A conclusion being reached by this thread I created on the RAM differential between the Wii U and PS4 (and likely next Microsoft console) was that the WIi U will be downgraded graphically, so it should be able to get the content on the other consoles:

http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=158594&page=1

My question is this: Do people think the extra memory for the next gen games will primarily be used to upgrade the graphics, or other areas?  If other areas, what other areas?

Ofcourse... I mean sure they'll be more stuff going on in the background and the OS will be heavier, but at most 2gb will be locked away from devs, will probably end up being only 1gb like the recent ps4 rumour said.

pathetically yes. In a sandbox game like Just Cause still expect buildings to be nothing more than decorations with nothing on the inside...unless its a plot point.

Prettier graphics are easy.  Better AI, and physics, and so on, is hard.

I think by the end of this gen the people that are saying this GPU/CPU set up is incapable of pushing 6 or 7GB of data will be very surprised. I have little doubt that studios like Naught Dog, 343i, Santa Monica, and Epic will find ways to push these chips to utilize every bit of RAM available.

With that said, the difference between a game using 6GB of data on screen at once, and a game with 4GB of data on screen with 2GB used as a buffer for a seamless open world will not be a whole lot.

As always it comes down to that same thing it has always come down to. What do the publishers want, and what do the developers want to make. Every generation has had the capability to either push new ways to play or open worlds or better graphics. Extra RAM just means they have a bigger canvas to express their vision.

Graphics is a very large term. Yes all that extra ram will do graphics. 512 mb is enough for sound and controller vibrations.

animations, physics and AI will all advance in the upcoming generation just like this generation advanced from the one before it

maybe simulateous OS activity while playing.
As in browsing internet without needing to exit a game.

No. It will be more than just that. It will be bigger worlds, better animations. Basically bigger and better everything.

Animation, physics systems, AI, load times, amount on screen...will all benefit from extra RAM.

"Graphics" will not.

Depends what you define as "graphics", if you mean higher resolution textures, higher screen resolution, more geometry (polygons per character etc)...then NO, extra RAM does not help there.

The PS4 will be topped out at a maximum of 2GB of the 8GB used for graphics. That is to say that no more than 2GB will be used for video/graphics duties.

It is based on same GPU as AMD 7850 which does not have a 3GB variant for a reason, because it isn't a card suited to situations where the extra RAM would be of any practical purpose.

This all pertains to graphics, of course the extra RAM will benefit areas that some may deem as "graphics", as in to say open world type games, but the textures and so forth used won't be any better because of the RAM, it just means those games will be able to be created.

Also, I posted numerous times in that thread explaining this so I'm offended you'd ask the question again. Most people on VGChartz don't have a clue about this stuff.

If you don't believe me (I don't exactly have a track record for technical knowledge on this forum), then just ask someone like Soleron to post what they think and I can promise you they will simply affirm what I'm saying, although possibly with a better explanation.