We're coming up on more and more rumors of the PS6 and whatever the next Xbox iteration is going to be. Nintendo, having most recently released a console, seems like they have no intention to be on the same schedule as these two anymore, so I think the concept of "generations" is already going to start getting muddy.

Sony and Microsoft are obviously going to want to tout their next hardware as an actual "next generation" upgrade, and to the general public this usually involves better graphics - stuff like frame rate and all that doesn't matter too much to them. However what I'm thinking about now for multi-platform releases is that since Nintendo has broken away and released a new console right before this next generation refresh, a lot of developers aren't going to be adding next generation graphics to these games or else they risk little/no compatibility with S2. Hell, what do "next generation graphics" even look like? I play the odd PS5 game here or there that still wow me.

In an ideal world I think these consoles will instead be honing in on performance - I think that we should stick with 4K performance, and stick with where we're currently at in graphical design, but start making sure games can at least stay at a SOLID 60FPS, if not more. I think the "performance" versus "graphics" mode should no longer exist, and they should simply be the same thing for all games released, and all games that support it should have a 120Hz mode.

That's my thoughts at least. Do you guys have any ideas on what you think the next generation consoles will do to justify their existence?

We've had this rumor for so long and I sincerely think it's not far from reality: Sony, and to an extent Microsoft, will copy the Switch and the Steam Deck.

With the huge popularity of the Switch and its methods, and now that it has received a major upgrade, it's obvious that the concept will be copied. They already attempted to copy the Wiimote back in time, though the Playstation Move and the Kinect didn't quite hit the spot. But now it makes much more sense to turn into full portability besides being a home console.

Why it makes more sense? Phones. Phone gaming is at its highest point right now, so console makers are also competing against them and the ability to have your phone on you at all times. Sony doesn't want you to play Candy Crush, they want you to play their own games in a console of their own so you leave the phone just for texting and calling. In essence, console makers want you to leave the cellphone for the use it was actually created for: texting and calling.

So, rather than upgrading graphics, being able to put the current level of graphics into a portable console would be this generation's upgrade. It's a major change after all, because consoles right now are quite big so travelling with them isn't as easy as with the times of the PSX, and regaining this ability of easier travelling would be a game changer, just like the original Switch demonstrated.

I think this would be the logical follow-up, otherwise I don't think we'll see any real change between generations... outside the fact of physical games, that is.