The Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 will be two defining elements for the eighth generation of gaming, which will most likely end up making this year known as "The Year of the Next-Generation Console."
In an exclusive interview with Examiner.com today, gaming journalist Geoff Keighley believes with all that is expected from the Xbox 720 and PS4, that they will define 2013.
"The introduction of next-generation consoles is always a huge news item.
"With Sony's announcement of a February 20th event to unveil the "future" it would be hard to deny that 2013 is the year of the next-gen console," Keighley said.
Keighley then went on to provides his thoughts on what he is expecting from the two next-generation systems from Microsoft and Sony.
"Graphics will always get better in the next-generation, but the software and services around the games are becoming increasingly important.
"Social networks like Xbox Live and PSN are vital, as are services like HBO Go and Netflix.
"Right now it's very hard to move from watching a movie on Netflix to playing Call of Duty on Xbox Live. Why can't you switch between these like you switch TV channels?" Keighley said.
Keighley said he is expecting big things from Rockstar's upcoming game "Grand Theft Auto V" and that he also has been partaking in some indie gaming.
Keighley then talked about what he thinks about the current state of gaming journalism, Doritos and Mountain Dew aside.
"I'm impressed with some of the long form feature writing I've seen on sites like Polygon and Kotaku.
"There's lots of debate about the state of "game journalism," but more than ever social media and forums are bringing journalists and citizen journalists closer together.
"Today a forum poster online can write up a review of a game that's just as important as the one from an established media outlet," Keighley said.
He talked about a way for women to become more involved in the gaming industry, and mentioned a few titles that have been more gender inclusive.
"Everyone plays games today, whether it's 'League of Legends,' 'Call of Duty,' 'Words with Friends,' or a game like 'Temple Run 2' that was downloaded more than 20 million times in just a few days.
"It's true that there are probably more male than female game developers, but this will change over time, especially as more and more universities offer video game programs.
"There certainly have been some great games that crossed gender barriers. It really comes down to how you define 'games.'
"I haven't seen statistics, but I would imagine games like 'Angry Birds' or 'Words with Friends' are evenly played by both sexes.
"Many Wii games like 'Wii Fit' appealed to both sexes, as did a lot of titles for Kinect. Publishers are thinking more and more about how to build games that appeal to everyone as opposed to targeting a specific gender or demographic," Keighley said.
Keighley summed things up by talking about anti-used gaming and how some games should be priced at the universal $60.
"Reselling used games is certainly a problem in the eyes of game publishers. As we move more toward digital distribution we will see less piracy and re-sells.
"Look at Valve's Steam distribution platform on the PC. Eventually technology will intersect with this issue and solve it for us.
"Pricing for all games needs to be re-evaluated. Much like the iOS App store, games should be available at various price points so all titles aren't sixty dollars on day one.
"If there was more experimentation with pricing we'd see less of an issue with used game sales. Not all games deserve to --- or should -- charge $60," Keighley said.
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