I don't think AAA studios have been doing that for a while. The top cards aren't so much faster than the mid-range of the generation as to require extra effort

I don't think AAA studios have been doing that for a while. The top cards aren't so much faster than the mid-range of the generation as to require extra effort in the content pipeline. Usually the top card can just dial up the visual effects higher (eg using more ray tracing samples per frame).