Despite the fact that we don’t know their launch dates or their prices, the next generation of consoles are less than half a year away. It’s always an exciting time if you’re into video games, and with all new hardware comes new possibilities. Lots of companies have been hyping up what they see as the most exciting about the new systems, with the SSDs in both garnering the biggest praise. Now one of the biggest companies in gaming, EA, is weighing in to say they expect their games to feel quite different.
In an interview with GamesIndustry, EA Chief Studios Officer Laura Miele said that this generational shift was going to be a big one for the company. She pointed to, of course, the improved graphics potential, but more so the extra memory for what she sees as a more intense experience that will lead to a very different feel for their games.
“Historically, console transitions have been punctuated by increased graphic fidelity and that hasn’t changed — this next generation of games will certainly take a visual leap — but we are also taking advantage of the extra memory and CPU cycles to bring a lot more detail to life.
“As an example, in Madden we will be using the NFL’s next gen stats so every athlete in the game will play how they do in real life, with the data being updated in real-time. Fans in the stadium will be unique people responding to the action on the field. Deferred rendering allows us to use colors and lights in more dynamic ways… and dynamic weather systems will impact the athletes, their equipment and the playing field. Games are going to feel different, better and more visceral.
“During my first demo when I experienced the instant load times and massive worlds, I knew immediately this was going to set a new bar in terms of player expectations. When players see how accessible and immersive this generation of technology is, there will be no turning back.”
EA showed a brief look at some next gen offerings their various studios will offer, such as BioWare and DICE, but outside their cross-gen sports titles we haven’t seen anything from EA for full next-gen just yet. As always, the hype for a new generation of consoles is pretty high in the early marketing stages, but it’ll depend on what it’s like when we get them in our living rooms to see what it’s all about.
