Almost no one cares for gyro or uses, calling the biggest step in gaming is the 21st century is ridiculous. PS5 controller supports gyro but the feedback has been lousy according to devlopers which is why it's not implemneted in way more games.

Not true; you may not care for it, but millions of people do. And it is widely implemented on Switch which has a way bigger player base than PS5.

It actually is true. there was a thread about in resetera where developers said the feedback was bad and that's why they werent implemented in many ps5 games and PC which is way bigger then switch user base when combined, never mind that no one is playing online shooters  on switch the user base for those  type of games is  minuscule  compared to PS5/PC. 

Its implementation on PS5 or elsewhere doesn't matter. It's widely implemented on the best selling console on the market. As for "no one is playing online shooters on Switch", Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 have both sold over 10 million copies.

Besides which, it wouldn't matter if it was popular or not. That's not what defines the "biggest leap". Several folks have put forward VR as their answer, despite VR being a relatively niche. This thread is about what the individual feels is the biggest leap forward. It's a matter of opinion. You get to decide your opinion, but you get no say in anyone else's.

This thread is about two things:

1. "What do you think has been the biggest such shift for gaming since the turn of the millennium?"

2. "What's your pick for the biggest step forward"

My answers:

1. Icaro is right, online gaming has changed the way us gamers play. No longer do you have to have a friend sitting next to you to play a multiplayer game.

2. I think the future of VR is brighter than it is today.

I would think something called the Biggest step forward for gaming in the 21st century would not be really based on opinion, but more factual and something that applies to almost  everyone. When you don't even have the majority of games even implementing motion controls it's hard to call the biggest forward step in gaming. Not to mention how subjective it is and many dislike motion controls and thought it was a step backwords.

And Splatoon is massive in Japan. You can walk into any 7/11 and find Splatoon-branded snacks and foods. Lots of merch sold around for Splatoon.

Yea one game being massive in one region is nothing. This is not even debatable that switch online userbase for shooters is nothing compared to other consoles and pc. Literally one shooter on Switch that people play online in one region. 

Light guns were around until CRTs went out of style. I played many shooters on C64 with a light gun.

Motion controls are good, but haven't been revolutionary for gaming like the move to 3D or online gaming.

However if you look at VR, motion controls are essential for 90% of the games. Without motion controls, no VR. (apart from the abomination from Nintendo, virtual boy, 3D viewer, not VR) They're an essential step forward.

So while not the most popular atm, or changing how most games are played (yet), motion control will continue to build. It's simply more natural, more intuitive, less buttons to remember. It's just waiting for holographic displays to be invented or VR to hit the mainstream.

It depends on the person really; as someone who started gaming in the 4th gen, the only step forward in my lifetime that felt more revolutionary was the transition from 2D to 3D.

Since everyone experiences gaming differently, different things make a bigger impact for different people. The extent to which stuff like VR, motion, online, etc. improves the gameplay experience varies a lot depending the individual. For example, VR can be revolutionary for some folks, but uncomfortable for others.