PS4 / Xbox One console war

[Jeneki]

Japanese gamers are apparently calling it batsuichi (バツイチ, X = batsu) which means "divorced".

Maybe that means they have officially divorced Xbox.

So you're saying it's an Ex-Box?

[Udderdude]

Xbox 360 already flopped in Japan, from the looks of it they might as well not even release the Xbox One over there.

[Friendly]

There's some hope PS4 won't go down the same road as Xbone:

I sat down with Yoshida a few hours after the PS4 reveal tonight and one of the first things I asked was whether used games would be blocked.

"Do you want us to do that?" he asked.

No, I said. I think, if you buy something on a disc, that you have a kind of moral contract with the person you've bought it from that you retain some of that value and you can pass it on.

Do you agree, I asked?

"Yes. That's the general expectation by consumers," said Yoshida. "They purchase physical form, they want to use it everywhere, right? So that's my expectation."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013- ... used-games

[Ed Oscuro]

Here's another possible difference:
http://gimmegimmegames.com/2013/05/micr ... for-games/

It's an old rumor, but PS4 was rumored to have 50% more compute units than the new Xbox One. That could be wrong, but it could also be right.

Some programmers have already envisioned a situation further in the life of each console where new game designs demand more out of each platform than the processing (CPUs and GPUs) alone can provide, so 8GB versus 5GB might well mean that the PS4 will be able to get away with considerably more in the way of precomputed assets, freeing up more time for the CPUs and GPUs to do work. And, even ignoring that, a 3GB difference in available RAM would mean that the PS4 will simply have more space to work with assets.

[Friendly]

@Ed
http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... 79#p913279

-

In other news some are beginning to realize that there are privacy concerns:
The Xbox One will always be listening to you, in your own home

And this is hilarious:
Xbox One: live TV available in US only at launch, requires separate device
So Xbox One is not "one device that does everything". Xboned.

[Ed Oscuro]

Thanks, that's in line with what I saw elsewhere about the PS4 having 50% more compute units (in its GPU, I took it to mean).

I also miswrote the above - the difference in RAM available to games might be 2GB.

[Friendly]

Thanks, that's in line with what I saw elsewhere about the PS4 having 50% more compute units (in its GPU, I took it to mean).

I also miswrote the above - the difference in RAM available to games might be 2GB.

The most important difference is their bandwidth: Xbone's DDR3 RAM has 68.3 GB/s while PS4's GDDR5 RAM has 176.0 GB/s.
Looks like Microsoft was totally blindsided by this because PS4's early specs had only 2GB. Now they are saying: "We purposefully did not target the highest end graphics" (actual MS quote)
Sure you didn't.

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, looking at a bit of reading on the subject, the faster main memory will allow fast writes - however, so will the Xbox One's memory model with a small cache. So back to the size of the memory - this does matter. PS4 might be able to better implement something like iD Software's megatexturing than the highly cache-reliant Xbox One, working more efficiently and transparently with large data sets without requiring a lot of reads.

Also, having fast bandwidth between two components isn't the whole story. When you've got 2 or 3 extra gigabytes to play with, that gives much more flexibility to stream data from slow data sources (optical disk, hard drive, internet) or the simple ability to load more at once when you start. In these cases, 68GB/s of bandwidth is not going to be an issue - space is. And more loads into and out of a smaller size memory from slower sources will be noticed.

This might not seem like such a big deal at launch, but if the scenario outlined by some programmers comes true - developers using RAM to hold precomputed assets as much as possible to free up the CPU and GPU for unavoidable realtime tasks, like advanced rendering or agent calculations - having the ability to load that extra 2GB will pay off.

If what's being said is true, I expect the One will end up completely outclassed in all areas quite quickly, of course. I find it astonishing that Microsoft thinks eating up a third or more of a limited games console's memory for the OS is acceptable...but it wouldn't be Microsoft if the OS wasn't bloated, would it?

[dcharlieJP]

well, we need to get the full details of what the PS4 memory usage is - i'll eat my hat if all 8gb or GDDR5 is for gaming only, i suspect you're going to get a (hopefully smaller) chunk for a persistant lightweight cross iOS set of functions.

That might ultimately be where some big differences occur but for people who want the gaming box just for gaming? Seems like Sony are going to be the way to go.

Or ,of course, a PC.

[Khan]

lmao that was amazing xD

[Lord Satori]

sony doesn't charge you for psn. sony wins.

[shmuppyLove]

And this is hilarious:
Xbox One: live TV available in US only at launch, requires separate device
So Xbox One is not "one device that does everything". Xboned.

I saw that one coming a mile away. It says "North America" but I doubt we'll get TV support even here in Canada. And even then, it will probably only be from one specific provider and only with a special (read: more expensive) service plan.

IT WILL PLAY GAMES THOUGH, RITE?

[Ed Oscuro]

Call of Sports

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Call of Sports

the TV series! Now out on Netflix.

[ACSeraph]

Just a thought but this could actually turn out really well for core gamers, especially if MS can secure exclusives on EA sports stuff. We would see the frat bros and casuals overwhelmingly flock to Microsoft, leaving Sony with no option but to target the core demographic more directly. Maybe this new box will just help us split gaming into two distinct markets, and we can all just happily forget about the Xbox and its community just like we don't pay any attention to the social gaming community.

[Ed Oscuro]

But frat bros learn their ways in college, and there will be many unhappy brothers once they discover they can't just take their discs along, but must instead schlep a huge DVR-like set-top box.

[Phellan Wolf]

Thanks, that's in line with what I saw elsewhere about the PS4 having 50% more compute units (in its GPU, I took it to mean).

I also miswrote the above - the difference in RAM available to games might be 2GB.

The most important difference is their bandwidth: Xbone's DDR3 RAM has 68.3 GB/s while PS4's GDDR5 RAM has 176.0 GB/s.
Looks like Microsoft was totally blindsided by this because PS4's early specs had only 2GB. Now they are saying: "We purposefully did not target the highest end graphics" (actual MS quote)
Sure you didn't.

MS first target was to put DDR4 on the box but since is quite expensive and is still not available in high quantities they went down with the cheaper DDR3 hoping that the 32 MB of edram will do magical things. If they only put 64MB instead of 32 that would be another different story.
By the way, the mandatory 24h connection is just hilarious. So if you don't connect that Big Toast then we can't play???? Sighs

[Skykid]

Should've gone with "dick in a box."

One way to crack the Japanese market.

[Skykid]

sony doesn't charge you for psn. sony wins.

Didn't work that way last time around.

[Ed Oscuro]

$500.

For $500 in 2013, I expect a hot android wife.

I'm feeling sort of scammed by science that these don't exist yet.

They exist. You just don't know... yet.

Don't worry, Rick Deckard to the rescue!!!

Pan left...stop...make a hard copy right there, because I've got a hard copy right here

[Stormwatch]

Holy shit, 3GB RAM for the OS? And what for...

[Ed Oscuro]

That comic loses all its momentum in the last panels. Good version? What good version?

[Friendly]

For your enjoyment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKm94T0jfzQ

[Super Laydock]

sony doesn't charge you for psn. sony wins.

Didn't work that way last time around.

Yes it did! (PS3 recently passed X360 in total global sales)
Took some time though, but then again the 360 had quite a head start.

[Skykid]

sony doesn't charge you for psn. sony wins.

Didn't work that way last time around.

Yes it did! (PS3 recently passed X360 in total global sales)
Took some time though, but then again the 360 had quite a head start.

But not in revenue. Think about it.

[charlie chong]

Yeah, I'd say I'm pretty fair. At least I try to be.

[t0yrobo]

And this is hilarious:
Xbox One: live TV available in US only at launch, requires separate device
So Xbox One is not "one device that does everything". Xboned.

Really, using the xbox to control your cable requires you to be able to plug your cable box into the xbox, what a fucking surprise. MS may be doing some incredibly stupid things, but between their pr people giving conflicting half answers, and the (shit) game media trying to sensationalize anything they can, half the information floating around right now is just fud. It doesn't make for good headlines, but the real answer to so many things about both the xbox and ps4 is "we don't know, there hasn't been enough information released yet."

[O. Van Bruce]

Didn't work that way last time around.

Yes it did! (PS3 recently passed X360 in total global sales)
Took some time though, but then again the 360 had quite a head start.

But not in revenue. Think about it.

Skykid... do you really think that's important? I mean, no gamer cares about the money a console gives to its manufacturer: it's all about the games and the 360 had a very good starting sprint but lost the marathon to the PS3 in terms of games.

Yeah, I'd say I'm pretty fair. At least I try to be.

He may be a fanboy but he definetely isn't a delusive fanboy...

[matrigs]

half the information floating around right now is just fud

Yes, but the point is that Microsoft had plenty of time to prepare all of the answers and didn't deliver. They are solely at fault. The whole presentation seemed as if they were locked up in a basement for several months without access to any media, totally oblivious of what is going on.

[t0yrobo]

half the information floating around right now is just fud

Yes, but the point is that Microsoft had plenty of time to prepare all of the answers and didn't deliver. They are solely at fault. The whole presentation seemed as if they were locked up in a basement for several months without access to any media, totally oblivious of what is going on.

Totally true. They probably should've marketed this event as being multimedia focused and invited everyone to see them at E3 for game news. Their pr people really blew it, I don't think they ever had any intention of going much into specifics and were totally unprepared for it. Which wouldn't have been so bad if they haven't been handling it so poorly.