90°

Journey, Flower, Dear Esther shows what the next gen games should be like

Have you yet had the chance to play any of the above titles? No? Well you probably should, it is by miles the best £10 investment you can do at the moment. These 3 games offer what we lacking in so much in gaming industry, fresh and innovative approach. An entirely new concept of how to experience games, but more importantly aimed directly at personal reception.

FutureTechnologies4441d ago

"Now, the reason I believe the next generation should emphasize such a direction is because we currently seem to be reaching the limits of technological capabilities. There are changes here and there, none of which really have a heavy impact. And even with more powerful hardware at hands, there is only so much that can be changed. You can make things bigger, faster, technologically smoother and more advanced. You can even improve physics, AI, graphics, but ultimately, the core elements will stay…"

The core elements can improve, change, upgrade, but the problem is that console are stuck in time, they make PC gaming (500$ GPU's, 300$ CPU, 100$ insane RAM) almost irrelevant since 99% of games today are console ports and are far from utilizing full CPUGPU potential that PC's have. Mark my words, next-gen will have amazing graphics and bring us something new, but only for a short period of time since they will continue to hold PC's back like they always do.

SilentNegotiator4441d ago (Edited 4441d ago )

Oh, that's right; because most PC gamers have freaking $1000 gaming computers, right?

No, actually, many of them chug through games on their laptop (the current dominant form of computer on the market), have weak cards, or have mid-range systems. MOST of them, I would boldly say.

Consoles aren't holding back PC gaming because consoles are much closer to what the majority of people are willing to spend. And with a heavy OS like Windows, you need to spend almost twice as much just to get similar results as a console.

The point is, you can't "hold back" something when you represent the average.

Blame consumers for not being able to afford your little fantasy of what the average PC gamer is.

theeg4441d ago (Edited 4441d ago )

@silent

consoles have 2004 tech in them brostantonopolis,

the average gamer has a dx10 or dx11 card and a dual or quad core with 6gb ram, according to steams 40 million member polls, those specs there, they make games look AMAZING, you see uncharted 3 after gaming on that and it looks LAST GEN!

ati and nvidia sell in 1 year more money worth of HARDWARE than ps3, 360, psp, vita, ds all combined

way more people in the world game on pc, just in the us, canada, austrailia and uk are consoles the most popular, you know, where the sheep are

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

ginsunuva4441d ago

$1000 is cheap for a gaming pc.

SilentNegotiator4441d ago (Edited 4441d ago )

First of all, Steam polls aren't representative of the average. The average gamer doesn't take polls on Steam. I don't think you understand the idea of "average". And 40 million? Ooooooooh! I'm so impressed! What a shame that 200M+ people with standard hardware are "oppressing" ~40M people with PCs capable of more that care enough to take a poll? Such a shame. Clearly the industry would be in better shape if all hardware where too expensive for most of those 200M+....then you could dance about as hundreds of developers go bankrupt so that games can use better technology. And at that point, I'd bet they'd have a REAL passion for the work, as they work for minimum wage to afford operation.

Oh, and DX10 cards are not automatically impressive. Some DX10 cards are fairly low end.

"ati and nvidia sell in 1 year more money worth of HARDWARE than ps3, 360, psp, vita, ds all combined"
-
What does that have to do with ANYTHING? ATI and Nvidia are in the computer hardware industry, not just gaming hardware industry. Their parts are used in all sorts of computers and devices that have no business playing 3D games at all. So what does that at all have to do with this discussion?

"$1000 is cheap for a gaming pc"
-
Your standards and what is actually required of a PC to play games are two totally different things, then. Or else you're under the impression that only alienware computers are "gaming PCs"

kasasensei4441d ago

A short, linear and non-interactive story telling game with almost no interaction, no difficulty and no real gameplay?
I hope not.

SilentNegotiator4441d ago

Dear Esther is BOOOOOOORING. Walking around listening to boring jabber does not make for a good game.

Flower is okay, though, as a nice little downloadable game.

Nitrowolf24441d ago

I think ICO and Shadow do an excellent job, but TBH I like the titles for what they are and how rare it is to come across them.

Can you imagine if every game followed this style?
Sure it would be cool for a while, but it would totally ruin the whole point of it for me.

For me these games are there to supply gamers a new experience and draw them away from their normal FPS, Save the princess, ect, ect, ect. I like it a lot, but don't shove it down my throat, because that would ruin the point for me.
Don't think they are meant to be games to be abused

raytraceme4441d ago

I want more games like heavy rain, alanwake, and other games that can involve our emotions to the game.

theeg4441d ago

more like games like metro2033 dx11, arma 2, stalker cop dx11, crysis warhead dx10, bf3 dx11, the witcher 2 uber,

if next gen consoles even get close to those games in 1080p it will be a miricle, i wouldnt count on it though, pc is too far out ahead for them to catch up now.

olorin8184440d ago

I love how console/PC war rages so often for no apparent reason ...

70°

Nearly Half Of Gamers Play Video Games To "Express Themselves," Study Finds

Many players find it easier to express themselves while playing games. Yet, over half of the surveyed gamers still play to relieve stress.

H920h ago

I wonder what place made this study, and it's Fandom, no wonder half of the people said that, I find it hilarious that Fandom of all places did manage to pull more than 50% for the argument of playing games for self expression

phoenixwing17h ago

Honestly i don't believe this statistic. All we need is an executive to believe it and they'll focus more on how to "express" ourselves over good gameplay and further ruin gaming.

FinalFantasyFanatic16h ago

I actually just play to relax/have fun, get immersed in another world for a while and enjoy the story/characters, who the hell plays to "express themselves"? I can understand how that applies to say Minecraft, where you're actually making things, but I don't think you can apply this to most games.

gold_drake16m ago

express themselves? eh... how so? that doesnt make sense to me at all.

270°

Why Is No One Making AAA Horror Games Anymore?

Saif from eXputer inquires, "Despite the everlasting popularity of the genre, why hasn't there been a good AAA horror game in a while now?"

Jin_Sakai3d ago

Because the gaming industry is obsessed with live service games.

Rynxie2d ago

Because he touches himself at night to characters like lady Dimitrescu.

Crows902d ago

You're the one still thinking about her

Rynxie2d ago

@crow

Did I give away your secret? It's okay, if you sit on your hand and numb it, you can pretend it's her playing with your little stick.

MaximusPrime_3d ago

Good for me, I have no interests in horror games

-Foxtrot2d ago

Even when they do it's first person trying to copy Outlast, Five Nights, P.T etc

I think the Dead Space / RE2 / RE4 Remake and the Evil Within 2 showed you can have a good story based, third person survival horror game.

jeromeface2d ago

remakes is another good reason

thesoftware7302d ago

Calisto Protocol was also fun with fantastic presentation.

FinalFantasyFanatic2d ago

I feel like we haven't had much in the way of horror games for years, I think it became rare after the PS2/PS3 gen. Maybe i'll pick up that Crow Country that recently came out, that looks good.

Venoxn4g2d ago

Crow Country needs some more love.. and more exposure

Redemption-642d ago

Because outside of a fee games, most don't sell that well

Crows902d ago

So in other words...AAA publishers don't have creativity or passion for games.

CrimsonWing692d ago

Didn’t we have Dead Space Remake and Resident Evil 4 Remake last year?

thorstein2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Among others

And isn't Dying Light 2 a horror game?

Scissorman2d ago

And Alan Wake 2 and Alone in the Dark.

on_line_forever1d 21h ago

I like Alone in the dark but it's not AAA game

richardmmorales2d ago

We also had The Quarry and The Dark Pictures The Devil In Me.

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430°

PS6 Graphics – Can it Approach Photorealism?

If the PS5 Pro leaks are accurate, the eventual PS6 is slated to be one powerful console. But if modern GPUs still lag behind true photorealism, can the PS6 get there?

Read Full Story >>
gamingbolt.com
Hugodastrevas3d ago

I hate to be "that guy", but we have go ask ourselves do the industry need photorealistic graphics at this point or actually good games, good content, less anti-consumer practices?
This graphical obsession has brought nothing but years upon years of waiting for a game to launch with huge detailed empty worlds, bad stories and predictable gameplay and (micro)transactions everywhere. Sorry for the rant.

MrGameAndWatch2d ago

Same. I really don't want to be in an interactive film and, to me photorealism is not needed for immersion.

RaidenBlack2d ago

Why always target photorealism?
Why not use the extra horsepower for better, complex & diverse AI?
Why not target more interactable world? Why not use the new performance headroom for more physics effects?
Player choices that drastically affect and changes the game world?

Cacabunga2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Let’s first see what PS5 graphics look like.. we’ve seen nothing yet

RaidenBlack2d ago

@Cacabunga
For that, first Naughty Dog's PS5 single-player exclusive, then Guerilla's PS5 single-player exclusive

OtterX2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

If anything, the massive layoffs in the industry right now are showing that investors are pulling out and not wanting to invest as much as they are right now into AAAs. Much less push for even higher detail, unless many parts of it are automated by AI for a cheaper price. Not saying I support people's jobs being replaced by AI, just stating a reality of what the money people want.

DarXyde2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Photorealism should be reserved for games like Gran Turismo. It costs far too much to incorporate that level of detail.

Even then, if it comes at the cost of physics calculations or frame rate given the shared resources of consoles, I'd scale it back in favor of a smoother experience.

Nintendo was quite smart to never pigeonhole themselves into that. Great foresight on their part, I'd say.

8bitAssassin2d ago

But they've gotten very lazy on their games. I still like their approach don't just make game play your biggest innovation.

DarXyde2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

8bitAssassin,

I assume you're talking about Nintendo.

I think it works for them. I'm honestly glad that it's nothing like PlayStation or Xbox. It's a great reason to own one.

8bitAssassin1d 23h ago

Yup!! I am. Yes it works for them and I love it. I want them to have better than average old tech so the scope of some of their games can drop jaws. I'm not talking about counting pixels either.

anast2d ago

I think we need both. Why lower the standard? A photorealistic Bloodborne or Elden Ring game would be insane.

isarai2d ago

Nah im with you on that, like visually games look fine, maybe up the resolution on average but i would much rather resources be spent on things that actually make the game FEEL good to play at this point.

shinoff21832d ago

Don't forget about the budgets.

ROCKY282d ago

agreed - stop with the expensive photo realism and just create amazing games that are less expensive that are not a risk to create an original game within 2-3 years and not 7 years of development - like the OG PS2/Xbox era !

WolfSeed2d ago

There are individual goals for individual parameters. Graphics, gameplay, scale, geometry, AI Sophistication, etc.

This article touches one of them. No need to cancel the conversation because you care more about other things.

Amplitude2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

Some photorealism is much cheaper to produce than what devs are currently forced to do.
If all games could have path tracing, there would be no need for developers to manually map ambient occlusion, shadowmaps, reflection probes, etc. It's a huge undertaking that's making games cost way more to produce on account of the rather pathetic-for-2024 RT and general performance of the current gen consoles.

As much as i hate to say it, we need new consoles as soon as feasibly possible. These consoles launched at the absolute worst possible time, right before RT/DLSS2.0/3.0 were able to quickly skyrocket games in quality on the PC side of things, leaving a ridiculously large gap between PC and console almost immediately after launch and preventing things like CyberPunk Pathtracing Mode in other games. They're holding everything back and making games take longer to produce.

I think Microsoft may be smart if they end up adopting a model where multiple companies (including NVidia) can release multiple spec variant "PC" boxes with the XBox OS. One console every decade doesn't cut it with how quick technology moves in this new era we're in.

smolinsk2d ago

I would love the Next step in graphic to be massive but it always turns out that it takes a long time so the ps6 graphics are gonna be like the best we have now Just with 60fps in every game. World love to se the big ass large worlds with fantastic graphics and depth. Gta 6 are gonna bring that for sure.

just_looken2d ago

@hugo

100% agree but it also made the use of upscale tech the norm which made games worse and the fact console now are just tablets we need a console with a real gpu real cpu real ram setup.

It would be so amazing to see a game like you said made like the ps2/ps3 era using today's pc parts pushing the hardware.

There are titles out there that make my pc run like its still on the desktop

Barlos2d ago

Agreed. For me at least, games are escapism. I don't want them mimicking real life. Graphics don't have to be photorealistic to be impressive. As with you, I'm more about the story, and I would prefer innovation in other ways. The PS5 did it with the DualSense. This it more important to me than just shinier graphics.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 1d 23h ago
Zenzuu2d ago

Personally for me, graphics have already gotten to the point where I don't really feel the need to see having it to make anymore realistic or better.

At this point, I rather game developers focus on quality/engaging stories, gameplay, & contents. Also not every every single game needs to opened world just for the sake of it.

anast2d ago

I'd rather they focus on both. It's a trillion dollar industry. They should be able to do both.

neutralgamer19922d ago

Zenzuu

Believe it or not when it comes to consoles and games graphics are still the biggest factor. Why do you think we still see CHI trailers or in engine footage. The first impression is very important. Not for us core gamers but for millions of casuals who are quite easily impressed with wow factor graphics

TiredGamer2d ago

"More, more, more!!! I don't care what it takes - I deserve more! And I won't PAY a dollar more!"

That's the mindset of some people out there.

JEECE2d ago

I mean, can we still say that's the case even when casuals flock to mediocre looking battle royales? PUBG became huge among casuals, and it looks like a PS3 era shooter with textures that didn't load properly. And casuals have embraced the cartoon aesthetic (Fortnite is the easy example here, but there are others). What is the recent graphics focused game casuals have flocked to? Are you counting COD for that?

anast2d ago

@1992 Candy Crush and Monopoly Go

@Tired Like I said. It's a trillion dollar industry. They could definitely do more. Customers are paying a ton of money.

WolfSeed2d ago

There are individual goals for individual parameters. Graphics, gameplay, scale, geometry, AI Sophistication, etc. No need to cancel the conversation because you care more about other things.

smolinsk2d ago

Graphics are the biggest selling point and will always be.

neutralgamer19922d ago

Agreed especially for those who aren’t hardcore gamers. We core gamers look at everything through core gamers POV. But there is a much bigger casual market who likes looking at pretty things

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2d ago
andy852d ago

Honestly with UC4 I thought we were close but things don't really seem to have improved much in 8 years. Hellblade 2 seems to have raised the bar a bit though

MrBaskerville2d ago

I don't think publishers have the money to make that happen. They can barely sustain the current level of fidelity.

Sciurus_vulgaris2d ago

The goal post for what photorealistic graphics are has always been moving. I remember some 360/PS3 sports games being called photorealistic way back in the mid 2000s.

bRuud832d ago

Simply, no! Graphics wise there is barely any difference between the PS4 and PS5 just a little more particle effects and very minimal use of ray tracing. I expect even less diffence between PS5 and PS6. Just better implementation of Ray Tracing.

purple1012d ago

you are correct, but there ram has doubled, and now we have ssd not a spinning disk drive, I think we have not yet scratched the surface of next gen personally,

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