So long "next-gen," and good riddance

41 Comments by James Ransom-Wiley Dec 5th 2006 10:15AM
Filed under: Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360

Joystiq is as guilty as anyone for abusing the buzzword "next-gen." But, with all due respect to the European nations and all other countries still lacking the full set of current hardware, we're retiring the word (at least, for a few years).

We waited to make this announcement until Japan had a few days to get "next-gen" out of its system. With Wii deployed throughout the country this past weekend, the trio of new consoles is now available in the world's two largest console gaming markets. We're not suggesting that the previous generation of hardware -- specifically, PlayStation 2 -- is no longer dominant, but we are reminding ourselves and you dear reader that Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii have launched. If anything, let's consider these consoles the new generation; they're no longer next. The stage is theirs. Who will steal the show?

Tags: GameCube, next-gen, PS2, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox360

(Page 1) Reader Comments

Todd: Dec 5th 2006; 10:19AM

So the term is now "new-gen"?

Agent MOO: Dec 5th 2006; 10:23AM

Yes finally we can kill the stupid "next-gen" buzzword. People are now free to say they are playing the Xbox, Nintendo, or playstation and mean the current system.

Life is like a mop: Dec 5th 2006; 10:30AM

The Wii stole the show.

But the 360 IS the show.

Or something else vaguely deep and/or poignant.

Darquandier: Dec 5th 2006; 10:32AM

I'd like to point out that here, in Europe, despite our non-importance on the market, as you pointed out, we still have a few days of next-gen envy, since the Wii is coming in 3 days, and no actual date is confirmed for the PS3 as of now... ( "March '07" is not a date, it is an approximation)...

Or you could say we live in the past !

SmellyIrishMan: Dec 5th 2006; 10:36AM

Europe is going to rebel some day so the rest of the world takes notice of us. We just have to sort out the damn French first.

We still only have 1/3 of the consoles available to us.

Evan: Dec 5th 2006; 10:40AM

Wikipeda refers to this as the "seventh generation"...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_games_%28seventh_generation_era%29

teknomusik: Dec 5th 2006; 10:43AM

"is no longer dominate"

Did you mean dominant?

Blooye: Dec 5th 2006; 10:45AM

"Yes finally we can kill the stupid "next-gen" buzzword. People are now free to say they are playing the Xbox, Nintendo, or playstation and mean the current system."

Man-law!

SuperStupid: Dec 5th 2006; 10:48AM

I'm calling it the current generation, because that's what it is. XBox, PS2 and Gamecube all belonged to the previous generation, and the XBox 720, PS4 and Xii all belong to the next generation. I thankyou.

Darquandier: Dec 5th 2006; 10:50AM

@SmellyIrishMan : Errr... I actually am French...
And we have a big gaming community...
That, and the Wii launches on the eighth, pronounced "wiitt" here... Isn't it at least a bit funny...

Maybe it's because of us and the marketing potential in France that we're getting the Wii a few days late... oh crap !

Diahrrea Man: Dec 5th 2006; 10:53AM

So that means we can start pondering on what the next-gen system will look like? Then, I'd like to say that next gen consoles will be played on mars and earth, and anti gravity will be the next "hot" for home consoles!
It's so much fun let go, even for just a sec. :)

STILL WAITING FOR GOLDEN SUN 3 DAMMIT!

fisk: Dec 5th 2006; 10:58AM

World's two largest games markets? Check your facts, people. It's bad enough that the games companies piss all over us, there's no need for the press to do it too. Europe is a far larger games market than Japan.

Derbeste: Dec 5th 2006; 10:59AM

James....I endorse this idea whole heartedly.

But instead of "new" gen...how about CURRENT gen? "New gen" just seems so.....retarded.

SmellyIrishMan: Dec 5th 2006; 11:04AM

@Darquandier

I was refering to the French hobby of surrendering. Twas a joke, mon amie :). It's the 8th everywhere.

Jason B: Dec 5th 2006; 11:06AM

Darquandier,I think that SmellyIrishMan was referring to the ability (or perhaps inability) of the French in assisting Europeans in a rebellion :)

Zoot Suit Jedi: Dec 5th 2006; 11:12AM

How about we call this generation and follwing generations by their ordinal release number. We could use some past gaming system as the base and count forward from there, i.e current gen could be "generation 10" or whatever the actual number would be.

Darquandier: Dec 5th 2006; 11:13AM

@Jason B : I won't even jump that boat and go there... :) Anyways, the Wii is gonna be big here... And the XBox360 is definetely not a hit in our calm country... SO expect good selling of Wiis in my country (the DS Lite was definetely a hit too)!

PodMonkeys: Dec 5th 2006; 11:23AM

I think the term should be "current gen". like anything else thats available. "Last gen" would be ps2, xbox, gamecube.
I'm not so sure how well "new-gen" works, at least not for the xbox 360, since its already been out for a year.

KVN: Dec 5th 2006; 11:27AM

You guys stole nintendos buzz word they where calling wii "New gen" for almost a year now.Don't steal there word and act like you guys made it up.tsk tsk tsk joystiq.

justin: Dec 5th 2006; 11:54AM

Next-Gen magazine went out of business like 10 years ago. :)

eight: Dec 5th 2006; 12:04PM

thank you. I've been saying this since november 19th. It's current. And the PS4 is next. The next person to call what is on sale "next" gen should be banished from this site.

Jackson Pritt: Dec 5th 2006; 12:09PM

"Wii will steal the show." - Nintendo

John: Dec 5th 2006; 12:12PM

i cant wait til we start using the "next gen" word again to describe the ps4, xbox 3 and wotever wonderful contraption nintendo come up with lol!

any news on "next gen" yet?

:)

Steve2: Dec 5th 2006; 12:25PM

It's not time to dump "next-gen" yet. It applied to Playstation for a long time while it was already out. Heck, remember "Next Gen" magazine?

To underscore this, calling PS2 "last gen" is completely absurd. It's the biggest seller in the marketplace by far in games, and will be on console sales again in January or February. Additionally, a PS2 or Xbox is for most people the most recent console they have. So it can't be "last gen" to them. Heck, in Europe, they can't even buy the PS3 or Wii.

Not sure why everyone is trying to revise the language by force instead of letting it happen naturally, like it did with the previous two "next gens".

SuperStupid: Dec 5th 2006; 12:33PM

John-

Latest news on the Next Gen for you John:

- Microsoft release the XBox 720 with Halo 5 and Gears of War 3. Pretty much the same, BUT LOOK AT THOSE GRAPHICS !!!!

-Sony release the PS4 Home Media Multi-Hub Super-Centre. Base model clocks in at $2100 and is in direcr competition for contol of every multi media aspect of your life.

- Nintendo release the Xii, priced at $4.99, based on an over-clocked Commadore Amiga 500. The real kicker tho, is that you phsically have to reach into your telly to manipulate your racers in launch title F-Xiiro.

- Apple wade in with the painfully fashionable Apple Poppins, which they then proceed to update every six months. One for the enthusiasts.

SuperStupid: Dec 5th 2006; 1:24PM

Steve2:

It doesn't matter how many units PS2 shifted. If there's a new, current generation out, the prior generation is automatically the previous, last generation.

just_somebody: Dec 5th 2006; 1:29PM

I heard apples console was gonna be the Apple PiePod

The Adept: Dec 5th 2006; 1:42PM

I live in the UK, and today I popped into Game. I'm very glad I did: I got to touch a Wii at long last. One of the emloyees had it out and was showing us, with the inevitable attempting to run off with the remote.

Chris: Dec 5th 2006; 1:46PM

sony was right. the "next-gen" didn't start until they said it did.

Brian: Dec 5th 2006; 2:10PM

Has Sony said anything yet because you know when they do the next gen has started. At least that's what Ken Kutarugi said.

Doc Evil: Dec 5th 2006; 3:12PM

Better break out the 'next gen' term again joystiq, based on the most popular 2 consoles to date, ps1 & ps2, the US is the largest region followed very closely by Europe with Japan ony about half the size of either Europe or the US.

Playstation
102.49 Million shipped as of March 31, 2005 (Japan: 21.59, USA: 40.78, Europe: 40.12)

Playstation 2
111.25 Million shipped as of September 30, 2006 (Japan: 23.99, USA: 44.86, Europe: 42.40)

Marketshare based on these numbers, US 40.07%, Europe 38.61% and Japan 21.32%

source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Console_wars

It's also interesting that, despite the fact that the DS is trouncing the PSP in japan, The DS and PSP are virtually neck and neck worldwide at 26.82M DS and 22.94M PSP.

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_games_%28seventh_generation_era%29

Andy: Dec 5th 2006; 3:30PM

"It's also interesting that, despite the fact that the DS is trouncing the PSP in japan, The DS and PSP are virtually neck and neck worldwide at 26.82M DS and 22.94M PSP."

1) thats units shipped, so take it with a grain of salt(especially for PSP)

2) that doesnt count DS lite sales

3) its WIKIPEDIA- 'nuff said

4) in my High school, i know 5 DS owners for every PSP owners, if you will consider that an acceptable source.

odsquad64: Dec 5th 2006; 5:08PM

well now that we've moved on and the formerly next gen consoles are now current gen we can start hyping the next gen again, thats right, the PlayStation 4, the Xbox 720, and the Nintendo Whatchamagadget

Milkshake: Dec 5th 2006; 5:21PM

@12

You are Wrong

Evan: Dec 5th 2006; 6:48PM

#34. Nice one. Even after #31 proved #12's point with actual sales data.

Jordan Lund: Dec 6th 2006; 12:38AM

We should just call it by the generation number. 360/PS3/Wii is Gen7. Whatever the next machines are will be Gen8. Dreamcast/PS2/Xbox/Gamecube was Gen6.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_generation_video_games

Skullivan: Dec 6th 2006; 1:02AM

Heh actually Next-Gen didn't end until they said it did. Regardless, "next-gen" never gets retired, it will continue to be used to refer to the PS3,Wii, and 360 until you start hearing about PS4, N6, and Xbox 3 on a semi-regular basis. Then those will be the next-gen.

Hugh Mann: Dec 6th 2006; 9:02AM

@34 No he aint matey.

iLLWiLL: Dec 6th 2006; 1:08PM

Very true. It's time, at least for me to put "next-gen" back on the shelf until the succesors of the three new systems start getting speculated on again. ohh...and I here now declare The Europeans exonerated from ceasing the use of the term "next-gen" until some time after the three systems are fully deployed and engaged over there.

Thad: Dec 6th 2006; 2:22PM

Swell.

Now when will you stop saying "Ninty"?

Greg Vederman: Dec 6th 2006; 5:57PM

Within a year, graphics and gameplay on the PS3 and Xbox 360 will be surpassed by even mid-range PCs. So, in response to the question, "Who will steal the show?", I think the answer is pretty clear.

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