Warning, wall of text incoming, scroll down if not interested.

Well, if there is any comfort - my entire phrase was rather ironic than serious ("I are serious cat" pic here:)).

Although I agree with you, and suppose that no sane developer is going to shoot his own foot (even if some did, I mentioned them before:)), there is, however, one more reason to delay release. Of course, I could be wrong, I'm no developer, but I think that reason is to prevent overlapping release and playthrough times with another, concurring title. I'm pretty sure CDPR won't do ubisoft's "one months in San Andreas is enough" (even if in my eyes Witcher always (unless being really bad) will have priority, but that's me and I do not represent majority of buyers). Yet such a small gap between titles may present certain problem, at least for a MASTER RACE (as those filthy console peasants already been enjoying GTA V for year and half). Except for Master Race no longer main target audience for CDPR.
To be honest, I can't help but feel Witcher 3 suffered some visual degradation. I'm not graphic oriented person, really - my most favourite games came from 90s, or early 00s (minus few recent releases, and even they aren't graphic oriented, take Endless series from Amplitude, for example). Still, I don't like to feel... not sure I can find proper word, none of them fitting, so I'll pick up "mislead", if you don't mind.
Let me explain: CDPR stated that Witcher 3 will have about the same level of graphics both on PS4 and on PC. Now let's look at recommended PC specs and compare their prices with console. Then scratch your head and say "I feel they are cheating me here somehow, I only don't know where". That's precisely my thoughts. Since I'm not graphical engineer, I can't pour all those "SSAO HBAO parallax" kung-fu on you. But as "that average guy" I'm unable to rid of feeling of visual degradation on recent images and videos. Most notable is grass draw distance seen in January trailer at 6 minutes forward time mark. Look right side, yellow crops are standing out and easy to spot. I honestly forgot when I saw such close draw distance (excluding recent Assassin's Creed: Unity "cinematic experience"), Gothic 3 in 2006 maybe? When I compare it with earlier, 35 minutes trailer (2014 August), I can't see such obvious grass spawn right under Geralt's nose. Lightning also looks different to me.
Of course, I could be wrong, I'm just a human, after all, and not even graphical expert, but something tells me I'm not the only one feeling this. There is no smoke without fire (or smoke emitting devices, such as smoke grenades:D), and if people started talking about it, maybe they felt something too. And even we all wrong (happened before), recent CDPR's statements over "graphic is not important" is like RTO yelling at top of his lungs, firing flares and tracers into skies, and waving signalling flags simultaneously (no idea how poor RTO is going to do this, but that's most graphical representation of "Rubbish here" warning light I could come up with). Best way to prove nothing been degraded, is to make few "then/now" pictures of same places, or, better, videos, showing exactly same places, instead of those extensive talks "we think story is important". Hell yeah it's important, but talk is cheap. Besides, Witcher 3 is not Spiderweb's games you can launch at decade old PC.
Surely, all this may be only to appease console public, who, apparently, will be main money horse (hard to be good when your books aren't in green, so to speak), therefore, to keep them pleased, we, Master Race, could be tucked into uniforms too small for us, and later, after release, CDPR will roll out some appropriately sized uniforms. I mean some "HD patch" that will make PC version shine in all of it's glory as it should, sending titles like "Strap on gauge: jerqkisition" into deep pit they belong. After all, it's called "Pole position" for a reason. :D In this case all this anti-sub zigzagging is fine and understandable. In any other case? Not so much.

That's only technical side of the story, one we can see over the internet or at some exhibitions and alike. I'm more than worried about combat system, and for now, there is no answer on how it will look like, feel, and play on PC, with keyboard and mouse. And it's March already, nearly 2 months till release. I had more than enough BS with console ports which were "ported" in a way you could launch them on PC, but controls weren't adapted. Take any TES game, my mouse have more buttons than gamepad, why the hell "E do everything" stuff? Witcher 1 and 2 were perfectly playable in real-time, without frequent pauses to switch something. "Visceral" Mass Defekt suffered from this, where you were forced to pause game every so often to give precise order to your teammates (basically walking abilities). Why break the flow of the game?

In addition, I'm really worried about saves system. I do appreciate ability to save anywhere, but I also would like ability to name my saves accordingly - having several dozens of "Where is Triss Merigold" saves that spread over several chapters is not exactly helping.

Last but not least, performance and stability. Though CDPR proved to be able to walk their talk, and released "Enhanced Editions" for both Witcher 1 and 2 (albeit 9 months after initial release, roughly giving us February of 2016), questions about game's quality upon release still persists. Even "cross-platform" nature of the game is no longer sign of quality, as we all remember day 0 patches of several gigabytes in size (people what, are forgetting what "patch" is? It's "patch", not "whole new sleeve and back of a jacket"), and quality problems all the way, even for months since release.

There are rumours on some new build to be demonstrated at Xbox conference March 6, but again, that's Xbox, not PC. Something tells me we won't see Cortana and Windows 10 relations with Witcher 3 there. Outside of exclusive earlier pre-load of patches maybe. :D

Moreover, for the first time in trilogy, I'm really worried about narrative side of the game. I can't pin-point it, but something feels wrong, and I'll hate to be right here - we had more than enough games with bad narration. Clearly, Witcher 3 is the game that needs that like hog needs teats and bra.


Lady Madonna, GPUs at your feet. :D
Sadly we have to pay for new hardware, which is pretty much costly, even many months after release. Unfortunately, very few developers make it worth our while and pay in kind for our expenses, rewarding us with good visuals in return. Therefore, every time developers decide to go all Crytek or Relic on us, I don't know about you, but I instantly get George Carlin's words on flame-throwers in my head. Yes, I disapprove such practice, and do sincerely hope CDPR won't follow this road - making a game "for a years to come". As much as I like PC modding scene, I can't say there is a lot of mods for Witchers, and I don't really see a reason for magnificent change, capable to maintain interest for years. Happy to be wrong, though personally I doubt it - few games have thriving and productive communities, capable maintaining games interesting and alive. Besides, Order 1886 showed us what's on the other side of uncanny valley, and I'm not sure even CDPR will be able to roll out competitive graphic patch. No need to tell me of corridor-based, static lightning nature of Order, and open world, dynamic weather and lights nature Witcher 3, or go into budgeting (I mean polygons/software budgets, not monetary). It's clear that men-hours are finite amount and you can't spread them everywhere at superb level.

GTA V in this aspect looks a bit more honest - they promised current-get version on PC, and, apparently, that what we will have. Good enough for me, should Rockstar port it normally, not like GTA IV last time. :D


Regardless, I wish CDPR luck and be more transparent with customers. At least some of us. ;p