Next Gen has arrived, PC gamer also need an upgrade. Xbox Series X specs will be the minimum requirement for next 7 years

[Chazore]

goopy20 said:

I hear you and I would also love to see Sony and MS release a $999 console. But the problem is that the masses probably aren't going to spend that kind of money on it and without a massive install base, there would be a lot less support from developers.

The beauty of consoles is that they are affordable, sell like 100m units and developers can optimize their games completely for the hardware that's in those things. 4k 60fps might sound great on paper but it would basically mean we would be playing the same games as this gen in 4k instead of raising the bar in overall visual fidelity.

Since most people sit 8ft away from their tv, they would hardly be able to tell the difference between 1080p and 4k. That's why I'm hoping that the games will be optimized for 30fps (60fps for certain genres), 1080p and build from the ground up around Ray Tracing support. If people would just be able to turn off something like Ray Tracing, developers wouldn't be able to fully make use of it anymore and make it an essential part of the gameplay experience. Instead, Ray Tracing would just be like it's on pc right now. A shiny feature that doesn't really add anything to the games.  

I remember seeing some modular designed PC years ago, one that literally had each part encased in a small plastic style box, that could easily slot into the main base system, which made it look like a modular PC. I thought that design alone was something that consoles could have gone with, because then it would have opened up new avenues for customers to experiment with. Instead all we have atm is the ability to swap out a drive, and use a K+M for some games.

They should release a console on the side for that much, because then it actually gives you the option of what you personally want to go for. Currently in the open hw market we have a myriad of parts to choose, ranging from low to medium and high end expenses, which is good, because then you have choices to make, rather than say only 1-2 choices, with both not yielding all that great returns. 

The thing is, a console can be affordable to some, but then you then have to account for the other two consoles as well as their "refresher" systems. Add all those up and it goes above the price of a 1k custom rig, and then you've got the online subs to pay for access to online, and that adds up as well, while with PC you just pay your regular internet bill and have your custom rig, which you wouldn't need to constantly upgrade (provided you're not stupid with decision making).

4k60fps sounds great on paper, as well as it being a reality. It's not some fabled concept that's non obtainable, it's that the big 3 don't care for it, because they know they'll have to reach into their coffers a bit deeper, but that's on them, not the customer. Also in terms of optimisation, it's more about taking things back a bit, rather than working some black magic. 

Playing the same game from 4k to 6k isn't going to be making much of a difference, and staying at 30fps is definitely not going to look great for another 10+yrs either. There's a reason why we're seeing more support for 4k monitors with higher than 60hz refresh rates now, rather than monitor manufacturers deciding to just stick with 4k 60hz monitors for years on end.

RT will eventually reach a point where it becomes baseline, just like how certain tech was once an option used by the few, that has now become baseline. It'll happen with time, just not at it's current state.