360 less than 720? Let's Hope So.

So rumor has it that the next gen Xbox(Xbox 720 as the fans are calling it) will be announced and debuted at CES 2012. Here is an interesting question to all you Xbox’ers out there: What in the way of features are you looking for in the next Xbox or series of consoles in general? Our executive manager at Pittco asked me that very question.

“With the recent speculation that the next version of the Xbox will be announced at CES 2012, what should gamer's expect to see in Microsoft's latest console? Secondly, with the quick dismissal of the original Xbox after the launch of the Xbox 360, do you feel that Microsoft will continue to support the Xbox 360 to the extent that Sony did with the PS2 after the launch of the PS3? Why or Why not?”

I can tell you one thing for sure I am expecting: Fast. Fast menus, fast response, and fast controllers. In my humble opinion, the 360 is running on an out dated and dead processor and it is simply killing it. The console is so far behind on the times in the way of graphics that it is insulting, at times, to say that you own an Xbox. So the graphics have to be improved right off the bat. Bottom line: BLU RAY.

Microsoft backed the wrong horse as far as the HD medium market was concerned and put HD DVD drives in all of their units. Problem: Porn backed Blu Ray, so the industry backed Blu Ray. HD DVD dies off as does the ability to really play anything other than DVDs in your 360. Games will be able to be bigger, requiring less discs for your experience and a better overall presentation. Blu Ray is a must.

As far as Xbox 360 dying when the 720 hits… I whole heartedly expect it. While it has been around for quite a while, the lifespan of the 360 has been marred with problems. Everyone is well aware of the ‘red rings of death’ and the problems caused by overheating the box. 1 in 5 people you ask about their Xbox will tell you that they have had their console shipped back to Microsoft for repairs. I expect that within 6 months of the 720’s release, the 360 will be all but extinct, especially if the timing is right.

With the rumor being an announcement at CES, that will time it just right to be released around the holidays of 2012… what else is usually released in the holidays season as far as gaming? Three words folks: Call… of… Duty…

How else would you help to market the biggest gaming launch of the year(assuming that Activision keeps with its trend of releasing 1 CoD game a year) but by coupling it with the launch of the next generation Xbox? The guys in the PR department for either company would cream their pants at the opportunity to dual release.

All in all, it is time. There was a period in the past couple years when the Xbox was the system to have. Now, outside of the Kinect, it is starting to fall behind and Microsoft needs a boost to keep it in the forefront.

The biggest question not asked? How many of you PS3 players will switch to Xbox if the new one is better?

Quality Control Died with Our Pride

Major problem in gaming today: Quality control is dead.

It astonishes me that the two biggest multiplayer games of the year have been released and marred with server and service problems.

Battlefield 3 was released on October 25th, 2011. As of Sunday evening(the last time I played the game with friends) it was still having issues getting people who are in the same squad on the loading screen, into the same squad in a match. My issue is this: Battlefield 3 had a beta. In said beta, squad issues were a problem. This problem carried over from the beta to the actual release.

Why bother having a beta if you aren't going to fix one of the most restrictive bugs in the multiplayer experience? Battlefield has been known, since day one, as a multiplayer game. Single player campaigns weren't seriously added on until Bad Company in 2008. Building this awesome reputation with the PC crowd really bolstered their legacy, but as they started to make their way into the console area, it seems that they are playing on the success that has yet to be found.

Battlefield 3 had the potential to take down Call of Duty as the major FPS for the year. But the fact that squads can't play together has killed that ambition. It really is a shame because I honestly feel as though it had the chance.

Another example is the aforementioned Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. After the lackluster experience in BF3, I was really hoping the MW3 was going to kill it. As it turns out, the game itself is one of the most enjoyable games in the franchise thus far. The problem that I am having right now(outside of a long wait for games) is the add-on service, Call of Duty Elite.

Activision had planned on making bank on an application geared toward the professional player. Giving stats and on hand values to things such as heat maps and breakdown of performance was originally marketed to the person playing MLG matches. A beta was released and 250,000 or so took part.

Problem: Those 250,000 showed their friends, so showed their friends, who showed their friends. Now, the beta was rendered useless because of the overwhelming support for the product. The premium service costs 49.99, has been available since Midnight on Tuesday November 8th, 2011 and has yet to work. Claiming that their servers just can't handle the load that has come in, more than half of the people trying to register for the service have been met with a screen saying the an internal server error has occured.

For, this is a problem. I spent money on a service that runs for a year. Am I going to be compensated for the time that the service was unavailable? No. Is there a time line for how long it will take for the service to be activated and fully functional? No. Yet another beta that has been rendered useless because quality control died.

I understand that cost effectiveness is something the businesses have to look at, but what ever happened to preparing for the worst? This was obviously not on Activision's to do as their overly hyped up premium service is dying at their feet.

One shining example of a game that has the quality control that seems to be lost on everyone else is Batman: Arkham City. I have been playing for 3 weeks now and have yet to find a bug. That is simply incredible. If more companies would simply set their sights on something better, or perhaps if the consumer were a little more demanding, then the overall quality of all things would increase.

Keyboard+Mouse=Console Controller?

So I receive an email from our Executive Manager here at Pittco about doing an opinion piece to be posted on the new website. Obviously, you are reading it now. I said that I would love to do any kind of article, and kindly asked about the topic he wished me to offer my insight on. Then came the pile of dog crap that he laid on me. “For years 3^rd party companies have explored the idea of adding the functionality of a Keyboard and Mouse to consoles. None have truly caught on. What if the console manufacturers got behind the implementation of a console keyboard and mouse? How would it affect PC gaming and what would happen to the console controllers?” Are you kidding me? Well, thanks Nik. You’ve only handed me one of the hardest topics in gaming to render an opinion on. Please revert all pitchforks and burning torches to the home Mr. Parenti.

But, being the opinionated person that I am, I feel it is my duty as an avid console player to tell you how I feel on this particular controversial topic and decided to go ahead with writing it anyway.

Let’s start with what would happen if console manufacturers got behind adding keyboard and mouse capabilities to console gaming. Do I think it would catch on? Of course I do. How awesome would it be if PC gamers didn’t have to put upgrades into their rigs every year to get it up to par for the next big game? Consoles have offered a very stream lined process for developing games. When a system is released, it keeps that tech in place for 5-7 years before the next gen console comes out. While the styles of the individual system may change (i.e. PS2 Mini, 360 Slim, etc.) the processors, graphics card and mostly the output that the systems produce keep the games mostly the same for the amount of time that the systems are in place.

Keeping that tech in place, allows you to run the same basic rig for 7 years. Being that most PC players just want the accuracy that a keyboard and mouse put in place, I think a lot of them would convert to consoles just for the money factor. This would obviously cause the console gaming scene to explode and I think that we would see a significant drop in the PC gaming scene… Again, assuming that it was a seamless transition. Me? I’m a purist. I will most likely use a controller for the rest of the time that I can. While mice may let you be more accurate, I think that controllers are easier to manage in the end. And I think that it is people like me that would keep them around. Many console gamers have switched to PC gaming because you can get controllers for a PC that are programmable. I think we would see a similar influx if Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all jumped on board with the production of a keyboard and mouse for its consoles.

I will say this: I don’t think that this topic is too far from transforming from a speculation to a realization. Windows 8 will already put into place the framework of letting PC players compete with Xbox players. Once the Xbox players get owned a few times, I can see a marketing ploy ready in the wings for a keyboard and mouse to make the console player more evenly equipped. Be ready for the future folks, it isn’t as far-fetched as you might think.

Oh, for my next riot inducing article, I’ll attack the topic of which player is better, the console or PC. I’m sure that will certainly get an Frankenstein-esk fight started.