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theword on 10 June 2009
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Akvod said:

I don't think that GT5 and Forza aren't good examples. I think we still have a LONG ways to go in order to reach the uncanny valley (I don't think even Heavy Rain has truly entered it), and then we have to consider the possibility of actually achieving such good animation and graphics, that our games manage to get out of the uncanny valley.

While I did disagree with people about the violence in GoW III, I do have a genuine worry, or more like interest, in what will happen as games become more realistic. Will we literally have what crazy Jack Thompson preached, which are murder simulators? How realistic do we want to go?

I know people who were disturbed by Saving Private Ryan (the one part that made me, not sick, but kinda touched/disturbed was when I saw the soldier in the D-Day landing having his intenstines come out. But it wasn't that, which made me feel weird, but the great acting and emotion when the guy screamed "Moma! Moma!" and sobbed. I sorta put myself in his shoes, and wondered how it'll feel to know you're not only physically disfigured/mutilated, but that your existence is going to go), so what happens when Call of Duty implements God of War's zipper technology, but with more realistic graphics, and a realistic context (instead of the over the top ridiculous violence we have in God of War).

Until we actually feel as sick as we will watching a snuff/real film, then graphics haven't improved one bit IMHO.


Surely we are a very long way from reaching the uncanny valley.  Even prerendered CGI films of recent years are not there, Beowolf for example.   Heavy Rain CGI is very good, but the in game graphics is not even close to the level of Uncharted 2 or Call of Duty 4.    With many programmers of this generation having about 4+ years of experience on their assigned console, I expect the next wave of games (2009, 2010) to represent the pinacle of graphic achievment for both 360 and PS3.  Keep in mind that some game programmers started working on 360 and PS3 code at about the same time,  mid 2004!    They should have figured out how to optimize their engines pretty darn well by now.   Any graphic advancement after the 2010 waves of game will be small engine refinements and should not have that shock and awe any more.  

I am starting to look forward to introduction of the 360-2 and PS4 around the 2011 E3 with planned release 2012.  Of course, this is just a guest on my part.

I certainly hope MS and Sony continue to push the envelope of hardware performance for next generation and not follow the Nintendo 1.5 approach.    I would be disappointed if they don't plan something at least 10 times the power of current systems.