Board 8 > Anyone feels console lifetime goes by too fast?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Maybe it's because I'm a late adopter but I only bought PS4 last year and now they're talking about releasing PS5? :(
The graphics and gameplay are fine for now and I feel like there's gonna be at least some degree of diminishing return with the technology but idk.
What do you think?

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I voted Yes, I wish pretty much every Nintendo console before the Wii had a longer lifespan. I am glad we got from the Wii U to the Switch that fast.

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Its been like about as long between 4 and 5 as it was between 2 and 3 or 3 and 4, so not really. Feels normal to me.
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That said, Im not really excited to have to get new consoles. I have too many of these dang things already. Hopefully the Series X is really 100% backwards compatible so I can just put my One away.
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I don't play on consoles any more because I can't be bothered to pick up the new hardware. (And then spend $60/game.)

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We're older so it just feels faster. But also technologically I do think they can extend the generations for 2-3 years at least without much problem.

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foolm0r0n posted...

We're older so it just feels faster. But also technologically I do think they can extend the generations for 2-3 years at least without much problem.

Fair point! We're getting older. And definitely agreed on extending it a bit.

MoogleKupo141 posted...

Its been like about as long between 4 and 5 as it was between 2 and 3 or 3 and 4, so not really. Feels normal to me.

True, but I personally also felt the 3 to 4 was a bit too fast...I barely even played my PS3...
At least now nearly all PS3 games I'd want to play are on PS4 anyway so hey.

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I think the Wii U flopping is what screwed up the last gen more than anything, because the Xbone and Piss4 are, what, 7 years old now?

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Time just flows faster the older you get

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A lot of newer games have really poor performance on consoles, so no. Not at all. Especially compared to past generations.

PS1 - PS2: 5 years
PS2 - PS3: 6 years
PS3 - PS4: 7 years
PS4 - PS5: 7 years

Generations have gotten longer than they used to be.
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PS2 era was the first time I bought my own system and that one felt like it lasted forever

looking back, it probably got extended after how much of a joke PS3 was at launch

360 was also the next one. I got mine late 06 and it just ended a few years ago

looking at nintendo, those are the ones that zoom by fast. Though I can't blame them for wanting to pass by the Wii U (though I personally enjoyed it)

but I'm not sure if thats fast compared to what I've been exposed to or thats relatively normal


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I'd personally like to see "generations" dissolved completely and replaced with much more frequent, incremental and optional upgrades for those who want more power. As things stand, consoles generally hold back developers by forcing them to develop to the lowest common denominator hardware-wise, even when market technology has long since left those units behind.

For reference, the PS4 was outdated technology on the day it came out, and yet developers were still tied to its specs for seven years. This was somewhat assuaged by the introduction of the PS4 Pro, but it didn't really affect things too much.

The PS5 and Series X seem to have caught up with modern technology, but now we have the rumored 30XX Nvidia cards coming out by the end of the year which, if rumors be believed, will already be packing the graphical powers you'd expect in a PS7. Consoles have already become so similar to PC architecturally, let's just dissolve the walls and either speed up hardware creep or, even better, allow for modular customization.

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Devs have always been able to make PS4 Pro exclusive games. It's just not financially viable since no one has one. You can't escape the fact that devs need to target the cheap mass-market hardware in order to make money.

But what we started seeing in this generation is games having more options like PC games, in case you do have the upgraded machine. I'm guessing the XSX is going to really encourage that model for their games.

Also graphics and power creep is super overrated so who cares. The real solution is for gamers and devs to stop caring so much about that stuff and instead focus on cheaper and easier creation processes, so we can hope to revive the A and AA sectors of the industry. This is why the PS5 SSD and the Unreal 5 tech is so impressive.

If consoles did have an ability to give some ultra mode with an optional 120GB high res texture download, it could make everyone happy. The power-hungry nerds would get something to play with, and the devs can focus on making real content.

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I actually generally agree with all of your points!

Yes, I was pretty close to mentioning stuff like the recent appearance of "cinematic" and "performance" modes in games as a very good trend. I also agree that graphics creep is extremely overrated, as I personally care much more about performance... but as you said, devs have to do what they must to make money, and the market would clearly rather play a "CRAZY GRAFIKS" game at an unstable 30 fps than something that "looks like a PS2 game" at 60. Hence why AAA has ballooned to such an utterly unsustainable level and is now mirroring the super safe Hollywood checklist approach to green lighting.

The best possible thing is indeed the revitalization of A and AA developers, as you said, which is thankfully becoming more and more feasible as tools become more powerful and accessible.

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PS4 feels like I got it a long time ago. That said it doesn't feel bad. I think they did a way better job with it than the PS3.

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Main thing I'm looking forward to with the new generation is PC games where having an SSD is a hardware requirement. For game developers to really get rid of load times, they have to stop developing games that function on HDDs.
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PS4 was the first playstation I ever owned during its relevancy and it feels like I've owned it for ages and ages, so I guess not

Xiahou Shake posted...

I'd personally like to see "generations" dissolved completely and replaced with much more frequent, incremental and optional upgrades for those who want more power.

So you want the Windows 10 model for consoles?


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I used to, then I realise it was just age

PS2 felt like forever because it was my primary console for my entire time in high school, all 7 years. I bought a PS3 when MGS4 came out, which was two days before my last exam in school. PS3 felt shorter because I was older; three years of university went way faster than any three years of high school. But it was my primary console for a roughly equal amount of time (2008-2015). PS4 has felt like the shortest yet, but honestly I don't see myself buying a PS5 until late 2021 - when there's something on it that makes me want it, basically - so it'll be my main console for more or less the same time as the previous two.

So... yes, kind of, but since I totally recognise why that's the case, not sure I can say yes. Life is going by faster. Console generations are just part of that.

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I used to as well, but now I'm really starting to grasp where the technology's currently at at a given time more than I could when I was younger. For instance I definitely see the need for next gen now more than I did between PS3->PS4

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Sony are always the best value for money when it comes to buying a console. Nintendo are the worst. Unless you buy their system within the first year or two you're usually buying something to last a few years before they cut all support.

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real lifetime goes by too fast

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