Console graphics: are we leveling off?

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

The Wii U barely has any online play, but, more critically, any digital game purchases are tied to a console rather than a user account, making owning multiple Nintendo consoles or moving between consoles impractical. I'll take the annual fee to avoid such nonsense any day of the week. Such shenanigans are what make me avoid purchasing very many digital goods on the Wii U or 3DS.

I only download titles not available a retail. VC and eShop mostly. I did download the Super Luigi U before it released at retail. I also bought a retail copy which is sitting sealed on my game shelf.

 

Sad that 8th gen will probably be the last with physical media.

[dashv]

The Wii U barely has any online play, but, more critically, any digital game purchases are tied to a console rather than a user account, making owning multiple Nintendo consoles or moving between consoles impractical. I'll take the annual fee to avoid such nonsense any day of the week. Such shenanigans are what make me avoid purchasing very many digital goods on the Wii U or 3DS.

I have experienced the good and the bad of this.

 

Just last month I discovered my Nintendo Wii was dead. Full brick. No reason. The power adapter reset did not work for me and the adapter actually works with another Wii. The system is toast and with it about $50 worth of digital downloads. Not a lot. But still. Not happy.

 

Nintendo has offered to repair it for $25 though (since they saw on my account that I've owned every system they've ever released except the Virtual Boy). If the Repair doesn't work out they are willing to transfer all my games to another registered device. Either a Wii or a Wii U.

 

The good experience I've had is I recently bought a WiiU and it came with over $200 worth of content on the drive to start with.

[dashv]

I only download titles not available a retail. VC and eShop mostly. I did download the Super Luigi U before it released at retail. I also bought a retail copy which is sitting sealed on my game shelf.

 

Sad that 8th gen will probably be the last with physical media.

 

If that's the case it will be the last gen I care about.

[adamchevy]

I'm so glad I don't need a subscription to play vectrex games. I can't get into the idea of paying to access games that might not be there in a few years. I didn't pay for it last gen, and I haven't seen a good enough reason to yet. I'd rather spend my subscription money on homebrews every year.

[dashv]

I got the subscription for the automatic updates (no more waiting an hour for an update to download and install killing my chance to actually sit down and play the game.

 

And for the ability to have my saves survive long after my console has died.

 

That's been worth it so far. The "free" rentals has just been a neat way for me to try before I buy.

[cybercylon]

If that's the case it will be the last gen I care about.

It's probably going to all digital... maybe.

 

Do current games use all of the space of a dual layered Blu-ray disc? Triple and quad layered discs are already on the consumer market. We may be leveling off with the graphics, but many of the other improvements we want still take up space.

 

I am tired... so maybe to my point... better AI, larger environments, less compression of textures, 4K video, etc... if those become more the norm, there may still be a need for physical media. Not feasible to deliver a 100 gig game to people over their internet connections.