Consoles Are Holding Gaming Back

[4RM3D]

Like the realism texture pack for Minecraft.

Case and point. Minimized Polygons (minecraft)
Crappy textures

HD textures

Simply adding the illusion that something is 3d to a flat surface, accomplishes more than having a ridiculous amount of polygons, and a craptastic texture.

I rest my case.

Then again, Minecraft was never about the graphics. Still, it's interesting to see the huge difference like this.

 

[LAGG]

Not from a tech standpoint and not for graphics. But the trend of games moving from competition and simulation into "cinematic" passive media is related.

I don't think so. Games are moving in that direction because it's what sells reliably. Consoles could do "competition and simulation" along with the best of PCs.

That's what I mean: from a culture (what the install-base wants) and business (what can live off hype and sequels) standpoint not from tech/hardware limitations.

 

[deadish]

Not from a tech standpoint and not for graphics. But the trend of games moving from competition and simulation into "cinematic" passive media is related.

I don't think so. Games are moving in that direction because it's what sells reliably. Consoles could do "competition and simulation" along with the best of PCs.

That's what I mean: from a culture (what the install-base wants) and business (what can live off hype and sequels) standpoint not from tech/hardware limitations.

You speak like it's exclusive to "console culture".

Personally, I don't give a shit about graphics. The graphics from the recent Black Ops 2, or Battlefield 3, mean as much to me as the graphics to games such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Rome Total War or M&B Warband.
In fact, I'd go so far as to say that 'good' graphics sometimes take me out of a game. In Crysis 2 and the aforementioned BF3, I found in geniunely painful in places, and hard to see things throughout. It actually gets annoying and makes me want to play games without the stupid lighting effects amongst other things.

That's not a problem of good graphics, that's a problem of bad design. Look at TF2: you probably wouldn't notice it until you play it for a while, but TF2 actually has really good graphics. It's just that TF2 doesn't sacrifice good visual design for the sake of "realism". If BF3 or 2 or any of the recent COD games had just cut back on the fucking visual clutter, the gameplay would be a lot more bareable. As it is, though, too much shit on screen makes the game boil down to who can spot the brown and grey smear behind all the brown and gray and in front of all the brown and grey before the enemy does, and it's just not fun when you're being beaten more by the scenery than you are your own lack of skill.

Ironically, that's the point of military camo.

 

[Godhead]

Consoles aren't holding back gaming because what they do has little to no effect on PC, and PC games can continue to improve graphics, enhance gameplay and other hogwash. Consoles do that too; they can improve gameplay, and make new innovations on controllers. Not to mention that indie games have made a humongous leap into the spotlight on consoles, PC, and app stores alike.

Really the only way that consoles can be holding gaming back is through shitty ports (which many times are rectified if the PC community is allowed to mod and fix the console to PC ports) a single company developing, producing, and distributing a gaming system (which from a pure capitalist standpoint isn't all too bad because competition and such even if the entry level is ridiculously high). In fact, with the exception of exclusivity and paying to play online PC has a much worse issue with obtrusive DRM.

 

[Laughing Man]

If it weren't consoles, then it would be low end PCs.

Sorry not everyone wants to shell out the money necessary for a high grade PC.

This guy here, the folk blaming consoles for holding gaming back are failing to take in to account that only a fraction of the PC gaming populous have the uber rigs capable of playing Crysis 3 at full chat. A quick look on the Steam survey shows the third most popular GPU is a god damn on CPU Intel HD 3000. Developers make games to sell to the highest number of people and more people own mid to low range gaming rigs than own high end uber spec rigs.