They're not failing, man. Graphics honestly don't matter much. They don't affect gameplay or story(For example, look at Zeno Clash; fantastic game and story, but it has last-gen graphics. But I still enjoyed the crap out of it). And Pikmin 3 already looks beautiful with what it's got. As for the casual thing, I'd like to see a casual gamer play Pikmin or Monster Hunter.
I think a big part of playtesting is seeing how the game feels, though. He can't really get an idea of how well a players intentions are connecting with what's actually happening on the screen just from watching someone play, can he?
I'd much much rather see a Mario game on a Sony console than on a tablet (although I hope that nintendo ever goes software-only). Besides, even if Nintendo did stop making consoles, I'm pretty damn sure they'd keep on making handhelds.
For me it's the games that decide what I get. The Last Guardian is incredibly tempting, and there aren't many xbox-exclusive IPs that I really care for. Plus I've read alot of articles that say the PS4 is much easier to develop for than the next Xbox.
Lol, the Wii U might actually be my favorite console for this gen...xD. That being said, I still think I might get a ps4 for the Witness, Last Guardian, Watchdogs, and The Deep Down game if it turns out to be any good (Or if it turns out to be Dragon's Dogma 2).
Heres' the actual article from Edge for backup: http://www.edge-online.com/news/the-next-xbox-always-online-no-second-hand-games-50gb-blu-ray-discs-and-new-kinect/ ("It is believed" does not mean confirmed)
As much as I love sony more than Microsoft, you do realize the thing about the next xbox blocking used games was just a rumor, right? The PS4 even had the same rumor about it.
Rennar's comments