Are next-gen systems necessary?

Rumours have been circulating the web over the past few weeks over the specifications of the new generations of systems. Some of them were obvious, such as better graphics, faster processing, etc. However, there were a few rumours that seemed to make the whole idea of a new generation of consoles seem unnecessary.

Rumours of the next-gen consoles have been going on for quite a while now. They started with rumours of the Wii U, which sported a brand new controller with a built in screen. These rumours ended up being true, when Nintendo revealed its new system at last years E3. Not only did the console have a new controller but it was also getting a HD update, which pleased most fans. But is it necessary to call the Wii U a next?gen console when it is nothing more then a slightly better Wii? The Wii was an excellent system, the only two problems that made it fall short of the other two consoles was its lack of HD and online capabilities, both of which were attended to with the completion on the Wii U. When we look at previous next?gen consoles we see that the whole system changes its look, but the Wii U looks nothing more then a rounded out Wii. Also the same controllers can be used for the Wii U, so the system itself really isn?t changing at all. This brings me to my main point. Do the top three need to be coming out with brand new systems, or should they simply update the ones they already have?

Next was the Xbox 720 which had obvious rumours, such as better graphics, faster processing, etc., however rumours began to spread that were a little more unusual. One for instance was that the Xbox 720 will have to be constantly connected to the internet to stop piracy. Another rumour, which has now been proven wrong, was that the Xbox 720 wasn?t going to have a disc drive in it; the reason for this is to stop the sale of used games. All though these rumours aren?t confirmed even the PS4 is getting similar rumours, such as not being able to play used games, or not having backward compatibility. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with the way the current generation of systems play discs, so why change it? Sony and Microsoft should do something similar to what Nintendo is doing and simply release an updated version of the current systems. That way gamers won?t have to restart their entire collection of games because the Xbox 720 and PS4 aren?t backward compatible. The PS3 and Xbox 360 had some of the greatest games ever (Uncharted, Gears of War, and Assassin’s Creed to name a few) now people won?t be able to play them because the emergence of a new system.

It seems as though that Microsoft and Sony are releasing new consoles just for the sake of it. Not only that they are releasing them, with so many restrictions on them that it will eventually take the fun out of it. Don?t get me wrong I?m not promoting piracy. However, is the sale of used games really a threat to the billion dollar gaming industry? With the used game restriction on them, say goodbye to borrowing your buddy?s copy of a game to try it out. Except for updated graphics cards, what are the current generation of systems lacking? They are near perfect and now gamers will have to transfer all their data to a new system. Because of this I believe Sony and Microsoft should release a PS3 and Xbox 360 2.0. That way you still have the fantastic consoles that the PS3 and Xbox 360 are just without the unnecessary add-ons of the new generation.

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