The top paid game apps in the iTunes app store right now are: Draw Something, Angry Birds Space, Clear Vision, Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, TETRIS, Bejeweled, Skylanders Cloud Patrol, and Cut the Rope.
None of those games would be improved by increasing photorealism.
What is your point? These games are for fucking i(phone|pad), so you can play them in a train while you're traveling to work. This is entirely different kind of games.
Mobile devices are the future, both in terms of total units in use, and total dollar spent on software. Therefore, the top paid games on the iTunes app store are a good indicator of where the true "future of gaming" lies.
None of those games would be improved by increasing photorealism.