Absolutely, at least for the most part. That said, there's probably some low-hanging fruits to be had with lighting, and those should be utilized anyway. Framerate is also another fairly easy win over the previous generation and one that I can appreciate.

Nah I want technology and the artform of video games to keep getting pushed forward and gen 8 level graphics would mean no ray tracing which actually goes against the shorter development times part since it reduces development time when a game is built with it in mind with no option to turn it off. Costs have gotten so high that only a tiny amount of studios should push for the absolute cutting edge currently like Rockstar and Naughty Dog but most AAA studios staying some level behind that but still consistently improving over time would be the ideal since visuals will keep improving but budgets and dev times will not get too out of hand for those studios.

A good example of this is Hazelight since Split Fiction isn't cutting edge by any means but is still a notable improvement over It Takes Two visually and is overall high quality on a technical level and didn't take much longer to make than It Takes Two. Dev times are getting crazy for certain games but that'll only be temporary since new technology can shorten that so eventually a game with genuine photorealistic level graphics will be doable in a short amount of time just due to how advanced future game engines and technology in general will get so there's no need for any sort of pause or reversion in graphics.

I don't care. I have completed around 20 ps2 games in emulator during Gen7-Gen9.

I am okay with older games having aging visuals.
I am not okay for new games having older visuals.

Xbox One/Playstation 4 was a terrible generation dominated by sub-1080P, sub-60fps games.

Absolutely, and of course many ¨indy¨ games can routinely surpass that technical level of graphics.
I remember this site where at the time you would have comments like ¨I don´t need this level of graphics¨
(typically said by Nintendo fans, who inexplicably were thrilled when Nintendo delivered a similar level a generation later etc)

No.

I had a similar thought, but after playing a couple of current gen games on my PC, I changed my mind.

Reading the replies, it seems there are many interpretations of PS4/XBO level graphics.

The part that actually makes games more and more expensive is the excessive level. The 'graphics' that wow in screenshots with detailed 3D models and movie like cut scenes that draw attention with streamers. 

4K textures, higher frame rates, native 4K, HDR, ray tracing all don't add to making games more expensive. Game engines evolve regardless.


The real question would be if you're ok with games staying at the level of detail of PS4/XBO games. Or even scale back in the cut scenes, voice dialog lines and other things to make games cheaper. They can still run at higher frame rates / resolution / HDR / ray tracing, a lot more easily as well with less detail to crunch.

However graphics porn still makes the sales



But immersion is in VR for me nowadays. And there the level of detail often resembles ps3/360 era running at higher frame rates with modern lighting and hi res textures. A lot cheaper to make!

I'm in two minds about it personally.

On the one hand, the best looking current gen titles like Hellblade II, Avatar Frontiers of Pandora, etc look awesome.

On the other, I still think the best graphics of last gen look great, and I'm not a fan of games taking like 6+ years to develop. Climbing budgets can also result in more studios closing down when games underperform, and games becoming more homogenous in order to cater to the broadest possible audience.

I ultimately went with yes, but with reservations.

Yes.
You don't need any higher than 4k in terms of resolution. I'm not going to lose sleep just because I can't see each individual pore on the character's face in a game and you shouldn't either.

I'd rather have a more solid, consistent frame rate. 90-120fps would be fantastic, but 30-60fps is still perfectly fine as long as it is rock solid and consistent with no drops whatsoever.

This would let them focus on improving OTHER areas for their consoles. Like reducing load times for games and for the online stores, to the point where they're almost non-existent. And also add more internal storage. I would GLADLY take a less powerful PS5 or Switch 2 with 2-4 TB of internal storage and lightening quick loading times. And in the case of Switch 2, a longer, more efficient battery life.

I hate Unreal engine 5 and AI, but if we could go back to unique engine and asset design I would prefer new games push the limits. I’m okay with worse graphics tho, too