| Squilliam said: Yeah the artwork won't change substantially but things like lighting etc will be substantially improved and that will make the images look and feel a lot more natural especially in motion. Usually the first games in a generation are improved simply because they implement a lot of new technology and it takes a while for the artistry to catch up. I don't see 8GB for next gen TBH, 4GB max... |
I think its viable.
The Xbox went from 64MB to 512MB in just 4 years (8-fold increase). We're at year 5.5 and climbing for that system. For the PS2/3, it went from 32MB to 512MB in about 6.5 years (16-fold increase).
We have to take in the following considerations:
- We don't know when next-gen starts for Microsoft/Sony (or Nintendo for that matter, other than the year)
- We are unsure if MS/Sony will continue as loss-leaders for their products (IMO, unlikely)
- If there will be any significant changes to RAM prices before their devices make it to market
Given the time frames, and assuming a late 2013 launch for MS/Sony devices, we're looking at about a 7 year gap between hardware, which is unheard of for consoles. The only comparison we can make would be for handheld devices, such as the DS-3DS gap of 6.5 years (Nov 2004 to Mar 2011). In this case, we saw RAM expand from 4MB to 128MB, or a 32 fold increase in RAM. Of course, the price did increase, which is something to take into consideration.
Therefore, given the comparables, we *should* be looking at a 16 to 24 fold increase in RAM, even including cost-cutting measures as Sony and MS likely attempt to remove their loss-leading ways. That would put RAM between 8GB and 12GB in a 6.5 to 7 year development cycle between their earlier systems.
Back from the dead, I'm afraid.
