Seventh To Eight (2005-2012)
So we come to the present day, as the two big boys of gaming launch their new consoles. Nintendo launched the generation in 2012 with the Wii U to mixed reviews and confusion, but after a slow start they appear to be creating the kind of games library that is essential to a console's survival. The problem with the Wii U is that it doesn't bring anything new. Aside from the intriguing tablet controller, it is set firmly in the seventh generation. Microsoft and Sony are undoubtedly the two main rivals of this time, with the PS4 and the Xbox One as direct descendants to the PS3 and 360. As we've seen with each generation change there have been hardware improvements that are sure to be noticeable soon, but as of launch the visual comparisons are far less impressive than any of the previous generation leaps. After seeing Ocarina of Time, it was difficult to go back to the SNES; and after seeing Grand Theft Auto III, it was hard to look at your PS1 anymore. But nothing has done this so far (though it's still early days) for this next generation, Killzone: Shadow Fall or Battlefield 4 look good, but nothing that makes the The Last of Us look bad by comparison. The main features touted are improved social features, to allow gamers to stream or upload game footage, and integration with a second screen, either via the PS Vita or Microsoft SmartGlass, oh and Microsoft think that watching TV is a big improvement. Although these are still very early days, there hasn't been a significant development to this eighth generation. Whereas the advancements in previous jumps were evident, this is a generation that might take some time to show what it's capable of. What do you think was the smallest step between generations? Let us know in the comments...