During a long time, we've been sold several fallacies in this hobby. I wanted to lay them out for those who aren't aware of them, and for those who are, to see what you think:
1) Immediate Hardware Obsolescence
A GPU, regardless of its generation, doesn't become "trash" just because four generations have passed—even if marketing loves to sell it that way. A 10-year-old card is as good today as it was before; the only difference is that it won't run extremely demanding modern titles. However, it will still run everything from its own generation (and even two or three ahead, depending on the card). A 6GB GTX 1060 isn't "obsolete" in 2026 (it can still run CP2077 on low settings); you simply can't ask it to run cutting-edge tech, and that doesn't make it a worse card.
Furthermore, on YouTube and Reddit, people praise "high-end builds" with top-tier CPUs and GPUs as if they were the global standard. In reality, most people play on mid-range hardware from two or more generations ago, getting acceptable performance even in modern games on low settings. Watching 100 videos of 5080/5090 builds doesn't mean most people have them or even care to buy them. Economically, it makes no sense—it's like buying a Ferrari just to commute to work in a suburban neighborhood. Most people don't buy hardware to show off; they just want it to be functional.
2) The Graphics Trap
They want you to believe that if you aren't playing on Ultra at 60+ FPS, your hardware is garbage. The truth is that we've already hit the "hyperrealism" ceiling. I’d argue we reached it last decade (GTA V and RDR2 have nothing to envy from CP2077). Today's games can no longer be sold based solely on graphics. They invented RTX to make you believe that if your hardware doesn't render environments "like real life," it's useless.
The honest truth is that today's "low preset" isn't "minimum graphics" just to make the game run; it’s the minimum the developers consider necessary for a fluid experience while preserving the detail and immersion of the title. There is zero difference in narrative quality or gameplay experience between playing on Low versus Ultra; it’s purely a visual difference, and it's not as drastic as people would like to believe.
3) Console Culture
The best example of this is console gamers. There, settings are usually just "Performance" or "Quality." Console players value the experience without constantly wondering if the game is 4K native. They don't have FPS counters in the corner to check for 1% lows. They are happy with their PS4/5, Switch 1/2, or Series S, knowing they can just put the disc in and the game they paid for will run well.
4) Hyperrealism
We were sold the idea that hyperrealism and Unreal Engine 5 define a "good experience." This might have been true once, but not anymore. Hyperrealism ages worse than games that prioritize art direction as a medium rather than an end. How many games with "worse graphics" have blown your mind more than hyperrealistic ones? At the end of the day, what matters most is the narrative and gameplay. If hyperrealism helps immersion, welcome; if not, it's really not a big deal—especially if it comes with horrible optimization.
5) The Lie of Chronological Linearity
Marketing sells us that "new" games are inherently "better" than what came before to keep the hype and consumption going. How many times has an "old" game felt better than a new one? A game from 5, 10, or 15 years ago often has nothing to envy from a title released this year. Companies promote the new because that's where the money is, not because it's better. Sometimes, sequels are worse than their predecessors.
For example, MH World is more graphically demanding than MH Rise, yet they are different games with nothing to envy from each other. Batman: Arkham Knight looks and feels better than Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, despite being years older. Unless the gameplay is "rusty" or the graphics are truly repellent to some, an old game with good art direction and polished mechanics will always beat a newer, unpolished experience. Progress isn't a straight line; there are many valleys where games like Assassin's Creed Origins or Black Flag remain better than AC Shadows, which just came out.
6) Conclusion
In short: enjoy your games and your hardware. Remember they are the means to your entertainment, not the end. Silicon is here to serve us, not the other way around.
Thanks for reading and i'll be glad to read you.