Dawn of the Eight Generation

So the eight generation has been going on for a while now since roughly early 2011, but I think we can all agree that the show, or the better known console and handheld "wars" as other names will begin with the release of the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One.

While the Wii U, 3DS and Vita have been released already in this generation, the two other big consoles plus new competitors such as the Steambox and Ouya will make this an interesting period of gaming once again.

As E3 approaches, I would like to have surprises to dominate that show unlike previous year. We can all stay predictable, but you will really get people's attention once you risk your strategies and innovate with new challenges.

Luckily there is a lot to look forward to. From Nintendo's software lineup featuring both old announced games and new ones to Sony's hardware features plus games to Microsoft supposedly focusing only on games, not to mention independent involvements and other consoles, E3 is shaping up to be quite big, if not the biggest since a very long time.

It does make me wonder what will be the biggest hyped game. Will it be Halo 5? Final Fantasy XV despite it's popularity having been stagnated since years? Uncharted 4? Or will it be Super Smash Bros. 4 instead? There's a lot of good stuff on the way.

The Xbox One was responded by us with critical opinions, such as is the case with being needed to go online once every day, the issue with used games, no backwards compatibility and very minimal exclusives shown so far. Although voice control is nifty, there isn't really a standout feature shown.

The Playstation 4 announcement was received more positively, as the social features such as sharing pictures or videos, or spectating or assisting others with games is pretty exciting. Exclusives such as Infamous: Second Son and Killzone: Shadow Fall are also pretty good, and I am intrigued by the DualShock 4's potential plus the connection between PS4 and Vita.

 

The Wii U, like the 3DS at their dawns, is collecting dust in my room. Despite that Nintendo fixed the launch lineup, no one said anything about no prominent games being out during the launch window. After ZombiU dissapointed me, only Arkham City kept me entertained for a while.

Nintendo has their big guns around the corner next week, as a new 3D Mario is also set to be shown for the first time alongside Super Smash Bros. 4. We can expect at least a big surprise from them, as we always seem to get 1 or 2 unexpected games during E3.

The momentum of the 3DS is very good at the moment, and the Wii U has had it's time to grow up through adolescence. Seeing as pretty much all 3 companies have lots of things to share with us soon, I wonder who will "win" this time.

As for the new competitors, I wonder if Ouya will rise through the obscurity and into the mainstream of the industry. Next to that, will Valve make it's next move with the Steambox? And what about the others? At the moment I even forgot their exact names, but I am aware of others.

Let's see what will be happening soon.