This year is exciting and I can't wait to see what happens in the next few days with Sony. E3 is going to be a lot of fun to watch. I thought I would start this thread so we could discuss what we would like to see and what we are hoping doesn't happen. Feel free to constantly update the thread with articles and such you find.

Looking forward to:

Smaller and quieter consoles: TDP should be WAY down this time around compared to previous consoles. What concerns me however is that the rumors suggest a bulldozer based processor, which is very power hungry compared to alternatives. I doubt this will matter since the rumors also claim that it will only be running at ~1.6GHz, but I'd imagine it would throttle up while gaming to around 2.4Ghz or so. I'd imagine that the processors would be running at a TDP of around 50-70W if true. The FX8100 is a 2.8Ghz chip that turbos to 3.7Ghz and has a TDP of 95W, so its the closest thing to compare t0.

x86 Architecture: Using "off the shelf" processors will certainly help devs develop games faster and allow them to not waste development time chasing down one-off optimizations. This move also bodes VERY well for PC gamers who have enjoyed much higher quality ports over the last few years due to the maturity of consoles. Hopefully going x86 from the start will make this gen a very smooth transition.

Cautious about:

Digital Distro: Although Steam has grown on me quite a bit over the years, I do not have the same faith that a publicly traded company such as MS and Sony will be as reserved with their DRM and pricing. The way MS seems to be willy-nilly about how they ban people gives me pause to think that all my game purchases may be lost if they decide I'm a hacker or whatever. How strict the DRM will be is also of concern. Will I be able to play my game at a friend's house? Can I loan a game to a friend to play? I do not mind not being able to sell a game, but it makes it all the more difficult to shell out $60 when my "license" could be revoked or lost at the whim of the company.

Price: We saw games rise from $50 to $60 last generation. Are they going to try to go up on the price or will they loosen the price in response to potentially killing the used market? Will we see steam like sales or will they use digital distro to corner the market? How about the consoles? I doubt Sony will drop a $599 console again especially since they do not have a new media disk to sweeten the deal.

Peripherals: Rumor has it that MS will not allow the use of the X360 controller with the new console. Will this also extend to racing wheels and such? I love the X360 controller and do not look forward to purchasing another round of controllers. There better be a great and radical change to the existing design to justify throwing out the most beloved controller of all time.

It will be interesting over the next few months. Better start saving up.

I saw this over at Arstechnica today: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/0...ext-dualshock/



New PS4 controller with front touch screen. Looks nice.

P.S. I hope the have an option to disable all hardware lights this time around.