Rumblings from developer and analyst circles seem to be indicating that we are on the cusp of the next generation in gaming platforms. With Nintendo unveiling the Wii U, it could only be a matter of time before Microsoft and Sony are forced to address the changing market.
Rare boss Scott Henson discussed the possibilities of the next Xbox, but reminded us that technology in our day and age for gaming is still incredibly sophisticated. Speaking at the Develop conference, Henson said that Microsoft is looking more and more to improving their gaming experiences, rather than focus on a new generation.
"One of my favorite things is, Scott, tell me when next-gen is. Tell me when that's going to happen. This has been the last ten years of my life. When's next-gen? When's next-gen? When's the new Xbox Live? When's the new Xbox?" he said. "The power of software, the power of services, and the power of platforms is that it's always now. We continue to build on them, continue to innovate, continue to push, and we continue to build magic."
While details on the next generation are few and far between, the possibilities remain boundless. Henson offered that the Kinect is well on the way to offering more cool features than previously thought possible. He even offered that one day there might be something in the form of a ‘holodeck’ in our gaming consoles, reminiscent of Star Trek.
"I'm not going to give you the exact date you're going to have a holodeck in your room, but think about that for just a second," he said. "Think about the movies we all grew up on and the things that inspired us in lots of different ways to create the kind of entertainment to do. We're down that path. We're absolutely down that path right now."
While this might be wishful thinking, one can certainly dream. As technology continues to advance, the possibilities are boundless. "You see advancements in televisions," he said. "When we stood up and we said it's the HD era in 2005 and HD is now – I remember because I wrote the speech and I was at GDC in 2005 and we gave away TVs, it was awesome. And here we are in 2011 and HD TVs are pretty pervasive, but they're still in only about half the homes around the world. It's not everywhere yet.”
"When will the holodeck happen? It's going to be a journey. I don't think there's going to be a date."
[Thanks Eurogamer]
