"What we need: Is to take a step back, really look at what we are chasing."

Absolutely. Just look at Uncharted 2, Crysis 2, the Half-Life episodes. We don't need better graphics! Visuals and sound are now as good as they will ever need to be, in technical terms. I think we probably have all the physics tools we need too. The focus now should be on gameplay and artistic design. Of course, new kinds of console, like augmented reality or VR headsets, would be great, but conventional games don't need new technology, just new ideas.

If Halo 4 is the best this generation can achieve, then by all means bring us next gen asap!!

MGS5 and Watch Dogs are the future and it seems promising...

Its up to us to end the casual gaming, free to play, day 1 dlc charade!

yep, im 31 and ive been playing games since i was 6 and i have to say that im about burned out of the industry as a whole.

In the last decade and more we just continue to decline in a dozen ways and the community most of the time just seems to get get more tolerant with every new incarnation of crap while shedding the better people involved who just burn out. games today are the simplest mechanics concievable and artwork that keeps getting more and more feminine and childish when in reality there are more adult males that play video games then any other demographic.

I used to play 8 bit games, so i really dont care about graphics.  I care about gameplay, but we've come to a wasteland as far as that is concerned.  And i dont perceive the next generation of free to play (or pay to win) games, or simplistic apps and motion based games are going to meet that need.

the problem is, what else is there to do? 

It was only a few days ago that the CEO of Ubisoft said we needed a new generation of consoles to open up consumers to different IPs and different products.  He said that consumers are more open to diversity and not just your COD yearly rehash or the next 201x football game.

That being said, I think the the importance of the next wave of consoles is being overstated. 

PC Gaming in the last few years has been fantastic, and I think over the next 2-3 years is only going to get better.  Indie games through the humble indie bundle, through steam greenlight and even more importantly through Kickstarter which removes the PUBLISHER (!!!) is the best thing to happen to gaming in a long long time.

You want more of your old school creative story driven games, instead of your IPs being rehashed over and over - well it's not coming, it's here now.

I still think there's plenty of life left for the current gen of consoles, but I think the gaming industry as a whole needs the new consoles. New consoles will help the gaming industry by rebooting enthusiasm for game sales. I lot of developers and gaming enthusiasts forget that we live in a consumer based society and the gaming industry is built on that. If the average consumer appreciated the purely theoretical aspects of technological need\ vs want then we could probably get another few years out of the current generation of consoles. But consumers want new products!  New consoles will help the gaming industry by boosting awareness and sales. Sure initially sales will be lower, but momentum builds slowly. The current generation's momentum is starting to slow down with regard to sales.  Right now we are at the end of what the average user has come to expect from a console's lifeline. 7 years is a good run, but its time for a change.

What truly make a console great are the games on it! While the current gen has better tech and the ability to do more the quality of games have reduced drastically. Ps2 in my opinion was the best ever with tons of games for every one great franchises(many having been carried over to current gen). Also next gen will mean swankier hardware and cost of development will increase which will lead to publishers nickel diming us for every other game leading to tons of DLC maybe some cut straight from the story which should have been there to begin with.

I wish next gen need to see more emphasis on advancing graphics but not on a technical sense, but rather with daring, creative art direction.  I'm so tired of the whole gritty "realistic" gray-brown look of a lot of current games that keep getting pushed this gen.  I want to see vibrant colors, creative character designs and art styles I've never seen before.  Take a look at games as Rez, Wind Waker and Okami, these games still look beautiful and are still relevant today, and probably will continue being so long after this gen is over.

I also want to see a greater emphasis placed in interactivity with the environments, better physics and overall A.I. taking precedence over graphics.

As someone who plays games on a high end PC and came into the current gen console scene a bit late I was shocked at how bad the graphics are in most games, both for 360 and PS3. Of course I have no doubt they would have blown your socks off 7 years ago but very few games impress graphically now, even the recent ones.

Low res environment textures seem to be the main culprit. Most devs seem to 'cheat' by having hi res characters and low res backgrounds and environments. It was a bit of a culture shock to start with but I've found so many games I love on both systems it really doesn't bother me anymore but...

A new console with current generation graphics is way overdue in my opinion. If either the new XBOX or PS4 offer graphics on a par with the best PC's can currently offer they will transform console gaming completely. More RAM (a lot more) will really help too so the devs can make bigger games without worrying about how they can fit into memory. Let's not forget that current gen consoles don't even do 720p properly most of the time let alone full HD and I think it's time for a step forward.

I take your point that the more recent games on console have been an improvement SuperMassive but the amount of games that have been scaled down dramatically for consoles then ported to PC looking 8 years out of date is very disappointing from the point of view of PC gamers. Next gen consoles can't come soon enough for me: great exclusives on console with no hardware restraints and hallelujah no more truly awful PC ports.

Remember the first stage in Uncharted 2, where you're walking through the deforming snow, all beaten up, protecting your face from fire? That moment where you wanted to scream THIS IS INSANE, but you couldn't, because you lost your ability to speak?That's all I'm asking for, the moment you start a game and it's so immersive you can't let it go. I don't care for next-gen, but please please please, let it be next-gen and not just a little bit better.

I think the gaming industry has received a surplus of an influx of Hollywood-style action games. There's way too many games with guns too. The guns need to be toned down, and the first-person shooters need to die. I'm not saying shooters should disappear altogether, but they do need to take a rest. Older franchises that used to be good are now getting crap games with the developer claiming to be salvaging the franchise to revive it, when they're really just trying to milk it and get more money. Take a look at Medal of Honor and Need for Speed. Their older games were great. Now they've completely strayed from what made them good and now they're both Hollywood-style action flicks. Even Resident Evil. It used to be survival horror, and now it's an action shooter.

We don't need more hardware. We need better ideas. That's why indie games with only 1 innovative mechanic are such a hit nowadays.

Stop making the big budget hollywood game. It will just be forgotten.

I agree. While I would appreciate next gen consoles, we're at a really fantastic point for the one's we already have. Developers are becoming more aware of what the hardware can do and how to use it so we are getting better quality games. If you look how they have advanced over time such as Virtua Fighter 5 up against, say, The Last of Us, the leap is pretty big. I also play PC so I believe in the idea of games being developed for PC and ported to the consoles. However, that rather ruins it for the console exclusives if, visually at least, they can't stand up to other non exclusive titles.

I think a new generation will only brings new graphics ... which won't be that "wow" ... I don't see how they could improve graphics wise. I don't think graphics are really important, sure it is nice and all but it doesn't make a game. Better way of using the hardware, better AI, maybe it is the time for new ideas.

each gen as its over-made game ... last gen was guitar hero and the like and this time it is FPS, maybe we will see a platform comeback, or a fighting comeback ... or a new thing will spread like fire.

The only thing I'm sure, Nintendo is the only one to really try new things in the gameplay while Sony and Microsoft copy and try to push it to the "next" level.

Well ... for now I'll stay with what I have and wait to see what comes out. Who knows, we could be surprised.

The idea of having better graphics is an appelling idea, but as a PC gamer, graphics only can take you so far. At the beginning you might think that looks amazing, but afer a while playing, you just stop seen that, and becomes normal. In particular games it is important a better powerhouse, because allows previous limitations to expand and add new features, in case of multiplayer, the amount of player per session. Sometimes, even a more detaile atmosphere for the games in case of horror or RPG games.

However all these changes, does not affect the gameplay in various games. It does not matter how amazing your game looks, the gameplay still the same in the case of many FPS. Another example would be God of War, i played all the iterations of the game, and i can assure you, even if God of War 3 look way better than the other games, there was not a substancial change in gameplay owned to better graphics. The game played exactly the same only prettier.

Bringing new consoles with better hardware, it could be a solution for some games, but others, don't truly need it.

My opinion about next gen:

Positive, is the fact that games will look a lot better for consoles and thus finally for PC, tech will also improve games like BF where hardware limits much more important things like the amount of players.

Negative, is that devs and publishers will more than ever focus on graphics and thats it, little innovation in gameplay or other aspects, if this console gen could stay a lot longer, they would eventually have to truly improve gameplay aspects of series like Assassins Creed, but with a new gen, just making AC3 with better graphics will probably be  the whole idea.

Also negative, is that developing cost will increase a lot, so that will make it harder for small developers like RED from CDPROJEKT to put their games in consoles, and there are obviously smaller devs that couldnt even put their games in this gen's consoles.

I play on PC like you, so at least we'll get better looking games after 6 years, but with next gen or this gen, its still all going to be about the graphics and/or just releasing a new game with barely any improvements or innovations but that most will buy.