id Software's John Carmack 'not excited' by next-gen ...unless VR gaming is involved

[The Sith]

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...d-by-next-gen/
I think next gen games will be leaps and bounds beyond current gen. I will very disappointed if not and will sorely disappointed.

id Software's John Carmack has said he's "not all that excited" by next-gen hardware, claiming that new consoles will only result in prettier versions of what we already play.

The technical mastermind behind engines that powered Doom, Quake and Rage said he believes new consoles won't be a true evolution for gaming, claiming it "will let us do everything we want to do now, with the knobs turned up".

What is the future of gaming then? According to Carmack, it's VR gaming. Citing Nintendo's pioneering of motion technology as evidence that innovation can outsell superior hardware, Carmack told Gamesindustry.biz that he believes VR could achieve the same thing for next-gen consoles.

"Sony and Microsoft are going to fight over gigaflops and teraflops and GPUs and all this. In the end, it won't make that much difference.

"When you get to this, it makes a really big difference in the experience. Nintendo went and brought motion into the gaming sphere and while only having a tenth of the processing power was able to outsell all of them in all of these ways. I think someone has an opportunity to do this here," he said, referring to VR gaming.

On the topic of next-gen hardware, Carmack isn't convinced better hardware is enough to warrant new consoles. "If you take a current game like Halo which is a 30 hertz game at 720p; if you run that at 1080p, 60 frames with high dynamic frame buffers, all of a sudden you've sucked up all the power you have in the next-generation.

"It will be what we already have, but a lot better."

As for VR, Carmack said while a consumer release was unlikely to happen within the year, Sony "conceivably could have a product out in the next year".

[LfCpS3]

I really cant not see next gen being a massive improvement considering how expensive it can get.

Sure it will be an improvement, like games could possible run at 720p and 60 FPS more commonly or even 1080p/30 FPS but nothing on the level as top end PCs or near top end PCs.

Will be interesting, but im setting my expectations low, so i wont be disappointed.

[D3seeker]

I don't know why, but somehow I read 'personally not to pleased with the dev kits they gave us/concepts they showed us'

Anywho, while I could certainly agree, that would also mean that no matter how powerful the components they pick/create/and use, that is all they'd be able to accomplish. So we finally broke the full HD barrier... wait thats it?!
No overhead room for enhanced physics, improved/and more visible, interactive AI. It would be disheartening

[Sub-stance1]

Guess we will have to wait and see what next gen brings. Carmack is one of the best when it comes down to software engineering though.