PlayStation 4 and Xbox One hardware comparisons : More meaningless than ever

[xVolloxx]

PlayStation 4 and Xbox One hardware comparisons: More meaningless than ever

 

Sony's PlayStation 4 console will need a healthy portion of its 8GB of memory simply to run the console's OS. That's inspired a new torrent of Xbox One and PS4 comparisons. But here's why they don't make sense : 

 

Here, Guerilla Games' profiling tool for the development of Killzone: Shadowfall displays the PS4's use of six out of the eight AMD cores, meaning a maximum of roughly two thirds of the console's memory is available for use.

The news this morning from Digital Foundry that Sony's PlayStation 4 will require a hefty chunk of its memory to run the console's OS -- 3.5GB of its celebrated 8GB total -- has a few scratching their heads and many a fanboy rushing to the front lines. But we shouldn't be wasting our breath on hardware comparisons that miss the point.

The argument goes that so much memory-hogging kills the soaring ambitions Sony had set out for developers. Sony surprised the gaming community in February when it unveiled the consoleand showcased its jump from the rumored 4GB to a full 8GB of RAM. But now the concern is that developers won't be able to tap the full potential of the new console's extra muscle.

''The truth is that Sony's RAM requirements should come as no surprise''.

The news also follows some of the most vicious console-war back-and-forths in gaming history. In April, Microsoft revealed that its Xbox One would also have 8GB of RAM -- openly disclosing that the console's OS would demand three of those gigabytes. But at E3 in May, Microsoft was forced to confirm its widely unpopular policy of requiring Xbox One users to be constantly connected to the Internet, moving attention away from comparisons over specs. Anticipating Microsoft's position on user restrictions, Sony made a point of presenting its PS4 as the less draconian console -- and got an enthusiastic rise from the crowd as a result. Microsoft made a very public reversal the following month, and the debacle seemed to have left the PS4 with a clear lead.

Also, because Sony had initially been unclear about the memory requirements of its console's OS, some fans were left thinking the PS4 was potentially more powerful. Leaked documents had suggested that the 4GB version of the PS4 would require only about a half a gigabyte to run the OS, so some people assumed that the 8GB version might require only roughly a gigabyte -- giving the PS4 an edge over the Xbox One when it came to how smoothly the same games would run on both platforms.

Now, however, with the new memory revelation, Sony fanboys are left feeling like they were played a fool for defending the PS4's graphical advantage and for collectively attacking Microsoft and its Xbox One missteps.

 

Why the RAM revelation doesn't change anything

But the truth is that Sony's RAM requirements should come as no surprise. They're only slightly more demanding than those of Microsoft's Xbox One. The fact that these consoles are doing a heck of a lot more than just running games -- for instance, constantly storing gameplay footage; integrating activity into social networks and streaming services; recording your physical movements at all times -- inherently means they'll need more RAM to keep chugging along. If you wanted to play games on a less memory-intensive OS, you'd be a PC gamer.

 

That Sony wouldn't open up about this sooner may have to do with its strategy of keeping the conversation centered less on specs and more on strategy, specifically its corporate pro-gamer mindset and how much more consumer-friendly Sony's PS4 approach was when compared with Microsoft's restrictive disaster. But after all, Sony's closed-mouth strategy is smart marketing, and it shouldn't change your sympathies toward the PS4 if that's the console you've picked. This next-gen is ultimately about the overall gaming experience, with emphasis on platform exclusives; ease and functionality of online play; and the treatment of the blossoming indie game community.

''If you wanted to play games on a less memory-intensive OS, you'd be a PC gamer''.

Yes, of course there are still things to wage wars about. Sony is saying it will allow developers to use 1GB of flexible memory, which is an ambiguous consolation considering it's completely unclear how much of that can be split up between games and the console OS at any given moment for any given game.

Nevertheless, for those counting, it means game developers for the PS4 can potentially use up to 5.5GB of memory, while the Xbox One clocks in at 5GB. Does the difference matter? To gamers it shouldn't.

To those who may actually be making these massive, memory-intensive titles, it sure could mean the difference between having -- or not having -- a highly desired feature integrate seamlessly into a game environment. But for the average gamer -- who won't truly have any clue whether Tom Clancy's The Division for PS4 is utilizing that flexible gigabyte to make it incrementally smoother in certain parts than its Xbox counterpart -- this memory race is meaningless.

 

The true next-gen differentiators 
What truly matters is how much more powerful than their predecessors these consoles are. Think about it. Even 4.5GB of memory dedicated to a single PS4 game is nearly nine times more than the PS3, with its RAM maxed out at 512MB, was capable of allocating. That's an incredibly meaningful leap, and one that should be no less influential to the next-gen gaming experience simply because it differs slightly from the competitor's nearly identically powerful black box.

 

Furthermore, it's simply time we resign ourselves to the realization that these consoles, from a hardware perspective, are almost completely in step. Of course, there are still very minute details that need to come to light before we can truly judge whether the PS4 is more technologically capable than the Xbox One, especially from a development standpoint, which will affect what games stay on certain platforms and which titles can truly live up to their potential.

But for all intents and purposes, these two consoles are now clearly approaching a similarity level that makes a vast majority of nitpicking arguments irrelevant outside the core issues, which should still reside in restrictions, privacy, and the obvious-but-not-often-emphasized matter of what games you will actually be playing.

 

So if graphics and memory usage are true selling points for you, then I'll say it again: This next-gen console war may not be the place to be hoisting up those priorities. Things like difference of memory usage and other hardware issues should by now be arguments solely for the PC market. And while the consoles now operate with innards that are very similar to those of top-shelf towers, the worth of these gaming gadgets no longer revolves around pointless spec details . 

 

Article : http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57595723-93/playstation-4-and-xbox-one-hardware-comparisons-more-meaningless-than-ever/

Edited July 27, 2013 by TheBolloxx

[Memnoch]

Hey, interesting article, but it would be nice if you actually shortened the information to be the most beneficial possible.

 

Just copying an article from Cnet is far from the best solution

 

It'd be perfect if you just quoted some parts of it, explained what you think is interesting and then posted the link so the more intrigued people actually looked it up in detail.

 

Thanks for the info in any case !

[HardXDXtraga]

The fact that these consoles are doing a heck of a lot more than just running games -- for instance, constantly storing gameplay footage; integrating activity into social networks and streaming services; recording your physical movements at all times -- inherently means they'll need more RAM to keep chugging along. If you wanted to play games on a less memory-intensive OS, you'd be a PC gamer.

Or you could release a version that doesn't store gameplay footage, nor has anything to do with social networks or streaming devices, wouldn't that be better for the RAM?

 

I know this might seem like a rant but really, I don't even have a facebook, I take care of my social life in the outside world, and I'm not even that good to have my gameplay being recorded, this is why I'm staying with my ps3, it has everything I need and doesn't really have any useless things I'll never use, if I bought a ps4 I'd still play more on my ps3

 

I don't want to be a SocialStation Gamer, I want to be a PlayStation Gamer, I'm not very social f me right?

[CasaDeBen]

Didnt sony just say that it can be tweaked down the line to run less wben its in users hands. If it has flawless overlays for all its multitasking then it makes sense. And 4 gigs for a game really is more than enough on a console. Im pretty sure they are not dynamically rendering every single component in real time

[Memnoch]

To be fair they are only explaining why, and does make sense why the OS is using so much.

 

In regards to social gaming, I'm awaiting more info in regards to confidentiality before deciding what to do

[xVolloxx]

Or you could release a version that doesn't store gameplay footage, nor has anything to do with social networks or streaming devices, wouldn't that be better for the RAM?

 

I know this might seem like a rant but really, I don't even have a facebook, I take care of my social life in the outside world, and I'm not even that good to have my gameplay being recorded, this is why I'm staying with my ps3, it has everything I need and doesn't really have any useless things I'll never use, if I bought a ps4 I'd still play more on my ps3

 

I don't want to be a SocialStation Gamer, I want to be a PlayStation Gamer, I'm not very social f me right?

 

Look i could go on about this , explain it , give my own opinion 

 

but the fact remains that this is where the industry and gaming is heading 

 

you can decline it , go against it , complain , argue etc 

people don't like change cause they get used to what they get 

 

i myself have some concerns as i did with every console iv'e bought 

but i don't want to be left behind and neither should you 

 

the social features and game capture are there if you want to use them , if not don't bother 

maybe you'l get a better experience with them who knows ? but what i do know is the system will be awesome and so will

the games ! so don't let little things bother you ..... 

 

they also said all social features can be turned off and or tweaked 

 

i personally use Facebook and Twitter a lot ! And i'm without a doubt not a social person 

but i like to talk to friends and family and share things , the internet is the future of gaming 

and it will only continue .

[HardXDXtraga]

I don't feel like I will be left behind, besides like so many people here I still have lots of games I want to play on my ps3, eventually I see myself getting a ps4 but that won't be this year, and probably not next year either.

 

And I know that's where the game industry is headed, social networks are more popular than ever nowadays, can't blame them

[xVolloxx]

I don't feel like I will be left behind, besides like so many people here I still have lots of games I want to play on my ps3, eventually I see myself getting a ps4 but that won't be this year, and probably not next year either.

 

And I know that's where the game industry is headed, social networks are more popular than ever nowadays, can't blame them

 

You might not feel like it but the fact is you will , i have a ton of games un-completed / un-played as well and that's why i'm keeping my Ps3 , i'll be playing both 

I'm going to go ahead and say that you'l buy one before the end of next year 

 

Yeah it has it's pros and cons .... 

[yellowwindow7]

4 GB on games is enough to see some jaw dropping visuals and smooth yet fast loading times, for an example the ps3 is just a 512MB and look at games like Uncharted 2 or 3 or kill zone 2 or 3 or GOW3 / GOW A / GT5 or 6 or the last of us / beyond two souls and the upcoming new ratchet and clank looks like, then think what a 4GB will gonna do, even PC game these days at least need 2 or 3 GB to run games, but wow!!.. imagine if the ps4 will gonna use 6 GB on games and 2 for OS?

Edited July 28, 2013 by yellowwindow7

[DotNavid]

I really hope people know that, as of now, we only have ~500 mbs of RAM on the PS3. 4.5-5.5 GIGS on the PS4 is plenty and the OS will most likely get optimized to use less RAM in the console's life. Same thing happened with the OS on the PS3 IIRC.

Edited July 28, 2013 by DavidBallZ