If you haven't done it already, I suggest you take a look at this Kickstarter project:karamazovnew said:Why is Limbo given as an example with "10%" graphics? Limbo looks great, a testament that visual expression can be achieved with good art direction. But anyway, back to our 3d world.
While playing Skyrim and The Witcher 2, I felt that the better a game looks, the harder it is to make it immersive. Why? Because of the bloody screen. I've spent my early teen life playing flight simulators and not a month goes by without me searching the internet for the latest news in head tracking gear and head mounted displays. The 3d gimmick has never caught on, and even with photorealistic graphics it would still be limiting. What we need to do is go INSIDE the game. Publishers should support the virtual helmet industry, to market cheaper and cheaper versions. Even Borderlands 1 would be THE SHIT if played on such a device. Yes, there are lots of issues regarding control and aiming, but the rewards of cracking that would be amazing. I mean ffs, the mouse is still regarded as the best way to aim a weapon in a game. Surely we can do better. The first wave of helmet games would be simulators, maybe even sparking new interest in a dying genre. But soon after, you'd have exploration games, where the environment would become more and more important.
So, to sum up, photorealism? Neah. Head mounted displays? Now you're talkin...
Oculus Rift [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1523379957/oculus-rift-step-into-the-game]
It's mainly a kickstarter for developers (rewards include the devkit but not the "user" device alone), but they have a working prototype and apparently they managed to impress a lot of people in the industry (just watch the video). It seems exciting stuff.