Facebook: http://facebook.com/XboxAhoy Twitter: http://twitter.com/xboxahoy This next console gen has been a long time coming. The Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii - collectively known as the seventh generation - have steered the course of the industry since 2005. Much has changed over the last eight years in gaming - and as we perch on the precipice of a new era, perhaps it's a time for retrospection. So, what did we learn from this generation? The most obvious change with the advent of new hardware is in the technical specification - each generation is faster and more capable than the last. At the time of the current gen's introduction, HDTVs were starting to become widely available - and the Xbox 360 and PS3 both took advantage of this by supporting HD video formats. This wasn't without issue - in 2005 standard-def CRTs were still very common, and some games ran into issues when running at the lower resolution - many complained about the small text in Dead Rising, for instance. However, with HDTVs dropping in price over the console's lifespan, many made the switch to such displays, and the next generation is all set to embrace an HD-only approach. We also saw a good old format war in the early-gen: Sony's Blu Ray versus Toshiba's ill-fated HD-DVD. The PS3's Blu Ray drive made it an attractive offering for those looking for an entry-level HD player, with even the exorbitant launch price proving competitive. Microsoft released the half-hearted add-on HD-DVD player for the 360, although after a brief flounder Blu-Ray became the dominant format, and will indeed be the optical media of choice for both the Xbox One and PS4. Quite how long physical media will remain relevant is another matter - digital downloads and streaming services such as Netflix are unburdened by such concerns. It seems as though redundant hardware is a recurring trend in Gen7, with games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band clogging up homes with fake plastic guitars.