When it comes to video games, AAA console releases have really grown stagnant over the last decade. That's one of the many reasons I'm so glad to be at Gamezebo, where we focus on the platforms that give developers the freedom to experiment instead of the latest cut-and-paste first person shooter.As it turns out, Xbox co-creator Ed Fries seems to feel the same way about the current state of AAA games, and he's ready to explain why, detailing the creativity-stifling environment that led to his 2004 resignation from Microsoft in a recent GamesIndustry interview.Rather than fostering new ideas, Fries suggests that AAA development is run too much like a business - focusing on quantity of dollars rather than quality of game. Instead of experimenting with little things, which Fries says sows the seeds of successful bigger projects down the road, the focus of the Xbox brand during his time there was to stick to what works and sell it better. "In a sense, I fundamentally didn't agree with that because I think the big things come from little things," Fries told GamesIndustry.
Move over OUYA, there's a new Android console maker in town. And unlike OUYA, this particular entrant won't need to go to Kickstarter to raise funds for its machine. That's because the maker in question is Google, owner of the Android OS and one of the largest and most ubiquitous tech companies around.
Following an endless wave of hype, rumors, pomp and circumstance, Microsoft unveiled the third generation of Xbox earlier today at their headquarters in Redmond, Washington. Though I suppose the location didn't matter too much. Press and gamer alike, you could watch it from anywhere - whether streamed to your desktop or sent straight to your TV via your soon-to-be-last-gen Xbox 360.
Cross-platform gaming is no longer limited to being a PC and console player. As mobile continues moving ahead as a prominent gaming platform, players will find more ways to experience the expansive, engaging, and challenging adventures they once found only in their standalone gaming systems. There's still plenty of work to be done (see: virtual joysticks), but console gamers should find the mobile landscape of today more familiar than ever before, no matter their genre of choice.
It is a busy time for new consoles. This spring saw the launch of Nintendo's new games console, the 3DS. Nintendo has just announced that a successor to the Wii is due soon, too. We've also had the news recently of Sony's PSP follow-up, currently codenamed NGP, or Next Generation Portable.