What effect, if any, the HD capabilities of next-gen game consoles like PS3 and Xbox 360 (opens in new tab) (and especially their eventual successors) will have on game themes and strategies is anyone's educated guess, but apparently HD is already spurring serious R&D for enhancing artificial intelligence (AI) for game characters.
According to the June 10 Technology Quarterly of The Economist magazine, "high-definition graphics possibilities... are raising expectations across the board." The article suggests that HD models require HD animation -- which, in turn, will require "high-resolution behavior" as well.
Later this month, the second annual Artificial Intelligence & Interactive Digital Entertainment conference meets in Marina del Rey, Calif., to discuss, among other things, the next step in AI for computer games, especially in the emerging HD environment where far more attention to detail (both video and audio) will start to affect more than the graphics.
