While playing the new Tomb Raider, I liked how they incorporated the tomb system. It was all optional and the rewards were pretty minimal.

Now imagine a game like Ninja Gaiden and with the same optional caves high above the levels ( ala Guacamelee orb stages ) . You can choose to reach these (secret) caves and tackle the optional boss.
Beating him gives you his sword, which is in some way has a powerful element attack. You can then use that sword to defeat certain enemies with ease. Things like this is what I would like to see.

I know people think cameras are fads and unusable in games mechanics but I think the next step in gaming would be for the games to be aware that you are there. Dead Rising 3 is a good indication of next gen ideas where if you make sounds the zombies will hear you and there goes your cover. It's just a small idea but I imagine them pushing this further.

This would allow for bigger involvment in games since the game will start interacting directly with you as much as you interacting with the game. If they ask you to stand up and raise your arms and they'll wait until you do it for real since the camera sees you. Games like Heavy Rain will interact with you for real this time instead of just pushing buttons on a controller when a girl asks you to not look while she's changing and wait until you cover your eyes and if you don't she tells something else or her relation with you changes because of your real behavior... to me that's next gen and we have the technology to do it today.

Hope they focus more in these kind of experiences and less on beautiful graphics. Ai also has to improve ten fold.

Branching is a really old idea. Metal Slug 3, Seiken Densetsu 3, Final Fight 3 and Shadow Over Mystara have it.

WOW, thats actuall a great idea. Heavy Rain would have used this to perfection.

Your correct. I'm just wishing that it would be taken to another level. Bigger scale, or added to more AAA games.