How much do you care about the graphical leap between consoles at this point?

[The_Liquid_Laser]

hunter_alien said:

The_Liquid_Laser said:

(Referring to the bold) I have to disagree.  Almost every generation sees signficant avenues of gameplay open up, with generation 8 being the exception.  Generation 6 was the first time we could have open world action games like GTA 3 and Shenmue.  PS1 had a lot of limitations in the action/speed deptartment, and N64 had limitations on game size.  But Gen 6 games could handle both just fine, so we get open world action games.  In Gen 7, motion controls were one obvious new type of gameplay.  However the more important thing was that the internet became commonly used in games.  Mario Kart Wii was the first time I could play Mario Kart on the internet for example.  Internet gaming allowed new types of gaming on consoles.

But Generation 8 really had nothing.  It was just like Generation 7 but with better graphics.  Nothing new.  This is not rule.  It's the exception.  But Generation 8 was the most recent generation and it offered nothing new.  We expect nothing new now.  It's like we expect we're going to be bored at this point.  It's kind of sad.

Yes, but graphics do add up to making a better game. Processor limitations did come into play this generation, that's a fact. But man I remember booting up The Order 1886 and my jaws dropped. I know that not many people loved or even liked that game, but it blew me out of the water. I think gen 9 will actually be the generation where the lack of loading time, physics, and AI evolution will bring a whole lot to the table. 

Oh, and let's not forget that generation 8 was pretty heavy on how multiplayer evolved in games and how we consume them. It's not a very visible leap, but a leap none the less. 

I've actually played fairly old games that both lack load time and have impressive AI.  The reason these things don't seem to exist right now is because of the focus on graphics.  We are past the point where impressive graphics can make a game better.  Instead we are at a point where the best graphics only make a game worse.  This is because development budgets are the really limiting factor and not machine hardware.  The more money that goes into developing graphics, the less there is for other aspects of the game.