Often times it's just not feasable to do this.Multiplats will do the best they can in any given time frame. Just putting more effort into the version with the stronger hardware would be the same as putting more effort into the weaker version to bring it closer. And often the gap is just not big enough. If you have a game that runs 180p30 on both console but could run 45 on PS4 I don't think it would be worth for the developer to put some extra time to implement an unlocked fps mode on one version, let alone bother to add more effects.

If I was a developer in a stringent development environment, I would celebrate to have 2 identical versions instead of 2 different ones. Saves a lot of work when implementing new stuff or troubleshooting. This goal is even more achieveable this generation since the architectures are almost identical.

I'm not sure you're following what I'm saying. It's not about putting more effort in, it's about reducing the quality in order to be closer to the weaker version. Developers don't have to put extra effort into getting a game running better on the PS4, they have to put more effort into bringing the weaker console up to scratch. While they're reducing what the PS4 is capable of, other developers will use this time to take an early lead (in terms of graphics) over the more prominant publishers. Eventuallty the bigger publishers won't be able to justify losing reputation and dollars because of parity and they'll stop reducing the quality of the PS4 version for the sake of parity.

Take a look around at the internet at the moment. You'll see more talk about PES than we've seen in years. And guess why that conversation is taking place?

Actually, I find a lot of football fans know what PES is, but their refusal to make a true "next gen" version when the 360 and PS3 came out meant they were lagging sorely behind because EA put a hell of a lot of work into FIFA when PES came close to stealing it's crown as the biggest football game even in the UK.

Read what I'm saying. If both games would run at 1080p30 out of the box it would indeed be more work to push the PS4s visuals higher by implementing higher graphical options instead of just leaving both versions where they are. You are suggesting that all games who reach parity had to be extensively worked on on Xbox side.

What do you think produces less work? Developing on X1 and porting it to the PS4 where it runs just fine and probably a bit better or developing on PS4 and having to port it to X1 where they have to put in extra work to reduce the features that ran fine on PS4.

What I'm saying is working with the lowest common denominator saves work.

No it doesn't. Do you honestly believe that a simple patch can really up the resolution from 900p to 1080p on a game like Assassins Creed? No, it was deliberately lowered to bring it closer to the XB1 version (at least until the reviews went out). The assets and effects are already there but they're turned off to make sure one platform doesn't have a graphical advantage. We also saw how Ubisoft removed features from the PC version of Watch Dogs, and they probably removed some from the PS4 version too.

But that will slowly change as the PS4 pulls ahead in sales and some publishers think 'to hell with it' and stop reducing the quality of the PS4 versions of their games.

OK, we're going into tinfoil territory here so I'm out.

And yes it's very easy to boost performance significantly with a simple patch depending on the development process.

It's not tinfoil hat territory at all. It may suit some people to discredit something by labelling it that way, but when you have developers openly admitting that they are dumbing down games in order to reach parity then it becomes fact. There is a strange leap of reality for some people when discussing this. They seem to travel from a) to b) without recognising what MUST lie in between. If you have one console that is less powerful and you achieve parity, then clearly what lies between is a reduction in quality for the more powerful machine because 'obviously' the weaker machine cannot achieve what the more powerful machine can. It's simply 'impossible' (denying this is the true tinfoil hat territory). This is best summed up as 'dumbing down'.

This will get harder for developers/publishers to justify, especially when publishers like Konami start to push the more powerful hardware and their games start looking much better than a competing company, who rely on massive sales.

Konami is being lazy with pes. Nothing more nothing less. However this is probs because of the sales lead. Fifa isn't being held back. Xbox one is. I fifa has better graphics and is 1080 while pes is 720!

I was PES man that changed to FIFA but this year I'm retuning to the king again.

Why?

EA stopped with the franchise and didn't added nothing new or anything that makes FIFA 15 better than FIFA 14... it is the same game... and they dropped the Brazilian League and teams.

While that Konami come with a new and impressive engine that makes FIFA looks last gen and fixed almost all mistakes they did in PES 2014... the franchise is in evolution... and I like that.

PES this year.

PES 2014 was already a step into the right direction for Konami IMO.