Amazing how so many websites are announcing Xbox360 is the second coming. I think it's because so many of them drank the Kool-aid by signing Microsoft's NDA and getting early access to information. A smart move by MS.

The average gamer does seem to care a lot about that sort of thing, though, which is probably why the press releases are playing it up. Visually stunning mediocre games with a well-known brand (even a licensed one, like movie-related games) often become blockbusters, while visually-mediocre games with stunning gameplay become at best niche hits (and, if they're lucky, eventually cult classics).

On a related note, Warren Spector and Greg Costikyan issue nervous warnings about next-gen hardware. (thanks to Andrew over at GTxA)

I welcome the higher resolution and clarity. Is this continued obsession with graphical determinism really the best next step for us game developers and game consumers? Absolutely. Its all in the details. Even simple shapes look far, far better in higher, sharper resolution than muddly low res. Look at a nice, simple flash animation and you'll see what I mean. It might look like very simple vector art, but all the lines, edges, curves and points are nice, clean, non-jagged, and just a real pleasure to behold. That's what I want out of these systems.

I understand the point of the argument here, but this is nothing new. Its the same argument that has been directed at the film industry for years.

the film industry is clean, non-jagged and a gigantic bore. the future of games is on the web- small, cheap, free, careless aesthetics and forms=ideas- and then maybe gamers going into programming or into wilder interactivity. new videogame systems are just about nothing..

what about distribution and like a bignew gaming system- "so what?" my mind is lowres, maybe. i don't know/ i mean when it's holographic or something- like it could of been as in the atari spector http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/dedicated/cosmos/spector.html- then yeah. now it's just staring at tv pictures. bgdeal.

What I mean is the question is nothing new, and it really doesn't address the issue of creativity in the industry. Low res, high res, whichever, if the game developers put in the time and energy we'll get a great game. My point is the higher the resolution, the better it looks, and the better it looks the greater the feeling of being drawn into that world.

A few comments.

First, notice that I never said that hi-res gfx and hi-res expression couldn't coexist. Rather, I would suggest that the industry is pursuing graphical advances alone, over all other forms of videogame innovation. Details come in forms other than polygons.

Second, while it's true that similar arguments have been levvied against the film industry -- their memory is renewed with the release of the last Star Wars film -- the fact remains that many, many other forms of filmic expression exist, beyond digital effects. Such is not the case with games, and an industry-wide fanaticism about visual realism is only fueling the fire. Besides, even if it is a similar situation to film, does that make it any less valid an argument?

Third, you have to understand that many of the challenges underlying expressive characters and the like are NOT just design challenges. They also run deep into technology. Pushing more polys to the screen is easy, and inevitable!

I just want to quickly address some comments, and I'll pass by later to give a better commentary.

"I would suggest that the industry is pursuing graphical advances alone, over all other forms of videogame innovation."

This is more of an issue to put upon the software developers rather than the hardware developers. Even if our hardware remained the same the issue is the software developers are not really getting creative. I would not say this is true of every developer, as I state below.

"the fact remains that many, many other forms of filmic expression exist, beyond digital effects. Such is not the case with games, and an industry-wide fanaticism about visual realism is only fueling the fire."

Explain Lumines. Its not extreme high tech, its concept is quite simple, yet its spreading like wildfire.

Explain Katamari Damacy, a game that looks about as detailed as a brick, yet is reaching cult like status worldwide.

"Pushing more polys to the screen is easy, and inevitable!"

"Third, you have to understand that many of the challenges underlying expressive characters and the like are NOT just design challenges. They also run deep into technology. Pushing more polys to the screen is easy, and inevitable!"

I still see it as a design challenge for the software developers. Sure its a function of what the technology will allow, but a game (like a film) is really a product of good directing, acting, script writing, etc. Creativity is the key.

"I would suggest that the industry is pursuing graphical advances alone, over all other forms of videogame innovation."

This is one of the reasons I actually prefer lower-end systems like the Nintendo DS and the GameBoy Advance. You can't depend on high-res graphics to sell games, so developers seem more willing to invest more time in other aspects of development.

I'm not saying these platforms are gold mines of creativity; yes, I do realize some development houses seem more interested in just selling rehashes of old games, but it does seem like a lot more interesting stuff is happening on this end.

I don't have a comment but i do have a question. One of my friends told me that for the xbox 360 you have to a cord that cooles the system becasue it gets to Hot. Is That true? (If you know the answer to this e-mail at Jess49055@yahoo.com. But make sure you tell me it's the answer to the question i asked. Put that in the SUBJECT Please. AND Thanks