Xbox Series X's cross-gen approach is robbing players of the next-gen thrill

[Mr Puggsly]

LudicrousSpeed said:

Mr Puggsly said:

So you're suggesting we need developers to focus on making great looking games... even if consumers aren't gonna buy it? Quite honestly, that's stupid. If Killzone:SF got people excited about next gen then more people would have bought it. Instead other cross gen shooters did much better. I think we ultimately learned that logic is flawed.

Consumers rather throw their money at a cross gen game (with improved visuals and performance) than a mediocre visual showcase.

I think its also worth considering the mid gen upgrades took some of the wind out next gen. Because they already delivered on some performance and resolution upgrades we expect for next gen. So when developers advertise something like 4K many just say, "meh."

Look Jack, here's the deal. Ideally we should want good games that push next gen specs, but I'm not gonna request mediocre games with pretty graphics.

Yeah during this whole Xbone cross gen ordeal, people have been forgetting conveniently that launches are typically cross gen games and pretty games that don't offer much of anything new but sure look good. Even goop in one of his many threads about it, started out saying Microsoft would be robbing customers of unique gameplay experiences only made possible by new gen but quickly shifted to pretty graphics once multiple people reminded him that the PS4 launch games he was listing offered nothing new plus PS4 was chock full of tons of cross gen content during its first couple years. Look at this UE5 demo, looked gameplay wise like it could have been any different number of generic action titles from the last gen or two, just with graphics turned up to 12. It's difficult to know which narrative to follow, but something tells me when July hits and the first party XSX games look fantastic, we'll be shifting back to the whole "well they are just upscaled Xbone games!!".

Games like Killzone 6 or Ryse were perfect launch games. The Order would have been a good launch game. Infamous was good for launch. But we're not still seeing those types of games for a reason. Idk why this writer is expecting mid/late gen magic from a third party showcase. And no one has even touched on the COVID effect yet. She wanted CDPR and Activision and other big guns, maybe they could have been there if everyone wasn't working from home.

You made a good point regarding mid gen upgrades, too. This is the first gen where we are launching after the previous gen had upgrades. It's bound to change things.

People keep moving the goalposts. Some argue we need games that take advantage of the new specs, whatever that actually means. Then it devolves into debates about how important next gen graphics are. The market clearly doesn't just care about graphics and tech demos, this is why many are leaning into cross gen.

That UE5 demo literally just looked like games of the last two gens. Granted it looked much better, but it was fundamentally the same shit.

I think the market has actually become savvy about graphical showcases with shallow gameplay. The reality is Killzone:SF and Ryse did okay, but they didn't get successors this gen. Meanwhile The Order was probably a flop. I feel like a better solution for 2020/2021 is just making cross gen content scalable to better utilize next gen specs. Whether that be with better assets, effects, or optimization for the new SSD tech. Also, looking at sales in 2013/2014 its evident the market has decided it wants cross gen content over mediocre next gen exclusives.

I feel like there is boasting about 8K and 120 fps capabilities because they needed something to hype even if they can't deliver it often. Consumers might also be concluding this resolution stuff is pointless. Its diminishing returns, good post processing has also made it difficult to distinguish 1080p from 4K.