EA: PS4, XBox One Are a 'Generation Ahead' of Gaming PCs

[RCuber]

what ever.. consoles can't do this for sure..
*i.ytimg.com/vi/ex_TKO5gWaU/0.jpg

 

[CommanderShawnzer]

Eyefinity

 

[anirbandd]

trolol..

 

[Extreme Gamer]

The guy is right to some extent actually. Heterogeneous computing hasn't arrived into the desktop scene yet and thus these consoles are indeed a generation ahead.
Add to that, the closed box model of consoles, which has a significant advantage over the abstraction that a desktop OS brings. Low level access is better in consoles.
Even api's are optimized to maximize the fixed hardware performance.

Despite PS3 having a weak and obsolete gpu by today's standards, it still produces titles like "The last of US". That's because the cell cpu's SPE's can do vertex shading which offloads a lot of tasks from the gpu. The better low level access to underlying hardware ( ps3's cell in this case), the better is the end product.

Xbox one sports a windows nt kernel, but heavily optimized for a fixed hardware config. It has all bloatwares and other unwanted services removed. PS4 too sports a UNIX kernel with modified open-gl api's leading into a new version of PSGL.

Apart from that, cloud will also play a significant role in resource allocation for computing. Read these to know more. Sony can follow the same through Gakei if this thing is successful.

Xbox One cloud is 'one area console has advantage over PS4', says Avalanche tech lead
But believes Sony could implement a similar feature in PS4 if Microsoft is successful.

Microsoft says Xbox One games can offload computing to Azure cloud

So computations like 3d modelling in games, physics , AI and even textures can be moved into cloud servers for processing, offloading a lot of compute resources in the physical console.
I think this was the point why they wanted xbox to be always online. The cloud servers will be built using latest tech hardware.

Sony has the same potential with its gakei acquisition. In pc scenario, both nvidia and amd are upto something like this with their respective GRID and RADEON SKY server computing.
But the consoles will beat them to it for implementing something like this up first.

The hype is starting to show:

Xbox One breaks pre-order records at Blockbuster

Same thing's gonna happen with PS4 after its unveil.

Then I would have to ask why would it need to exclusively hog 3GB of RAM, when even a regular "unoptimized" copy of windows takes less space. Right now my copy of windows 7 is using ~2.1 GB RAM according to task manager, when VLC media player and firefox are open in the background.

Surely an OS meant for general use, not just gaming, and with a few more layers of abstraction should hog more memory if the bone's is really stripped down?

I think that the OS is definitely not stripped down. It had to add all the code needed to run all of it's various non-media functions, besides the fact that it has two dynamically switching OSes. Even so, it should not need that much memory- if the PS3 can do 80-85% of the things the Xbone can with only 256MB of RAM, I would expect the bone to not need a whopping 3 gigs. If it is indeed stripped down like you say, then it should take even less space than the ~2GB I would expect it to take.

 

[Nerevarine]

*sites.google.com/site/aeriplayads/image/nvidia-console-vs-pc.jpg

See this chart, the Xbox 360 was SLIGHTLY ahead of it's time in performance at launch compared to PC..
But this lead melted soon after
The next gen doesnt even have such advantge

 

[vickybat]

Then I would have to ask why would it need to exclusively hog 3GB of RAM, when even a regular "unoptimized" copy of windows takes less space. Right now my copy of windows 7 is using ~2.1 GB RAM according to task manager, when VLC media player and firefox are open in the background.

Surely an OS meant for general use, not just gaming, and with a few more layers of abstraction should hog more memory if the bone's is really stripped down?

I think that the OS is definitely not stripped down. It had to add all the code needed to run all of it's various non-media functions, besides the fact that it has two dynamically switching OSes. Even so, it should not need that much memory- if the PS3 can do 80-85% of the things the Xbone can with only 256MB of RAM, I would expect the bone to not need a whopping 3 gigs. If it is indeed stripped down like you say, then it should take even less space than the ~2GB I would expect it to take.

You have one os taking 2 gigs, here there are two including a hypervisor. The combined space is 3gb ( rumored and can be less too).
The windows kernel based OS is meant for handling directx api's only and don't have any other services, unlike what your desktop OS.

The second OS is called "Xbox OS" and that is meant to handle all other services including internet, videos, music, streaming, multitasking and all that.
The windows OS has no connection with these activities. The hypervisor is responsible for the dynamic switching. So its a completely new thing for a console.
Separating services and bloatware is a good idea actually.For each os mode, the either completely goes idle, thus saving unwanted resource allocation to various services.

Now how efficient this method is going to be, only time will tell. Its too early to judge just by looking at mere specifications.

See this chart, the Xbox 360 was SLIGHTLY ahead of it's time in performance at launch compared to PC..
But this lead melted soon after
The next gen doesnt even have such advantge

That's an nvidia slide mate. Don't go by it. You cannot compare titan's desktop performance with PS4 's ( console) closed box architecture.
Coding in windows for a variable set of hardware and on a custom OS with fixed hardware are two different things. The latter is much efficient.

Over time, pc hardware beats consoles by brute force and sheer technological advancements , while consoles are stuck with old hardware.
This time, console performance will shine much longer if you take those cloud processing concepts into account.

 

[Desmond]

Ha! You guys believing what EA is saying? Of all companies EA!?

Get a load of this first :

*i.imgur.com/nRbDwAK.jpg

 

[Nerevarine]

That's an nvidia slide mate. Don't go by it. You cannot compare titan's desktop performance with PS4 's ( console) closed box architecture.
Coding in windows for a variable set of hardware and on a custom OS with fixed hardware are two different things. The latter is much efficient.

hmm you have a point tho.. I never considered this

 

[Desmond]

You have one os taking 2 gigs, here there are two including a hypervisor. The combined space is 3gb ( rumored and can be less too).
The windows kernel based OS is meant for handling directx api's only and don't have any other services, unlike what your desktop OS.

The second OS is called "Xbox OS" and that is meant to handle all other services including internet, videos, music, streaming, multitasking and all that.
The windows OS has no connection with these activities. The hypervisor is responsible for the dynamic switching. So its a completely new thing for a console.
Separating services and bloatware is a good idea actually.For each os mode, the either completely goes idle, thus saving unwanted resource allocation to various services.

Now how efficient this method is going to be, only time will tell. Its too early to judge just by looking at mere specifications.



That's an nvidia slide mate. Don't go by it. You cannot compare titan's desktop performance with PS4 's ( console) closed box architecture.
Coding in windows for a variable set of hardware and on a custom OS with fixed hardware are two different things. The latter is much efficient.

Over time, pc hardware beats consoles by brute force and sheer technological advancements , while consoles are stuck with old hardware.
This time, console performance will shine much longer if you take those cloud processing concepts into account.

Yeah, but when Steam goes all in with Linux, I think the scenario would be different. Windows on PC might be bloatware but Linux can be streamlined as much as possible. Also, PC hardware can be upgraded and optimised variably over time.

 

[vickybat]

Yeah, but when Steam goes all in with Linux, I think the scenario would be different. Windows on PC might be bloatware but Linux can be streamlined as much as possible. Also, PC hardware can be upgraded and optimised variably over time.

Exactly and it will take time.

 

[Thunder]

In other words EA will continue to give trash ports to PC so therefore don't waste you're money on expensive components cuz consoles are already 'ahead' of PC. Frick you EA..

 

[gagan_kumar]

tats it not buying ea games anymore......

 

[rakesh_ic]

tats it not buying ea games anymore......

Are you sure?? Hope not buying = not playing as well.. Otherwise you cant complain about EA or any of its subsidiaries later