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[Hunter 99]

No the mass market does not care for graphics at all.all my niece and nephews and mates kids and some of my older family members ect all play the same shitty games like roblox ect. Or just cod and fifa.
It's nearly impossible to get any of them to play a narrative driven story game or a action adventure or rpg with amazing graphics.

Thats why I'm on gaf because we are enthusiasts with love for all aspects of gaming.

 

[Dacvak]

I think we’re past the point of chasing photorealism in games. Photorealistic graphical fidelity follows a logarithmic curve, so even though we’re only, say, 10% away from realizing true in-game photorealism, that’s probably a few decades away. Factor in animation quality and dynamics, and it’s probably even further.

My point is that we can get closer and closer to photorealism in games, but we’ll still continue to suffer the uncanny valley for at the very least another decade, but probably more.

BUT!

I’m hoping this starts a much needed shift towards stylization and overall artistic vision and aesthetic. No one complains that Eldon Ring or Astro Bot aren’t photorealistic, yet they’re some of the best looking games we’ve gotten in the last few years. Hell, even many 1st-party Nintendo games are gorgeous as hell, despite being on decade-old hardware.

Now, there still is a lot of rendering tech that deserves to see enhancements, most notably things like path tracing and “infinite” geometry, and that tech will assist in offering new types of visuals. But by and large, the race to photorealism will continue to stagnate for a loooooong time. So hopefully we start seeing games with gorgeous art direction instead.

 

[violence]

I say art direction is very important but it’s a lot harder to achieve graphical “leaps” now.

 

[RodriGames40]

Yep, but GTAV has also kept selling ridiculous numbers long after it ceased being a showcase of cutting-edge graphics.
GTAV going on to feature in sales charts long after better-looking games have come and gone ultimately proves that its graphics don’t matter anymore, and haven’t mattered for a long time.

GTA games on the PS2 kinda looked quite like shit too, yet San Andreas should be the best-selling PS2 game if memory serves me right.

To be fair, I am surprised it was a showcase at all. This is a game made for 256 MB of RAM that was ported to PS4/One shortly after release with somewhat minor graphical upgrades, only speaks volumes of how talented Rockstar is.

All this without considering that RDR2 just sold 70 million units and is still the best looking game overall IMO.

 

[pulicat]

26 million copies sold

 

[Azelover]

The answer is yes, a mass market does care. But it's getting smaller in a accelerated fashion, and the relevancy of the visuais is also diminishing.

We need to find another gimmick to keep selling consoles. Yes, I believe graphics is a gimmick. And it's one that erodes quickly. Once we are through with it there will be trouble. Hopefully the industry will be prepared to deal with it.

 

[EverydayBeast]

The designs created during the PS3/360 era were wow coming from SNES, N64, PS2.

 

[RCU005]

I voted yes, but it's not only the graphics, everything has to evolve. Physics have been thrown out of the window from every game since PS4. AI has to evolve, gameplay design, world design, story telling has to evolve.

If you make Mario Odyssey with Mario 64 graphics, it would still impress, because Odyssey is doing things that Mario 64 never could.

 

[kevboard]

clearly not.

this is the one of the most popular games on the planet:

 

[Clover904]

I love seeing all the graphical progress games make every generation. I love the games that push a generation to its full potential.

But I also know that the masses don’t care. They want quick access, in and out gameplay, minimal investment and learning curve. Poker, phantasy sports team, candy crush, wordle, slots.

 

[odhiex]

Core gamers? Probably

Casual gamers, which are the majority? Not so much.

Edit: Wait, I shouldn't have used the term "casual gamers" to generalize the mass market. There are a bunch of dedicated gamers outside of the "hardware enthusiasts" who play specific (popular) mobile/PC games and they are as hardcore as everyone else lol.

The better terms (perhaps) are hardware enthusiast vs mainstream.

 

[{insert code here}]

No, they don't care and some could probably very easily argue that the mass market has never cared about graphics technology.

Sony and Microsoft (assuming they do make another Xbox) are entering new territory with their next consoles because graphics are just not going to be a good enough (or big enough) selling point for a console moving forward. They're going to have leverage other features and/or components in order to sell units. They're basically going to have to do what Nintendo's been doing with their hardware for the past 20 years and that's pretty fucking wild when you think about it.

Consoles are never again going to come even close to top tier PC hardware for games. We're never going to get another Xbox 360-type exotic piece and it sucks.

 

[Codes 208]

The mass market will buy the same games over and over again regardless of quality (cod, pokemon, minecraft, gta, sports games, nintendo in general

So no. Better graphics is digital foundry’s fetish, not casuals.

 

[Imru’ al-Qays]

We're well past the point of diminishing returns for graphics, nobody really cares anymore

 

[Miyazaki’s Slave]

I see “Troll Topic Tuesdays” is really taking off.

Congrats!!

 

[poppabk]

As far as I can tell, my kids don't give a fuck about graphics. Don't think I have once heard them actually comment on the graphics of a game.
Sampling of my kids top games:
Portal/Portal 2
Brotato
Animal Crossing
Minecraft
Nation Red

 

[AJUMP23]

If a console came out with a true graphical breakthrough then people will care.

But you also need to figure out how to increase fidelity and reduce development time.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

First things first: Hellblade 2, Alan Wake, and I'll also throw in #DriveClub and The Order (as flops), didn't fail to achieve mass market success due to a lack of interest in "graphics". They just weren’t as appealing as video games to begin with. (which makes their graphic fidelity even more disappointing) it's similar to Horizon ZD/FW. the disappointment comes from its storytelling and Game Design. Just imagine Elden Ring with that "graphical evolution".

Elden Ring and GTAV are polar opposites to all of those games; they are just great videogames

But I think for the masses, "Graphical Evolution" means something different (assuming we have a baseline of a great game). Are the "graphics" fresh, unique, and innovative? Is the art direction striking and appealing in an exciting way (including what and how you do things inside the game?

Obviously there’s a floor to graphics, and people won’t flock to bad looking games, but it seems like the threshold for looking good enough for the majority of people was met long ago

I think it's a question of familiarity.

AssCreed Shadow doesn't look exciting for example. we are familiar with its graphics. (AssCreed´s aesthetics)
Intergalactic´s graphics have the same issue: Guardians of the Galaxy + Concord + Mundane = just boring; mass rejection and lack of interest. (as a visual concept)

people will get used to/tired of certain "graphics".

 

[NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt]

They definitely do, it's a reason to upgrade from the console they already own. If there was no graphical difference between PS4 and PS5, many would just keep rolling with last gen. That said, it's a lot less of a big deal than the past. What's funny is the hardcore gaming community has gone from "graphics don't matter" to chasing marginal performance gains in a never-ending spec war.

Yeah for me I would rather upgrade my Gaming PC than get a new console. I just can't tell the difference anymore. The exception being Nintendo, I'm definitely getting the Switch 2 but I'm not sure about their next console after that

 

[fallingdove]

Of course graphics are still important and anyone who says otherwise is out of touch,

Graphics are like any bullet on a list of product features and are easier to communicate in marketing materials than gameplay, music or atmosphere are. Sometimes graphics aren’t required to make a product successful, but the mass market can be persuaded by a game that stands out as a graphical showcase.

Demons Souls Vanilla is a perfect example of this. The game was largely ignored by the gaming community except for a handful of PS3 players that worshipped it. If the game had featured more state of the art graphics, more people within the “mass market” would have played it when it came out — guaranteed.

 

[SlimySnake]

Mass market are drones. They are followers. They don’t know what they want. They look to artists with imagination to show them the light.

Casuals have been around playing trash like madden, cod, fifa, just dance, wii sports. Now it’s fortnite. The real artists are the ones who set the bar and light up the imagination of the average consumer. They will all see the light when rockstar releases gta6 and things will never be the same again.

 

[kyubajin]

All kids seem to care about is Fortnite, COD, yearly EA sports crap.

 

[samuelgregory]

Looking at a couple of games that have been held up as examples of the best looking games this generation and how they’ve failed to garner any mass market success, do you think the mass market has now reached a point where it’s happy with the fidelity of most games without a need for improvement?

Alan Wake 2 - this continues to be a darling of Digital Foundry for pushing technology, however it has failed to make back the development costs

Hellblade 2 - arguably the most graphically realistic game ever made, but the graphics have failed to attract players


Now, let’s look at two big successes this generation

Elden Ring - under no circumstances is this bad looking game, but it does nothing fancy in terms of detail or lighting, however it’s amassed over 28 million sales

GTA V - again, after nearly 12 years in the market it’s still a huge seller tıklayın

Obviously there’s a floor to graphics, and people won’t flock to bad looking games, but it seems like the threshold for looking good enough for the majority of people was met long ago

The mass market seems to have reached a point where graphical fidelity alone isn't a major selling factor. While Alan Wake 2 and Hellblade 2 push technical boundaries, their sales struggles suggest players prioritize gameplay depth, engagement, and replayability over sheer visual quality. Games like Elden Ring and GTA V succeed because they offer compelling experiences beyond graphics, indicating that most players are satisfied with current visual standards.

 

[Mobilemofo]

My issue now is getting my portal to run on the NHS WiFi. Probably the biggest challenge ever..

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

I say art direction is very important but it’s a lot harder to achieve graphical “leaps” now.

It's not. With better animations and physics you get a big leap. Just compare Genshin - Wuthering Waves - Arknights Endfield. And then, throw in any other JRPG. There is a generational leap among them. In a few years, we have seen huge improvements.

The same applies to photorealistic graphics. To name two, Hellblade and Horizon Zero Dawn are "realistic" in static, but when you start playing, it all vanishes. Their worlds are lifeless.

 

[Mr Reasonable]

The mass market seems to have reached a point where graphical fidelity alone isn't a major selling factor.

TBH, I am right there too. Obviously, it's nice when things look good. But, the impact wears off pretty quick. In addition, with my enthusiasts hat on, I'd rather publishers had the option of making a game that was a bit more esoteric and there be a more varied gaming landscape out there, rather than everyone aiming to release a massive AAA game and then the studio being closed down when the game doesn't sell 5m copies (or whatever the number is now).

There's also that the most polished looking games are often games that hand-hold you through everything, makes you watch massive cutscenes, and has the most generic gameplay - it has to, because it has to appeal to the widest base of consumers possible.

 

[Shift!]

Everyone wants graphics to beat out the AI craze.

 

[RodriGames40]

Mass market are drones. They are followers. They don’t know what they want. They look to artists with imagination to show them the light.

Casuals have been around playing trash like madden, cod, fifa, just dance, wii sports. Now it’s fortnite. The real artists are the ones who set the bar and light up the imagination of the average consumer. They will all see the light when rockstar releases gta6 and things will never be the same again.

We literally saw this with RDR2 already, everyone who shits on UE5 often brings up RDR2 as an argument, I can only imagine how bright their light will be with GTA VI.

 

[Rawbutt Jellybean]

About 10 years ago is the last time I really heard random people talk about graphics. The leaps just matter less and less.

 

[SHA]

If that translate to making money then yeah, I don't think there are devs left in the industry who don't put themselves in Investors shoes.