Microsoft, Nintendo, GTA Publisher Weigh in on New Consoles

What does this mean for the future?

By Jose Otero

The biggest story leading up to E3 2016, and of the show itself, was the existence of new hardware from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo that will be released over the course of the next year. As the video game industry shifts to a new business model where consoles will be refreshed at a much faster pace, the Associated Press spoke to Microsoft, GTA publisher Take-Two, and Nintendo for insight on what this means for the future.

At E3 Microsoft unveiled Project Scorpio, a stronger version of the company’s Xbox One coming in 2017, alongside the Xbox One S, a redesign of its existing system that adds 4K video output. "We're trying to shift the culture and put the power of when to upgrade in the hands of gamers, as opposed to it being driven by technology or a corporate initiative," said Shannon Loftis, head of publishing at Microsoft Game Studios, told the AP in an interview. "I hope that we don't frustrate gamers. We're responding to them. The feedback we've received is that they want more choices."

"I don't see it making games more expensive," said Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick said. "I think new hardware developments that give us more powerful platforms to work on but are still compatible with the current generation is great news. We're still pushing the envelope on current-gen consoles, so it's not like we're screaming for more power."

Prior to the E3, Sony announced the existence of a new PlayStation 4 that will support 4K resolution and improved graphics. Nintendo announced the existence of codename NX, but the Japanese game maker is still tight-lipped on the subject despite its pending release of March 2017.

"In terms of NX, there's an idea that we're working on," said Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto. "That's why we can't share anything at this point, and I don't want to comment on the other companies. If it was just a matter of following advancements in technology, things would be coming out a lot quicker."

Jose Otero is an Editor at IGN and host of Nintendo Voice Chat. You can follow him on Twitter.

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