Top 10 Important Features for Next Generation Consoles

This is my list of features next gen consoles should have. IMHO at least, it is a blog after all.
oh and btw. these aren't in any specific order. so yeah.


1-UnIversal Options Menu:
all games have their own set of settings or options. occasionally, a game misses a few settings.
having to adjust sensitivity settings to each game can be bothersome.

all games should have these basic set of options, the menu would be the same on all games. its unified after all. for example:
-camera sensitivity, speed, and invert adjustment.
-brightness
-movement sensitivity.
-button assignment.
-rumble.
-color blind support.
-Music Volume.
-SFX volume.
-Voice/Speech Volume.
-Subtitles.
this feature has many advantages, like being able to carry over your options to each game you play by
saving these option to your profile.
and most importantly, companies won't miss out on important options as there is a standard they have to meet regarding it.



2-Multi-Language support:
Games taking years to be localized, and the only difference is the language.
why is it that people have to wait months or even years to play games that are already out?
it doesn't take that long to translate a game. but its production, distribution, and quality insurance takes (and costs!) quite a bit.

games should support language patches, for example :
lets say this certain japanese game came out. the company obviously want to release such a game outside the country if there is a demand. they need the profits of course.
but wait! they have to mass-produce, ship, and license the same game. it would take months. maybe years if there are problems.

here is the trick, gamers already import certain japanese games and use translation guides for menus and such to play the game. many people do that (i do too!).

if developers release language patches to their games, more people would import. even game retailers would mass import these games. and the company doesn't have to delay such a game for years. and any errors can be fixed. games can be made to accommodate such changes. after all. its just text.
although audio is another story.




3-Region Free:
i have traveled to [location] for [reason(s)], i decided to bring my gaming console. after all, I'll be traveling for a while. so i wanted to buy a new game. but wait. I CANT. video game companies don't want my money. oh well.

this is self explanatory. why prevent people from playing games? if its for license issues or some other legal bullshit, just slap a region on there and call it a day.
why lock certain systems to certain regions, only bad comes from it. as lots of people buy games from other regions. for obvious reasons. the only system that does this right is the PS3. good job sony.



4-Universal Home Button:
or it could be called a Universal Pause Button. it should pause your game, in whatever state it is in.
and allow you to access your Universal options too.
this menu should also allow you to do some multi-tasking (like taking in game pictures or notes, or playing music). which ill get to later.



5-Taking Pictures and Notes:
as i mentioned. this feature can be accessed after you suspend a game using the home button. and it allows you to take an in game snapshot, with the ability to add notes to it, or draw simple lines or speech bubbles. nothing too fancy here. but systems can greatly benefit from this feature.



6-Playing Music:
this should be possible to do in any game, it will disable the in-game music, but SFX and speech can still be heard and can be adjusted. really, this feature should have been implemented in the current generation.



7-Rewards instead of achievements:
achievements or trophies always seemed silly to me, you don't get anything from it. just self gratification and bragging rights. there is no point to work towards getting it.
what games should do though is reward players with content for playing the game, or maybe for getting specific achievements.
examples for rewards can be : wallpapers, avatars, cheats, or even the soundtrack.



8-Universal Save data:
each game has a number of slots for each profile.
why not unify it? make it possible to access peoples save data's through different accounts, if they choose to allow it. and save data sharing is a must also, what if i want to use my brothers save data on my account? why can't i just copy it? why limit things? more options are always good.



9-Background Patches:
a very crucial feature. if you have a games save data for example, and if there is an update for that game. the system should be able to detect it and download it at the appropriate time, like overnight for example. this feature is available for PS+ service, but i believe that it should be for everybody, and it should be standard for all systems.




10-Developer and Consumer Communication:
there should be a way for developers to speak directly to their customers through their official systems. they can hold polls, or ask for opinions. they can inform their customers of patches or DLC. Consumers can also report issues or suggest content for DLC or a sequel or improvements through patches. better communication in general. and it would be directly from your system and not from a third party source like a forum, website, Facebook, or twitter.
this way, more people can get involved.