| Pemalite said:
The Xbox One and Playstation 4 originally sold on the premise of better graphics over their predecessors, the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. - If power was irrelevant, then the 8th gen Microsoft and Sony consoles probably didn't need to happen, right? The biggest improvement they offer is better graphics remember. |
The PS4 and Xbox One originally had the novelty of being a new console generation to fall back on, especially since the vast majority of their early titles were cross-gen games, so a lot of their initial success was due to consumers wanting something new. The continued success of the PS4 for example is all due to a regular lineup of hit titles that help sell consoles, not really because of power, because again, the base versions of these platforms regularly outsell the Pro versions.
Technology can always improve, and there will always be an audience of people who want better graphics. But my point isn't that technology shouldn't improve. Rather, the rise of diminishing returns means having the a powerful console means less and less overtime. Aside from ambitious open world or action games, very few genres need that much power to look or play well. We're at a point where outside of the AAA circle, all three current consoles have more than enough for most developers. I think that improvements in graphics and AAA games that leverage new generations are still important. But a lot less so these days, again, due to diminishing returns. Just look at this generation alone. Yeah, it's a nice improvement from last generation, but it's not nearly as massive as the leap from PS1 to PS2 was, or Xbox to Xbox 360, It's more of a solid Bunny hop than a major leap. The main improvements this gen have more to due with having more RAM to work with, and an Architecture that isn't outdated or overly complex garbage, along with better development tools and engine support.
