I read an interesting article today from G4 regarding graphics in video games. It got me thinking about the games I grew up with and what we have today. Video games have a long and well documented history going back several decades. From the games played on the big mainframe computers to today, where a game can be played on a cellphone. Advances in graphics have improved substantially over the years with each successive generation.
When the first video games came out the graphics were, to put it mildly, less than mind blowing. The screens usually had a white object (ala space war), or whatever you controlled, on a black background. The advancing vector graphics in early games became something to behold. Eventually games evolved to 2D sprites and emerging to 3D polygons. The jump to 3D was definitely a huge advance for gaming and for showing the realism possible. With advances in texture, lighting, and processing power, we have some amazing looking games today, but is that really what we need?
We all like to see the eye candy in todays games. Who doesn't like to see the way the foliage moves in Crysis? Uncharted includes realistic looking and moving characters in addition to a good looking environment, but is all this realism something we really need? Could realistic games bad for gaming? Let's take a look at what the effects are of getting all that pretty scenery. As games become more realistic we see a huge increase in the amount of software that is required to render said environments and characters. It takes a lot of information to get Crysis to look as drop dead gorgeous as it does. What cost do we have to pay for that? Obviously, we need a system with a lot of processing power that can read all that information and display it on the screen as it was meant to be seen. If our computer or console is unable to read and send out the information fast enough, we see drastic problems with the rendering. Slowdown is to be expected in games with high detail environments, although the developers work hard to make sure their game is compatible with as many systems as possible. Another issue we see, more and more these days, is regarding the length of the game. The developers have a hard choice in choosing the correct balance between quality and quantity. We all want more of our favorite games. To see more and different environments in Uncharted, or to have another area to go to in Halo 3 are all natural reactions from the gamers. For the game makers though, that one more level may mean another $500,000 in developing costs or adding a second disc to include the extra code. Both factors that are important in order to lower development costs.
For some games though, realism is the only way it will work. The Normandy Beach level in Medal of Honor would not have made the impression it did if you didn't see the bodies, hear the bullets and mortars, or see the Nazis in the distance with the machine guns. You needed to feel a connection with the world, the real world that was, in order to get the full impact and emotional response to the moment. When you charge the beach, you can imagine being with the soldiers that were actually there, some 50 years or so before you were even born. It brings us a connection to what was, and maybe even, what is to come.
Realism may be a challenge for developers, but in the right world, under the right circumstances, it is a requirement.
As always, I'd like to know what you think. Yes you, the one that kept muttering to himself while reading this article. You just need to speak up a little more so I can hear.
Dear team,
Xbox has always been different.
We started with a simple idea. Games should bring people together through shared experiences. That led to the first Xbox in 2001, Xbox Live in 2002, and new ways to connect, from friends lists and achievements to parties and play across devices. Today, Xbox reaches over 500 million players around the world, with some of the most important franchises in entertainment.
re-evaluating exclusivity 💀
PS players will need to go back to pretending to dislike Xbox games
Or meaning since it’s doing so good they might just do everything day 1.
They didnt say re-evaluating their multiplatform approach.
🤣🤣🤣 Xbox is so dead. I know you scared🤣🫵ӿ 97;
Even when the topic is strictly Xbox he can't stop talking about PlayStation. Xbox has basically become the hate of PlayStation... and not much else.
Hurt over video games 🤣🤣
Lmao we all grew and got jobs but apparently you stayed home broke 🤣🤣.
Man I love loyal dogs like you. MS kicked Spit and slapped you around but you still come back on all 4s.
Good little boy 🤣🤣
My only question is what games are PlayStation gamers gonna play now? They don’t really come out with new games anymore. I’m looking forward to wolverine, but after that then what?
Lmao
There’s no way after everything it’s going back, the damage is done
What you are seeing now is the new management telling what the core fanbase (aka…you) want to hear so they are pumped full of hope and are more likely to invest in the next Xbox console
When Phil took over after the awful Xbox One reveal he did the same thing, he told people what they wanted to hear for damage control.
It’s crazy people are getting suckered into this again.
And you'll now go back to again thinking exclusives suddenly matter, that multiplatform is no longer the future, or that revenue from multiplatforms doesn't matter, like all you flop flopping xbox grifters lol.
The whole post just sounds like the previous phil corpo slop talk to me, whole thing reads like a nothing burger lol.
“re-evaluating exclusivity”
She also said this.
“The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”
I don't know if they have a model anymore it's flipped so many times since the xbox one reveal
There's a bunch just like him but that's what happens when some rely on dreams, hope and wishful thinking. lol
"pretending"? Bro gears hasnt broke 1mil on ps5, and starfield hasn't passed 200k, Hellblade 2 was even stated to be a financial disappointment in sales on its own console, let alone ps5. Im not saying people don't like them, but they certainly aren't setting the community on fire, Forza may be different tho
Xbawx is ''re-evaluating exclusivity''... Translation: After throwing all sort of crap to the wall to see if something sticks but clearly nothing worked, we, including our lord ''in charge'' Phil came to the conclusion that exclusives indeed do matter so please forget if we ever said otherwise.
Yup, I feel it in my gut, next gen belongs to xbox, PS6 is cooked...
Someone can’t sleep after those 5 million forza games PURCHASED by PlayStation owners🤣 🧌 💥
Well with the decreased price of gamespass even with cod off it there is no way it is profitable given the cost of making their 1st party games (not if you actually include that cost in gamespass costs which they typically dont but should) they will just make a loss without the sales on
If they go back to exclusive games it at least shows that they are finally getting it. They would be turning down immediate money for something that will potentially workout in the long term.
Only issue is they've already opened Pandora's box. A lot of their base has moved to PC or jumped to PS. So will be a long road to get back on track.
We have been saying this from day one exclusives are a must if you are going to be selling hardware look at Nintendo and Sony before Jim Ryan. That's the proven formula. You had some that were deluded and blinded by loyalty accepting that multiplat was the future and that MS was merely getting ahead of where the industry was headed, but at least they can finally see the light and agree with what everyone has been saying for a decade+
True, blame it on the rabid fanboys. MS can do no wrong and spinner this multiplatform move. While the actual fans moved on.
I feel like with the new Xbox coming they are hoping to bring back those old fans and then if it goes well. Bring back exclusives.
If the new console is performing like series x and one. Naw they staying multiplatform.
Funny world where Sony is pro consumer and Xbox is not? At least according to what you loyalists have been saying all this time 🤭
@itveds For how many years have you been doing this sad stuff? For how many years have you been creating fake accounts to troll? For how many years have you always been cl vnn
Pathetic incels with nothing better to do than argue over a box... Because they don't have any good games to play on theirs, obviously. If your precious box is so special, why don't you shut the fuck up and go play it?
I think it's too late, xbox sales were diving even before ABK, they got even worse since then even long before the full multiplatform push. I'd be surprised if they even went back to timed exclusivity at this point, Helix is basically a PC and is going to be expensive, they already struggle to sell cheaper xbox consoles, it will be low volume and they'll have a very small 'console' base to sell to, which has already been conditioned to just play via gamepass anyway.
I don't see them removing PC from the equation. Considering MS has a heavy enough investment in the PC market, it would be foolish to abandon them. I could see them taking away games from PlayStation or ensuring they are timed exclusives at the very least. Say what you will but if Call of Duty ends up becoming a timed exclusive to Xbox machines, that would hurt PlayStation, don't pretend like those games don't sell millions.
They would lose out on a lot of CoD sales tho. Doesn't PS make up most of the sales?
Their lifeline of solely the Xbox consoles is dry. Good-Great games on a 1st party scale can't be made at a loss so willingly - sent to the Xbox to only sell limited copies.
They invested billions scooping up studios and need to start making returns.
Sucks that nearly every company is publicly traded and have to be so shareholder biased but that's how it is.
Their words are strong but it'll take time to see what their actions accomplish. Lowering the cost of Game Pass and taking CoD off of it was a good clear start.
Despite all of that, it's clear that Microsoft's Xbox division is broken beyond repair.
PlayStation is currently draining money on flop after flop. It's Sony that needs to re-evaluate their strategy
Wonder how much money was lost on perfect dark, hellbalde 2, 300 million lost revenue
by putting cod on gamepass. The recent Jason schrier news that Xbox has cancelled dozens of projects, spent 70 billion just to see Xbox sales further collapse and gamepass see little growth.
The fact is this has been PlayStation's most profitable generation and they are making loads of money and selling plenty of consoles and games. While MS won't give you any sales figures or profit numbers for Xbox, says it all really.
It isnt. But I dont think they mean in 'games', rather, footprint.
They own the OS but as far as gaming is concerned, Steam dominate. I imagine the VAST majority of people who use the Xbox app/launcher are PC gamepass subs. No ones buying their 3rd party PC games through Xbox PC.
Insider Gaming writes: "Marathon was one of the best-selling video games in March 2026 in the United States. On Wednesday, Circna released the best-selling games of the month, and it featured six new releases along with two games returning to the top 20 after previously falling out."
Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
well it's not on Switch / Switch 2.. so their number would be zero.
The game had a decent launch however the userbase numbers are dwindling on Steam.
“ Is it April fools day again?
The game is dead.
EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”
Does it hurt you to hear a SONY game was BEST selling ?
You gotta let go of those OBCURED feelings 🤷🏿
I mean the only reason MLB was the best selling title was because it was multi-platform. Likewise with Marathon. Will ring true for MS games. Only Nintendo titles are truly flexing their muscles when they chart as they are only to be found there.
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol
Does Phil also live there?
I’m sorry did you wrote something smart ?
Or are you trying to to be funny because you failed at both
Now kid run to mommy legs the grown ups are talking.
Don’t bother writing anything I will not respond to a bratty child like you
Yeah sure, yet the player count is no where near what they want for a AAA game with so much money behind it
Why people are trying to spin this game like it’s done overly amazing is baffling to me.
It won’t even be a blip on peoples radars by the end of the year .
You must me typically wrong cuz those Steam chart numbers (AKA where the game sold the MOST) is less than what Hunt has, and Hunt didn't cost $500 million to make lol
The release on Steam of the anime-style gacha-less open-world RPG DragonSword: Awakening is facing a legal challenge from its gacha publisher.
I think the advances in graphics are essential for providing the correct atmosphere and convey the correct message to the gamer.
Art direction (similar to set direction in films) is a key component that is most definitely aided by increasingly real visuals.
Take saving private ryan, for example.
Without the advances in surround sound, visual effects, and props.....Stephen Spielberg wouldn't have been able to convey the horrible, bloody, nauseous atmosphere of the beach landings in WW II correctly.
I feel that Saving Private Ryan is the perfect example (even though it's a movie) for any game developer. If you want proper use of effects....look at this movie.
If you want proper use of amazing sound....look at Saving Private Ryan.
If you want proper use of props and scenery....look at Saving Private Ryan.
Saving Private Ryan, to me, is the penultimate achievement by any sort of director, and should be a model for anyone looking to show atmosphere and sound correctly.
There are great examples in the world already for any director to follow...for any genre.
You want a good fantasy template....take a look at lord of the rings.
You want a good sci-fi template....take a glance at the Fifth Element.
You want a well-paced action template...grab a copy of the Great Escape.
You want a well-done War film template - check Saving Private Ryan.
These films are perfect examples of what we are aiming for and heading towards in the gaming industry.
THese films provided their own very unique and compelling atmospheres, compelling characters, and compelling storylines, all with satisfying results and conclusions.
Making something interesting and compelling demands an approach laced with believable realism in the context of its own reality. There are certain elements (a low common denominator) amongst all films that the human mind uses to determine if the events happening could be plausible or not.
Ultimately....visuals will and only should AID developers to create compelling characters, stories, and worlds, all with an increasing sense of realism relative to that game's established definition of reality.
Make sense?
=D
**good blog, dude. Made me think.
money should be no object when it comes to making something that will affect someone's life.
That's what developers are trying to do, right? Affect our lives in amazing ways, by showing us that creativity really does have no limit?
I would be willing to spend my entire life's fortune, and then some, to create something that would affect a person's life in a positive way.
I think it's good that only big companies with lots of competitive, creative minds, are the ones making games now. This means that hopefully, with so much to lose.....they will put all their efforts into making wonderfully impacting games, and turn a profit while doing so.
who cares about graphics if the game is not fun?
look at san andreas on ps2, it had the worst graphics compared to everything else out at the time.
that will make or break a game. Graphics, sound, controls and gameplay. If one or the other fail to blend well, the game will flop. Many developers concentrate there efforts on one over the other. While others have found the perfect blend (Infinity Ward, Imsomniac, Naughty dog, Kojima studios, Capcom, etc). How can developers make sure they are getting the right blend? Well by hiring programmers that are good hardcore gamers as well as they are programmers. Being a gamer to begin with means you have passion for what you do. This is VERY important! Just because I know how and where to place a code, doesn't mean I'll do it with the same satisfaction of knowing it's been done right. Knowing that the code you just wrote will make a gamers jaw drop and having that feeling of "yes I did that"! Like any job if you don't do it with pride and passion it will always show in the finish product.
It will probably regress a little, when the budget for games become too big. They'll start using art, and better stories, instead of graphic whores. And probably use a artsy style instead of realism. That is at least my iea of what will happen.