This just reminds me a bit of how programmers could fiddle with memory in the Cell Processor for the PS3. IIRC memory was managed by the programmer and it only made it harder to program for.
The PS3 aged more gracefully than the X360, with programmers being able to squeeze more performace over time as they came to terms with the architecture (the same had happened with most consoles historically).
I feel that this won't happen with the current generation, since both PS4 nad XBONE are basically PCs in a box, and improvement in graphics will probably be much more limited over the years (due to programmers having a good grasp of the architecture from day one, and not because the architecture is inherently bad).