Worst genn ever...

This gen of consoles is defined by the boon it has brought to PC gaming.

It’s a nice upgrade rather than a full fledged “next-gen” experience so far.

The SSDs have really been the most impressive aspect of this gen but as far as current-gen only NEW games, the list is insanely small for how many years into the gen we are.

This video pretty much sums up a lot of my feelings toward this gen. First half of the video moreso than second half.

QOL features that increase comfort, like reduced loading times, resolution and graphics. Also a bunch of new games tackling nostalgia/retro style or a bunch of remakes of old games - which even tho some people here vilify and hate that, I absolute love it when that happens. I dont antagonize nostalgia, I love it. 
And in general the Game Libraries, im having a blast this gen tbh.

The Switch is still the best console going.

Naaah. It got stretched to it's limits years ago, it can't keep up with PS4 and Xbox let aline ps5 and XS for general releases. I love the yolk but it's very focused on shovel ware and the main Nintendo releases just aren't enough if you were to pick only one console. It's a great system to have on the side for indies and works best as a handheld. Just my opinion. I also don't count it as 9th gen, it's only there over a technicality of a failed console, a loop hole in how we look at generations, that's why I excluded it in the poll. 

You been gaming since the 4th gen but you are also someone that just doesn't care about graphics or performance.  you are also someone that skipped ps4 and xbox so  this is perplexing that you are complaining about exclusives  and graphics. Mean while if any techically demanding downgraded ps4/xbox  games come to switch you are first inline waiting to buy it, but a upgraded one on ps5 thats day 1 and cheaper is boring.

60fps on ps4 titles is massive upgrade, playing sekiro on ps4 pro and going to ps5 and damn does the pro feel janky. The astro bot game even though like 6-7 hours  to complete is great and the controller use really does make it feel like a nextgen console. ps5 is just also a much better console design wise its so quite, while pro is so loud, controller is much better after you get used to it.

Since you like challenging games, returnale is great. Really for someone who's gaming as much as you did, you really just wasted your time playing inferior versions with longer load times for no reason, since console hold their value and you could have just sold the pro, put 300$ and get ps5 with a bundled game, plus GTA6, spiderman 2, and BG3 are  probably worth it alone, and 60fps and better load times you should have sold your pro like i did right when you had the chance.

Now that's a sell. BG3 is the game I nearly upgraded to a Series S for and sure I'll have to get it for GTA6. Yeah, man. All those new QoL features would be a boon even while waiting for the true next gen games to arrive. The PRO is loud AF and overheats itself with newer games and I forgot all about the haptic triggers. I feel better about saving for this thing now, knowing my luck there'll be a pro announcement right after Black Friday though. 

You kinda nailed it on the head at what this generation has been so far. An upgrade.

Nothing about this gen has really screamed "OMG I'VE SEEN WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE!" or given me that sense of wonder from seeing what the next generation of gaming can be. I loved the hell out of Astro's Playroom, it's still the best PS5 game I've played, which I expect to be surpassed by Astro Bot here in less than 2 months and I honestly was pretty blown at how the controller was used in a way I haven't really experienced before, but that's the thing. You can count on your hand the number of games that have actually truly felt like a next-gen experience that wasn't just a better version of a last-gen title.

At the same time though, I can't really fault the industry on that. Seeing examples of how advanced Unreal Engine 5 is graphically, it kind of begs the question, where can gaming go? I feel like that's partly the reason why so many game companies are so focused on mobile games and live service games because there's not many more ways the medium can be pushed towards outside of focusing on something that's cheaper to make but makes a lot of money.

That's also why Nintendo is continuing to succeed. Rather than being the latest and greatest in computing tech, they've been focusing on what gaming should be first and foremost: fun. And providing hardware that compliments that philosophy. 

I think we're pretty much done with true generational leaps in gaming technology for the most part. Nothing will ever top going from 2D to 3D, then from counting 3D polygons to such smooth textures we couldn't even see the polygons anymore (like Metal Gear Solid 1 to Metal Gear Solid 2. Just a 3 year difference between those releases too) 

Nothing wrong with that though. Incremental improvements have definitely been welcomed, such as the introduction of SSDs this gen, minus the stupid increase in costs across the board, but that's where I think we'll primarily see improvements going forward. Under the hood that will make players go "oh that's nice to have!" rather than mindblowing improvements.

Hopefully this eventually means ballooning budgets can be brought in from the chase of photorealism, and game makers can go back to making fun and creative games. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess by Capcom is a great example of what I mean.