As long as PS2 consistently outsells XBox 360 over here in the states where 360 is the strongest, I'd say not as much no.

And of course I'll leave Japan out of it 'cause no need to beat a dead horse.

See "uncanny valley". Another reason why movies done in CGI designed to stand for realism often meet with indifference by the public (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within). After a certain degree if you don't do realism *right* it's actually met with more revulsion. As long as it's done in naturalistic style to represent real-like art it's different. Or even an abstract cartoony style. But not when the pseudo-realism is intended to BE realism. Dangerous game to play honestly. People actually like that gulf of separation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_Valley

John Lucas

Sure, everyone wants great graphics. Only problem is not everyone will pay over $300 for it. Graphics is an asset for every platform not only next gen.

The majority of gamers do, but not the majority of the population. More ppl will care as Akuma said as HD penetration keeps growing everywhere...

This isn't the case. Japan has the highest penetration rate of HD in the world, and we all know what console they prefer.

The graphics in the PS2 reached what I consider to be "acceptable", and everything beyond that is a bonus.

If I cared about gfx, I would have *never* migrated from PC gaming to console gaming. Console gaming is all about a more social, comfortable experience - basically in exchange for hi-def graphics (PC).

And if I - a gamer/coder of 20years don't care - why would the average person? 

The answer is not only no, its a resounding NO.

...

Any gamer who is primarily concerned about graphics should be playing PC games only. Anything else is a cop out. PC gaming had "1080p" equiv. graphics more than 5 years ago, and resolutions exceeding 1600 lines (vertically) are common these days.

Of course the irony is this - HD resolution has nothing to do with realistic graphics. Even a crummy B&W TV show from the 1950's still looks more realistic than the most powerful PC/console out these days.

agree'd.

graphics do matter to a certain extent but its obvious it isnt everything.

whats graphics gonna be like 2 generations later??

are we gonna have to get laser eye surgery to acually get the full visual effect?

 2 gens later are f!cking ninjas gonna be flying out of the screen and scaring the bejesus out of us?

imo either after this gen. or next gen. graphics arent gonna mean SH!T

Normally I would say with a resounding "yes" that graphics are important. However, gameplay is really what is most important.

Why I say this is simply because if I were only to play games with top-notch, next-generation graphics, I would have to discount both the DS and PSP from the lineup as their graphics don't match that of, say, the PS3, 360 or PC. Remember, we are talking about next-gen graphics.

The Wii would also be discounted for the same reason.

Eventually, I'd have to discount the remaining two consoles, as the PC will (if it hasn't already) surpass anything the PS3 or 360 can dish out.

However, such thinking is irrational in my opinion. As long as I can have fun, it won't matter in the end. I would say this applies to everyone, not just hardcore gamers. 60 million DS and PSP owners, plus the legion of casual mobile and iPod gaming population can't be wrong!

Yes they care, they care alot. Its in our nature to care about the looks of things. Gears would have struggles to break a million without id kick ass graphics, in all honestly Gears is a mediocre shooter but its graphics are orgasmic. expect the owners of the weak system to say they dont matter.

YOU WANNA KNOW SOMTHING BLUE3?????? YOUR WEAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*SARCASM*

been sippin on some beers dont mind me if i get alittle too "buck-weezy"

Everyone would like better graphics, but not everyone can afford it. If I want realistic games w/ crappy gameplay, I may as well go watch a movie and then some. For me, if a game doesn't keep me interested dollar/hour, it's not worth a purchase. Yeah, I have high expectation :) We all have games where you play to death, raking in hundreds of hours of entertainment. Of course, these are normally, replayability portion. Some games that I would be willing to pay more than its retail price. An example would be FF2 (4j), not only the gameplay was worth the money, the story that keeps you going is like a novel. Having characters that sacrifice their lives just so your quest can be moved forward. I think that was the first game that I actually felt attached to the characters and felt sad about the lose. Okay, I think I am getting off topic. I'll shut up now :)