Originally Posted by
NikkiD
If it is in fact the media and the gaming industry which have determined what is considered generations in consoles, then they themselves should stick to that framework, no?
I have read countless reviews of the three systems, in trying to decide which one to get and when to get it. I have an Xbox 360 and will probably buy a PS3 in the new year, but it is highly unlikely I will waste money on a WII. Why? Because most of it's draw is it's controllers, which look like they would be fun for a while, but would become quite boring very quickly. The other draw was the fact that they were talking about offering all the old NES, SNES and N64 titles online for download to play on the system. Then I downloaded some emulators and this was pretty much quashed as well. But I digress. In reading all of these reviews, and watching game/system review shows with my son, the same phrase keeps repeating itself in the media. The Wii is not next gen.
Now if this classification of generations of gaming consoles is based solely on release date, and the gaming industry and the media are the defining body of these generations, then why does that phrase keep popping up? Surely the media know what these generations are and how they are separated? Surely there is no confusion on this issue?
In reading that wikipedia article, along with the Console Wars: A Brief History Article, I found that there was one other major difference between the generations of consoles. Each generation was also marked by a jump in technological advancement. The Wii, although it is a slight improvement on the GameCube doesn't have that. The controllers are not new or revolutionary. Light guns have been around for ages (a point that has been made several times). The upgrade in CPU and GPU is a much smaller one than that of the 360 or the PS3, which also distinguishes it from these consoles. So why do the media keep saying that the Wii is not next gen? Because although it does fit the time frame of the 7th generation of consoles, technologically, it does not match up.
As far as games go, you have to bring up games when discussing consoles. How else are you to judge a gaming system without looking at the games it plays? Of course games are generational. If they are released for a 6th generation console, they are a 6th generation game, etc. Sure games are released on multiple platforms, spanning different generations. Normally, each release is slightly different from the other consoles, and each release is rated differently for each console. Different releases may include different levels and upgraded graphics for higher spec systems. So saying that Gears of War is the "first next gen" game is a valid statement. It was released for a next gen console, and was, at it's release, the first game that showed what that console was capable of.