What exactly have 3D-platformers on PS4/X1 better than Mario Galaxy besides better graphics?

Bigger more interactive worlds. Dreams is not possible on the Wii. Dreams (like games) will vastly benefit from SSD since levels won't be limited anymore by what fits in memory.

What exactly have FPS games on PS4/X1 better than HL2 besides better graphics?

Bigger more interactive worlds. Tlou2 has vastly bigger environments than HL2 which you can even get lost in. So much more detail to hide in and hide traps / enemies is. You can't hide and crawl through tall grass in HL2 for example. Lighting plays a huge part in visibility and remaining hidden. SSD will benefit these games as well, no more limit of interactive environments since every change can quickly be written to SSD to be retrieved instantly when circling back. More complex environments provide more complex stealth game play.

What exactly have puzzle games on PS4/X1 better than Portal 2 besides better graphics?

Games like Infinifactory are not possible at that scale on PS3. This already has trouble chugging along on ps4 pro

SSD will vastly benefit the build/create puzzle game genre.

What exactly have Kart-Racing games on PS4/X1 better than MK8?

Track builder / VR (Track mania Turbo) Also here SSD creates opportunities to have everything on track interactive and no limits to track builders. Anything you knock over, leave on the track can be saved and retrieved from SSD in the next lap without worrying about memory constraints.

What exactly have open-world games on PS4/X1 better than BOTW besides better graphics?

Again bigger more interactive worlds. Fallout 4 base building, is that possible on Switch?

It was still severely limited by ps4 RAM and speed. (That above there only managed 6fps on base ps4 before the pro patch) The draw distance also left a lot to be desired. With an engine like the new Unreal engine with the new SSDs to no have constraints on how much you can build or it effecting performance would be a game changer. True interactive world where anything you touch stays the way you left it, no matter if you come back in a minute or a week later. No more memory constraints to have every (local) change have to fit in working memory.

So NO, the only thing that these consoles were holding back was the graphics department. PS5 games are not gonna be magically better than PS4/X1/Switch games just bcuz developers have more power to put more details into them, or should we expect Sackboy to be the most complex 3D platformer in history just bcuz is being developed for the PS5?

And I said it before and I will say it again: the only game that Sony has shown so far that possibly would not be able to run on PS4 is Ratchet & Clank (and even that is in the air bcuz we have seeing portal-jumping mechanics since.. well, Portal) everything besides that is just graphics.

Oh! and I'm actually expecting PS5 games to pop up more (visually) at first glance than XSX games, but that is because MS has committed to 60FPS and Sony hasn't.

As for your question: you should know by now that the hardcore crowd (A.K.A. the people who buy the most games) tend to upgrade on the first 2-3 years of the console cycle, so after that it makes little sense to keep supporting the old consoles since the volume of software sales just not make it worth it anymore. So yeah, both MS and Sony's decisions in this subject are purely business-driven.

Current gen is leaps and bounds better than last gen and yet it took the middle years before we saw games blowing the doors off for this generation. Titanfall was one of the best games around the launch of these consoles which shows that innovation didn't come in terms of hardware, it came in terms of game design. Which is exactly my point. PS4 offered Bloodborne, a game that is designed identically to all its predecessors, nothing next gen about it aside from its graphics (Bells and Whistles) Same can be said with Infamous Second Son, a game that didn't require PS4 hardware to make, it plays like the original games with again, all its (Bells and Whistles) which is what makes them stand out. This gen, you have been playing games that didn't require next gen hardware to be created for you to enjoy the games. 

Weather you agree with the decision of Phil's comments does not change the fact that its what they are focusing on. Go buy a PC game like RE2Remake, run it with its lowest settings, than play it again with everything turned on and you will see major differences. That is what Phil is saying. XSX is for those who want the ultimate versions of the games, and it will also be doing next gen games as well, because 3rd party games have the freedom to go with current or next gen designs. If you don't want to buy a XSX or are not interested in the games on it, than just don't, its pretty simple. The system is not for you.

I play a lot of Switch games and i cannot complain, Switch games are amazing and the last thing i think about when playing those games is the visuals, i just love the gameplay Nintendo offers me. Lets see how Halo Infinite looks at this event because that's designed around the XB1 and will see how disappointing it will look in your eyes.

Current gen is just as much limited by 5400 rpm HDD as last gen. There was zero improvement in random access speed. So yep, we mostly got bells and whistles this gen, but still some actual game play improvements thanks to ram increase (see my previous post).

Developers could have been preparing for next gen for years already by making game engines optimized for SSD. PCs have those for years but developers won't restrict their games to only be run from the fastest SSDs. (Unless your Star Citizen)

I'm starting to think gamers play games because of a lack of imagination lol. Leaving HDDs behind is a god send for game design, yet all I hear people come up with is scale able graphics, native 4K 60/120 FPS, ray tracing. What does that have to do with game play. (Well ray tracing offers some game play opportunities with reflections and light. 4K 120 FPS, not so much)

Current gen is just as much limited by 5400 rpm HDD as last gen. There was zero improvement in random access speed. So yep, we mostly got bells and whistles this gen, but still some actual game play improvements thanks to ram increase (see my previous post).

Developers could have been preparing for next gen for years already by making game engines optimized for SSD. PCs have those for years but developers won't restrict their games to only be run from the fastest SSDs. (Unless your Star Citizen)

I'm starting to think gamers play games because of a lack of imagination lol. Leaving HDDs behind is a god send for game design, yet all I hear people come up with is scale able graphics, native 4K 60/120 FPS, ray tracing. What does that have to do with game play. (Well ray tracing offers some game play opportunities with reflections and light. 4K 120 FPS, not so much)

No one is denying the advancements in technology. Advance and new tech is always a great thing to have however you don't need super fast SSDs to make great games.

I believe you have it the other way around, imagination comes from developers not hardware, as i mention before, its up to the developers if they believe there games requires tech advancements. Everyone is talking about next gen and the improvements in AI due to the CPU increase in the Series X and PS5.. yet AI wasn't an issue on the N64 which has games running better AI than whats running on CPUs light years ahead of its time. It falls on the developers and there investment into there own game designs.

It also doesn't matter how many devs utilize the new hardware, gamers will still be flocking to games like Fortnite and Minecraft and the next big thing etc. If some games need advancements in tech to be made, than that's why we have games like Crysis and Star Citizen, however a game like Command & Conquer Remaster does not need a super fast SSD to be fun. In fact the new Age of Empires 4 game due out soon is the same. 

I brought a PC because i wanted to play the current games better, not crossing my fingers hoping games use my hardware to create new ideas. I just enjoy playing games especially older games like Half Life 1 with more graphic options, i don't need them to redesign the entire thing to remove corridors in my games. If the game is fun than it doesn't matter to me.

So TLOU2 is a first-person-shooter now?

You are mixing up game design with technical abilities.

In HL2 you are fighting the enemies straight on with a crowbar or a gun  instead of hiding in the grass like a rat.
You didn't hide behind walls like that coward Marcus Fenix either.

Nevertheless even back then lighting and staying in shadows was possible in sneaking games like Splinter Cell or Thief: Deadly Shadows... and it worked fine even on an Original Xbox.

These are the requirements for Infinifactory:

Impossible on PS3 with reduced graphics compared to PS4? I don't think so.

Current gen is just as much limited by 5400 rpm HDD as last gen. There was zero improvement in random access speed. So yep, we mostly got bells and whistles this gen, but still some actual game play improvements thanks to ram increase (see my previous post).

The ps3 had 512 MB of ram, only half of that available for working system RAM. And as I said, it's already chugging along on ps4 pro in the later levels. Plus I don't see a Switch version.

You honestly believe PS3 can do this?


(Two different versions of the same puzzle, complete freedom in how to approach it)

Of course it all depends on what kind of game they're making. If it's a 2D platformer then yeah, its not going to be pushing SSD and those 12Tflops. The cool thing with next gen consoles is that developers can think about completely new and vastly more ambitious game concepts when they specifically target next gen consoles. 

Historically speaking we typically don't see the big ip's coming out in the first 1 or 2 years. That doesn't mean early games can't potentially take full advantage of the hardware, though. Killzone SF and something like the Order 1886 still look pretty darn good today, they just weren't great games. But what is stopping GG from turning HZW into a next gen showcase early on?