The 5th -> 6th gen transition was the greatest paradigm shift that ever happened to gaming
Some people who weren’t alive at the time will say, “But what about 2D -> 3D!”
Here’s what. There was never any paradigm shift in regard to 3D. Polygonal games existed via arcades all throughout the ‘80s and into the ‘90s, parallel to pixel graphics. Just because consoles were too weak to handle them at home doesn’t mean people were unaware of 3D and were blown away when consoles were finally able to render a weak-as-fuck version of it compared to arcades.
With the 5th -> 6th gen transition, it was a different story entirely. The easily observable improvement in graphics right there at home was so monumental and astounding, it was literally jaw-dropping. We went, in a span of just a few years, from ascetic blocks roughly representing the concepts they were attempting to depict to fully realized detailed characters and backgrounds that still look good today and work on every level they were intended to. I don't think any leap in technology from now until the end of eternity would ever replicate that experience, especially since the technology has hit a plateau. Like what can we possibly get? Sci-fi level holograms? I don't think even that would compare, and such things are no more than gimmicks anyway.
Here’s what. There was never any paradigm shift in regard to 3D. Polygonal games existed via arcades all throughout the ‘80s and into the ‘90s, parallel to pixel graphics. Just because consoles were too weak to handle them at home doesn’t mean people were unaware of 3D and were blown away when consoles were finally able to render a weak-as-fuck version of it compared to arcades.
With the 5th -> 6th gen transition, it was a different story entirely. The easily observable improvement in graphics right there at home was so monumental and astounding, it was literally jaw-dropping. We went, in a span of just a few years, from ascetic blocks roughly representing the concepts they were attempting to depict to fully realized detailed characters and backgrounds that still look good today and work on every level they were intended to. I don't think any leap in technology from now until the end of eternity would ever replicate that experience, especially since the technology has hit a plateau. Like what can we possibly get? Sci-fi level holograms? I don't think even that would compare, and such things are no more than gimmicks anyway.
