In gaming, we measure new console releases by generations, or "gen" for short. Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii are part of the Seventh Generation of consoles. The Eighth Generation began in 2012 and has continued to present day. These include the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Wii U. It is expected that the Ninth Generation of gaming is on the edge of the horizon, and we will perhaps hear the news and a release date of the first console to open up that generation in the next couple of years. But for now, Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U are at the forefront of console technology.
Upgrading to the newest generation of consoles has always been less than favorable financially, with the current generation of consoles pricing somewhere between $300 to $400. The result of this? Console owners from Seventh Gen holding out for a price drop for Eighth Gen. As of November 2015, an estimated 7 percent of console gamers, 3 percent for PS3 and 2 percent for 360 (with Wii stats being less than 1 percent), are still playing Seventh Generation. Keep in mind this number only reflects those without Eighth Generation consoles. This may seem like a small number, but also keep in mind how many gamers there are out there. At last count, there are 1.2 billion gamers in the world. 7 percent seems like a huge number now, doesn't it?
As aforementioned, price is a huge factor in the decision to upgrade or stay. Middle-Class Parents with children are less likely to buy a new console for themselves or their children with the current price point. The more children they have, the less likely they are to buy a current generation console, instead opting for the cheaper price point of the last generation. That's where the 7 percent number comes in at.
So what's even the point of upgrading? If it's cheap, and it's not broken, then why buy a current gen console? The facts are in the hardware. Newer generation console hardware can, and has been proven to, be able to support much more than last generation.
Let's take a look at one specific game. Destiny was released by Bungie and Activision in 2014 for the 360, PS3, Xbox One, and PS4. Both last gen and current gen were supported, which caused for the game to not be as great as it could have been. Textures had to be downgraded, map size compressed, and a lot of features disabled in order to be compatible with last gen. This meant no dedicated servers, which led to a lot of bad connections and not being able to "see a mountain and go to it." Recently the studio announced that they'd be leaving the last generation behind with their newest DLC and the sequel to the title.
Microsoft has already taken a step towards leaving last gen behind with stopping production of the 360. Sony won't be too far behind (they already closed the native storefront for their last generation of handhelds), and you rarely hear of anyone actually playing the Wii anymore.
To sum up everything, why should game companies and players leave the last generation behind? Because last gen consoles are highly outdated. If money is an issue, look for used consoles, keep an eye out for any deals on websites and in stores that sell the consoles, start saving up every penny, and stop complaining when companies don't cater to last generation players (an issue I see a lot on online forums). The Eighth Gen has been around for almost four years now. It's time to move on to something bigger and better.
