‘Twas the Night Before Next Gen

‘Twas the Night Before Next Gen,
and all through the net,
all the forums were stirring,
with rumors unmet.

The leaks were all leaked
with the utmost of care, 
knowing journalists would publish
and folks would all share.

And I at my laptop,
sifting through truth and lies,
snacked on crackers and wondered,
“What will make people buy?”

In all seriousness

Tonight is a big night.

It’s the eve of one of the first major next gen announcements. Tomorrow Sony will introduce us all to the next Playstation, the PS4. We’ll get to look upon it’s glory and learn more about the console we’ll rage over and/or love for years to come.

But tonight? Tonight the next gens are still dreams for almost everyone. Tonight, we can still believe that the next console will be everything we want and hope for. 

Hell hath no fury like a gamer disappointed

Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all build relationships with their players. Each time they release a new console it’s an opportunity to grow, engage, or create new parts of their fan base. On the flip side, each time they release a new experience, it also puts them at risk of changing -intentionally or unintentionally- something that made a loyal player love their console in the first place. 

I used to be one hell of a rabid Sony fangirl. Some of my absolute favorite games were released on PS1 and PS2. But when Sony released the PS3 without proper backwards compatibility at a crazy-high price point so they could include Blu-Ray, it broke us up. The same passionate ramble I used to reel off about how awesome Playstation was turned on a dime as my happiness pivoted to dismay. 

Here’s to one more night of anticipation

What are you dreaming of for next gen? What would make you buy? Is it as simple as a game you want to play, or do you have a bone to pick that they’ll need to address to part you from your wallet padding?

This player is going to dream of backwards compatibility and remote multiplayer capabilities that make playing feel more like a LAN party and less like an MMO. 

For tonight – let’s dream. There’s plenty of time for a reality check later.