With the next generation of Xbox and Playstation being a year old, game developers are now only making new games for these next generation consoles, with one exception, NBA 2K, who is still making games for current generation consoles. 

For years, 2K has been on only two consoles, the Xbox one and the Playstation four. But, with Microsoft and Sony releasing their next generation consoles – the Xbox series x/s and the Playstation five – 2K was forced to make a decision whether they wanted to be strictly next gen or stick with the old consoles as well. Ultimately, they chose to develop an advanced game for the next gen consoles and less advanced game for the old consoles.

Since the next gen consoles came out a year ago, this design with two different games started last year on 2K21 and continued this year with 2K22. Although the current gen console doesn’t have the best specs for graphics, it still is a playable and fun game.

Last year’s current gen game had a beach theme and the park was called “2K Beach.” The park featured beachy elements like a pier and a big Ferris wheel. In this year’s version of the game, the theme is a yacht. At the yacht, players can compete online against each other in the park that is featured on the yacht.

One of the biggest differences between the next gen and current gen is the build system, which is the place where people can customize their player to have all the attributes they want. The current gen build system is pretty simple.

 First you first select your pie chart, which can have shooting, playmaking, finishing or defense. You can always make a build that has different combinations of all those skills.Then you go on to select your weight, height, attributes and then your takeover. Takeover is something a player can unlock while in the midst of a game. When a player makes a good shot or gets a defensive stop, the takeover meter gradually goes up over time, then eventually can reward someone with a special ability the player chooses, which is what 2k calls their takeover. “I love the takeover system on current gen because it reminds me of the previous 2k’s and gives me a nostalgic feeling,” sophomore Isaih Kuiper said.

One of the big advantages of next gen is the ability to have high quality specs and graphics. The graphics are a big thing in the game, but the differences between the two games are not as far off as you might think. “I chose to play current gen 2k because the graphics are not that much better, and I just like how the game is basic like previous 2ks and not as complicated as the next gen,” junior Jared Su said.

Although the current gen game has many positives, it also has its negatives as well. The biggest being that next gen exclusively has the option for a career mode through the WNBA, whereas current gen does not.

Overall, 2k on the current gen is better than 2k on the next gen.