While the big consoles right now are the PS4 Pro, Nintendo Switch and the upcoming Xbox Scorpio, eventually there will be full fledged successors to these systems- a theoretical PS5 and Xbox Two, maybe. When they happen, just what kinds of performance and graphical upgrades are we expecting from them, especially considering where we already stand with our present day tech?
That was the question we raised to Jamie Fisher, Producer at Climax Studios for Surf World Series when we had the chance to chat with him- does he feel, for instance, that a potential PS5 will be able to achieve photorealistic visuals? Will the tech upgrade be big enough?
“I’m not so fussed about what’s in the box, I’m more interested in the games,” Fisher mused in response. “So my wish for the next hardware iterations is just that people keep making good stuff for them. Photorealism is an inevitability. If we keep increasing the power of our gaming hardware, which is something we 100% will continue to do, we’ll eventually reach a level where the visuals of a game are capable of photorealism; whether it’s the next generation or not. But, for me, it’s not something that I’m all that drawn to. I would personally be more drawn to a game with a well-crafted or interesting or cohesive aesthetic over one that looked real.”
Fisher also chipped in on the PS4 Pro and Xbox One Scorpio, discussing them from a costumer standpoint. “I’m not remotely qualified to speak on that from a business standpoint,” he said. “But as a consumer, I’d be miffed if the console I bought in the last 3 years was suddenly obsolete. The move to a more iterative model for home consoles is an interesting proposition. So long as the time for which a given generation of a given platform is supported makes owning one worthwhile, and that said support is good; then I don’t see any major issue.”
On the whole, I have to say these are very well weighted and reasoned responses, and I can’t say I disagree with any of what he said. One thing is for sure- it will be interesting to see how the console market develops and plays out from here on out for sure.
Stay tuned for our full interview with Jamie Fisher in the coming days.