THQ: 'Humongous change' in graphics not the focus for next-gen consoles
Next-generation consoles won't provide as much of a graphical leap as previous generations have, THQ suggests.
THQ's CEO Brian Farrell has suggested that next-generation consoles won't provide as much of a graphical leap as previous generations have, saying that the focus of next-generation hardware is to develop "opportunities in different types of business... rather than a humongous change in the foundation of 3D graphics".
"I think if you look at what's been happening on the PC, the generational change, if you will, as we've moved from DX10 to DX11 hasn't been, to a certain extent, the same impact that previous ones had," said Farrell, replying to a question about rising development costs on next-generation hardware.
"Certainly, when you went from 2D to 3D many, many years ago at the beginning of the PlayStation era, that was a major leap and costs went up significantly. As processors got extremely complex to try to get more and more graphics prowess out of the hardware, the PlayStation 2 jumped with also a massive change.
"I think the transition we're looking at in hardware right now is somewhat different. I think the transition is much more kind of focused around opportunities in different types of business -- different types of distribution, different types of business models, a lot more online, a lot more ability to track and relate to the consumer and things like that rather than a humongous change in the foundation of 3D graphics. So I don't expect costs to jump like they have in the past as we move forward."
Farrell's comments follow those of Mark Rein, who told VideoGamer.com last month that Epic was happy to wait for a 'massive leap' in next-generation console performance.
"[Next gen] is going to come out whenever it comes out," he told us, "and again, the whole do it right versus right now thing, I'd much rather get a massive leap in performance and capabilities than get something today."
Neither Sony or Microsoft have announced their plans for the next-generation.
Microsoft confirmed last night that it was developing a "new Xbox".
Via Seeking Alpha
User Comments
pblive
Graphic processor and CPU enhancements are far more important to the game worlds themselves than they are to pushing more polygons around your screen. Better realized worlds, more AI control, more interactive environments, better physics. All these things are 100% more important than the shiny graphic front that stands in front of them.
CheekyLee
MJTH@ Endless
I think in the next generation we will have gotten to a point where jumps in graphics don't need to be as big but the systems around a game, the entire infrastucture for how we play games on and ofline and how we get games, will be made more convenient. I think that will be the focus of the next xbox, PS4 and to some extent the wii u.
Endless@ Batmamerc
Perhaps there's a perception that we're currently conditioned to expect great graphics, so whatever leap there may be won't be perceived as such a big deal. Possibly because it wont be as in-your-face it's likely to be subtl intricate details and such. Depth is what I think will increase as opposed to straight out bigger better textures. After all you still cant realistically render any more pixels than 1080p so the physical fidelity of anything shown isnt going anywhere.
It all depends on what people's idea of a big leap is. You look at the likes of Battlefield 3 on PC and compare it to the 360 version and it IS light years ahead. The difference is huge, but for a console to reach that level of detail and interactivity should be easily achievable given the efficiency of harnessing proprietary hardware. I would expect no less and with the potential for much more.
Batmamerc