9th console generation predictions
2020 October Update: I've added a scorecard to keep track of how accurate this prediction was.
Now that we are more than 4 years into the 8th generation of games consoles, I figure now would be a good time to start throwing out predictions/ideas for 9th gen systems. Realistically it's a bit early, but it does mean if any of them come to fruition, I get bragging rights.
While I wouldn't be surprised to see the consoles arrive in the next three-to-four years, we may be waiting until 2022 or later. People complained about the extended gap between the 7th and 8th gen, so I know manufacturers might be wary of doing that again, but the wait appeared to boost adoption, as customers were desperate for some new hardware. It would be important for companies to wait until there is a significant step forwards in technology or reduction in production costs, and it would be wise to wait until the economy has further improved.
I predict that the 9th gen consoles will be the last to support a CD drive. I know a lot of people expect physical stores and hard copies to have vanished in a few years, but continuing sales suggest otherwise, and many rural areas will still have insufficient access to the high-speed connections needed for downloading full titles. By midway through the 9th gen some titles will have become large enough to necessitate shipping on 2 blu-ray discs.
Game companies will continue to push game downloads, and slimmer hardware revisions will come with a cheaper option with the CD drive removed entirely. In order to reduce the number of physical games, there will be digital games tied to, and sold as, a physical product, like an amiibo, and will be considered a collectable. These items will contain a one-use digital key, and be redeemed through a reader in the console. This will mark the end of typing in codes for season passes and pre-order bonuses, as they will simply be scanned through the machine. A bar code reader and collectible cards would be the easiest way to accomplish this, as it would be able to read codes printed off till receipts.
Sony will go all-in with VR this generation, possibly even bundling their new VR headset with the console at launch. Based on how successful this is, Microsoft will release their own at a later date. Both the PS5 and the Xbox 10 (yes, I'm going to assume that as its name) will be able to support 4K as standard. Neither will demand an always online connection, but with the increasing shift to games-as-service models, this will be the norm for most systems anyway.
The PS5 controller will come in a two-handed configuration, like Nintendo's Joycons, for use with the VR headset. The Xbox controller, on the other hand, will finally include rear paddles as default. Both controllers will attempt to match some of the HD Rumble features of the Nintendo Joy-Cons. Both consoles will accept phones as some kind of input, and further attempt to push companion apps.
The consoles will ship with 1tb hard drives, and will attempt to justify this with an increased focus on their game streaming services, of which Microsoft will have joined by this point. By the end of the 9th generation, game streaming will become as common as digital copies are today.
Nintendo, being Nintendo, are the hardest to predict, but a few things are fairly safe bets. Their next console will once again be some kind of handheld/home console hybrid, and likely still rely on cartridges. Online features will still lag behind Sony and Microsoft, but be an improvement on what they have now. Hard-drive storage will not exceed 256GB. Native voice chat may finally be introduced. The “HD Rumble” introduced in the Joy-Con will be further refined and expanded.
As for some of the “bolder” directions the console could take, well, here are some of my ideas.
The new console will attempt to enter the VR market, probably with some head-set that the console slots into. Rather than looking futuristic, it will go for a “fun” design, like a Toad hat. It will be bundled with a party game that requires physically interacting with other players, such as charades.
The console will experiment with emitting scents, either from the console or the controller. The chances of a new Cooking Mama game to go with it are high.
The controller will be strapped to your hands, and will function like the power-glove was always intended to. Cameras on the controller will be used to see what the hands are pointed at, allowing players to manipulate their TV like a touch-screen, even from across the room.
The console will be able to detect multiple amiibo, and their position when placed on the screen. Nintendo will release a mah-jong set for it, finally tying their traditional game division back in with their main business. Games Workshop and Wizards of the Coast will attempt to get in on this with their own miniatures games for the system.
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