believe the PS5 will probably support almost all PS4 games in BC, but it's a huge bummer to me that they aren't pushing for PS1/2/3 support. I never bought a PS4 but I almost certainly would have if they had added in PSX compatibility - I have like 30 PSOne Classics that I bought from PSN! I know not everyone cares about legacy game support but I think it sucks that Sony (and Nintendo to a certain extent) is so disinterested in their own history.

I think it's telling that the only period Nintendo showed real interest in preservation and legacy content was the Iwata era.
 

ShakeWell

Slam Master
(he, etc.)
I believe the PS5 will probably support almost all PS4 games in BC, but it's a huge bummer to me that they aren't pushing for PS1/2/3 support. I never bought a PS4 but I almost certainly would have if they had added in PSX compatibility - I have like 30 PSOne Classics that I bought from PSN! I know not everyone cares about legacy game support but I think it sucks that Sony (and Nintendo to a certain extent) is so disinterested in their own history.

Same here. But I also just ordered an XStation, so I guess I'm over it now? (It still sucks.)
 
Definitely buying a PS5 as soon as possible. Backward compatibility with PS4 stuff is a nice draw because there's still plenty of PS4 games I have that I need to play through, and I can just pack up my PS4 and put it away forever. And I'm mildly worried about my launch PS4 anyways since it's so old it's probably getting close to needing some refurbishing (replace the stock HDD; replace the thermal paste; clean the fans and heat sinks) before it croaks, so this is a good remedy for that.

I have a gaming PC but I also just don't prefer gaming on it. I like buying physical games, and you kinda can't do that anymore with PC. I like no-nonsense interfaces and not having to worry about updating/rolling back drivers just to get things to work. I appreciate Sony's ecosystem for things and it works better on average versus the clusterfuck that is Steam. And the average games that get put out on Sony and Nintendo machines are going to be more my jam than what's generally exclusive on PC or Xbox. So I'm very much here for the next gen. I even got a fancy new 4K tv just to be ready and take advantage of it. I'm pumped.
 

4-So

Spicy
I have a gaming PC but I also just don't prefer gaming on it. I like buying physical games, and you kinda can't do that anymore with PC. I like no-nonsense interfaces and not having to worry about updating/rolling back drivers just to get things to work. ...
...
So I'm very much here for the next gen. I even got a fancy new 4K tv just to be ready and take advantage of it. I'm pumped.

Agreed on these points. I work in IT for a living and a large part of what I do revolves around configuration management of Windows. So when I sit down at the end of my day to relax with a game, I don't want to be reminded of work, reminded of the OS, and that's highly likely with a PC. You still have to deal with the "PC-ness" of it. While the Xbox One X is a pretty nifty machine, sometimes I get irritated with the interface because I can see the Windows 10 kernel behind the curtain. It's still massively better than having to game on a PC. (At this point, my PC is my MMORPG box and I have no desire to make it anything but.) I'm heavily invested in PS4 this gen, so I'll be dipping in for a PS5 first.

I'm also glad you mentioned 4K because I sometimes feel like a pariah. Visuals matter. Not everyone is going to care about them, or care about them to the same extent, but that's the case with anything. I've had my 4K TV for about two years now and I've become acclimated to the point where I can see the difference between 4K and something like 1080p (on most games), and it's hard to go back. Even outside of the capabilities of the TV, it's great to see these small visual leaps in games - Ratchet & Clank comes to mind - and I look forward to those leaps getting bigger over time.
 

Gaer

chat.exe a cessé de fonctionner
Staff member
Moderator
That is so wild to me. No issues with the DualShock 4, and the Switch Pro is pretty good, but the Xbox One controller just literally feels like it was made for my hands. I've never felt anything like it before. If it were possible for man and machine to somehow fuse based on touch, it would be 100% compatible with me. That's why Nadia got me that Design Lab controller.

I will admit that I'm still wary about the new one's Dpad. Xbox One's is the best they've ever had, at least that I've used (never used an Elite, or the turny one on 360), but at least if it doesn't work as well, I can still use my Xbox One controller on games where that's the primary input method. All I'll be missing then is the built-in capture button.

And I far prefer holding the Wii U GamePad to an undocked Switch. But then, I've kind of got this issue where my hands hurt if they're keep a sort of narrow pinching/"clamp" position for any real length of time.

You can imagine my reaction to people liking those cursèd things. The Switch handheld mode is actually good to hold. Even the WiiU Pro controller while an improvement, is still awful as compared to the Switch Pro controller. I will say that the Joy Cons when not attached to the Switch have not been the best, though the little dog-face plastic thing you can attach them to aren't that bad.

And my hands aren't small either, so I don't know what is up with this.
 

Becksworth

Aging Hipster Dragon Dad
To each their own I guess. I remember reading about how much thought went into the ergonomic design of the steam controller, and I can’t for the life of me see how anyone would think that controller is comfortable to hold.
 
To each their own I guess. I remember reading about how much thought went into the ergonomic design of the steam controller, and I can’t for the life of me see how anyone would think that controller is comfortable to hold.
The Steam controller was definitely one of those instances of, "We focus tested this* and everybody loved it!"
*Focus test was extremely limited, consisting of their predominantly white, male, programming staff.

Everybody has different hands and has different circumstances for what feels good or not. As a kid, my hands used to cramp up HARD after playing as little as an hour straight of NES or SNES. Those game pads always felt like ass to me, so it always perplexed me when people have good memories about them *not* destroying their hands. The original Xbox controller was a triumph (minus the pointless Dreamcast-wannabe peripheral ports, the unbalanced table standing on three legs that was the D-pad, and the dogshit white and black buttons) of form, mostly because of my gigantic gorilla-hands had never (and still never) have had a controller specifically catered to my giant baseball mitts I call hands. The 360/XBone controllers go back to being ass because they dislodged the D-pad's rightful home, and the buttons are too rigid for easy clicks. The triggers feel great, but that only really matters for shooty-mc-shooter games and idgaf about those. Nintendo controllers have *never* been good, but mad respec put on them for trying new things and providing ideas for other companies to pull of better. Sony controllers are the platonic ideal because they found something that worked, and mostly stuck with it instead of pointlessly rocking the boat for no reason. Every PS controller is decent to good to hold in the hands, and the under-the-hood magic as well as built-in functionality makes it the industry leader to me. There are some problems with specific models, but it's nothing unforgivable.
 

Positronic Brain

Out Of Warranty
(He/him)
Another iteration of TT, another iteration of "what's the best Mega Man controller"? This is really subjective. Remember that for every one who holds the correct opinion that the GC controller had the best shape ever, there's somebody who prefers the Dreamcast controller and it's "power cord in the front" approach.

(my dream controller is the GC controller with the PS buttons - but failing that I really prefer the Dual Shock line to Microsoft's and Nintendo's controllers)

To each their own I guess. I remember reading about how much thought went into the ergonomic design of the steam controller, and I can’t for the life of me see how anyone would think that controller is comfortable to hold.

The Steam controller is fine. Its main issues are that 1) it is too light and 2) the buttons are way too tall and round. But I like it just fine. But yeah, to each its own.
 

Phantoon

I cuss you bad
holds the correct opinion that the GC controller had the best shape ever

Oof, not for 2D games it doesn't. And with the C- stick and no motion control, not for FPS either. For 2D it's Saturn controller (especially fighting games) or SNES. For 3D, probably Switch Pro, but an octagonal gate would make it perfect.
 

Positronic Brain

Out Of Warranty
(He/him)
Well, I should emphasize that I meant the shape, not the button configuration. That controller felt amazing, and fit in my dumb big hands perfectly.
 

upupdowndown

REVOLUTION GRRR STYLE NOW
(he / him / his)
I have big hands but for whatever reason, the Xbox line of controllers has always felt too bulky for me personally - I referred to the original Xbox controller as "like a canned ham, but with buttons on it".

the DualShock 4 really hit a sweet spot for me personally - making the controller slightly wider for the touchpad did a lot for my comfort with lengthy gaming sessions. I'm glad that the PS5 controller seems fairly similar.

anyway, now that all of Xbox's cards are on the table, it's Sony's turn with a PS5 Showcase on Wednesday at 1 PM PST. we should finally get our release date and pricing and all that jazz. I'm pretty comfortable assuming that the regular PS5 will be going for $499 and the digital PS5 will be going for somewhere between $399 and $449.

there's now a rumor that FFXVI will be announced at the event - which I do doubt, but gosh, it's fun to dream!
 
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