"Dramatic increase in power" required for next generation consoles

CEO of Epic Games Tim Sweeney has said the next generation of consoles should be at the bleeding edge of technology, allowing gamers the best experience they can have.

In an interview with Gamastura, Sweeney said the next generation should offer "raw performance" and gamers should be able to differentiate between online games and pure hardcore games.

"The thing that separates consoles from FarmVille is the fact that consoles define the high-end gaming experience," he said.

"When you look for the best graphics available in the whole game industry today, you look at Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and those games are the best out there, bar none.

"And so the big opportunities for future consoles is to bring that to an entirely new level by delivering a dramatic increase in raw computing power."

As a developer, Sweeney said that the console makers need to be making the best consoles they can so that enables developers "to create the best quality experience as possible, and that will drive people to buy a new machine."

Sweeney also said it would be difficult for gamers to upgrade if there isn't an incentive of better graphics and gameplay.

"To do that you need awesome games that provide a level of graphical fidelity that people have just not seen or even imagined previously," he said.

The biggest issue, however, will be that of pricing and of the financial crisis most of the world finds itself in. There is no point in releasing a new console if no one will buy it and the technology becomes obsolete in a few years. No more are consoles going to run 10 year development cycles, so is it worth releasing consoles now in this climate?