I don't think there will be a huge difference like last gen because this gens systems are as powerful as most pcs. The only forseeable bottleneck with the consoles is the fact that they don't a lot of ram.

Does it matter that much ? HD consoles are locked to 720p and the PC is a 8800 GT and a cheap dual core running medium and high at the same resolution and 4x AA.

You can throw a i7 920 and GTX 295 and get 1080p with 8x AA.

Haha wow, that Cry Engine 3 demo really makes the HD twins look pathetic.

Jus wodnering. Soon it will be 1200p for the PCs, while 720 for the consoles still.

Actually, any decent gaming PC is already capable of outputting all current games at 1920x1200 at no less than 30fps. In the vast majority of cases it's closer to 60fps or higher (no point anyway on a 60hz display with V synch enabled).

But while I appreciate running max output resolution as much as any other person (always preferable to play at the native max output resolution of the display), it really doesn't constitute a true generational leap.

Instead it's dependent upon effects enabled in the API (and whether those effects are actually used by the developer) and just as importantly, the amount of detail put into the textures by the artists making the resources when displayed at maximum settings on an ideal hardware set up.

@ perpride

If you have the money for a top PC now (say approx £800), the graphics on nearly any game comming out now will have better graphics than any of the exclusives you mentioned. You seem to be commenting from a purely artistic perspective which is entirely subjective. I also think Uncharted looks amazing but I know the games listed look a lot better on a modern day PC. Huge native resolutions, lots more effects, lots more shadows of everything, whole world reflections, 8XAA and 16XAF. Thats without even mentioning the other advances such as PhysX.

I have a PC that's dated and I can run Crysis on between Med-High settings at approx 720 res. This is on a dated PC and I still manage to run games that look as good or better than the HD consoles. On a new PC games look incredible and a lot better than on consoles.

Another point that I made earlier is also I don't see the generational gap between this gen and the next to be as substantial as in previous generational jumps. We're getting to a point where less and less people care!

Guess it really is in the eye of the beholder...that demo didnt make me think "wow consoles suck" it made me think about how close a console experience can be to a high end gaming rig without all the hassle...and about how great its going to look on a 60 inch screen.  I really dont think the vast majority is going to care the clouds are volumetric enough or that extra foliage doesnt fall off when you shoot a tree.  Its close enough that for most the graphics are more than acceptable on consoles when your running and gunning, but there are enough differences that PC gaming enthusiasts can pick apart the minutia and feel "superior" as they slowly walk through their FPS so they dont miss the details.

My lowly e2160 cpu (though overclocked) and 8800gt ran the Resident Evil 5 benchmark at 1920x1080 with 8xAA and everything else on high with an average of around 32-33 FPS. Sure, I wouldn't have as much luck with a game like Crysis, but still :P

I might just have to output to the HDTV more often as everything looked so much better on the calibrated HDTV screen verses my CRT.

I wasn't aware there was any hassle associated with PC gaming in the first place...?

And besides, a PC can hook up to your 60" TV all the same - and look better in the process.

As I said a few pages back, it's hilarious to see the PS360 fans use the same arguments towards PC gaming that they'll dismiss with respect to the Wii.

that I think, Is a very big point.

Example:

many people Say "Blu-Ray" is not needed, and with upconversion DVD player's the quality of DVD IS GOOD ENOUGH!

that very thing is why the concept of PC vs Game console's is a moot point now due to that very same problem.

the digital transition just went into effect recently, and most consumer's are looking into getting a HDtv in the US. the problem is if you do not have a 60" HDtv the visual quality of HDtv set's are real good on the smaller HD tv's. most consumer's view that their DVD's look great. Blu-Ray is a upgrade to DVD that's pretty much it, Blu-Ray player's still play DVD's and upconvert's. So the problem with some is vs' the price of Blu-Ray to DVD is the cost worth the upgrade?

to some it is to other's it's not.

that does not mean that Blu-Ray is a failed product or that it's going away, the problem with that way of thinking is that Blu-Ray still play's DVD's. because of that very same function it is going to stay in the market.

this is the same problem with PC gaming vs' GAME CONSOLE's

do some think spending the extra money for higher graphic's on the PC is worth it over the game console?

previous generation yes. I think many would indeed say yes.

but with HDtv's and the quality of the game's on game console's so high this generation I think many would say

NO its not worth the extra cost. 

the once big advantage of PC's over Game console's is not as big of an advantage anymore due to the fact that the visual Quality of game console's this generation is very High.

look at the character's of some of the game's on game console's this generation 

metal gear solid:4

snake was a great example of how the quality of character models were going to be this generation forward.

gear's of war character models

uncharted: drake expression's of pain, happy, anger ,fear , mad all of them are there and with very good quality in animation.

unlike previous generation's of game console's they were never this advanced until now, that was many gamer's dream to have a game console capable of getting to that level of detail now that it's here many gamer's see it as How much higher do you need to go?

at this point :

for me that is FORZA 3, GT:5 look fantastic, when you grow up when the 8 bit was the high end in computer game's  you look at today's game's and say wow.

that is something I thought at one time you would never see in my life time that a home game system would ever be able to produce graphic's quality as it is capable of now, and be able to be purchased at such a low cost. to me that is one of the thing's that blew my mind about this generation. the hardware that the consumer is able to get this generation for game console's with such a low price , which is able to produce this high quality of game's . To me it seem's many young "whipper snapper" Gamer's are it seem's to be kind of like a :

spoiled child-

1.        Making Your Child the Center of the World

Making your child’s wishes the top priority in every circumstance teaches her that the world revolves around her. This could prevent her from learning to consider other people’s needs and desires, says Susan Buttross, MD, chief of the Division of Child Development and Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “Children need to understand give and take,” she tells WebMD. “When take is the only function they know, they tend to be frustrated.” 

2.       Ignoring Positive Behavior

 Today’s busy parents may not notice when children play quietly or stay out of trouble. If you never let them know when you are pleased, Karp says, you miss the opportunity to reinforce positive behavior.

 3.       Accidently Rewarding Negative Behavior

 Karp tells WebMD many parents make the mistake of simultaneously ignoring the positive and rewarding the negative. If you only notice your kids when they whine and cry, you send the message that tantrums and tears are the best way to get your attention.

 4.       Failing to put Clear Limits on Your Child’s Behavior

 If you don’t set and enforce guidelines for good behavior, Buttross says, you’re likely to raise a child who is rude, uncooperative, and disrespectful. Karp adds that young kids are uncivilized by nature -- part of your job as a parent is to teach social virtues, such as patience and respect.

5.       Not Enforcing Rules Consistently

 While some parents fail to set limits, others set “mushy or inconsistent” ones, Karp says. This occurs when you tell your kids, “Don’t do that,” but allow them to do it anyway. Examples of inconsistent limits are allowing your toddler to play with his food on some days but not on others or allowing an older child to violate her curfew when you just can’t muster the energy to fight about it. If you don’t enforce rules consistently, you give your child the message that they’re really not that important. And of course what you really want to teach your child is the opposite.

 6.       Picking Fights You Can’t Win

 “You can win the battle of not giving your child candy,” Karp says, so no-candy rules are worth upholding. But there are many other standards that are much harder to enforce -- such as making your child eat broccoli. “They can close their mouths or spit it out,” Karp points out. In cases like this, you are destined to lose the battle before it begins. And unfortunately, the consequences of this loss go far beyond wasted broccoli -- picking fights you can’t win proves to your kids that they can defy you and get away with it.

 7.       Not Holding Your Child Accountable

Refusing to hold your child accountable when he does something wrong sends the message that he never makes a mistake, Buttross says. This teaches your child to blame others whenever problems arise. Instead, teach your child the importance of taking responsibility for his own actions and then user firm boundaries to make sure he does so.

 8.       Giving Your Child Gifts for the Wrong Reasons

  What you buy your children is not as important as why, Peters tells WebMD. She cautions against making “unreasonable” purchases, such as buying your child a new bike because she is bored with the one you bought her a few months ago.

Another common mistake is buying out of guilt, Karp says. When a child makes a pitiful face or says, “You’re the worst mother in the world,” this is not the time to buy a gift. Allowing yourself to be manipulated won’t do your kid any favors. She may get what she wants, but her joy will be diminished in knowing that you bought the gift because she goaded you into it.

 9.       Giving in to Temper Tantrums

 Relenting when your child throws a temper tantrum is an extreme form of rewarding negative behavior. It proves to kids that they can get whatever they want by throwing a fit -- which is not how things work in the real world. “If you throw a temper tantrum as an adult, bad things happen,” Peters points out.

10.       Acting Like a Spoiled Child Yourself

How you interact with your family serves as a model for how your children will behave with others, Karp says. “If you whine and complain in front of [your kids], they will emulate that.” He says the proverb has it right -- “They do what you do, not what you say.”

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/10-ways-to-raise-spoiled-child?page=2

/