The next generation of consoles has officially landed. Both Microsoft and Sony’s new consoles the Xbox Series X, Series S and the PlayStation 5, are set to bring a whole host of innovations that will transform the way people play video games.
None of which impacts how Hollywood portrays video game consoles, of course. Whether it’s because they don’t feel like paying a licensing fee, or because they don’t want to visually fix their project at a specific place in time, or because they just don’t have a clue, the people who insert gaming into movies and tv shows usually miss the mark. (This is how scenes of people playing Halo with GameCube controllers happen.) With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best fictional video game consoles and the features that set them apart.
The Game-Sphere appeared in Season 2 of the Drake and Josh Show in the episode ‘The Bet’. Drake spends an afternoon eating junk food while Josh staves off boredom by bouncing between the PS2 and the Gameboy Advance SP. Unfortunately the duo forget to collect their sister, incurring the wrath of their mom. As a result, they make a bet to see which one can live without their vices. In a cruel twist, Josh’s grandmother sends him the red bowling ball-like console as a gift, testing his resolve.
What are its main features? Not only is it the most sophisticated gaming experience ever created by humans, it’s also “SPHERICAL!!” It’s played for laughs here, but each new console generation brings intense scrutiny on the design. Considering Microsoft is giving away an actual Xbox Series fridge inspired by the memes the console generated, the Game-Sphere has real potential. Though not featured in the clip above, the Game-Sphere also features a wireless controller – the ‘Wireless Battlepad’. Back in 2004 this peripheral would have been way ahead of any competitors’ offerings, but the flashing visuals and arcade-like introduction feel more like the brainchild of a producer who’s too old for the ponytail they’re sporting.
Okay, ignore the fact that the OASIS is a hell-scape of microtransactions and corporate skulduggery for now. The basic concept of the world depicts a nerdy teenager’s ultimate fantasy, placing the player in a simulation where they can travel between and design myriad worlds with friends, obtaining outfits from favorite franchises and wielding a smorgasbord of weapons from the video game hall of fame in the search for more trinkets. Having seen the fallout from the recent dispute between Marvel and Sony over the next Tom Holland Spider-Man movie, obtaining the rights for artefacts from all these franchises seems like more of a miracle than the OASIS itself.
The OASIS system kit comes with a pair of gloves for haptic feedback, a VR visor and the console itself which offers a mind blowing experience considering the box is the size of a current gen case. While the tech’s appearance gives the impression that it would fit comfortably into the current pantheon of consoles and peripherals, the in-game experience far exceeds anything that’s ever likely to be attainable – although full-body haptic feedback suits do exist. With everything on offer, the entry price of $0.25 to obtain the base software screams gacha mechanics. One thing Ready Player One nails is the presence of a corporate spectre looming over every customer. There’s no getting away from the fact that a real life OASIS would be a capitalist nightmare which devours dreams, monetizes them, and serves them back to customers.
Spike Jonze’s near future movie Her might feature a more palatable alternative to the overwhelmingly corporate OASIS system. The film projects a future whereby games can be played through hand motions and gestures, changing camera angles with the flick of a finger. Reminiscent of current VR setups with sensors placed around the room, instead this console uses multiple projector points to display the game in front of the user without the need for a helmet or visor. Interactivity is at the heart of this innovation as the game engages directly with protagonist Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix.
Jonze also envisioned heavy social media integration which was in its infancy when the film released in 2013. One of the game’s characters rudely reacts to both the AI in Theodore’s phone and the selection of photos she conjures of a potential date for Theodore. It brings the character to life in a meaningful way, creating a greater affinity between the user and the character – despite, or more likely because of, its penchant for profanity. Still, the likelihood of taking part in a fluid conversation with a video game character and an AI living within a phone is a fantasy confined to the sci-fi genre for the long foreseeable future.
Coming from Sony themselves, the PlayStation 9 was teased as part of the marketing campaign for the PlayStation 2. Promising a release in 2078 and boasting electronic spores which tap straight into your adrenal gland, it’s only the second most dangerous spore-related product from PlayStation. Offering features such as telepathic music, mind control and improved retinal scanning, the platform sounds more like it was conceived as a dystopian implant from the mind of a narcissistic entrepreneur. Nobody would ever conceive something as nefarious in real life, though. Ahem.
The features are depicted in a far less cynical manner in the commercial, lending themselves to a thrilling vision of Augmented Reality. Keeping in line with the typical generation cycle of 7 years, there’s a high chance the already trademarked PlayStation 9 would arrive by the 2050s – by which point humanity might well require implants to play video games in the midst of a battle against rising tides and global warming. So look forward to the wealth of surfing games which take advantage of the AR stylings of the PS9.
Though Hollywood and gaming share some common ground, its portrayal of consoles range from ambitious, to unorthodox and unpalatable. While fictional consoles offer plenty of outlandish features with little requirement to deliver, developers deserve commendation for thinking outside of the box as they continue to push boundaries for this new generation.
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