To chime in on the subject, as a designer I rarely, rarely ever put any thought on the GPU side of things. IIRC, there was only one level on my 5 years career where I had to find solutions to a GPU problem (heavy FPS drops on base XB and PS4 on a particular scene in Life Is Strange 2) with the help of engineers, tech artists, and our lighting artists.
On the other hand, I know for a fact that every designer had to micro-manage pre-streaming assets, levels and even unloading stuff as a scene was unfolding, to free up RAM space for the next level since we had RAM budget for every scene.
Having a base SSD in both next-gen consoles could theoretically mean less micro-management on RAM/streaming on our end and more time to polish the core experience. Having said that, it doesn't mean that peak GPU power isn't something that other departments aren't paying close attention to.
On the other hand, I know for a fact that every designer had to micro-manage pre-streaming assets, levels and even unloading stuff as a scene was unfolding, to free up RAM space for the next level since we had RAM budget for every scene.
Having a base SSD in both next-gen consoles could theoretically mean less micro-management on RAM/streaming on our end and more time to polish the core experience. Having said that, it doesn't mean that peak GPU power isn't something that other departments aren't paying close attention to.