What MS, Sony, Nintendo should be or are doing next

Nesh

Double Agent
Legend
There is are already threads about what Nintendo or Sony or Microsoft should do next based on current comeptition
But lets see a little bit more into the distance.
Where is the whole console industry going?

There was a time when Sony and MS were trying to integrate multmedia features as primary functions into their consoles but they both didnt fair well for various reasons, mainly because these functions were sacrificing from the function people cared the most about.

Gaming.

Where these additional functions seem to succeed is when they find their way into console without any perceived compromise for the consumer.

Blu Ray caused a few trouble for Sony the previous gen (delayed launch, and extra costs), but now it found its way as a standard disk drive in both the PS4 and XBOXOne. Thus gen they didnt bother to add a 4k BR drive perhaps for their own cost reasons.

MS tried to incorporate into the XBOX One TV viewing features and Motion Controls via Kinect at the cost of performance and priced. This of course didnt do them favors. But with universal windows apps the XBOX platform will be getting very much desired multimedia features for free in the future. This will undoubtedly lead to a console which will automatically be a well rounded system, probably starting with Scorpio. This could attract anyone interested to have gaming and an impressive list of features like video and sound file support and not only that is currently only found on PCs. Add the 4K into the mix and it might be a winning situation. MS seems determined to improve the XBOX experience beyond gaming. So much thay they even bothered to add 4K Blu Ray support on the current XBOX One without an additional cost for the consumer which has won a lot of consumers back

But all this integration and universal access to games between PC and XBOX really makes someone wonder if the Next XBOX will eventually become an enclosed PC sold as a console or simply a brand found in the PC Space with a Windows market place that may or not compete with Steam.

Nintendo is trying to get people from the console and portable space, including the consumer that abandoned consoles and dedicated gaming systems in favor or smart phones and tablets. The intriquing part is this network feature where all systems could be sharing performance, and the docking station(?) in the household. But what lies ahead for Nintendo after this? Can they really compete or find a new kind of consumer beyond Sony's and MS's and the people who play games on tablets and smart phones? Nintendo has not built any resources/portfolio on non gaming features that Sony and MS have been accumulating for 2 decades now. Unless they partner with someone who already has a huge presence in the portable space, things will be pretty uncertain for them.

And I think Sony will be caught in a very strange situation too. They do care about non gaming features, despite the "Only for The Players" moto. They are just not sacrificing gaming for those other features anymore. But they do add them when they come for "free" to the consumer not unlike MS. But they dont have something that can compete with Windows. They tried with Linux but failed. Today the most powerful ecosystems are Android, Windows and iOS. None of which is owned by Sony. Android is not a safe area when it comes to piracy, I am not so sure that Sony could incorporate an Android ecosystem they can monitor succesfully, and it has been evolving towards the needs of portable devices. They have no alternatives to MS's Universal Windows Apps. PS Now, PS Vue and other Sony services didnt take the world by storm. Quite the opposite. People dont care much

So there will be a point where Sony will be able to offer a competing hardware in terms of performance at best, but in terms of features? I dont see them beeing able to compete. I cant think of any special competitive advantage in the future. Whereas the PS and XBOX platforms were more or less in line and exclusive games were the deciding factor for purchase, there are high chances both consoles could be selling at a similar price and performance, but with a huge disparity in terms of features later on (next gen). Which I think will favor MS hugely.

MS has improved amazingly well their product and strategy for the XBOXOne including featurewise which I think is a sign of things to come
 
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I need console to play games. Not features and glitchy slow OS.
I have PCs, tablets, phones, TV for other things.
And MS is still US centric.
 
but with a huge disparity in terms of features later on (next gen). Which I think will favor MS hugely.

Features into the future ? Wait, let me grab my DeLorean. ;) But what about the present?

Maybe you forgot the unique and advantageous situation of Sony with relatively cheap VR gaming that will perfectly go hand in hand with their new and more powerful hardware next month ?

And at the end of the day the best features of consoles are diversity of games...For instance Sony is selling the Pro thanks to games like Horizon zero dawn.
 
I need console to play games. Not features and glitchy slow OS.
I have PCs, tablets, phones, TV for other things.
And MS is still US centric.
Is the OS glitchy on the XBOX One? The 4K playback has been a significant selling factor for the S regardless if it is used.
Features into the future ? Wait, let me grab my DeLorean. ;) But what about the present?
I am looking at the univrsal windows apps.
Maybe you forgot the unique and advantageous situation of Sony with relatively cheap VR gaming that will perfectly go hand in hand with their new and more powerful hardware next month ?

And at the end of the day the best features of consoles are diversity of games...For instance Sony is selling the Pro thanks to games like Horizon zero dawn.
The problem with VR gaming is that it is not cheap. It is expensive. Its just cheaper than the competition. It comes at a substantial additional cost for the consumer.
The Pro has not been relesed yet and we havent seen MS's plans fully fledged yet. I didnt say games will become insignificant either. You are also describing the current situation where games are the only major factor (along with gaming performance)
 
Is the OS glitchy on the XBOX One?
There are new threads from reddit and neogaf every other day about slow OS and horrific install times.
The Pro has not been relesed yet and we havent seen MS's plans fully fledged yet. I didnt say games will become insignificant either. You are also describing the current situation where games are the only major factor (along with gaming performance)
I think we left "all-in-one system" in 2013.
 
There are new threads from reddit and neogaf every other day about slow OS and horrific install times.
And the cause of this? Also, how widespread is the issue? I you go hunting for issues you will find them. But is it a common experience? PS4's is more streamlined and has its own issues as well. I doubt its windows the problem on XBOX One.
I think we left "all-in-one system" in 2013.
Read my original post more carefully.
 
What's install time? I switched to digital purchases and the games are downloaded and installed by the time they're available for release or before I get home from work. It's mainly users who are stuck on antiquated physical media that bitch about install times.

Given that, yes the physical media install times can be substantially better. They need to take direction from Sony on that part, but why waste resources on that aspect?
 
The xbox interface finda new ways to bother me every day I try to use. And I don't hut them, its just not very polished.
 
What's install time? I switched to digital purchases and the games are downloaded and installed by the time they're available for release or before I get home from work. It's mainly users who are stuck on antiquated physical media that bitch about install times.

Given that, yes the physical media install times can be substantially better. They need to take direction from Sony on that part, but why waste resources on that aspect?
... and it's mainly online-DRM lovers who bitch against physical media. :p

For this to work, you have to buy games long before you can actually play them. It only works for preorders. It doesn't work with xmas gifts. It doesn't work if you wait after reviews embargos, or wait until a friend recommends it. Can't wait for a sale. Can't easily borrow it from a friend/co-worker. Can't buy it used. Can't resell your games, or lend them, or give them to friends/family.

So... 60% of the time, it works EVERY time!
 
It works 100% of the time for me, and lets face it, that's all I care about. :p

Also with Bing Reward points every time is a sale. It's free money.
 
Quick exemple. The first thing I do when I turn the xbone on, is to press left to open up the side-bar where I log-in to my account. It's probably the first thing anyone does, yet for some inconsievable reason, it lags a few seconds to open up. I can turn the xbox on and leave it there for ten minutes to pre-load whatever it wants, and yet that side-bar, that of all things should be priority #1 for pre cashing once everything else is running, only decides to go load its contents when I press left to open it. And it takes several seconds. It is not a deal breaker, and it won't kill anyone, but its a sign of an unpolished user experience, and of clueless UI designers, and for a console to do that, which of all other devices, should be the one to strive the most for being home to the most streamlined and hassle-free experience of all, this is baffling.
 
The xbox interface finda new ways to bother me every day I try to use. And I don't hut them, its just not very polished.


I actually kinda love how everything is integrated once you get your TV set up. With the antenna adapter, as a cord cutter there's no reason to switch from my XBO input. It has free OTA TV integrated (very nicely I might add) and every app you could want as a cord cutter.

The OS itself is hit and miss. Some things are cool and futuristic about it (like pressing the guide button and Tv/game still plays in the minimized window), some seem not very intuitive (IMO). Like how the all important games and apps tile is practically hidden on the front page. And I dont know why in 2016, some tiles are just plain green or blue. Gives it a amateurish feel, not polished like say Apple (much as I hate Apple overall). Basically why Windows Phone failed IMO, those stupid ugly tiles.

I agree there's lag/choppiness , although I find that on pretty much any OS to be fair, it's definitely more noticeable on XBO. I think one issue is, the XBO just doesn't have enough power to spare a lot for the OS and still try to keep up with PS4 in gaming. It's barely scraping by and that's yet another reason weaker hardware just sucks, add it to the pile. That should be handled in spades by Scorpio though, so it's a temporary issue.
 
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... and it's mainly online-DRM lovers who bitch against physical media. :p

For this to work, you have to buy games long before you can actually play them. It only works for preorders. It doesn't work with xmas gifts. It doesn't work if you wait after reviews embargos, or wait until a friend recommends it. Can't wait for a sale. Can't easily borrow it from a friend/co-worker. Can't buy it used. Can't resell your games, or lend them, or give them to friends/family.

So... 60% of the time, it works EVERY time!


Not that LONG time before you play them. I bought Gears 4 from work from my phone (one of the neato parts of digital!), about 2 hours before I got home, because I forgot to do it earlier in the day. It was 78% downloaded when I arrived. And I'm on what I assume is a pretty standard US cable connection (50 Mb down). If I had purchased it just 3 hours prior instead of 2, it would have been done.

I agree with the other caveats. That's why I often hesitate to buy digitally, yet I find myself doing it more often these days. It has a convenience factor going to the store and buying physical cant possibly match (never mind the forever hassle of actually switching discs!). The negatives are mostly as you listed, yet in practice in 2016, probably come into play less often than you'd think.
 
As to: what they should do in the future: Umm, I dont know.

Gaming consoles have always been fairly self contained ecosystems IMO, and will never be the hugest profit generators either (though PS4 seems to be doing well for Sony). The fact is they will always be mostly for 12-30 y/o males, and that demo, as we know, will always be not the largest.

Sony doesn't really have much to tie Playstation into, they can supposedly use it to try to sell TV's and whatnot but that never really works, does it? How's the Sony TV business been? Not well you say?

MS can flail about and at least they have some things to try to tie Xbox to outside gaming, like Windows and Windows Phone (the latter worked out really great, huh?).

Honestly I think they are vanity enterprises as much as anything else for Sony and MS. Corporate drones are dudes too, and if you work at MS are you proud of some server software you cant touch, or Xbox? Which one can you point at?

Nintendo? Well they're gaming only so it's easy. Do my idea of a 199 android style mobile chipset power sipping, download only mini-console, heavily retro focused with ~1 TF for the occasional 3D Mario/Zelda, profit :)
 
I think its the fact its so different from the PS interface. I think the biggest issue is that its such a departure from what the PS4 offers and most people don't like having to deal with the learning curve. I don't have a PS4 but was fond of the PS3 interface, so I wasn't keen on the XBO interface intially. But after 3 years, there is nothing difficult about using the XBO.

At least it customizeable now. It was so bland in the beginning and more like burrowing down the typical TV interface than navigating a next gen console.
 
What's install time? I switched to digital purchases and the games are downloaded and installed by the time they're available for release or before I get home from work. It's mainly users who are stuck on antiquated physical media that bitch about install times.
Or users who don't preorder and wait to see if a game is in a fit, playable state before purchasing. In which case install time is the time after downloading and before you can actually play.
 
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