Top-end PS3 graphics look as good as anything I'd ever want on a videogame system- and I've seen a high-end PC in action in real life

These graphics were good enough for me. The Wii U is more than enough.

I honestly don't think I could survive another generation of this nonsense back and forth about graphics mattering or not.

does that mean I should bury my dreams of a Pokémon MMORPG with the visual fidelity of the movies ?

Just ignore it, that's what I do.

some people might think skyrim looks good and a game has never have to look better anymore but i'm pretty happy to know that i will get games like skyrim in the future without seeing the gras growing in front of me when i run over that gras just because of too less ram. or at least i will see it not so close.

some people might think forza is perfect, i'm pretty happy to know i will get even better looking cars next gen and don't have to see aliasing on some places which pretty much destroys the imagination to drive on a real track.

some people might think fifa looks good like it is. i'm pretty happy to know that i will maybe get great spectators as well and not only 2d models going crazy when i shoot a goal.

there are games which don't need more power anymore like some 2d games but there are also a lot of games which will always benefit from more power, at least the next 20 years or so. and if a multiplat game will look better on nextbox or ps4, i will buy this version and not the wii u version as long as controls don't make a huge difference.

the video lilbroex posted above, maybe it is enough for some (i wouldn't like to play with that low resolution on a 50''+  screen from few meters distance) but what speaks against the same game with better looking monsters and environment? better lighting as example would be a huge profit to make a scarier atmosphere in that game. and better monster models would be also better to make the experience more intense.

I feel that this generation, too much emphasis has been on either amazing visuals or innovative control schemes. Actual in game content seems to have lost focus in light of these two things. I hope some of the focus can go toward game content again next generation.

@Sal. That makes sense. The issue I had is that I was hearing companies talk about the great cost of HD development, and it was in the higher numbers (figures included but I don't have them on hand). So basically you're saying that these figures shouldn't be as important after the middleware engines took more ground and were built. However, doesn't that still pose a problem for the next gen that requires a new middleware for the newer capabilities? Also, what of the companies that weren't able to tap into the 3rd party engines, or build their own 1st party engines due to unmanageable upfront cost and risk for them?

2D Mario is but one main franchise. Nintendo is well capable of feeding their other franchises with high-end graphics. They have done it in the past with Metroid they can do it with Zelda and any other IP they so desire (endless ocean for example).

hypocrites! all of them !

they say (analysts etc..) graphics are important wiiu wont make it but then they praise mobile ipad games saying this is the future...nes,snes,ps,ps2 and wii proved it has nothing to do with graphics..

So....500 US dollars? It's not hard to build a nice rig.