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Gaming tech is stagnating. What could be the next big industry mover?

Living room is dead. I think stationary screens are basically dead. At least for recreation. Gaming as we know it has peaked. (single player, story based, played on a couch with a controller) We will still get titles, but I believe the investment in big AAAA games goes down from where it's been the last decade.
 
It was definitely awesome seeing video games go through the huge jumps that it had. I think anybody born too late missed out.

Games tech has probably plateaued. You can still be innovative with art direction.
 
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When having better tech actually yields you higher review scores or more sales, then it will change. Until then, we will continue to stagnate
 
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as a species, we either need to develop opposable big toes, or additional fingers. actually, just growing prehensile tails'd be good. & gaining hyper-super vision & hyper-wide peripheral vision would also be helpful...
 
I think now the graphics is also too pricey, I think we need to ensure better running games without bug, better gameplay, and presentation.
 
I think the right stick is a gigantic flaw that everyone continues to ignore, especially now that a large portion of 3D games use camera movement and camera aim. I think there is room for innovation there, but again everyone is stubborn about it so it doesn't matter.

I still remember a large number of gamers and media alike, dragging Valve over the coals for even attempting to change it:

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I have that controller. It's incredibly uncomfortable to play with lol
 
I still think there's a ton of potential in leveraging smart phone apps for games that aren't live services.

Battlefield 4 app for playing the commander was awesome. We needed more of that and less of live service crap.
 
I have that controller. It's incredibly uncomfortable to play with lol
It was a good first step. Innovation and perfection don't always line up 100% the first time around.

It needed iteration, but they already caved and put a right stick on the deck and their new controller design patent has the same design as the deck too.
 
Critical thinking and objectivity.

If some in the industry put as much effort into the actual quality of the product rather than obsessively trying to control narratives then the consumer and themselves might be better off.
 
It's got to be AI (if used creatively, rather than replacing the soul of real human artistry)
Imagine actually conversing in real time with npcs in something like the next Elder scrolls game.
Nintendo will probably invent a suppository style controller, so they can fuck you in the ass some more.
 
VR has been around since WAAAAAAAAAY before that. But yeah, it's got a ways to go before it's in a form factor that people will use while still providing good graphics.
3D was also around since the 70s, it just wasn't presentable nor realistically viable for games. VR tech is in a much better place now than it was in thr 90s, and the only thing holding it back is the poor state of the world economics. I think an economic boom (that could happen post the various wars currently ongoing) and we might see VR soar.
 
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It was a good first step. Innovation and perfection don't always line up 100% the first time around.

It needed iteration, but they already caved and put a right stick on the deck and their new controller design patent has the same design as the deck too.
You lose a lot of control without a right stick. It's fine for slower paced/4x games but playing a shooter on that is miserable
 
If game makers had more physics in their games, instead of boxes and fences which cant be destroyed even by rocket launchers you'd get so much more interesting gameplay.

Imagine if BF kind of physics in action games or RPGs. In an RPG, blast the dungeon walls to create cave-ins, or fireballs burning huts to the ground.
 
VR had the potential to be something that would really change the experience. The possibilities seemed really exciting but it appears to be really dropping off.
Wii motion controls with all the addons was also something that was different but it seems like they've ditched that.
 
VR had the potential to be something that would really change the experience. The possibilities seemed really exciting but it appears to be really dropping off.
Wii motion controls with all the addons was also something that was different but it seems like they've ditched that.
VR will never come close to mainstream.

It'll always be niche for a huge list of reasons from cost, to types of games, to many people simply not wanting to strap a brick to their head to act out a game looking around or pretending to slash a sword. Heck, a lot of gamers dont even like first person camera views, or shooting games either which are two things skewed heavy in VR. And not everyone has space to move around. I have plenty of space for gaming now, but when I moved into my first condo it had a thin layout where the couch is against the wall and literally about 6 ft was where the TV went. I had a small heavy glass coffee table in between. My tower PC set up was nearby in a corner on a desk and right beside it was the window and balcony door. How or where am I going to game in VR to get full immersion standing and turning or bending down or swinging a sword etc? At least with Wii, it's aimed at the TV so you can see everything around you. With VR, I'd probably bang into something.

When it comes to entertainment, most people just want to sit back and watch TV or game with limited input (sit back and use a gamepad or m/kb).
 
If game makers had more physics in their games, instead of boxes and fences which cant be destroyed even by rocket launchers you'd get so much more interesting gameplay.

Imagine if BF kind of physics in action games or RPGs. In an RPG, blast the dungeon walls to create cave-ins, or fireballs burning huts to the ground.
I remember playing red faction gorilla and thinking "I can't wait till this level of destruction becomes the norm."
 
Every technology reaches its plateau sooner or later. You can no longer increase the size of phone displays, for example.
 
I remember playing red faction gorilla and thinking "I can't wait till this level of destruction becomes the norm."
Forgot about that series. Crazy that a RF Guerrilla came out 16 years ago and has more destruction than almost all games today.

So it shows it can be done. They just need to put some focus and budget on that part of game making. But almost all studios dont.
 
I think the medium has just more or less reached maturity. That happens. Not to say there won't be evolutions creatively, but I don't see tech changing much going forward.

VR will never take off. At most it will be niche and something on the side, not replacing traditional games

AI and its applications are super overblown.
 
Whoever figures this out first for a full game, without the unrealistic amount of tint, blur, and sharpening effects:




Whether it's AI-based or some other sort of related system.

Edit: Also, whenever someone figures out the legalities of A.I. enhancements with voices, we can get things like this:



This guy created an entire story scenario that never existed in the game simply by talking to the NPCs.

I would love for controllers in general to evolve but we have reached a point to where everyone is scared to change the status quo. It will always be two sticks, 4 shoulder buttons, d-pad, and 4 face buttons.

Man, imagine a full RPG where AI ll recognize real time dialogue and act on the spot to write the story, that would be amazing.
 
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You lose a lot of control without a right stick. It's fine for slower paced/4x games but playing a shooter on that is miserable
This is because we are already used to the right stick as the method of control. It takes time to learn a new control method, and no one was willing to give it that time.

There are videos of those who did and there is a clear step up from the thumbstick in their diagonals and aiming sensitivity.



Again, none of this matters anymore because the right stick replacement failed and the controller is no longer being produced.
 
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A complex AI system for all the characters in a game, so that you can literally talk with them outside the usual repetitive scripts. Actual characters made experts of the game lore and so able to discuss about the world they are in. It's complex because right now it's very difficult to avoid errors and guarantee coherence, but it's an inevitable (and the most grand) step in the gaming future, which will allow in time to deal with world literally populated with lifelike characters, opening for a whole new dimension of gaming and phylosophical discussions. Interacting like that in VR, with the exponential freedom of spatial interaction that it allows, would be the pinnacle of possiblities, until full dive systems, if they will ever exist.

And for God's sake, no more floaty, weightless, sliding animations... Even the most photorealistic character look bad when it moves without weight and inerthia. REAL physics based animations will constitute a bigger VISUAL difference than any progress in rendering, in the next ten years. Same said for the physical interaction with the game world, which has to implement also anelastic reactions, bending ones and proper friction.

Oh, and also real open worlds (like the one theorized in Light no Fire) with actual physical laws applied to the game world, so that you can freely play with them. That's incredibly satisfying and in capable to open so many emerging forms of gameplay that any game that will manage to do so will enter hystory.


On science fiction possibilities, in addition to the full dive experience, also a quantum entangle-based internet connection to allow completely lag-free connections with MMOGs capable to hols lag free, with all the abovementioned complexities, thousands of players at once, that could have direct interaction at the level of an offline Virtua Fighter match, completely lag-free. That would open even full scale battles between thousands, but still with complete precise control for every player. Still far from being feasible.
 
unpopular opinion, just my two cents:

i'm fine with currrent technology, why fix it if it's not broken?
today technology is enough, we dont need better graphic for now, because the cost already stellar
and if there is new technology, as with before, more technology, more pricey, and it's doesn't always useful
the next mover is stabilize the output to not buggy mess, more to pro consumer, better presentation and better gameplay (so much to improve)
 
just better AI overall tbh, why was a game over a decade old (FEAR) still better than everything else STILL
 
I think AI (in terms of character AI) will be the next logical leap, Having NPCs that act truly independent, evolve over your time with the game and have personality traits that influence how they react could be transformative, but it will be a bumpy road to get there.

Generative AI games will eventually become a mainstream thing too, where an experience is 'made up' on the fly based on a prompt, the tech will probably be lead by the porn industry though and not traditional game companies :messenger_tears_of_joy: but I can imagine in a few years game platforms will be released that act like Star Trek Holodeck and you just give it the scenario and play within that generated world/scenario.
 
As long as hardware coats disproportionately increase, I don't want it to improve. It has always been the case that you needed to have the latest GPU to experience the latest visuals but they used to be $500. Yes, you would have needed a $500 GPU to have maxed out Borderlands 3 at the time but you now need a $2000 GPU for Borderlands 4. Are you going to need a $3000 RTX 7090 to run Borderlands 5. That's where it's going and the worst part is it won't look much better.
 
Gaming tech has followed the same curve as any other technology product, there's not much unique about it in that sense.,

When it comes to processing power, the big issue in this sector is the collapse of Moore's Law (and Dennard Scaling). Luckily we have "AI" progressing fast these days, and that's why we see AI/machine learning trying to do more of the heavy lifting. We see some good progression here. (And sort-of on the same notion, there has been written quite a few papers about physics processing lately, which should help for the immersion in various ways)

(May I also add that the speed of data transfer between the processor and memory/storage is still an issue...)

When it comes to input devices, there's not much more to do until we get a revolution in Brain-Computer Interfaces. A lot of work is being done, we're closer, but not to the point where it's intuitive to use in a casual sense.

VR is pretty good for seated experiences, but progression is much slower than we expected. Form factor is not nearly where it should be, and locomotion is generally useless for the type of locomotion needed in a "classic" gaming experience. VR will get there, but it'll take some time. There is work being done on light weight projectors, and even contact lenses .

(and about cloud gaming, it's basically limited by light speed. Until we find a way around physics or completely change internet infrastructure, latency issues will make it remain undesirable for many)
 
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Morph controller. The controller adapts to what you are playing. Shooter? Here's a gun. Sword fighting? Here's a sword. A -you know what game-? Here's a giant dildo.

For real though, I think there needs to be something in between VR and regular gaming. TV's etc, need something more. 3D was cool as heck to me, but I understand it didn't really bring anything to the table. We need a whole new tech like holographical displays combined with regular TV screens or something.
 
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AI probably.

If anyone figures out to just create a world like Skyrim, set some basic rules and then have the whole game/story generated by an AI... that will probably be the future.
 
I think the right stick is a gigantic flaw that everyone continues to ignore, especially now that a large portion of 3D games use camera movement and camera aim. I think there is room for innovation there, but again everyone is stubborn about it so it doesn't matter.

I still remember a large number of gamers and media alike, dragging Valve over the coals for even attempting to change it:

steam_controller_1.png
That's why Nintendo god invented gyro aiming.
 
AI probably.

If anyone figures out to just create a world like Skyrim, set some basic rules and then have the whole game/story generated by an AI... that will probably be the future.
On the realm of AI driven games, i'd like to see at some point AI driven text adventures, but the current models still struggle with continuity/consistency.
 
And for God's sake, no more floaty, weightless, sliding animations... Even the most photorealistic character look bad when it moves without weight and inerthia. REAL physics based animations will constitute a bigger VISUAL difference than any progress in rendering, in the next ten years. Same said for the physical interaction with the game world, which has to implement also anelastic reactions, bending ones and proper friction.
Hell no I don't want to play this type of game. It's a novelty ideas until someone actually play it. Moving like a tank and realistic animation sounds fun but it feels bad to play.
 
before thinking about AI shit, maybe playstation should focus on running games for stable 60 fps first. running the newest digimon at only 30 fps is just embarrasing
 
VR is the key. I agree, gaming is stagnating, it just same old game, like for example too many soul type style game, or open world game with same theme and graphic style, or same visual mostly from UE5. VR might have a renaissance. After finishing all my ps5 game backlog, it is time to remove the dust from my PSVR2 and I will go back too playing PSVR2 games on PS5. Psvr2 is a great piece of tech. I enjoyed GT7 on PSVR2. But I got focus on other ps5 games so I stopped playing PsVr2 games for a while now. I check allot of vlogs recently and saw there are allot of good psvr2 games, and some are very cheap. And allot of very good psvr2 coming up like Reach, Thief, Aces of thunder, and of course MSFS 2024. RE9 for sure will have psvr2 support. If Sony is wise, they have to do another big price drop for Psvr2 and give PSVR2 allot of support.
 
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racing games are a good example of the stagnation I am talking about and also could be a great argument for VR but as someone else said. the key to VR will be a 360 degree FOV. not just forward. this will help a lot with motion sickness as well I believe.
you need a bigger screen that wraps all around your face and the sides of your head to get true peripheral vision not just a single screen right in front of your eyes. Also have it more floating around your face and not resting on your nose.
 
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VR will never come close to mainstream.

It'll always be niche for a huge list of reasons from cost, to types of games, to many people simply not wanting to strap a brick to their head to act out a game looking around or pretending to slash a sword. Heck, a lot of gamers dont even like first person camera views, or shooting games either which are two things skewed heavy in VR. And not everyone has space to move around. I have plenty of space for gaming now, but when I moved into my first condo it had a thin layout where the couch is against the wall and literally about 6 ft was where the TV went. I had a small heavy glass coffee table in between. My tower PC set up was nearby in a corner on a desk and right beside it was the window and balcony door. How or where am I going to game in VR to get full immersion standing and turning or bending down or swinging a sword etc? At least with Wii, it's aimed at the TV so you can see everything around you. With VR, I'd probably bang into something.

When it comes to entertainment, most people just want to sit back and watch TV or game with limited input (sit back and use a gamepad or m/kb).
VR is basically in the Colecovision stage at this point.

The tech is still developing. The Meta technology and software are improving rapidly, and Apple's device was a meme but it also had a brand new paradigm in terms of controls. Meta just released a pair of glasses with a built in display, think back to how hilarious the Google Glass was and how far we have come, meanwhile it's been mostly under the radar.

It's foolish to write this off as just a fad or whatever - olds were writing off videogames in 1980 too.
 
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I don't really have a problem with games reaching a certain point of maturity in terms of visual presentation. I've honestly felt games have looked "good enough" for like 10 years now.
I'd much rather see devs focusing their time and money in other areas. Make denser and more interactive worlds instead of focusing so much on making them look better
 
Expensive, cumberson, terrible game quality, isn't helping.
Price of the hardware is the main problem with VR right now. If Sony is wise, Sony should take advantage that games are stagnating or plateauing and give more support psvr2 more support to rejuvenate gaming to a dimension. It stars by a big price cut on psvr2. The PSVR2 is a very good tech from my experience. Games are actually, very good, especially the upcoming this games, example this October 2025

I checked allot of vlogs and there are allot of good psvr2 games and the good news, some are very cheap. And the biggest game coming up for psvr2 on ps5 is MSFS 2024 with PSVR2 support next year. I'm about to go back to VR gaming once I finish by backlogs.
 
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The only thing we can hope is that the market turns on itself and absolutely starts to tank.

That hopefully pulls big investors out, big investment groups move on and games go back to being bootstrapped and made with a sense of passion

Beyond that, we need a reset and a reason for generations to exist
 
VR. It is the next frontier. Whoever cracks it will have a generation of people literally plugged in, and addicted

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VR will never be mainstream......it is only good in movies...maybe in 100 years, but till then you will have chip in the brain who will project game directly in your mind.....you will not need even eyes.
 
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