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BlueFalcon on 02 November 2014
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Pemalite said:
ethomaz said:

And yeap... no-1080p was a resolution taken even before the generation started... in 2012 because that what I expected from PS3 and it didn't delivered and now with PS4 it is the minimum because you know the HDTVs standard is 1080p and non-native resolutions looks like shit.

Next-generation I expected 4k mininum... I will buy a 4k in the next five years... my next console will need to be 4k.

I don't what to step back from what I had on PS360... I want to go foward and I support that... PS4 at least is moving foward way better than PS3 while I can't say the samething about the competition.


Good luck with that.
If this is a "Short" generation, there may not be enough technical progress in the PC space to make 4k a viable option for consoles in 4-5 years time, 2k resolution (I.E. Quad-HD) could be a possibility, my bets are on 1080P being a target again.
Keep in mind that "big" GPU jumps are only happening once every 3-4 years now in the PC space and consoles will probably use mid-range or low-end hardware anyway.
Right now you need to Crossfire/SLI two high-end cards to achieve a decent 4k experience and with the baseline moved up thanks to the new consoles, I can see the need for myself and others throwing more hardware at the performance problem, which you can't do in a consoles because of costs.

Very good points. GPU performance used to double every 18-24 months but now it takes 3 years for that to happen. HD7970 came out December 2011 and only now with 980 we are approaching 80-90% more performance than that card:

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GTX_980_STRIX_OC/25.html

The pace of progress is even slower in the 100-125 TDP mobile space. AMD just released M295X which is nowhere near 2X faster than their HD7970M that debuted May 2012. Going from 1080P to 4K essentially requires 3-4X the GPU power of HD7970/295X. That means 3-4X the GPU increased is wasted just to move up to 4K but it doesn't even take into consideration that games in 2019-2020 will become a lot more demanding in terms of lighting complexity, AI, NPCs, textures, tessellation, etc. That means PS5 really needs a GPU at least 10X as powerful as PS4 to even consider 4K gaming viable. As a result, it's highly unlikely that PS4/XB1 will have a short 4-5 years lifecycle. 

In upcoming games like Witcher 3 or Kingdom Come Deliverance a single $550 980 will be a slideshow at 4K:

But the biggest reason 4K console gaming is more or less gimmicky is the requirement for a very large 4K TV.  This article goes into a lot of detail that if you sit at a normal viewing distance of 9-10 feet, you'll need an 84" 4K TV to resolve all the details of 4K. Firstly, that is a very large TV for most apartments/households to fit comfortable. Secondly, such TVs still cost way too much and even in 4-5 years they are unlikely to cost less than $1500. 

http://www.cnet.com/news/why-ultra-hd-4k-tvs-are-still-stupid/

For someone who wants to experience 4K gaming today, it's far better to just grab a 32" IPS BenQ monitor for $999:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1081065-REG/benq_bl3201ph_32_3840x2160_uhd_ips.html

The solution would then be to play most cross-platform titles like AC Unity on the PC and enjoy console exclusives on XB1/PS4. Otherwise, one is going to be waiting 7-8 years to experience 4K on a PS5. 

As far as AC Unity goes, the problem is the hype Ubisoft created. The game has flat shadows, pre-baked lighting model that runs off the CPU instead of using DirectCompute of GCN and it's very poorly optimized, calling for a GTX680/7970 as the minimum spec on the PC. Overall it pales in comparison to the gameplay footage and screenshots of say Witcher 3. Ubisoft isn't particularly known for creating good looking well optimized games though. They should have focused on gameplay and co-op aspects instead of hyping up graphics for Unity because now everyone is just talking about the graphics which is a lot of negative publicity for this title. Whoever is PR/marketing for AC Unity should be fired for focusing on the wrong aspect to promote the game.