Last generation was like a trial for what we have now. We got to see the beginnings of what developers could be capable of if given the hardware and the budget. Unfortunately, the PS3 and 360 had clear limitations and the step from the PS2 days wasn't so big. This generation seems to be all about making things easier for developers. Games are getting bigger and the turnaround time is getting quicker relative to the size of the game worlds. Open world is becoming the new norm and this is making games more valuable in terms of playing time and replayability. I never thought I'd see the day when Final Fantasy returns to open world in 3D with such high graphical fidelity and I never thought I'd see Metal Gear doing the same. Their TGS presentations showed how confident Japan is becoming again about creating these big budget games and it's all down to the new generation hardware and game engines.

The investment in new IPs is a very healthy shift. Watch Dogs, Titanfall, and Destiny, while not exactly critical masterpieces, shows off the potential of this new generation in terms of the ability of developers to create brand new massive games of good quality. It's only been less than a year and we've already seen such huge investments and that can only get bigger since fans really embraced the new franchises wholeheartedly. With Sony's E3 presentation, it's clear that a whole new string of developers are getting the green light to make the games they've always wanted to make but never had the chance nor the hardware to do so.

Anyway.. I'm just happy that we're living in this 'peak' generation. I say peak because I imagined games to be like this 16 years ago when I played FF7, which was my first (semi) open world game where I could go anywhere I wanted (to a limited degree). I basically wanted that game with the Cloud that looked like the one in the CG animation. It wasn't possible (yet) last gen, which was why FFXIII was so linear. They could get the CG quality graphics but not open world. Now, we're getting both.

Just an awesome generation.

I completely disagree. The gen is off to a very weak start, and the three new IPs you mentioned are all available (and as such very possible) on the old hardware. PS360 was a massive jump, this is much more modest.

I do like the look of FFXV though.

Tagging. Will respond when I reach home. But this gen started with a lot of potential.

Give me three new IPs made within the first year of the last generation that match the size and quality of Titanfall, Watch Dogs, and Destiny.

Also, please remember that the beginning of a generation =/= the end of a generation. The beginning of the PS360 gen was marred by hardware unfamiliarity. As devs got better with the hardware, the games got better too. So now, as the devs have become so familiar with the PS360, they can more easily port games from current gen to last gen. Titanfall, Watch Dogs, and Destiny are made possible on PS360 because of this familiarity. This would not have been possible at the beginning of last gen.

Compare the FPS at the launch of the PS3 (Resistance: Fall of Man) as well as the first Call of Duty to Destiny. While Resistance is admittedly a better game in terms of story and gameplay, Destiny is just so much more MASSIVE. That's the point I'm trying to make here.

Far to much emphasis on pixels and resolution and not enough on games and fun. This generation makes no sense.

It's only been less than a year. The games haven't been amazing, but the sheer size and graphical fidelity show that the developers are capable of much more this gen than last gen.

I respectfully disagree. I think the eighth generation has started slowly and poorly. All the negative trends begun in the seventh generation have been extended into the eighth, with unfortunate results: online passes, DRM, micro-transactions, DLC, unfinished games, out-of-control development and advertising budgets, and, worse of all, substandard game design. In no way is the eighth generation this medium's peak. Along with the seventh generation, it represents a decadent, backward period in video gaming, one I fear will continue unabated for some time.

Bolded = ???  Your post is about the start of the gen, so that's what we're talking about.  I'm sure some fine games are going to come later, but upon release there has been very little that has been remarkable, and that isn't already available on older hardware.

You then mention Titanfall, which supports what I'm saying.  It's available on XB360.

So far the new systems have given us pretty much nothing that isn't already availble on last gen.  This gen is off to a brutal start, content-wise.

Last gen at this time we were about to get this:

Which was a massive jump from this:

This year we get comparissons like this:

The lack of mind-blowing software is almost laughable.   Don't kid yourself.  Almost all big games are still on last-gen, and the jump isn't near as massive as going to HD from SD.  This gen is off to a very tepid start.

You're missing the point. The point is, Watch Dogs, Titanfall, and Destiny are available on last gen because of the familiarity of developers since last gen is almost finished. That's what I'm saying. This gen has started with those 3 new IPs that were made possible to port to last gen because of familiarity, not because those 3 games are so low quality that they could exist on last gen. THEY ONLY EXIST ON LAST GEN BECAUSE LAST GEN IS ALMOST OVER AND DEVS ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE CONSOLES.

Again, give me 3 new IPs that were made within the first year of the PS360 that match the SIZE and QUALITY of Watch Dogs, Titanfall, and Destiny.

Gears of War is an 8 hour game. It looks good, but it's very tiny. Show me something that is maybe 30% of the size of Destiny with the same graphical fidelity.

Personally, I find this generation thoroughly underwhelming thus far.

Not a single game on any of the three systems to date has that "next gen" feel I got from the likes of Wii Sports, Gears of War, the original Halo, Mario 64, etc.