Graphics evolution in this console generation?

[Roly]

I am curious as to how everyone thinks the three consoles will evolve with respect to graphics. Say at the next software generation (though the discrete generations idea seems kind of artificial to me anyway) will the difference between GC and Xbox be more pronounced? Less? Are their any specific areas people anticipate the consoles will improve, say more per-pixel stuff on GC for instance, or still higher poly counts and pixel shader effects on Xbox? Does the PS2 have another significant jump in texture quality or geometry left in it?

I was playing Sunshine today for the first time and I thought it was very impressive graphically, a significant advance over Rogue Leader and Wave Race...though perhaps the stylization of the graphics was playing to the GC's strengths. Render-to-texture (I think) on some of the water surfaces and tilt-mirrors was pretty nice, as were the dust effects when that caterpillar thing charged around. Heat haze blurring effect was also quite well-done IMHO.

Just to make this the most confused post ever, why didn't Nintendo make the A-RAM bus wider, say 32-bits or so? Would it really have cost that much more for the kind of utility that greater bandwidth would provide? [I don't know anything about making a system but it seems peculiar to me.]

Cheers,

Roly

 

[Tagrineth]

A-RAM's purpose is audio data and read buffer... not very much bandwidth is needed for either of those, really.

 

[FiggyG]

Well...

GC and Xbox still have headroom, so does PS2, except that it's extremely difficult to use it. I don't see PS2 going any further, especially with PS3 being developed.

My 2 cents.

 

[marconelly!]

Every console has some extremely impressive looking games in the development:

- Xbox: Halo 2, Fable...
- PS2: Silent Hill 3, ZoE2...
- GC: Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 4...

 

[Mr. Angry Pants]

Can we *really* count any of the RE games as being technically impressive? When the enviroments are pre-rendered on some uber work-station and the only thing being drawn in real-time are the character models, how can the games not look good?

 

[marconelly!]

That's true Mr. Angry. I'm not *all that* impressed with RE games for that particular reason, but they do exibit some really good character models with very detailed texturing, self shadowing and such, Also, the way real time shadows blend with the pre-rendered backgrounds, are probably the best so far.

If there is a Gamcube game that is more impressive looking, anyone can feel free to correct me.

 

[BoddoZerg]

Did someone forget to mention DOOM 3?

 

[iscariot]

If there is a Gamcube game that is more impressive looking, anyone can feel free to correct me

SFA, MP, etc

 

[marconelly!]

Yes, Metroid Prime looks really, really sweet.

 

[VNZ]

It's a beautiful fact that console developers still have the privilege to improve their skills on a fixed piece of hardware for up to 4-6 years, really. And a shame when they can't for some reason, like with the Dreamcast. The PlayStation didn't peak until 3-4 years after its release with Tekken 3, Metal Gear Solid and Ridge Racer Type 4.

As for the future, those leaps will perhaps be done by API/Middleware programmers. Especially so on Xbox where an optimized version of DX would translate into a leap in performance on most games in development.

Personally I'd love to see an over-the-top sprite-based game for a machine of this generation (think Metal Slug or Castlevania:SOTN x100)..

Another thing that has to be done is a really massive 100% flat-shaded action game (think VF1, Tobal etc visually) on the PS2 with hundreds of characters/objects on-screen all moving at insane speeds, and literally tens of thousands of particles. Could be too great. With no textures what-so-ever it could use most of the VRAM for a large backbuffer = insanely crisp image quality. Ahh, gotta do it myself some day if no one else takes the oppurtunity.

 

[Teasy]

GC: Resident Evil 0, Resident Evil 4...

I'd probably take out Res Evil 0 (because of the pre-rendered backgrounds) and also Res Evil 4 (since we haven't see anything from it yet) and put in Metroid Prime and Rogue Leader in there place, also possibly SFA.

Can we *really* count any of the RE games as being technically impressive? When the enviroments are pre-rendered on some uber work-station and the only thing being drawn in real-time are the character models, how can the games not look good?

For Res Evil and Res Evil 0 I sort of agree, Res Evil 4 is all realtime though isn't it? Although we haven't actually seen any pics of it yet I suppose.

 

[zurich]

VNZ,

Thats why I found Rez to be so great. Mostly gourad shaded polys and wire frames... has a real artistic charm to it. Now, it was developed with the DC as its target platform. If it had been built ground up for the PS2... man, the EE would eat that shiz for breakfast

zurich

 

[wazoo]

VNZ,

Thats why I found Rez to be so great. Mostly gourad shaded polys and wire frames... has a real artistic charm to it. Now, it was developed with the DC as its target platform. If it had been built ground up for the PS2... man, the EE would eat that shiz for breakfast

zurich

They could even add some gameplay inside

 

[zurich]

Bah, you call Mario gameplay, I call Rez gameplay. TATERS TATERS

 

[Tagrineth]

If there is a Gamcube game that is more impressive looking, anyone can feel free to correct me

SFA, MP, etc

SFA, MP, Eternal Darkness, and Rogue Leader are my picks for best graphics.

I also like TimeSplitters 2's graphics a lot, mostly due to the fantastic animations

 

[wazoo]

Bah, you call Mario gameplay, I call Rez gameplay. TATERS TATERS

I was expecting much more from REZ just reading its producer interviews in Edge.

biggest letdown of the year IMO.

 

[zurich]

Shrug, its a niche game. Guess you're not part of the niche

 

[marconelly!]

Rez is a beautiful game. One of my all time favorites. I still play it every now and then. Exhilaration it provides is unmatched ))

 

[cybamerc]

Why do ppl think it is "free" to use prerendered backgrounds? Animated ones even.

 

[Mr. Angry Pants]

Because by the standards of todays hardware it practicaly is? Because 32-bit systems such as the 3DO and Saturn could display pre-rendered backgrounds without breaking a sweat? Because they're nothing more than 2D images?

Edit: Marconelly, good point about the shadows cast over the pre-rendered backgrounds in REmake. My eyes bugged out of my skull the first time I noticed that.