Devin wrote:DefunctGamer wrote:Graphics may only be graphics, but they are a big reason people upgrade to a new system. I would not downplay the importance of eye candy, it is one of the reasons people are willing to spend their money on games. Like it or not. I would agree that it's game play over graphics, but there's no reason you can't have both. The argument that it's an either/or is just flatout wrong. Some of the best games last year had some of the best graphics. Gears of War, for example, is still the most-played game on the Xbox 360. Not only is it a great playing game, but it is also damn pretty.
I respect games for gameplay, but your exactly right. Historically it's always been about the technical prowess of a system that drives the future of video games. I've read the arguments from the companies themselves. Example in point, Nintendo illustrating that it's not necessarily the most powerful system that wins as we witnessed in the last generation of home consoles. That said the HD age is something else and it seems to be making real progress in the UK. At least from my idle observations there seems to be a real buzz about High Definition TV. The XBOX 360 could be to HD DVD what PlayStation 2 was for standard DVD. Only catch is the fact you have to buy an extra chunk of hardware. The combination is very competitively priced but I've heard from first hand experience that potential buyers are put off because it's not all in one box. If it were integrated the system would really fly!
To add to what you are saying (which I do completely agree with) is that the newest game systems (PS3, X360 and Wii) are all intended to be future-minded. That is, these companies intend these systems to be viable for years to come. Look at the PlayStation 2, the system is on its seventh year and there are still great games coming out for it. The penetration of HDTVs may be relatively low now, but in two or three years how many HDTVs will be out there?
I don't know about Europe, but in the next two years the FCC is forcing all American television stations to switch over to HD signal, which will be something that spurs the growth of these TVs. In fact, just looking at last Christmas we saw a major upsurge of HDTVs being sold. The prices are only coming down, and for many people this type of TV is not in the distant future, it's either right now or in the near future.
While I respect the idea that graphics aren't everything (and I would certainly agree with that), they do play a part. Already I hear people complaining about the graphics on Wii games, especially when hooked up to HDTVs. I can only imagine how much louder these voices will be two years from now. This is going to be especially true if the new style of control proves to be a gimmick rather than a great replacement for controlling games. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a gimmick ... but it's certainly too early to tell. There has only been one game that has really shown the power of the Wii's control (Wario Wares), and even that doesn't give you a clear reason why it's better. It's going to take Mario, Metroid and maybe even a second Wii Zelda (one that was developed from the ground up for the Wii) to show off why it's better to use the Wii's control over a traditional game pad. If in two years the control hasn't panned out like some hope and the graphics are still bad, then I think it will be safe to wonder what Nintendo's game plan will be.
To clarify something you said, it's not just the less powerful system wins, it's more of the fact that the first person to enter the race wins. If you go back through history (at least when it comes to U.S. sales) the person that wins is always the one that gets in the game first and doesn't drop out. NES over the Master System, PlayStation over the Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2 over the GameCube/Xbox. The Genesis/Super NES battle was too close to call. So if this plays out like past system races, then the Xbox 360 is going to be the winner.
However ... at this point in our history I would rather have all three systems have a solid part of the market. I think there's enough room for three, especially if they are able to carve out their own niche. Each system brings something to the table, and I don't want to see any of them fail. I'm a fanboy of games ... no systems.