Support NeoGAF

[Cyberpunkd]

Last 4 years has really been a disappointement in terms of graphics and level design overall. Feels like every new AAA game is basically just a PS4 upgrade.So much hype about SSD/Ryzen CPU for nothing.


Just seems like we're gonna have to wait for PS6/XboxNext to get true Unreal Engine 5 games

No, because next gen majority of games in the first 3-4 years will be cross-gen. That’s what you get when 7/10 is considered bad and the budget for AAA is north of 100 million.

You need to give something up: game length, graphics, etc. Tell me what.

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

We had no loading screens on the N64.

Actually not true, just rare. I can think of 8 games off the top of my head that had quick loading screens.

 

[BbMajor7th]

I'm kind of over visual fidelity - it has so little impact. I played Lords of the Fallen last night - visually it's a very decent-looking game and technically it's light years ahead of anything FromSoft has put out. That said, I still prefer the look and feel of Dark Souls. I think the PS4 generation found the sweet spot. All this generation needs to is tidy that up and we're golden. Frankly, I'd rather go the other way, with slightly more simplified graphics with more CPU cycles spent on gameplay innovation.

 

[SHA]

No, on Xbox there's Hellblade 2, ps5 idk, and it's just getting started, I promise the second half of this gen is going to be awesome.

 

[Wandering Leopard]

Is this just about pretty graphics.

In any case, something like Dragons Dogma 2 (while not looking the best) has a lot to offer in terms of emergent gameplay.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

We have to wait for publishers to lose the addiction to the PS4 consumers. Until that segment is small enough, even if we had a PS6 with double the capability of the PS5, we would still get up-res’d PS4 games.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

You will be waiting forever.

I read stuff like this and it makes me realize how outta touch gamers actually are.

I don't even know how to start telling the OP that what we are playing now are basically games built on systems that were established in the PS2 era. And an argument can even be made to go as far back as PS1 era. Basically, these are what 3D games will always be.

If a game has the level of interactivity and complexity that gamers seem to want, then they need to understand that such a game probably wouldn't be more than 6hrs long. I guess people can't remember that games like RE2... a $50 game at the time, were basically a 5hr game. And don't even get me started on MGS1. Good luck making such a game even if it has god-tier levels of sandboxing today and sell that for $70

 

[Celcius]

Huh?
Demon's Souls on PS5 was a launch title and looks next gen compared to last gen.
GT7 looks amazing. FF16. Etc...

 

[killatopak]

People keep asking for this without concrete definitions of a next gen game.


What is a next gen game?

 

[LordCBH]

We’re in the current gen so yes, you’ll have to wait for next gen for next gen games.

 

[Topher]

We’re in the current gen so yes, you’ll have to wait for next gen for next gen games.

 

[phant0m]

Thanks to the upcoming PS5 pro I doubt even that. Next gen will only be a marginal improvement again.
The times where new games wowed is is gone.

Try VR. Only thing that’s truly wowed me in gaming in probably 10 years.

 

[IDKFA]

When I start seeing true path tracing and minimum 60FPS in ALL console games, then I'll start being impressed again.

I think I'll be waiting a long time

 

[ReBurn]

PC tech is driving gaming these days. That's where the evolution is happening. If you want leading edge gaming then you have to look to PC and pay to keep up. Console tech has largely been trailing PC for years and will probably continue to do so from here on out.

In terms of gameplay that hasn't really changed for consoles since controllers first got dual analog sticks. That's not going to change unless games stop using controllers with dual analog sticks and face buttons. That's where VR comes into play. For a while I think that's where you're going to see gameplay innovations, assuming developers can avoid gimmicks and invest time in creative control schemes.

 

[OuterLimits]

I'm an old senior citizen born in 1976. The one nice thing about each new console gen growing up was the mind blowing differences from prior gens. The excitement had me always wanting the new systems Day 1.

Now I barely notice much difference. Wow, those mountains look a bit better I guess. Granted, my eyesight is going to shit anyway. I do appreciate faster loading times though. When you are getting older and closer to the inevitable visit by the grim reaper, the time saved is a positive.

 

[BaneIsPain]

looking at the bloated budget AAA or AAAA (ubisoft), I think we shouldn't expect much.
I'm thankful the art style more nowadays.

 

[normalguy09x]

"So are we gonna have to wait for PS6/Next Xbox to have true "next gen" games?"
Don't adopt this attitude because you are gonna be surely disappointed. PS6 games will surely have PS5 versions just like PS5 with PS4. The cost of developing games is so high that developers are trying to get as much profit as they can.

 

[Roxkis_ii]

If you think games are going to dramticly change in the next gen, your going to more then likely be disappointed again.

 

[SlimySnake]

Last 4 years has really been a disappointement in terms of graphics and level design overall. Feels like every new AAA game is basically just a PS4 upgrade.So much hype about SSD/Ryzen CPU for nothing.


Just seems like we're gonna have to wait for PS6/XboxNext to get true Unreal Engine 5 games

It's been slow goings but there have been some gems.

SSD

• Ratchet and Spiderman 2 - Both feature things you couldnt do on last gen hardware. The faster flying speeds in Spiderman 2 especially impact the gameplay at all times. I dont think i swung once after getting that flying ability its so fast. Ratchet's portal segments were mostly gimmicky but still at least used the ssd tech.
• Star wars Jedi Survivor. The game features massive levels compared to the first game with an incredibly high level of visual fidelity. The devs made SSDs a requirement even on PC and designed the levels around it. The first game was mostly corridors and small dark souls levels stitched together. this game feels like a living breathing world.
• Avatar's flying speeds. Again devs specifically stated this as a requirement for faster flying while maintaining higher quality visuals. I compared the speeds to horizon and it was something like 4-5x faster.
• FF16's massive Eikon battles. You dont get those at that level of fidelity without the ssd. just look at how everyone essentially dropped those big setpieces in the PS4 era as they had to compromise and create more intimate dad games instead of big epic GOW3 style battles that literally took you to space.

CPU -

• Spiderman 2 uses the CPU to just pack in an insane amount of cars and NPCs on screen. Does it impact the gameplay? Maybe not but its a visual treat.
• 99% of the games released on consoles are 60 fps or have 60 fps modes. Even UE5 games. That has to mean something.
• Way higher enemy count. I noticed this in Ratchet but it wasnt as obvious until i played spiderman 2 and star wars jedi survivor. they must have upped enemy counts in combat scenarios by like 3x. especially star wars. In Dragons Dogma 2, at one point i had like 20 NPCs fighting a dragon alongside me. Dont think i remember this before.

Regardless, the gen is just starting. yes, its been a slow start but there are games on the horizon that will give you the next gen graphics leap you want. Hellblade 2, GTA6, 1943, Death Stranding. For now though, Star Wars, Avatar, Alan Wake, and to a lesser extent starfield and spiderman 2 look absolutely stunning and sufficiently next gen at times.

 

[amigastar]

I think at the end of this gen we will see true next gen games. Like SlimySnake said Hellblade 2, GTA6, Marvel1943, Death Stranding and more.

 

[Tqaulity]

Saying that we have to wait for next gen PS6/Xbox Next implies that the limitation for the lack of revolution in games is the Hardware. This is mostly untrue. The limitation is purely in the people making the games and the resources required. Most games today are still running on engines developed during the PS4/Xbox One era (and some even the PS3/X360 era). Just iterative evolutions on top of those engines. Even with the most "next gen" games available today like Ratchet & Clank, SpiderMan 2, Horizon FW, Starfield, Forza Motorsport etc are still fundamentally iterations of older engine tech. That's why we're not seeing full utilization of the SSD for runtime applications. That's why we're not seeing real revolution on the art pipelines for the quality of the graphics on display. The hardware is there to do some amazing stuff if used properly.

Developers are still churning on their "new" engines to take advantage of next gen tech like fast I/O and ray tracing/path tracing. But those won't really be ready for years to come. UE5 is just starting to get going with the release of Hellblade 2, a AA game made by a small studio as a sequel lasting less than 10 hours....yet still had a ~6 year development cycle with a budget that's 5-10x that of the first Hellblade!! That my friends is the problem. The time, money, and personnel required to make your "true" next gen games, most studios just aren't setup or equipped for. Lots of learnings and tough lessons happening this gen (layoffs and closures).

My point: Yes, we'll probably have to wait longer, but not because we need more time for hardware to catch up. Rather we need more time for the people and studios to catch up.

 

[Games of Today]

Proper use of tessalation and Nanite tech can really make a game stand out. PC's have the power to use it but on-one wants to risk it I guess with the old U5 engine.

Cant wait for a proper UE5.4 game. Robocop actually blew me away graphics wise and it was an UE5 game made by a B Tier studio. (though I did need a ReShade for color accuracy).

Tell me this doesn't look amazing.

Wow the lighting is insanely accurate with that mod. I may have to play this now.

 

[Fbh]

If you just want better graphics and don't mind going back to 30fps I'm sure the final third of this gen will deliver what you want.
We'll start seeing more games from big devs and publishers using UE5. In the near future we already have Hellblade 2 which is looking quite nice visually, that Wukong game Is UE5 too, that new Marvel game had a really impressive tech showing recently, the Ubisoft Star Wars game looks quite nice provided they don't downgrade it, etc. Further down the line I'm sure GTA6 will have amazing production values and ND will surely impress when they finally stop re-releasing TLOU and do something new

The vast majority of them will still play like Ps4 games though.

To me this gen has been pretty good. It's not all about graphics, IMO this gen has been more about performance while still getting noticeable (but not massive) visual upgrade paired with more seamless experiences thanks to the fast loading.
I think it's the sort of difference you get used to and doesn't seem as big until you go back. Like I played a bit of Hogwarts Legacy on a base Ps4 recently (at a friend's house) and to me what you gain on Ps5 in terms of performance and loading speed while still getting a decent visual upgrade is just as much of a next gen leap as if they had made the same game locked to 30fps with a bigger graphical jump.

 

[makaveli60]

Well, we could have it if there was no bitching always about 60fps60fps60fps and if developers would prefer emloying people who can code instead of diversity hires
You know, like not so long ago

 

[Toots]

There's a story in France about a barber who opened his shop and put on a sign saying "Free shave tomorrow". Whenever someone entered the shop asking for a free shave he'd say "tomorrow".
I think next gen is the same. It's just bait.

 

[Majukun]

Diminished returns, Yada, Yada.

 

[b0uncyfr0]

No because there haven't been any NG games in afew years.

 

[ShadowkillXNA]

Starfield already released, wdym?

 

[MonkeyClaw36]

Wow the lighting is insanely accurate with that mod. I may have to play this now.

You really should. It's a fantastic game even without a coat of aftermarktet paint.
Just dont buy it from Steam. You can get a global key on Eneba for around 20 bucks.

 

[Caio]

Thanks to the upcoming PS5 pro I doubt even that. Next gen will only be a marginal improvement again.
The times where new games wowed is is gone.

Sad, but true.

 

[Danjin44]

We same exact conversation back in PS4 era. Don’t worry when PS6 comes out people gonna say PS7 going true “next gen“ system.

 

[DragonNCM]

No, on Xbox there's Hellblade 2, ps5 idk, and it's just getting started, I promise the second half of this gen is going to be awesome.

Yeah it will be awesome.......AT 30 FPS

 

[proandrad]

Yes, next gen graphics at 60fps. So just suck it up for one generation so we can all be happy graphic whores.

 

[Puscifer]

Thanks to the upcoming PS5 pro I doubt even that. Next gen will only be a marginal improvement again.
The times where new games wowed is is gone.

New games still wow, but I think it's because everyone's looking in the wrong direction. Dave the Diver and Risk of Rain 2 have given me some great WOW moments from actual design and not graphics.

 

[dorkimoe]

Welcome to gaming now

Ps6/xboxxxx to play your favorite last gen games at 60fps

 

[rm082e]

I would turn this question around on everyone: Would you rather be back in the early to mid-2000s where console generations lasted 6 years, but there was very little graphical evolution during each generation? That's why we saw such a startling jump when a new box would come out. We had effectively been held back from what was possible for a few years.

With consoles transitioning to X86 and getting the "tick-tock" of new console then Pro models every 3 years, we're just getting smaller steps in improvement. It's not a perfect comparison for obvious reasons, but go fire up Bloodborne and play it for 15 minutes, then switch to Phantom Liberty and see how much better it looks, runs, and feels by comparison.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Try VR. Only thing that’s truly wowed me in gaming in probably 10 years.

Can’t handle it unfortunately… Makes me super sick.

 

[SHA]

People keep asking for this without concrete definitions of a next gen game.


What is a next gen game?

Something unheard of or unseen or untouched without any leaks from Shinobi602.

 

[Drell]

How about just enjoying your games? If you want the best performances go play PC... Even if PS6/Xbox whatever did finally reach 4K/60FPS for everything, some people would start complains that they want 8K/300FPS everywhere...

 

[SHA]

Yeah it will be awesome.......AT 30 FPS

30 fps games are not created equal.

 

[hinch7]

Can imagine Ai being a big factor in next gen consoles. With NPU's utilised, we could see some cool things.

 

[Xaeroxcore666]

I upgraded last year from PS4 Pro to PS5 and i´m kinda agree with you, and actually with the facts....This "next gen" consoles feel still like a PS4 Pro and Xbox One X Plus...May be if you come from base PS4 and Xone the jump is more evident....But in reality the tech is there...and the proof is on few games like Ratchet and Clank: Drift Apart, which despite being a 4 year old game show an actual tech jump over last gen...Yes, Sony as usual exagerated facts, like "this game is just possible with PS5 SSD tech", when PC version can actually run (but with lotta stuttering) on even traditionals HDD...but aside from that, visually is stunning...Also the Matrix demo, and the UE 5 demo....So they can make it happen...Maybe stop focusing on RT and more taking the best image quality possible with traditional rasterization tech.

 

[Varteras]

I would rather devs focus on increasing framerates, improving AI and animation, and finding ways to speed up development timelines. Much more so than adding a few more realistic bumps on Lara's areola.

 

[dottme]

I’m still on PS4 and this thread is really not motivating me to change.

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

Cyberpunk, Plagues Tale Requiem, FF16, Forbidden West all look next gen to me.

Forbidden West was literally a last gen game i.e it was built to run on PS4 i.e 2012 tech.

 

[March Climber]

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

We had no loading screens on the N64.

And SNES/Genesis and NES/Master System and Atari 2600/Intellivision and Magnavox Odyssey/Coleco Telstar.

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

RT is a mistake for these consoles, costs too much for little gains. Very much like shadows with Doom3 and Fear or several AA solutions it will eventually get somewhere, but now it is barely viable on a 4090. Any other visual evolution was nice but also hardly noticeable compared with the frontrunners running not even on Pro but on the PS4 amateur. 60 fps is great though. Just is not advertisable on screenshots. Trying to wow with graphics just doesn't work anymore. Also tech demos years before any game coming close don't help either.
I'd even guess that physics improved a bit, but also hardly noticeable.

What we really lack are games that astonish with feeling like new genres, or just a new stab at something that failed before, ie maybe even possible on past gen(s) but nobody thought of it, or it needed the technical progress to finally make more sense, be more presentable. We had QTE games and or Telltale games and I think Detroit is the most polished one so far, with actual choices and diverging paths after very linear Walking Dead and questionably written Fahrenheit. Twin stick shooters were a rather small new thing (Geometry Wars of course, but also Dead Nation and Alienation, but are just gone?) We also got some walking simulators that were imho impressive, eg What remains of Edith Finch. Also the Battle Royale mode became a genre and alongside with it GaaS whatever that even is supposed to entail. This gen seemingly nothing happened other than short loading times and smooth framerates???

Current gen is arguably better than ever, but just stale (also due to AAA going towards risk free approaches sometimes missing customer tastes by a mile by doing so, so utterly failing) and lacking innovation which should be possible on a much befier CPU than Cell and Jaguar were.

RT is barely viable on a 4090? Bro the 4090 can do literal path tracing. RT on the level of consoles is baby stuff for a 4090.

 

[rofif]

nothing stops devs now.. ah wait it's your idiotic "must be 60fps" thingy

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

What you on about dude . This is the gen. It is what it is. By the time Ps6 is out PC will be on 200+ teraflops . If you want the best go pc

4090 is 82 Teraflops and it's not bullshit "dual issue only" TFs like the 7900XTX's 61TFs nor the PS5 Pros 33 TFs. 5090 is around the corner.