Ubisoft on next gen costs, current gen motion control
by Richard Mitchell 
{ Jun 16th 2009 at 2:40PM } 
Regarding Natal, which Microsoft is treating like a new console, Guillemot says that consumers will soon "take the other step - pushed by the environment." Guillemot is happy to keep working with current hardware, saying, "I'd like to stay with this generation as long as possible, but my customers will want the best machine possible."
One thing that might push the next generation of games out sooner than expected, according to Guillemot, is the potential of new online consoles like OnLive. "If OnLive manages to make this work," said Guillemot, "we will have a next generation of systems sooner than currently planned."
Still, Ubisoft is in no hurry and plans to develop motion controlled games for all the current consoles -- up to 80 percent of Ubi's lineup will likely be motion controlled, actually. That's a lot of Rabbids.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
PR0F3TA @ Jun 16th 2009 2:48PM
i'm not exited for PS3 butt bumping yet...
Jerk Face @ Jun 16th 2009 2:48PM
Less pew pew, more poo poo.
Dirty @ Jun 16th 2009 3:42PM
Your avatar makes me sing... Take on me..... Take meeee ooonnn. Illl beeee gone... in a day or twwwwwooooo.
Jerk Face @ Jun 16th 2009 3:43PM
Oh man, now I'm never going to be able to look at that photo without that song in my head! Ha ha... Well played, Dirty.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 16th 2009 2:50PM
"but my customers will want the best machine possible"
As we've seen this generation, tweens don't exactly know what they're doing when it comes to games.
mr nimblewick @ Jun 16th 2009 3:07PM
When have they ever?
Nightwish @ Jun 16th 2009 3:41PM
Because not having the same tastes as you is being clueless.
Obviously.
Ashitaka @ Jun 17th 2009 7:42AM
Some have always.
...unlike you, nimblewick xD
NaeemTHM @ Jun 16th 2009 2:50PM
"The next generation is going to be so powerful that playing a game is going to be the equivalent of playing a CGI movie today," predicts Yves Guillemot, chairman and CEO of the publisher.
When have I heard that before....oh yeah 5 years ago.
The PS4 and Xbox Next will probably only have the ability to play a game like Crysis on max settings.
Not that that's a bad thing.
Cosmo @ Jun 16th 2009 2:52PM
Nvidia Geforce GTX 285 for the win, but it also cost me as much as a PS3 when I bought it. : D
NaeemTHM @ Jun 16th 2009 2:54PM
Also, I think the days of MEGA jumps as far as graphics go is pretty much over. We'll just see small incremental improvements as time goes on.
Remember when we jumped from NES to SNES? Minds were blown. Then reblown when we jumped from the SNES to the N64 and the PS1 to PS2.
When the 360 debuted all I could think was "Huh...that's it?". It's been 5 years since then and I have yet to see a game that gives us a glimpse of PIXAR level video game characters.
uncle jesse @ Jun 16th 2009 3:14PM
The graphical update from the NES to the Super NES was incredible. There was literally not one Super NES game that looked like an NES game. And yes, the N64/PS from the Super NES was a revolution. It was the third dimension. But you're right, as amazing as games can look these days, the leap from last generation to the current is nowhere near the gaps between the previous ones.
Maybe that is why everyone has stated that they will wait for a longer period of time before releasing new hardware. Honestly, if they released a brand new console in a couple of years, I really doubt it would look much different. Now it seems that the changes aren't coming from a graphical point of view, but from the control side of things.
redjack @ Jun 16th 2009 3:36PM
That's how I buy most of my games. Really, wait long enough and they all come down in price. It's really only a choice few I'll buy on release. With how fast game prices fall there's really no point in buying it at release.
redjack @ Jun 16th 2009 3:38PM
Crap, that was for Uncle Jesse's other comment down below.
Mr Khan @ Jun 16th 2009 3:39PM
I wouldn't downplay this jump in graphics. I mean, i remember all the hype about the "sweat dripping" in commercials from EA for the 360 back in 2005. I think minds were blown this time around, and it was definitely a significant jump, but it has become an issue of diminishing returns.
I predict GC-Wii style jumps for both Sony and Microsoft, in the sense that they'll roughly double what they have and run with it, which will be a much more visible boost than GC-Wii (since its very hard to see the effects of 43 MB of RAM vs 88 MB of RAM, but much more visible to see 1 GB against 512 MB)
NaeemTHM @ Jun 16th 2009 3:43PM
Are you saying we're going to see 2 PS3's duct taped together?!
verymetal @ Jun 16th 2009 3:43PM
The PS4 and Xbox next will wait and see what Nintendo does, then copy it.
sam @ Jun 16th 2009 3:55PM
One thing about those earlier system updates is that back then, PC wasn't really in the business. Game consoles had the advantage not only of being integrated / special-purpose (i.e. a game system doesn't need to be good at running databases) but nobody was really challenging them on graphics.
Nowadays, game consoles get graphics chips that are simply customised versions of PC graphics cards. And with PC gamers willing to pay more than a game console costs just for that graphics card, it's not surprising that new game consoles aren't going to stun graphically - even at launch, PC gamers can have console-quality graphics if they fork out, and as the years go by, the difference becomes marked.
Or in other words, you might have been more impressed by the 360's graphics if you hadn't seen the same thing on your rich friend's PC a month before it came out.
Another aspect of this is that game graphics are reaching the 'good enough' level in a number of areas now. Any system is perfectly good enough to play all the music games, because let's face it, drawing arrows on screen is not a big challenge. And in other areas, the Wii for instance has 'good enough' graphics for cartoony games (like most of Nintendo's). Mario Galaxy looked great despite the ancient technology involved. It'd look nicer on a more powerful system, but I can't believe the difference would be fundamental.
I think next generation (which, yeah, might be delayed) is going to be even more like this - PS3/60 graphics are pretty much 'good enough' for almost any game already. Sure, they could be in 1080p, but most people won't even notice that. There could be a better draw distance in open-world games. More polygons, more lighting, sharper textures. Nice to have, but no big deal. It already looks great.
Maybe game development is finally beginning to reach the point that other software achieved years back - where performance isn't, really, all that important. Developers will be able to concentrate on what the game does instead of how to make it look nice, because the system will put out great graphics without really breaking a sweat. In almost every other area of software that's happened already - it's only games that are really pushing the hardware to limits (visible as frame rates). Are they going to keep doing that (on consoles)? I wonder.
TwEE @ Jun 16th 2009 4:09PM
The Homicidal Manicac and uncle jesse just described Nintendo's reason for coming out with the wii and why its selling so well..
Sly [PSN SniperChameleon] @ Jun 16th 2009 4:55PM
2 ps3s duck taped together... that's gonna be one big ass console...
jONEz @ Jun 16th 2009 5:04PM
Until real-time ray tracing becomes feasible I agree 100%. And sadly that day is far, far away lol.
Cosmo @ Jun 16th 2009 2:51PM
Oh fuck, I hope the Playstation 4 and Xbox 720 won't have $70 games.
$60 is already too much, I remember laughing when new games on the PS1 were $49.99 and N64 were $59.99, one reason because cartridges cost much more than CDs to produce.
At least PC games are still $49.99 and below but of course a good gaming PC isn't cheap, but I also don't just play games on it. : )
uncle jesse @ Jun 16th 2009 3:08PM
The following is a true story:
I went to Best Buy to pick up Wolverine with my Best Buy gift card. It was $69.99. I left with Crackdown for $19.99.
How many times in Joystiq comments alone, do you see people saying "I'll pick that up once the price comes down"? People are a lot more educated these days when they go to spend 60 bucks on a new release. Reviews are read, scores are averaged, friends are talked to, videos are watched...
shamowfski @ Jun 16th 2009 4:00PM
@unclejesse
You made the right choice.
Sly [PSN SniperChameleon] @ Jun 16th 2009 4:58PM
yeah, when you hear people complaining about how expensive a good gaming rig is, they don't really factor in the cost of the games, or how long you'll be able to use it. i can't afford a good gaming rig, but when i can i'll get one ASAP.
globones @ Jun 16th 2009 3:06PM
lol @ OnLive.
No PS4 for at least 5+ years.
Slim and disc-less Ps3's or xbox 360's don't count as new systems.
copa @ Jun 16th 2009 3:09PM
OnLive will be a disaster, if it ever launches at all. I can guarantee you that Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are not organizing their console launch schedules around this Press Release Wonder.
Tired of your BS @ Jun 16th 2009 4:47PM
Online is garbage, there'll be lag deaths complaints over horrible glitchy graphics and bugs galore. Unless everyone in the country or even the continent had Fios there's no way to guarantee a consistent quality experience in something that relies on the internet.
Tired of your BS @ Jun 16th 2009 4:49PM
Clearly I meant to say Onlive... no editing for comments once you hit that button sucks... sucks as much as onlive, hell even the name sucks ass.
Shagittarius @ Jun 16th 2009 3:10PM
Dear Ubisoft,
Never go full retard.
Your friend,
Shagi
Dirty @ Jun 16th 2009 4:05PM
Rain Man nearly bankrupt a casino, and he was a reTARD.
Phil Fauble @ Jun 18th 2009 8:42AM
Dear Shagi
Please send that letter directly to Ubisoft, it seems to be happening now they need it fast.
Eh screw it... e-mail them!
Your friend
Phil
p.s. I love motion controls.. but not for everything.. 50% retard (if by retard you mean motion controlled) is enough for me... I'm about 50% retard (and by retard I mean... retard) :D
Oh and I'm not trying to make fun of you or anything... I agree with what you're saying completely. So Don't think I'm trying to be an ass.. I just .. I dunno.. I agree.
Orion @ Jun 16th 2009 3:31PM
The day Ubisoft makes 80% of it's games for the motion control format is the day I hope to god they go the way of Midway.
I'm sorry, the first Rayman Rabbids was nice, but enough already. I think we've already sucked the fun out of it. It's nice when motion control is used smartly or limited, like Flower or Mario Galaxy, but I for one am not looking forward to it being the norm for most games. Especially not full body motion control.
When I want to play a game I want to relax. If I wanted to jump around the room, then I'd just rather go outside and play some basketball.
Chad Vanderbilt (Moptimus in Disguise) @ Jun 16th 2009 3:35PM
so when you play games you wanna be chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool, not shootin' some b-ball outside of the school?
Shagittarius @ Jun 16th 2009 3:36PM
Never go full body motion control.
Mr Khan @ Jun 16th 2009 3:41PM
Full Body will never become the norm for exactly that reason.
Plus there's a large possibility that MS is just blowing smoke about how much they're actually going to push Natal (i'm not saying that as a Nintendo fanboy, just as someone who has observed the "Microsoft Hype Machine for New Technologies" before)
NaeemTHM @ Jun 16th 2009 3:46PM
@ Chad
I WOULD play b-ball but a couple of guys were up in no good and started making trouble in my neighbourhood.
So now I just sit at home ;____;
Chad Vanderbilt (Moptimus in Disguise) @ Jun 16th 2009 4:04PM
oh, I see. You don't wanna get in a fight because your mom will get scared and have you movin in with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air
megapenguinx @ Jun 16th 2009 3:38PM
Dear Ubisoft,
Keep making games for this generation. Don't make the jump to new consoles until you think you've maximized the potential of the current ones.
That is all.
PS:Motion control was fine for the Wii, but I still prefer a standard controller to moving around.
Mr Khan @ Jun 16th 2009 3:44PM
It does make you wonder exactly what the new standard is going to be moving ahead. I still like Sony's idea for a modular controller, because it takes the versatility of the Wiimote + Nunchuk system (which can be used perfectly well as a standard controller, a la Brawl), but then takes it a step further, to where your motion controller can transform into your standard pad, without losing much functionality, or without drawing a clear line of demarcation down the market (many suspect that Sony and/or Microsoft will create a wholly separate casual brand, and just keep the markets apart, which would be very foolish)
Nightwish @ Jun 16th 2009 3:48PM
So, if this complete piece of vaporware that has no economic chance of nearing even PS2-quality turns out to sell tens of millions of consoles in a year, traditional console makers will quake in fear?
Yeah, I'm sure they're giving a fuck. Sure. At least it might make your company make your crapware for it instead of the Wii, go right ahead.
KaBob799 @ Jun 16th 2009 3:56PM
I have no idea how anybody could think that a company with a plan like OnLive could become anywhere near a threat to console sales.
Discotheque @ Jun 16th 2009 5:14PM
So basically next-generation:
Hello COD 16: Future Warfare 4
Goodbye Brutal Legend, Heavy Rain, Alan Wake etc.