The hair technology is a clear step above current games. No-one is denying that. But in game FIFA 21 looks virtually indistinguishable between the PS4 and PS5. So as an overall package it's pretty difficult to claim it's a generational leap when most people probably wouldn't be able to tell which platform it's running on until there's a closeup of a player with long hair. I'm not taking anything away from the game, it looks gorgeous, especially the next gen console versions. But a generational leap over FIFA 2020 for example? That's a bit of a stretch.
But the settings aren't the same though are they? Even without RT the PC is running at signifcantly higher settings across the board than the base consoles. And then RT on top of that is transformative.
And that's before you consider the fact of those last gen versions running at 720p or lower at sub 20fps. Any platform can run any game if you lower the settings and framerate enough.
This is simply not true. There are settings and resolution differences across the board in both games. It wouldn't take a current high end PC to run either of those games at the console settings just as it doesn't take more than an RTX2060S to run Watch Dogs Legion at the same settings as the PS5 or a 3060Ti to run Valhalla.
Whether you consider the differences noticeable is an entirely different question. Some people won't see a difference at all, and those same people may also see no difference between the Series S and the PS5 for example, or even the mid gen refreshes and the new gen consoles. But for those that do appreciate the extra detail, the extra image quality, and the extra frame rate, it's all there to be had - at a premium cost of course.
I think you need to prepare yourself for a disappointment in that regard. The PC pushes RT so hard that there's no way the PS5 is going to be able to produce a result that's visually indistinguishable. Just look at the Watch Dogs Legion differences, they're numerous and significant.
BTW the "visually indistinguishable at normal viewing distances" quote you keep referring back to isn't supposed to be about not seeing extra game effects at TV viewing distances, it's referring to image quality differences that require a full screen 4x zoom and side by side analysis to see. "Normal viewing distance" in PC terms could be 3 foot away from a 34" (or more) monitor which can potentially fill the majority of your field of vision.
I think it's a bit silly to call out individual features as "next gen" or "last gen" without any kind of context. For example what was the average poly count for an open world RPG last gen? What will be the average this gen? What's the CB2077 average? Without those numbers there's no basis for making such a claim. No game is ever going to be trail blazing in every single area, even Crysis wasn't. But as an overall package, CB2077 is a clear step above the current standard of games which for my money at least makes it worthy of being labelled with that super ambiguous and subjective term; "Next Gen".
