GI.biz: Consumer survey finds the most important next gen features for gamers

[Neat]

GamesIndustry.biz contributed a series of questions to ISFE and Ipsos MORI's GameTrack consumer survey regarding the public perception of features for the next generation of consoles, which were given to a representative sample of 8,000 gamers aged 11 to 64 across the UK, Germany, Spain and France and Italy.

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"Better graphics" are widely agreed to be important in the European markets, with 68% of all surveyed gamers considering it important. Among console gamers only, this figure moves up to 78%.

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The only other feature to get anywhere close to that level of consensus from participants was "shorter load times when playing digital games." 63% of all surveyed gamers considered that an important factor, and 71% of console gamers.

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Despite the emphasis on visuals, "8K resolution graphics" weren't considered as important as many other features. 40% of all surveyed gamers considered 8K support important for next-gen consoles. That number ticked up to 49% when looking at just the console gamers, but in both groups it performed less well than "motion controls," "backwards compatibility," and "ability to play physical games."

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Those three features posted similar middle-of-the-pack numbers. Motion controls were important to 49% of all surveyed gamers and 57% of console gamers. Backwards compatibility was important to 48% of all surveyed gamers and 59% of the console crowd. Playing physical games was important to 47% of all surveyed gamers, and 58% of console gamers.

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A step behind those three features and more in the neighbourhood of 8K resolution's responses were "The ability to stream games" and "Non-gaming apps." Streaming games was important to 44% of all surveyed gamers surveyed and 51% of the console gaming respondents, while non-gaming apps were seen as important by 41% and 52% of those groups, respectively.

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As for gamers' lowest priority features, "virtual reality compatibility" and "handheld mode available" were most commonly deemed less important. VR was important to 37% of all surveyed gamers, with handheld mode slightly higher at 38%. When looking specifically at the console gamer crowd, VR was important to 43%, while handheld mode ticked up to 45%.

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So in order, it seems to be: better graphics > shorter load times > motion controls > backwards compatibility > disc support > game streaming > non-gaming apps > 8k support > handheld mode > VR support.

Pretty interesting breakdown, though I think not asking anything about gaming subscriptions is a glaring omission imo. Do these align with your own priorities? Sound off below.

More at the link, including additional stats:
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-01-23-what-new-console-features-are-important-to-gamers

 

[TechnicPuppet]

I think it's hard to point to things in particular. BC Xbox style as in enhanced is a must though, no buy for me without it going forwards. Other stuff is negotiable.

 

[Patitoloco]

I'm surprised motion controls is so high up, interesting.

The rest sounds exactly what I expected, although I would have thought that VR could be a little higher up than 8K, for example.

 

[Rommaz]

Hmmm this is the kind of interesting data I like. Interesting that people don't want handheld modes

 

[Reinhard]

I don't understand why anyone would care at all about 8k, must be marketing ;p. It's an entirely useless feature, there is no 8k content and video cards/console GPUs can barely handle 4k. Throw in ray tracing and it gets even more difficult to do 4k, so why the hell is 8k of any importance at all?

 

[MickZan]

My most anticipated is better fysics, AI, more units on screen, more background systems etc. Anything that pushes the medium forward on a gameplay level. I'd actually be fine with games not improving that much graphicly. Surprised no one (or near to no one) said that?

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Personally for me it would go something like this:

Better physics/increased interactivity > better AI (why is a 15 year old game [FEAR] still the goddamn benchmark?!) > better destructibility (plays into the first point as well somewhat) > better loading times >>>>>> everything else.

My points mainly play into shooters/action games, which is the majority of what I play but it's still frustrating to see progress from the 00s with games like Crysis, Half Life 2 and Battlefield Bad Company ignored in favour of static game environments and poor AI.

 

[Dazraell]

Honestly, most of it doesn't really concern me. Better graphics are integral part of technological progress with a new hardware, so this is always expected. The biggest deal for me is backward compatibility, game performance and space it will occupy on the hard drive (it wouldn't be fun of having for example 1TB and multiple games that are above 100 GBs). I remember reading that PS4 will offer downloading certain modes (like singleplayer without multiplayer), so it may be the right solution.

 

[jdstorm]

I'm surprised motion controls is so high up, interesting.

The rest sounds exactly what I expected, although I would have thought that VR could be a little higher up than 8K, for example.

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People like gyro aiming and or Vive/Steam/joycon type split controls. They don't want the Wii but small non invasive things are definitely appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 8784]

I definitely didn't expect motion controls to be so high. Also interesting that VR is so low.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

I don't understand why anyone would care at all about 8k, must be marketing ;p. It's an entirely useless feature, there is no 8k content and video cards/console GPUs can barely handle 4k. Throw in ray tracing and it gets even more difficult to do 4k, so why the hell is 8k of any importance at all?

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Yeah, I agree. I'm pretty sure for the absolute vast majority of people 1080p is still completely sufficient. Caring about fucking 8K is just people having fallen for unrealistic marketing bullshit.

My most anticipated is better fysics, AI, more units on screen, more background systems etc. Anything that pushes the medium forward on a gameplay level. I'd actually be fine with games not improving that much graphicly. Surprised no one (or near to no one) said that?

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I agree. We need more focus on things which will actually affect gameplay in interesting ways, not just more pixels or better lighting.

 

[Bitch Pudding]

They didn't ask for "exclusive games"!? Missed opportunity...

 

[Neat]

Added a poll, borrowing some elements from my buddy modiz and his own poll. Curious to see what Era thinks about some of these.

 

[fourfourfun]

"we would like a faster horse"

 

[Azurik]

None of the above are as important for me as Bluetooth audio support. I just want to use any Bluetooth headphones for audio/ chat without any dongles etc.

 

[Fallout-NL]

I don't understand why anyone would care at all about 8k, must be marketing ;p. It's an entirely useless feature, there is no 8k content and video cards/console GPUs can barely handle 4k. Throw in ray tracing and it gets even more difficult to do 4k, so why the hell is 8k of any importance at all?

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Yep, it's bullshit. I suspect even the new consoles will have their hands full providing actual 4k resolutions with decent framerates.

My most anticipated is better fysics, AI, more units on screen, more background systems etc. Anything that pushes the medium forward on a gameplay level. I'd actually be fine with games not improving that much graphicly. Surprised no one (or near to no one) said that?

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Indeed. It wasn't in the poll, but this is the obvious answer, along with better goddamn framerates than last gen (jfc).

 

[Acquiescence]

I just want better, more realistic jiggle physics. Is that too much to ask?

 

[Prine]

Expected, people are not enthused by VR.

 

[ShadowAUS]

8K is quite literally, the last thing on my list of wants. For gaming, at that level of pixel density the screen will have to be massive and you would have to be very close to it to get any real benefit from stepping up from 4K. Something like 8K is much more useful for say, VR, than it is couch/desktop gaming.

As usual my priority is framerate and load times. Graphics are important but it's not that high up for me, there are plenty of games releasing with merely passable at best graphics that I adore without the graphical fidelity bothering me.

 

[.exe]

8K support? Who are these people. Let's first settle getting native 4K maybe.
My order of priorities would probably be the inverse. Handheld or VR support and backwards compatibility at the top, 8K alongside better graphics dead last.

 

[toy_brain]

Given that 'handheald mode' is so low, and Switch sales are so high, the main takeaway from this survey is that people don't really know what they want.
Which, to be fair, is how things have always been.

 

[Sprat]

All I want is more VR and more Sony first party games. I don't really care about anything else. I've had a nvme ssd in my PC for years and I barely notice a difference between that and the hybrid I had previously unless copying massive files for backups.

 

[Decarb]

If it had "refunds on digital purchases" option nothing else on that poll would've mattered.

 

[SteviaRelievingYa]

Who wants faster load times over better graphics when it comes to a new generation? I hope it's just because it's early in the poll, because that makes no sense.

 

[Bishop89]

Graphics I guess. I buy next consoles to be blown away, not to play something that looks like everything I've played in the past 6 years.

I mean framerate is also important but I rather they prioritise bells and whistles instead of trying to target 60fps.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

VR is easily the most interesting feature with the biggest potential. It's the biggest game-changer since 2D to 3D happened. Truly the next step.

 

[Villein]

give me a more interactive and reactive world

 

[Gundam]

Given that 'handheald mode' is so low, and Switch sales are so high, the main takeaway from this survey is that people don't really know what they want.
Which, to be fair, is how things have always been.

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I mean, I enjoy my Switch a good amount but it has zero to do with the handheld mode. I'd rather Next Gen (PS/Xbox) worry more about specs and performance than portability, which I already don't feel the Switch is that good at being for my hands and lifestyle.

 

[MickZan]

I agree. We need more focus on things which will actually affect gameplay in interesting ways, not just more pixels or better lighting.

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I guess the fact that no one even mentions it in the survey proves Microsoft is right by just releasing everything anywhere and supporting 7 year old machines. It might hold the technology back, but people don't care anyway lol.

 

[Modest_Modsoul]

#1 IMPROVED FRAMERATES & PERFORMANCE.

I'm actually fine with 30 if it's indeed stable/locked; but yes, 60 is way better.

 

[Rendering...]

I care about graphics, frame rate, load times, and backward compatibility. Everything else is secondary.

I'd actually love for motion controls to be standard, so every shooter could support aim correction, and every menu-heavy game and app could support intuitive point-and-click controls. But a next gen console lacking in any of the four areas I listed above would be a major disappointment.

 

[Akai]

I'm honestly fine with wherever the graphics are currently at. I care way more about performance and gameplay improvements than about pixels and polygons.

Who wants faster load times over better graphics when it comes to a new generation? I hope it's just because it's early in the poll, because that makes no sense.

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That would be me and anyone else that has limited time when playing games.

 

[AniHawk]

why is motion controls partnered with handheld gaming and not vr?

 

[Marble]

I checked everything except streaming.

To bad y'all are really underestimating motion controls. Gyro aiming needs to be a standard feature in games where you have to aim.

 

[Bishop89]

Given that 'handheald mode' is so low, and Switch sales are so high, the main takeaway from this survey is that people don't really know what they want.
Which, to be fair, is how things have always been.

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Not really. I play my switch exclusively on the tv.

We dont know what % of switch owners even care about handheld mode

 

[Deleted member 32135]

I couldn't care less about graphics, resolution, effects, texture quality, and so on... none of my favourite games this gen have exceeded in these areas. However, technical dvances that directly affect gameplay and bring new possibilities like AI, physics and so on... Push them all the way through.

Also, reduce the noise of the console... My PS4 Pro is unbearable to play at night.

 

[VillagerMax]

Longer battery life for Dualshock 5 controllers and included rechargable batteries for the XBSX.

 

[iamandy]

Oq

Given that 'handheald mode' is so low, and Switch sales are so high, the main takeaway from this survey is that people don't really know what they want.
Which, to be fair, is how things have always been.

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How high? The survey uses a sample of gamers, that includes mobile gamers, console gamers and PC gamers. And most of them are not like you or like me. Most gamers are playing Fifa on consoles or fortnite on PC for instance.

We need to stop thinking that we are the most gamers. We are just the most vocalic group.

 

[Neat]

why is motion controls partnered with handheld gaming and not vr?

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I did it this way because I assume, individually, motion and handheld would poll the lowest. Plus motion and handheld (Switch) pair just as well as motion and VR

 

[Gibordep]

Hmmm this is the kind of interesting data I like. Interesting that people don't want handheld modes

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I would love a Handheld mode but didn't vote on that because that would collide with better graphics and improved Framerates.
I Hope they keep Vita remote play, but i think that it will be only possible with android phones.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Much shorter load times is my top want. I'm just done with minute long load times now. It actually demotivates me from playing games nowadays, when I know it has long loads or excessive amounts, those with both (Destiny and GTA Online are especially bad) quickly feel like a chore.

Backwards compatibility and cross-buy would be second. I have hundreds of digital games this gen, a not insignificant amount still unplayed, you try and charge me again and I might just skip the console all together, certainly be a few years while I finish up the backlog.

Enhanced graphics, better FPS and enhanced VR games would all be around the same, I don't care about resolution above 1080p, so the better hardware being used for that again would be pretty disappointing.

 

[Bede-x]

Give me backwards compatibility, PC like loading times and better framerate (as in locked 60fps in the majority of games) and I'll be happy. Don't dare to raise the resolution or put in extra bells and whistles until you can hit 60fps consistenly.

 

[Deleted member 9584]

I don't need better graphics, I want more convenience. I want full BC, better load times, and better frame rates. I also want the ability to mass store my digital games. If Sony goes with a proprietary SSD next gen and it hurts my ability to mass store games, it's going to be a turn off for me.

I am losing interest inmost types of mainstream AAA games nowadays, so a new box that plays new games doesn't intrigue me. A new box that keeps my current libraries (and hopefully opens them back up....Sony) but plays the games better is what I really want.

 

[Le Dude]

How does motion controls and/or handheld support have less votes than VR? If you want VR wouldn't motion controls be absolutely necessary?

 

[Sander VF]

Woah, is gyro assist finally gaining some traction?

It's been 84 years.

 

[Deleted member 198]

Nobody gives a shit about 8k, shocking.

 

[Anabolex]

None of the above are as important for me as Bluetooth audio support. I just want to use any Bluetooth headphones for audio/ chat without any dongles etc.

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It's not like you can't use wireless headsets at all.

 

[mescalineeyes]

how is 8k over VR lol

 

[Bonfires Down]

16k or bust. 8k is for losers.

And gyro aiming please.

 

[Azurik]

It's not like you can't use wireless headsets at all.

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I'm not talking about the wireless aspect but the quality of sound/ hardware. I take my 1000mx3 or Bose qc35 over my Astro a50 any day if I had the possibility. Wireless gaming headsets 🤢 still require a base station/ dongle and/ or usb/ optical cables meaning more unnecessary clutter.