Is next gen console's extra RAM going to primarily used to upgrade graphics?

[Michael-5]

richardhutnik said:

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?

Do you know how Random Access Memory works?

It can't directly be used to improve graphics, what it's going to do is reduce the load time for objects to appear on screen, thus allowing more objects to appear on screen.

So the problem with making games for Wii U and PS4, isn't a graphicaly issue, most PS4 games will be based on engines designed for PS3. PS4 is more powerful, but you can run PS4 games on a Wii U without too much trouble (e.g. Battlefield 4 will run on PS3 and PS4), and it's even rumored that Unreal 4 will work on Wii U, just at minimum settings.

Anyway, the issue is, the number of objects on screen. If someone designs a PS4 game, which models millions of particles of sand, or rain at a time, that will be hard to port to the Wii U. You would have to change the structure of the game, so there is less sand/wind. More realistically, in a PS4 game you will have characters who have wind blowing a scarf, hair, or clothing around, but the Wii U version will have rigid cothing articles and hair (like most PS3/360 characters do).

To make a game work on both Wii U and PS4, and optimize both systems, you would have to design a game from the ground up to do this. However if a developer wanted to make a PS4/Wii U game, it wouldn't be hard at all.

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So to answer your question, no, extra RAM will be used to model complex structures like hair and clothing movements from wind effects. To make a game work on WiiU, you would need to remove those effects entirely (because of the RAM difference) and make a small downgrade in graphics. However the drop in graphics wouldn't be that big, it would be the difference from playing a PC game on Medium vs. Max settings, but either way, it's still playable.

EDIT: Note, this probably won't happen though. When PS2 was around, most people developed games for the PS2, and they upgraded them for the Gamecube/X-Box. In the 8th gen, most people will develop games for the PS4/NextBox and only downgrade if it's possible.