The head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, recently answered a fan question via Twitter about whether the new generation of consoles will just be about improved visuals or will be more innovative. Spencer replied stating that gamers will see “next gen tech” before this generation is over:
@Nicodemus9 Before this gen is over we'll see next gen tech (not just gfx, phys etc) from lots of companies. Games innovation is strong.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) December 23, 2014
The last generation featured new hardware after consoles released, this was evident with the Kinect in addition to the Playstation Move. These accessories are used by companies for extension strategies which increase the life span of the initial product, they also provided innovation unseen in previous generations, even if they were not well received.
It is interesting to ponder on what Phil Spencer is talking as there are plenty of possibilities. Firstly virtual reality is becoming more and more of an actual reality with the widespread acclaim for headsets such as the Oculus Rift in addition to Sony’s Project Morpheus. Microsoft has been rumoured to be working on their virtual reality headset so it is possible this is the innovation which the Head of Xbox was speaking of.
Another possibility is that Phil Spencer was referring to the long dormant Illumiroom which was unveiled at CES 2013. The Illumiroom would definitely be a shake-up which would change gaming. Recently Microsoft has developed a new prototype called RoomAlive which also uses camera units to create augmented reality displayed over walls, furniture and floor. Microsoft has stated that this type of technology will not be available for a long time but the Xbox One’s life-cycle would most likely not finish for many years to come.
It is also possible that Spencer was simply referring to alterations in gameplay mechanics but this seems unlikely as many indie studios on Xbox in addition to other platforms such as PC, PS4 and PS Vita are already delivering outside of the box ideas in their downloadable titles.
What innovation do you what to see in the current generation of gaming? Tell us in the comments below.