m kind of new PC, but I know some things, (I hope) and I don't really know a lot, but I heard an argument before, and want to get your guys thoughts on it.. im deciding of building a pc for the first time, or getting a PS4
PS4 is a closed platform, so developers can optimize "code to the metal" which will produce better graphical games then a high end PC (even with the most powerful graphics card).....
is it true that as graphcis card get stronger,graphics wont change because of diminishing return
is it true that pc games graphically are held back, because developers aren't making pc games that are optimizing and aiming for that high end pc game with a super rig
Consoles can have "to metal optimisations" simply because the hardware is fixed. The hardware in the PC can be swapped out to be one of many different graphics cards which means developers would need to write optimisations for every single possible architecture, it's simply not practical.
It means for the same amount of raw power consoles can be a bit faster, this is entirely dependent on game developers putting in the additional work to optimize their game, lazy or bad developers, or those on a tight budget often will not optimize. It's not just something every console game gets for free.
The flip side of the coin is that PC hardware can pack way more raw power which depending on your budget can easily make up for the lack of low level optimisation, the new consoles aren't out yet and already we can build high end rigs with multiple graphics cards that can easily pack 10x more performance into a single box. Console hardware is actually very mediocre.
Raw power growth is still roughly doubling every 2 years, there's no diminishing returns on graphics fidelity in fact technology almost always moves in a direction that makes effects and approximations of real life better over time, take Anti Aliasing for example, since the early days it's become faster and better quality, innovation drives technology forwards. Much of the graphical improvements are subtle these days, but the devil is in the detail and there's still a STRONG market for providing better graphics.
Most developers tend to build 1 game fits all platforms which means they tend to develop for the lowest common denominator and maybe tack a few extra effects on for the better platforms like the PC merely as an afterthought, it leads to a lot of games that could easily look better, but don't. However we do see the occasional really high quality game, some developers do care about the PC, it's just much rarer these days, often the added features will release after launch (crysis 2 DX11 patch, Skyrim high res textures etc). Also PC gamers often write their own graphics mods or manually tweak the settings to enable better quality graphics outside of what the developers intended.
Many other 3rd party tools can provide graphical improvements like AA and AF, 3D, Multi-monitor support and stuff like that, even if the game doesn't natively support it.