Stick With Sony, Not The Phony

[CaptnCharperrin]

 

Stick With Sony, Not the Phony

by Joshua Charperrin Woodard (Notes) on Sunday, April 28, 2013 at 10:23pm

 

 

PS4vsXbox720

 

The following is articles I have found on the web about the upcoming console war. In my opinion PS4 is where it's at, don't bother with the Xbox720. But I am a Sony man.....judge for yourself.

 

 

PS4 architect discusses console's custom AMD processor

 http://techreport.com/news/24725/ps4-architect-discusses-console-custom-amd-processor

by Geoff Gasior — 11:55 AM on April 26, 2013                       

Since February, we've known that Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4 console will have a "supercharged PC architecture" based on a custom AMD processor with GCN-derived graphics and eight Jaguar CPU cores.  The chip's GPU and CPU elements will share 8GB of GDDR5 memory over an interface with a claimed 176GB/s of bandwidth, and the graphics component promises comparable horsepower to the Radeon HD 7850.  Gamasutra recently discussed the PS4's underlying hardware with lead architect Mark Cerny, providing new insight on the guts of the console.

Cerny says the PS4's custom silicon incorporates not only the CPU and GPU, but also a "large number of other units."  The chip has a dedicated audio unit to perform processing for voice chat and multiple audio streams.  It also has a hardware block designed explicitly for zlib decompression. The main processor is backed by a secondary chip that enables an ultra-low-power mode for background downloading.  In that mode, the CPU and GPU shut down, leaving only the auxiliary chip, system memory, networking, and storage active.

A 256-bit interface links the console's processor to its shared memory pool.  According to Cerny, Sony considered a 128-bit implementation paired with on-chip eDRAM but deemed that solution too complex for developers to exploit.  Sony has also taken steps to make it easier for developers to use the graphics component for general-purpose computing tasks.  Cerny identifies three custom features dedicated to that mission:

• An additional bus has been grafted to the GPU, providing a direct link to system memory that bypasses the GPU's caches.  This dedicated bus offers "almost 20GB/s" of bandwidth, according to Cerny.
• The GPU's L2 cache has been enhanced to better support simultaneous use by graphics and compute workloads.  Compute-related cache lines are marked as "volatile" and can be written or invalidated selectively.
• The number of "sources" for GPU compute commands has been increased dramatically.  The GCN architecture supports one graphics source and two compute sources, according to Cerny, but the PS4 boosts the number of compute command sources to 64.

If developers take advantage of the PS4's apparently robust support for mixed GPU workloads, we could see more compute tasks being offloaded to the GPU in PC games.  Let's hope developers don't rely too much on Sony's customizations, though.

Interestingly, Cerny has little to say about the PS4's Jaguar-based CPU.  All the focus on general-purpose GPU computing suggests the console's CPU component is relatively weak, which isn't a big surprise.  Jaguar will replace AMD's low-power Bobcat CPU architecture, and it's designed primarily with mobile systems like tablets in mind.

 

 

Xbox 720 Graphics Processing Power

http://www.thetechlabz.com/tech-news/new-xbox-720/

The biggest rumor pertaining to the Xbox 720′s graphical processing power is that the new console will include variations of AMD’s 6000 series GPUs. If there is any truth behind the rumor, that means the new Xbox will still be at least two generations behind the latest PC GPUs (with the AMD 8000 series soon to release). But the rumor, if confirmed would also mean the Xbox 720 would include a graphics processor that’s up to six times more powerful than the current Xbox 360 GPU.

If the Xbox 720 does indeed get equipped with an AMD 6000 series GPU, that would also include support for DirectX 11, multi-display functionality and of course high-definition 3D content.

Xbox 720 Will No Longer Support Second Hand Games

One of the biggest, and most influential, features to be rumored for inclusion in the Xbox 720 is an implementation of unique security features that prevents playback of second hand game titles. While this information has in no way been confirmed by Microsoft, it’s certainly plausible that such a feature could be implemented in the Xbox 720.

If the rumors are true it would mean the end of the used game industry, and it would also mean gamers would only have the option to purchase games brand new – or not at all.

Some ways in which Microsoft could realistically implement such a feature includes removing disc drive support, adding integrated security features on the discs themselves, or using a retail code redemption system similar to many existing online play passes (which can be seen in most EA game titles).

Xbox 720 Will Run the Latest Version of Windows

It’s no secret that Microsoft is keen on adding multi-functional and cross platform support – they’ve been especially fond of such features ever since the release of Windows 7.

It has been rumored that Microsoft will port Windows 8 (or the latest Windows version) to the new Xbox 720 thus offering cross platform support for use with Windows Phone devices, Windows based computers and subsequent Microsoft Windows platforms like future portable tablets.

The Xbox 360 currently supports media sharing with Windows 7 based PCs and also takes advantage of the Windows Media Center application showing that we could very likely see a similar media sharing system on the new console. Although, if such a media system were implemented or even adopted for the Xbox 720, the likelihood of a Windows OS appearing on the new console would lessen.

Microsoft’s use of closed source OS, or unique software systems for previous consoles is well known. It’s highly unlikely that we will see a Windows based OS on a home console in the near future simply because of the options it would open up for system hacks or modifications – which Microsoft has been and will always be strongly against. Microsoft has since warmed up to the idea of public mods, by releasing a developers toolkit for the Kinect accessory which is compatible with PCs. It’s still highly unlikely that Microsoft will welcome such support in future consoles- there’s too much liability related to piracy.

Xbox 720 Future Disc Format

There has also been a floating rumor that the Xbox 720 will include Blu-Ray disc support, or may even integrate Blu-Ray disc support into its game releases – but again, there has been no official confirmation.

There’s even been an expressed desire for the return of HD-DVD’s, but seeing as support for the current console was dropped there’s no guarantee at all.

It is definitely true that Microsoft will be looking into alternate media formats especially if they decide to drop second hand game support. The possibility even exists that Microsoft will drop external media support altogether, going with a download-only marketing plan.

Xbox 720 vs PS4: Spec Rumors Give Sony Edge On RAM

OPINION

By Mo Mozuch on April 12, 2013 5:53 PM EDT 49 Comments

 http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/16658/20130412/xbox-720-vs-ps4-spec-rumors-give.htm               

 

PS4 vs. Xbox 720 Release Date 2013, Specs, Price: Is Xbox 720 coming up short of RAM? (Photo: YouTube screenshot/niklas1723))

When it comes to the Xbox 720 vs PS4 debate, spec rumors are pretty much all we have to go on right now. But that's not Sony's fault. Sony had the decency to give us some info about their new system in February, whereas Microsoft is still pretending that there is no such thing as the Xbox 720. My guess is they want to hold as many cards as possible in the Xbox 720 vs PS4 consumer debate. The less we know about the system, the harder it will be for gamers to make up their minds early in the year. But given popular interest in the system, Microsoft should've anticipated a fair amount of leaks and rumors regarding the Xbox 720 specs, and, once they emerged, that it wouldn't take much time for game bloggers to start typing up their Xbox 720 vs PS4 comparisons.

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I'm not going to bother getting into ALL the benchmarks we can use to compare the Xbox 720 and the PS4. Instead, I want to focus on what I consider to be THE most important spec of all: RAM. I admit, I have a bit of a RAM bias from my youth, when there were so many amazing games I couldn't play on my sh---ty Compaq Presario. Because my dad was about as tech-savvy as Ted Kaczynski, my gaming PC would crash if I played Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? for too long. Games like StarCraft or Half-Life were a definite no-go on its anemic 256 MB of RAM . Since then, I've made it a point to pay attention to RAM. I am by no means a computer whiz, but according to recent reports, Sony has the edge over Microsoft when it comes to RAM in their next-generation consoles.

When their dev kits shipped, Sony only gave developers 4 GB of RAM to work with in PS4 development. After the February unveiling, however, everyone got access to the full 8 GB that Sony is putting in the PS4. Well, not exactly a full 8 GB. According to PS4Daily, the next-gen console will require 1 GB of Ram to run the OS, leaving developers with 7GB of RAM to work with. It's GDDR5 memory too, which provides twice the bandwidth of the older DDR3 style memory.

Based on leaked specs of the Xbox 720, Micrtosoft's next-gen console provides 8GB of DDR3 and 32 MB of ESRAM. The combined memory system in the Xbox 720 won't have the same memory bandwidth as Sony's PS4 because the majority of memory operations will happen over the slower DDR3 pipeline before the system taps into the superior, but more expensive, ESRAM back up.

Hopefully we'll know more when Microsoft unveils the Xbox 720 at the rumored May 21 press event. Until then, Xbox fans are left to hope the specs aren't true and that their system will be every bit as fast as the PS4. The Xbox 720 vs PS4 debate rages on, and we won't know a clear winner until we get the controllers in our hands later this year.

Update:

OK, clearly I am not a tech expert. This is a developing story, and obviously we've got a lot to learn. As our loyal readers have pointed out in the comments section there is a lot more to the great RAM debate than what I mentioned in the brief article above. Nitin Bhosale gave us an awesome breakdown of the relationship between CPU, GPU and RAM:

"Sharing isn't a problem for an architecture like this. It's an advantage. It's not the same thing with PS2/XBox era RAM sharing, where CPU and GPU got access to a fraction of memory.These 8GB are completely accessible by both processors. That means that everything that requires traffic between RAM and VRAM on PC and duplicates of various resources no longer needs any of that on PS4.

For example, consider streaming a texture on PC. First, the VRAM memory is "unlocked", which means a duplicate storage space is created in RAM.Then the texture data is read from HDD and copied over to RAM. Then the texture is "locked," which involves copying contents of texture in RAM over to VRAM via the PCIe bus. This is the biggest bottleneck on PC. On PS4 it is completely eliminated. Data is streamed from HDD or disk directly into shared memory.

Or say you want destructible environment in a PC game. You can either run physics on CPU, which isn't terribly fast, and then you have to update geometry buffers in graphics memory. Or you can run all of the physics in GPU, altering geometry directly there, but then you have to pull it out into RAM so that your path finding and AI can use it. Either way, you end up managing geometry both in VRAM and in RAM. Updating both copies constantly via the same PCIe bus. Again, a major bottleneck.

On PS4, you have just one copy of geometry sitting in lightning fast GDDR5 memory and both GPU and CPU have access to it. So either processor can be running physics, depending on which is more convenient, with GPU running graphics and CPU running AI all from the same geometry.

Still, the main point here is that CPU really doesn't have to be all that great. PS4′s CPU is just there to run logic. AMD's architecture isn't the best even for that, but it's definitely good enough. The entire edge of PS4 comes from the fact that both chips are sitting on the same die and are sharing memory. And whatever else you might say about AMD, they have most experience with this sort of design."

 

(To be fair we don't know a whole lot about these consoles, and Xbox has not had a conference yet so must still waiting to be seen. But again to me, Sony is it)

http://youtu.be/eyWyEfEIas0 XBOX720

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OhDX0anXZE PS4

 

 

[Tomato]

lol

[Vacio_Luna]

Wall of text, too lazy. I'll always be a Playstation man, though I'm not getting the PS4 anytime soon.

[Nagflar]

The whole articule is based on assumptions and nothing else, therefore, it is unreliable and fails as journalism.

[SSarcasm]

8

Edited August 5, 2014 by SSarcasm

[Death]

A winner is you.

[Parker]

I'm with Nag on this one. We don't have any solid, confirmed information about the Nextbox so this article is just speculation. Once Microsoft gives us some good information (on May 21st) then we'll be able to actually start comparing the two systems, but right now the only system we know anything about is the PlayStation 4.

 

 

Parker

[Karnacharya]

For the record, just because a system isn't your preferred choice, doesn't make it phony. I know a number of people who game exclusively on the XBox that have legitimately wonderful experiences on the system. It's all about preferences, and we should all strive to respect everyone else's. Just my two cents.

[Memnoch]

That was too long for reading on a forum ... snippets would have been so much better.

 

In any case, marketing and price > functionality ... shouldn't really be that way, but it is. that's how consumerism works.

 

Technology will not be what makes the winner of this console war, but at least Sony aren't behind this time

[xVolloxx]

Have always loved sony & playstation ! Will be buying playstation 4 day-1 .

As for the Xbox 720 we will see on may 21st but all my friends that have an xbox said they will be getting the Ps4 instead 

 

it's not looking good for microsoft and they will be focusing more on entertainment then games in my opinion 

why don't companies realize that if i buy a console i want to play good games nothing else nothing more .

 

Glad sony took the Ps4 is all about games approach !

[dj_illmatic]

I know I'm getting a PS4 day one, but I'm waiting to hear more before I decide about the XBox. It will really come down to if the XBox has any exclusives that make me have to own one. The way they dumped so many of their first party developers, I'm not so sure they will. However, I will reserve judgement until after E3.

[Wolvie_181]

I plan on getting a PS4.

 

But not on launch day.

[EliteVega]

Holy wall of text batman!

 

If I go with ether MS or Sony it doesn't make me a phony or anybody else. I might have been with Sony since PS1, but I like the Xbox360 well enough like my PS3 and the same will be with the new Xbox/PS4.

[Wolvie_181]

Holy wall of text batman!

 

If I go with ether MS or Sony it doesn't make me a phony or anybody else. I might have been with Sony since PS1, but I like the Xbox360 well enough like my PS3 and the same will be with the new Xbox/PS4.

It really all depends what games you like (I like PS games better than X-Box games)

[RileyCola]

why does it matter what other people do with their money. do you.

[Im_The_Tom]

I'm always staying with Sony, love their exclusives more than anyone else. My first gaming system was the Playstation 2. Sticked with sony ever since