I don't mind photo-realism, I actually look forward to it to see how far things have been pushed... And in the hand of a competent developer it can augment gameplay. (I.E. Realistic lighting/shadows for stealth or realistic foliage in a jungle that obscures the enemy.)
We are still far removed from photo-realism though.
And lighting is still a generation or two or three behind.
We have gotten good at texturing and making models though... Mostly thanks to photogrammetry.
At the moment Alan Wake II, Cyberpunk 2077, Horizon: Forbidden West, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Dead Space are showing the most impressive visuals so far this generation... And they all have one thing in common, they use custom engines with their own strengths, weaknesses and priorities for the current hardware platforms.
Northlight Engine, Red Engine, Decima Engine, Snowdrop Engine, Frostbite...
We have gotten to the point in gaming where we can make things look really really really really really freaking awesome.
But the level of interactivity/simulation is still stuck in the 7th gen... And that needs to change.
--::{PC Gaming Master Race}::--
