Are Next Gen Graphics All That Important?

TGR take a look at the latest generation consoles, and decide that fancy graphics aren't really enough to change the world of gaming.

[NYC_Gamer]

I want nice visuals along with solid quality gameplay.

[randomass171]

Exactly! Sony's approach to advantageous and strong hardware was definitely what gamers appreciated most about PS4 this generation. :D

[Irishguy95]

Solid gameplay can hold a game totally on it's own, but nice visuals are a big bonus

@ XtReMe

Kinda, but there are other ways to pull you in...Music has always been a huge one for me and sound effects.

[robtion]

And let's throw in a good story with well written characters and an interesting setting too while we are at it ;)

[AceBlazer13]

no let's just throw away our graphics cards ands 1080p tvs. graphics? lol nobody cares about that,why else would we progress all this way from the days of 8bit.

we should ask sony and microsoft to make their next consoles 8bit.

To answer the first question i look forward to new console generations to see what they can adopt from pc next,how much closer can they get to pc.yh i know 'just get a pc', i just prefer gaming on consoles i don't even know why habit or something.

[theXtReMe1]

I agree that without next gen graphics, upgraded hardware is pointless. Visuals draw you into the gameplay, help you feel like you are in the fantasy world developers created for you. The better the visuals, the more they pull you in. Whether photo realistic or stylized, any type of graphic on screen depiction benefits from faster hardware. Allowing developers the freedom to fully realize their visions, from concept to release... without limitations, or at least, less of them.

Or, as someone else said, would you be happy with 8 bit, 16 color sprites?

[randomass171]

Ironically some retro fans really do love sprites more than 3D models! But I think art styles can improve with or without excessively strong hardware. If you give a developer the right tools, they can make the Mona Lisa look like a children's drawing. Minecraft doesn't need PS4 tech to run, but it does and it does it well! And there will be games on the PS5 generation and after that will only be possible on that hardware. I'm so excited to see all of it happen. :D

[admiralvic]

Okay, was this article about graphics or was it about James Holland defending his inFAMOUS Second Son review? I am seriously asking, since a good percent of the article seems to be doing the latter in the guise of the former.

Anyway, I don't think graphics are too important, but it's a nice bonus in addition to good gameplay. However, I feel too many people are confused by what to expect from a new generation of consoles and the media is grasping at any excuse to create flame bait in order to get views.

Take this article here. I can respect the stance if I really felt it was about graphics (I strongly believe JH just wants to point out why his review is right and people are wrong), but it seems JH himself is confused as to what to expect from a new generation or at least that was the impression I got from the following statement.

" I gave the game a rating of 7; graphically it was amazing, there is no disputing that, but I felt the gameplay just wasn’t innovative and belonged very much to the PS3 era of gaming."

This comment made me think back to a lot of games, which despite being one or more generation old, the leap is not as vast as you might think. For instance, look at God of War. This was a very nice PS2 series and if you were to objectively compare God of War 1 to III or A, I think most would say the same about gameplay. I could get into several more examples, but I don't want to bog people down by listing them all. I am just saying that a lot of these sequels never create this truly "innovating" experience that people are now expecting.

But I digress. A game could be good without great graphics, but it's clear that right now people simply want something they don't believe could be accomplished on a last-gen console to justify their purchase.

[PoisonedMonkey]

The article clearly came about as a result of feedback from the inFamous review, but it's an issue a lot of people have been discussing since before the consoles were released. The fact we're still seeing style over substance 6 months later isn't a brilliant thing to see. In terms of defending the review, all writers have a right to explain their opinions further if needs be, personally I'm all for a bit of additional dialogue between readers and writers.

Brilliantly worded reply of yours though, I must say.

[Gozer]

Well said. The article seemed more about the feedback the author received on a review he wrote than what could have been an insightful story. You might argue that he was just using Infamous as a backdrop for his point. I believe it would have been a better article had he not mentioned anything about the feedback on is review.

[kx11]

it's not but those bitches ( Sony / MS ) went retarded with claims that 1080p/60fps is the new standard for next-gen which made people angry why there isn't any real 1080p/60fps so far

[BattleN]

Grafix are the icing of a good game cake but there not too important. Take Mario Kart 8 as an example.

[Dynasty2021]

Firstly, PC will always dominate in graphics.

If the console version of a game is similar to the PC, it's not a hardware power comparison at all. It's a bad engine with textures that only go so high. Tomb Raider for example had entirely NEW textures added for the next-gen consoles version. And up close comparisons showed, plain as day, that the textures were still nowhere near as detailed as they were on the non-upgraded PC version.

Secondly, until devs actually bite the bullet and say "no more development on 360 and PS3", we won't see what the new consoles are actually capable of. The sooner we ditch last-gen the better.

Sony saying they will be supporting the PS3 for, what was it, 7 years(?), is a big mistake if it means a lot of cross-gen games. Develop PS3 games, sure, not everyone will have a PS4 even in a few years time, but STOP cross-gen. Last-gen is just too much of a limitation for an engine.

I have an amazing gaming PC with 2 graphics cards and a 120hz monitor, but I also have a PS4.

And right now, 80% of my gaming is on my PC.

Until devs ditch last-gen and start making games solely for their console or for both the PS4 and Xbox One, I can't see the games exciting me, as they will still be limited. No enterable buildings. Empty worlds. Linear paths etc. All because the hardware lacks the "umph" on consoles.

Start developing SOLELY on the new consoles and PC only. Stop this lazy approach of creating for consoles and then porting to PC. PC gaming is NOT dying. Infamous sold 1 million in 9 days, great for Sucker Punch. Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls, AN EXPANSION, sold 3 times that in 7 days. There is money in the PC market, and we will happily hand over more if you make a game work properly on the PC, instead of crap console ports.

Stop releasing a series every year with basically no changes because you've had no time to work on it.

There's a reason games like The Last Of Us are so bloody amazing. It's because it was made over, what, 5 years or something.

I want to sit down after paying my £40 and drink a matured, aged scotch. Not some mass produced coke aged 10 minutes. I want quality games.

And it sucks that this just simply isn't the industry we live in.

[BABY-JEDI]

I like how Sony continues to support its consoles & it's gamers

[BigErn]

Way tl; Totally dr

[BABY-JEDI]

If graphics aren't important, then why buy a new console?

[PoisonedMonkey]

That's something a lot of people were saying before the consoles were released. If games like The Last of Us were still possible on the PS3, why the great rush to get the new ones out before there were the games to support them? Nicer visuals are a great bonus to have, no question, but that can't be all there is to it, surely.

[BABY-JEDI]

I agree, gameplay is key. No fun when things start to stutter LoL

[frankdrebin72]

games that are not on the " last gen" maybe??...i dunno,..maybe i buy games for the entertaiment value,..maybe thats wrong,..perhaps i need to change to the new improved gamer and be concerned about 1080p or 60fps,...that way the only game i must enjoy MUST hit those figures.
tut tut tut,..silly old me to think that games = fun...and not games=1080p 60fps

[BABY-JEDI]

I agree with you (to a degree). But it would be unfair of Sony to drop all their PS3 supporters/owners just to force them to buy a PS4. That's what I like about Sony. They always support their consumers which is a good thing
; )

[LKHGFDSA]

not reading the article, but like BABY-JEDI said, we're moving to a new generation of consoles after 8 years, if we spend $500+ on a new console we better expect some improvements!

[SuperYakuzaFan]

Short answer : Yes and PS4 is the answer

[LogicStomper]

PS4 is the answer to what?

[BABY-JEDI]

To all your problems LoL

[LogicStomper]

Mmm, love those disagrees to a question. Now if only those disagrees actually had words to it.

[contradictory]

then why even buy a new console?
...exclusives.

[MasterCornholio]

We buy new consoles because we want better graphics, physics, more dynamic environments and more expansive worlds. Gameplay is the most important aspect of a game but only morons believe you can't combine great gameplay with great graphics.

[Parhelion69]

Are Next Gen Graphics All That Important?
Yes, of course.

There are other important factors as well, but the title just ask that question, and the answer is always affirmative.

[Hellsvacancy]

Fu<k yeah, they're important to me

PS4 is a fourth generation console, if you look back at PS1 games they look like dogsh!t, fun games never the less but most PS1 games looked like a jaggy mess , graphics didn't bother me back then as it was the standard

PS2 games looked MUCH better in comparison, my golden age of gaming

PS3 looked better, but other than a handful of games I was never really blown away by the jump in graphics, some PS3 games look as jaggy a PS1 games

I want smooth looking/sharp games

[weirdo]

great graphics are a must have imo, you wouldn't bum someone who looked like david cameron!

[Xavy]

So much damage control lol. Get a N64 then!

[MasterCornholio]

Thats way to powerful. Get a Pong machine then.

[MysticStrummer]

I once had a console that required you to tape a plastic overlay to your TV screen to change "graphics" from game to game. The TV screen had to be a particular size for this to work properly and ours was a tad too big so everything was a little bit off. I can't remember the name of that console, but I remember one game had to do with a haunted house. The Atari 2600 was space age stuff compared to that.

[mcarsehat]

well, its what most 14 year olds care for so yes, it's probably the most important thing in gaming nowadays. think of the hatred for indie games, like they're stealing aaa release dates or something. so called 'gamers' want shiny shiny and that's all innovation can wait until they make 14 types of the same game, then they go beserk.

[04STIBluByU]

I will make this real simple...Do you like to watch blurry movies (480i) or blu-ray ray movies (1080p)? Video games have to keep with with the times or why buy a next gen console?

[Minute Man 721]

If graphics wasn't important we would still be playing the NES. It's not the be all end all but it's part of the equation

[Goku781]

Look at Titanfall, then look at Infamous. The answer is yes!

[frankdrebin72]

titanfal,titanfall,titanfall,. .o how that game hurts you.
90% of the replies on any article here have titanfall in the equation at some point?
infamous ss vs titanfall??...i ask yet again..
which game had the most replay value?
which game will be traded in asap when it has been completed?
which game can be played with your friends?
which game hurts so much that its dismissed yet you also want it on your console?
To put it simply which game will give you more fun,over a longer period of time,...

TLOU..a remastered version of a game that is soooo good you have it on your ps3....yet the graphical whore in you will purchase a remake just for the graphics??..afterall the gameplay mechanics will be the same,..the odd tweek here and there,..but hey if its fun why not play it with the ps3?

yet hey its okay to pay for a remastered game thats not long out ...but ssshhh that extra 100 bucks for a kinect is soooo wrong....Cmon.....

[RiPPn]

Wow these damage control articles are coming fast and furious.

Must be tough for Xbox fanboys to sit back and watch their exclusives erode away with Titanfall being near as good on the 360, Garden Warfare and Peggle 2 coming close to the end of their timed exclusivity, and Max: The Curse of Brotherhood now on the 360.

Meanwhile the PS4 just got Infamous, The Show is coming in a couple weeks, Transistor shortly after, Last of Us remastered, and that's not even including the numerous indie games like the excellent Mercenary Kings, Towerfall, Don't Starve, etc.

It's no wonder we are seeing the damage control articles on multiplats, because when you add those to the PS4 list because they are the best console version, is there any reason to own a bone in the foreseeable future? Not really.

[cheapness1]

I am quite sure most people realise that the first batch of "next-gen" games are pretty much never that amazing compared to later ones in terms of gameplay etc.

I would think this is probably due to the fact that graphics are probably the most striking and obvious things to upgrade for a new generation of consoles...Ryse was hardly a gameplay revolution just as infamous isn't but both are graphical showcases for "next-gen" consoles (which in itself is quite funny because they'll probably be overshadowed in a year or two).

Another thing is games tend to be quite iterative with new games from studios usually being created by building on what they've got rather than re-vamping everything. Two great examples Bioware since KOTOR and Assassin's Creed.

This article seems a bit redundant to me and more likely the author felt a need to justify his opinion or express himself rather than actually write something informative, analytical.

[assdan]

If you want graphics to stay the same, I'm sorry, you're an idiot. Why would I invest 500 plus dollars into an item that won't give a tangible increase in everything?

[daBUSHwhaka]

Nxt gen graphics should be mouth watering eye candy.Nxt gen gameplay should be fun,challenging,long lasting but most of all new and fresh.personally I would choose the gameplay.no point in having a lovely looking cake eyeballing me just to find out its made of something that's came from a dog's ass.yes you Brokenfield 4

[madpuppy]

But, the obvious choice would be the console that displays the same game in higher resolution. there is no loss in gameplay, and the game looks great to boot.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Clearly graphical improvements from one gen to the next are important. To say otherwise would be be foolish. Are they the only thing that is important? No, but don't be fooled they are important.

For me, I absolutely wanted to see improvements to the next gen console visuals(PS4/Xbox One). Lets be very clear here...BOTH consoles have done this. Yes the PS4 so far has shown an easier path getting to 1080p consistently but all the next gen titles coming to these new machines have been graphical upgrades from the PS3 & 360.

Beyond that though there are other elements that are as important such as actual gameplay mechanics and the behind the curtain nuts and bolts of what the new machines can do.

Hypotheticallly, if all these new machines did was upgrade the visuals of games but performed from a UI and multitask standpoint just the same as the Xbox360/PS3 do now as in slow UI, No multitasking, etc....there is no way I would have bought in to the next gen.

That said I can say emphatically that if hypothetically the visuals stayed the same as they are now for the 360/PS3 but I got all of the enhanced game play mechanics and under the hood multitasking like app switching on the fly and improved UI were offered up in the next gen machines I 100% would still upgrad in a heartbeat.

[madpuppy]

Well, if we go by last generation when the 360 had the edge it was very important, now that Ms console doesn't have the advantage Xbone fans feel that it is not important anymore.

(MS fans Kinda' sound like Wii fans, It's all about gameplay! they spout, like the same game on the PS4 lost it's gameplay because it has superior resolution, so stupid..)

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Actually last gen the PS3 had better visuals with their exclusives it was just more difficult for multiplat devs to get the PS3 working at parity when they were developing for both.

[Predaking77]

he real situation is this:

Why on last gen, when the 360 had a lead over the PS3, all this things mattered? Why back them everybody was talking about the advantages of the 360 and how it was very important and there was practically NO ONE writing articles saying "the 360 have the edge over the PS3 but it's not important", "multiplatform were looking better on 360 but resolution doesn’t matter".

Let's be real, NO ONE were defending the PS3, the media was all about the advantages of the 360.

BUT NOW that the PS4 is clearly an undisputed leader in every category suddenly we see this kind of articles saying that resolution doesn't matter, power doesn’t matter.

Can you see the hypocrisy? All those things matters to them only when the xbot has the advantage, if not, all those things are not relevant.

Power, resolution, superiority has always been an important part of the gaming industry, not because the xbone fall short these things are less important now.
#33

[jon200547]

i really dont know anymore people say that they want better graphics better everything in the games but everytime they improve stuff it cost more money to buy it i mean really 500 to 600 dollars for a system thats starting to be overboard i mean really thats getting to steep in price

[Hicken]

You must not know your console history.

[Fusion_Ninja]

YES, next-gen graphics ARE *that* important. Why the hell would I spend $400-500 for a console without a noticeable, marked jump in visual fidelity?

What a stupid article.

[Zenith4k]

We'll I didn't buy a ps4 for nothing

[quenomamen]

Graphics don't matter if your console is weak, just how speed, comfort and coolness doesn't matter if you driving a 89 Taurus with bald tires.

[gigoran]

So the author would be happy if ms just released a console where the games look exactly like they did on the 360? Ok. I'll stick with Sony who are actually improving the standards of console gaming each generation.

People will write "but the xbone does have improvements of the 360". Ahuh... But the topic here is that improved graphics mean nothing. He's happy just playing this 360 games on a new console.

[Izzy408]

Hopefully this answers your question...

http://www.reactiongifs.us/...

[DVAcme]

The fact that we're STILL asking about the importance of graphics proves that they ARE important, or at least relevant and significant. The fact is that, barring massive jumps between generations like a new storage format or control element(like analog sticks), graphics are usually the benchmark for generation leaps.

And it's not only because "gaems look purdier", it's because better graphics lead to more immersion and better storytelling. Of course, not all games with great graphics have a great narrative and not all games with great narrative have great graphics, but when those two elements converge, magic happens. Look at games like the Bioshock series, Uncharted, The Last Of Us, Heavy Rain, Metro, Assassin's Creed. They're games with great stories, and the great graphics they have make the characters more real, more compelling. It's one thing for a game's story to tell us a character is sad, or the character say so him/herself, it's another thing entirely to see the characters eyes in tears, the grimace on their face betraying their deep sorrow.

[Skate-AK]

Of course it does.

[TitanUp]

happy with the console graphics for at least for a couple of years.

[LKHGFDSA]

_YES THEY ARE_
WE'RE BUYING NEW CONSOLES AFTER 8 YEARS. WE MUST SEE AN IMPROVEMENT.