I realize this is probably a volatile subject -(so I' ll have my paddle waiting for anyone who gets out of hand)- but with talks of a GameCube successor as well as a PS3 and an Xbox 2 looming over the horizons, what would YOU like to happen AND what do you expect might happen??

WHAT I WANT TO HAPPEN:
In the next-gen battle for once I' d love for Nintendo to fly out of the gates first with their console and capture as much of the next gen market as they can. They' ll need that buffer with Xbox 2 and PS3 on their trail. But if they come out the gates with some big name quality first-party games and they can get some significant EA and Square-Enix support early on, maybe a Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles 3, I think they can build up enough momentum in all three territories.
Square Enix is of the utmost importance in the Japanese market, while Nintendo could pull out all the stops and fend off Microsoft and Sony in the U.S. and European markets, there' s no way they can fend off Sony in Japan if Square Enix isn' t fully onboard.

Because I' m a traditionalist, I' d like to see Nintendo do everything right with their next console and dominate the industry once again - that means including DVD Playback Nintendo!! Take advantage of your relationship with Panasonic/Matsushita and make sure one is included this time around!

As for the Nintendo DS, I' d love for the unit to turn out more powerful than what they claim and much much more powerful than the N64. Those 1 gig cartridges they' re planning for the DS sound interesting so I' ll just have to wait and see how games pan out on those monsters.

The PSP is a gaming dream already. I would like for the unit' s high specs to be accurate albeit somewhat conservative - I' d like the final screen resolution to be a little higher. I' d love for many games from major series to make their way to the unit, i.e. a new Gradius game, a new Salamander game, a Sonic Adventure game, a new Biohazard and more.

While the Xbox 2 has no chance in Japan, I' d like Sony and Microsoft to battle it out really good in the U.S. and Europe, both taking turns one upping the other.

WHAT I EXPECT MIGHT HAPPEN:
Nintendo might f&^K up yet again. :(
Either their next console will play games on 4 Gig CARTRIDGES or it' ll lack DVD playback functions or they' ll continue to ignore online gaming.

The actual DS units may turn out with the already reported N64-like specs which would be a major disappointment. One that will get it eaten alive by the PSP on performance alone.

If Xbox 2 and PS3 are released in the U.S. around the same time it' s hard to tell what' s going to happen because the monthly console sales of the PS2 and Xbox were never that far apart - meaning that the Xbox has caught on quite well in the U.S. --- I have no idea about the European market though.

I want the next gen. to stay far, far away so I can catch up on the stack of games that needs playing.

I' ll be ready around 2008. Then I' ll let you know what I want for the next round.

What I hope will happen, personally, is that we see some kind of genre revolution on the scale of Mario or GTA. Normally, this is something that is guarenteed to happen at least once with each generation, but I' m a bit worried about what the future holds for the new systems. I worry because, unless I am mistaken, we' re getting to a point where the new systems are not going to represent anywhere near as great a leap forward as the systems before. Apart from that, I would really like to see the DS really take off - a concept like that is guarenteed to bring about innovation.

Did any of this make sense?

I want the next gen. to stay far, far away so I can catch up on the stack of games that needs playing.

You' re still catching up on NES games I hear

I don' t want any next-gen consoles until mid 2006 or later. I don' t care what comes out first or sells the best, I just want great games.

I hope they' re built a little bit more sturdy than the X-Box and PS2.

I hope that Nintendo comes back and makes a really sweet system like the Gamecube, but they need to get more support. Personally I love my GC, the only problem though is there really aren' t that many great games for it yet IMO. Kind of sucks if you ask me. I have around 8 or 9 good games for it, and that' s about it.

I' d like Sony to make another Playstation console that really is technically amazing. In other words, I hope Sony doesn' t launch their console first, and ultimately end up being the farthest behind in technology. Also, I hope Sony keeps up with the third-party support they' ve been getting on the PS2. I also hope Sony gets a more stable and improved online section put in similar to Xbox Live. Make it so that only broadband can play with broadband and only DSL can play with DSL, so that speeds stay good on both sides. It would also have to have standard voice support like Live has now. Voice communication really does make a huge difference these days.

And lastly, I hope that Microsoft decides to put a hard drive in the Xbox 2. That was a big selling point for me when I bought my Xbox, and I really really hope they include it in the Xbox 2. If not installed in launch, there should be atleast a relatively cheap external one you can buy. Also, I hope the Xbox 2 is an absolute powerhouse of the next-next-gen consoles like it is now. Lastly, Microsoft really needs to get a lot of support from third-party companies. Hopefully they can also somehow improve upon Xbox Live too.

Finally, I hope new, awesome, and original game genres and types come out. Most games these days feel the same, and I honestly hope that some sort of revolution happens and a bunch more original game types launch.

Im currently in Microsofts bandwagon. I hope they pop out another power filled system. The hard-drive was a definate plus, theyd be foolish to not include sominthign similar if not that same. They also had the PC gamer advantage as the xbox seemd like the best transition system from PC to Console. Altho a keyboard and mouse wouldve helped.

My beefs with PS2 is that the DVD drive was junk and the online wasnt worth it at all. But PS2 did have a lot of support behind it providing a vast amount of games...maybe to much of a vast amount. Also, all my friends PS2s junked out real fast...did ne1 else have that problem. Definatly needs some better multiplayer capabilities.

Nintendo definatly needs to gain support. They are a very innovative company and I hope they make do with what they said at E3.

Overall I hope Microsoft comes out on top. Nintendo wore the crown at one point already, Sony did so as well, it seems fair for Microsoft to wear the crown for the next-gen.

I' ve always loved the idea of Microsoft owning next generation' s console wars but Japan is the one obstacle I can' t see then overcoming unless Microsofts pulls out all the stops and buys every member of Square Enix the best escorts money can buy in order to get them to develop on Xbox 2. :D

But other than Japan, I think Microsoft has a great shot in the U.S. and Europe if they play their cards right by coming out first and fully capitalizing on their lead.

If anything, all I really want is more diversity from Nintendo and Microsoft. The Xbox 2 can again be the most powerful, but it will again fall a distant second behind the PS3 for me unless they can present a larger palette of games. This generation, the Xbox does not have any decent platformers (Voodoo Vince was okay); none can compare with those on either the GC or the PS2. Oddly enough, I would' ve expected Nintendo to own the best platformers, but the R&C and Jak series are by far the best of this generation. The Xbox is thankfully expanding into some more RPGs, but have been rather lackluster up until this point. It took two years before we finally saw KotoR, and before that, all we had was Morrowind and Metal Dungeon. I also think that the variety of JPRG' s on the PS2 is much greater, and the games are much deeper.

But with Fable, Jade Empire, and KotoR 2 coming for the Xbox, it' s the GC that is ultimately suffering from RPGs. Besides FF: CC and Skies of Arcadia: Legends, it doesn' t have much of anything worth talking about, and there' s nothing all too significant on the horizon. The rhythm/dance genre is basically only represented on the PS2, even though the XBox just got its first (DDR). Games like Amplitude, Frequency, Mad Maestro, Gitaroo-Man, and only on one system. Lastly, you will only find strategy titles on the PS2: Ring of Red, Dynasty Tactics, Disgaea: HoD, La Pucelle Tactics, Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII, VIII, and the upcoming Front Mission 4. Neither the GC or Xbox has a single title from this genre.

This is obviously because of the third-party support for the PS2, and its largely Japanese support, but in the next gen, I want to see the genres more spread out over the consoles. Action and sports are pretty generic, and are usually multi-platform with some exceptions, so there are several other genres out there that are really only represented on one system. Either that, or MS and Nintendo come up with a fresh new series or even a whole new genre (if that' s possible) that is exclusive to them.

I always want diversity because I play just about anything if it' s good. I couldn' t care less about the extras (online, hard drive, DVD player, etc.). I never play online, I haven' t had a problem with a Sony memory card in 8 years (and the PS2 memory cards last me a while), nor have I had a problem with the hard drive in the Xbox, so I don' t care what they do there. However, if a hard drive busts on me, there goes all my saves, and I like to keep those...THAT will piss me off. Oh, and I have a DVD player, so no issue there. Just give me games, and lots of DIFFERENT ones.

OK.

Next gen, first of all i would like it to come until 2007 but that' s not happening........

Now, I would like every controller to have triggers, pressure sensitive buttons can only do so much, triggers are essential for racing games and awesome for FPS.

I would also like XNA to work out, that' ll be awesome.

I would like the PS2 with new franchises and leave the ones with a number of 4 and up, only those like GT4 deserve more sequels.

what else..........the next Nintendo console should have more games appealing to adults and a bit less to kids, and i mean from Nintendo themselves, they appear to do only games rated E (not really bad, but variety is appreciated). Oh and make the console more appealing.

Finally, inclusion of awesome physics to every game, even better physics than those in half life2 with a lot of destructible enviroments to destroy!

Triggers suck ass, IMO. I don' t want them for any game, especially racers. Any controller that has triggers gets trashed by me next generation. Either that, or there better be button configurations so that they' re not necessary.

I' ll just reiterate what has already been said: I want to see Nintendo get their act together so they are around for quite awhile to come.

Also, I keep liking Xbox more and more... so I hope they continue to thrive.

No more analog buttons! Analog sticks are fine, and I am also cool with analog shoulder buttons (just as long as they are not huge and hollow like the GC' s). BUt analog buttons are " annoyin" .

WHAT? You guys didn' t totally digs those analog triggers on the Dreamcast controllers?

I kinda like the analog buttons myself. Opens up some possibilities for games.

And personally, I wouldn' t be surprised if the next generation is indeed held off for another few years or so (I' d say 2006 at the earliest). I say this because NONE of the next-gen systems were shown at E3, and it seems to me that it is usually at least a full year between the debut of a console at E3 and its release. Besides that, the traditional 4-5-year generation cycle was broken by Sega' s departure from hardware - they were the ones driving the cycle, and it seems like none of the current hardware manufacturers are in any hurry to obsolete the current generation.

Just my thoughts.

Triggers suck ass, IMO. I don' t want them for any game, especially racers. Any controller that has triggers gets trashed by me next generation. Either that, or there better be button configurations so that they' re not necessary.

Weren' t you just complaining about objectifying stuff by saying something SUCKS in another thread?

Triggers are good for Shooters and some hack and slash games, but not really RPG' s. If Microsoft offers a controller similar to the Type S for sale separately from the Xbox 2 for shooters and such, that would be perfect. The Type S is a good controller, but it just doesn' t work well with certain games. Hopefully they will improve upon the Type S (hopefully removing triggers) and sell it with the console, but provide different controller options for sale separately.

What I expect might happen?

Sony will probably lead the pack once again, taking over the console wars like they have this generation. Xbox 2 will most likely be the powerhouse of all the consoles. Nintendo will probably try to monopolize the handheld industry like it has already done for the most part. Nintendo might get out a new console that turns out pretty good, but I sort of doubt that will happen.

Besides FF: CC and Skies of Arcadia: Legends, it doesn' t have much of anything worth talking about, and there' s nothing all too significant on the horizon.

Tales of Symphonia is not worth talking about?

No, not particularly, IMO. At least, not in comparison to games like Fable, Star Ocean 3, Jade Empire, Suikoden IV, and Xenosaga: Ep. II (all this year, supposedly). The Xbox could rapidly become a great RPG system after this year, the PS2 already is a great RPG system, but the GC...well, neither the N64 or GC are big RPG systems. Not a problem for some, but it is a fact.

No, not particularly, IMO. At least, not in comparison to games like Fable, Star Ocean 3, Jade Empire, Suikoden IV, and Xenosaga: Ep. II (all this year, supposedly). The Xbox could rapidly become a great RPG system after this year, the PS2 already is a great RPG system, but the GC...well, neither the N64 or GC are big RPG systems. Not a problem for some, but it is a fact.

Game is not out yet and you are making judgements on it? Fable, Jade Empire, Xenosage EP. II not out yet. And unless you imported Star Ocean 3...Even so how do these others have more merit over ToS? Lastly I don' t care if the GC is not considered an RPG system. I have all 3 for that reason all consoles offer games that each of the other does not. This should not take anything away from a game like ToS. But hey...