Ben-DutkaSure, games like Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception can wow the pants off us now, but they should pale in comparison to next-generation productions.
At least that's what guys like Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski say. In speaking with GameSpot , CliffyB says he wants next-gen machines to pass the "Mom test." It really makes perfect sense, too:
"I really want our next-generation consoles to pass what I call the 'Mom Test.' So that if you were to show this console and games to your mom, she would be like, 'Wow, that clearly looks better than your last console,' and it's an essential step that needs to be taken by both Sony and Microsoft."
Basically, he's looking for "face-melting" visuals and really, those unfamiliar with gaming won't spot minor improvements. Furthermore, Bleszinski says he wants "always-connected consoles" that require an Internet connection, and "streaming gaming from the cloud" would also be a nice touch. He also wants to see gesture-based controls built in (the rumor is that the new Xbox may come with Kinect technology included out of the box).
But the "Mom test" is perfect. I've always said that unless you can show two games to any random person off the street and have that person say, "Yes, that one obviously looks better," than the advancements are minor. We're all just so used to looking at games that we can spot smaller incremental progressions. But for a new generation, even though it's difficult to imagine, we're gonna need significantly better visuals to warrant an expensive new hardware purchase.