2012 was a good year for the gaming industry. There were a few major disappointments and some great games, but overall it was a good year.  Before we gear up for 2013 and the excitement it’s going to bring, let’s take a look back at some of the hits and misses of last year.

2012 The Good:

• WiiU released - brought with it the use of a second screen.
• PS vita released.
• Indie games do marvelously well : The Living Dead, Journey, Hotline Miami to name a few.
• Surprise hits help us maximize the fun: Sleeping Dogs and Dishonored, PS ALL Stars
• Sequels once again do well: Max Payne 4, Hitman: Absolution, Black Ops 2, AC3, HALO 4, Mass Effect 3 etc.
• OKAMI HD comes out, with much better graphics and the same great gameplay that made it the game of the year.

2012 The Bad:

• THQ, owners of Saints Row, Metro, WWE files for bankruptcy.
• Anticipated games get delayed: Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite, Aliens etc
• The Mass Effect 3 ending has a huge reaction from fans, make the developer add an extra ending
• The disappointment of Assassins Creed 3 not living up to its potential.
• Resident Evil 6 being a bad game.
• Slow PS Vita sales.
• Not a lot of original games and content.

2013 - Let us gaze into the crystal ball!

2013 is going to be a big year, infact its going to be a really big year for gamers. Why? Well, we are well on our way to the next generation of gaming. The Xbox360 came out in 2005 followed by the PS3 in 2006. The new consoles will be announced soon. Latest rumors are suggesting that Sony and Microsoft will announce the new systems before E3, maybe even as early as March. Also throw in the fact that Nvidia has announced Project Shield and Valve has announced the Valve Box.

The excitement and thrill that comes with new technology, great games, is what is going to drive this year and we can easily expect new titles and never before seen technology. I can’t wait.

First a look at the consoles coming or atleast to be announced this year. From there, I will share an exhaustive list of titles announced for the year.  And these titles, they all look great.

The Consoles

The PS4 Rumor Roundup - Codename: Playstation Orbis

• It will limit the use of pre-used games.

Probability: 10% as such a step would definitely drive customers away. 

• The New PS will not use the current PS3 Cell Processor

Probability: 50%. Why? Well if they use it, it will cut the new PS’s costs, but as has been seen over this generation, the Cell structure has been difficult to develop for.  Plus there is news that Sony will be collaborating with AMD for graphics power.

• Lack of backwards compatibility

Probability: 85%. This is surely something that will take place if AMD comes in as the previous games are based on NVIDIA architecture. Also, Sony has had success in releasing HD versions of PS2 games on the PS3 and with the graphical leap expected, it would make more sense to upscale the current games.

• Mind Blowing Resolution

Probability: 90%. For the PS3, Sony bought its Blu-ray technology,  which won its disc war against the HD DVD. Right now Sony is pushing its new 4K TVs coupled with OLED technology. I am sure that Sony will support this technology as it inadvertently supports the higher end Blu-ray discs.

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• A new PS EYE

Probability: 95%. The original PS eye for the PS2 was the basis on which the Kinect was built. Microsoft defeated Sony at their own game and improved Sony’s technology to their advantage. Sony’s Move was great, but the camera was seriously lacking. There will be a new PS Eye along with a more advanced Move controller. Leaked documents have shown the new technologies Sony is working right now.

• It will use a second Screen

Probability 85%. With Nintendo bringing a second screen with the Wii U, and Microsoft following suite with the Smart Glass, Sony will be using a second screen as well. It could be an external attachment, or link up with the Vita or even cellphones.

• 8GB RAM / 16GB Flash Memory

Probability: 90%. Sony plans to undo their mistakes. The PS3 lacked the RAM to perform tasks simultaneously, and this will allow them to do perform multiple tasks without any issues including running the OS systems and apps in the background.

• The Alleged Specs:
  • AMD Fusion APU - Codenamed 'Liverpool'
  • AMD x86 Quad Core at 3.2 GHz
  • ATI r10xx (3rd generation) GFLOPS at 800 MHz and 1843 - Codename "Tahiti"
  • 8 GB RAM
  • Blu-ray
  • HDMI 1.4 - 1080p output
  • 320 GB + HDD
  • 16 GB Flash Memory
  • Run Capability at 1.84 Teraflops

Historically, every new generation of the Playstation has been 10 times more powerful than the previous one. From the PS1 to PS2 and the same with the PS2 to the PS3, this has been consistent and I am sure it will bring the same leap to the PS4.

Well there you have it, the Orbis’s alleged configurations along with all the rumors going around. PS3 at present has overtaken 360 in worldwide shipments. The PS3 has shifted 78m units while the 360 has 77m units shifted, even though the 360 came out a whole year early. Also there is the problem of double counting due to YLOD problems the 360 faced.

Nevertheless, Sony’s president at the recently concluded CES announced that Sony had lost its way in the past few years and now they are back to providing unique solutions like before. Let’s hope they give us a great few years with the PS Orbis.

The Next X-box Rumor Roundup - Known Codenames: Xbox720, Xbox Next, Durango, Loop, Infinity

• It will be atleast 6 times powerful as the 360.

Probability: 90%. The different tech rumors have suggested the same and it would make sense to make a powerful enough system to last a whole generation.

• It will require an internet connection at all times/block used games.

Probability: 20%. The 360 was a heavily pirated system. One of the new technologies to counter piracy is to have an always on internet connection. There are also rumors that it will block used games. Again blocking used games is very low on probability, and at the same time an always on internet connection will limit their customers worldwide. 

• Blu-Ray Disc Drive

Probability: 90%. All the latest information points to this. There were several games that came out for the 360 that required multiple DVDs. And to support the higher resolutions, the Xbox Next will require the Blu Ray system even if it means paying Sony Patent fees.

• A new more powerful Kinect

Probability: 80%. It may not come out right away but a new more feature rich Kinect is a certainty. One that can catch finger movements as well.   

• A Touch screen Controller

Probability: 50%. The WiiU has done it and so will Microsoft but in what way is the question. Will it use a second screen on the controller or use the Smart Glass. In any case a second screen will be a staple of the next gen systems.

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•  It will double as a Media Recorder:

Probability: 65%. Microsoft has always wanted the 360 to be a complete solution and has a patent going as far back as 2007. The patent says that it can record media whether you are playing games or even if the system is turned off. Always a great feature.

• It will come with the IllumiRoom

Probability:90%: First there were rumors of holograms. Then at CES in January, Microsoft showed the IllumiRoom,a system that can scan your living room and project images onto your surroundings, making it feel like you're completely immersed in the game. Although it can help in making the game more immersive, It can also serve as a distraction. We will know when it is ready. You can see a video of it here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhvrOkaDxAY

• Two Versions at Launch

Probability: 85%. Microsoft might just cater to different audiences. One the hardcore with a stronger system and one for casual gamers and children with the Kinect.

• Known Specs
  • AMD x86 Jaguar 1.6GHZ 8-Core [Targeting one core being dedicated for OS tasks]
  •  AMD 8000 series GPU 
  •  ESRAM on the GPU
  •  8GB Ram DDR3, [1.5GB of RAM likely reserved for the operating system]
  • Run Capability at 1.23 Teraflops

Well there we have it. That’s the Xbox Next in a nutshell. After performing exceedingly well this generation I can’t wait to have my go at the new generation of the 360.

Other Consoles:

Project Shield by Nvidia

Nvidia announced their own hand held system at CES running on the latest Android version. It uses the TEGRA 4 processor as well. You can find a write up on Project Shield on Dawn.com/Spider/blog

Steam Box

Being developed at Valve, the Steambox will be a highly customized PC to play games on Steam. Also, at the same time another system is being developed by Xi3 for Valve called the Piston. Only time will tell what Gabe Newell, the president has in store for us.

The Gaming Conferences:

Gaming conferences have become a place of extreme anticipation for us gamers as it is at these conferences where all the new games and systems are announced alongwith new technologies. E3 being the biggest one of them all. Below find all the major conferences that will take place.

27th Game Developers Conference March 25-29 San Francisco, California, United States

Consisting of talks for the industry, by the industry, but with plenty of tidbits for interested onlookers, GDC's main annual conference doubles as venue for the Independent Game Festival and its award show, as well as the respected Game Developers Choice Awards.

17th Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) June 11-13 Los Angeles, California, United States

Since 1995, the Electronic Entertainment Expo has grown into the largest US convention for the computer and video game industry. Companies from Nintendo to Sony come to E3 to unveil their new games and showcase the latest technology and software. Is this where Sony and Microsoft will reveal their new PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 in 2013?

 5th Gamescom

August 21-25 Cologne, Germany

The world's largest trade and public video games expo took no time at all to establish itself, branching off from the old Leipzig Games Convention in 2009 and offering hands-on time with new games and games devices. It's become a venue popular with manufacturers and studios preparing for the end-of-year holiday season as well as with the public looking to get hands-on time with the latest games. In 2012, Gamescom counted 275,000 visitors.

4th PAX East and 10th PAX Prime March 22-24 and August (TBC) Boston, Massachusetts and Seattle, Washington, United States

Still retaining a grassroots vibe and covering video games and board games, concerts and competitions, the US PAX events each clear around 70,000 visitors per show. A chance for developers and punters to mix freely, with plenty of talks, panels, podcasts, parties and gaming sessions to attend. 2013 marks the first year that PAX extends beyond North America, with the first PAX Australia planned for July 19-21 in Melbourne.

23rd Tokyo Game Show September (TBC) Tokyo, Japan

Along with GDC, E3 and Gamescom, one of the year's most important and influential expos. Even if in these last years the main companies chose to announce their new products in Los Angeles and Cologne, TGS remains home turf for Sony, while Nintendo will likely make any announcements at a separate, concurrent press event.

 

The Games:

The final part of our 2013 coverage, the games. How this year will fare  comes down to the games that are coming out. Below you will find an exhaustive list of games scheduled to come out sometime or another. They are in no particular order. Exclusives are also listed.