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[JimmyRustler]

And I thought the lack of good games from Microsoft meant that they were shifting towards next gen games. If it's really true what this report suggests and MS continues to disregard games and continue focusing on multimedia I'm out. Sony and (god beware) Nintendo, here I come.

 

[Hawk269]

Classic.

 

[Deadstar]

I'll get the Orbis. Not for the specs but for the Sony exclusives. 3,5GDDR5 is good stuff for a console though.

Imagine Demon's Souls 2 as a launch game on Orbis......my body is so ready I can't even tell you!

 

[Erebus]

3GB dedicated to OS for the next Xbox? Why would they need so much for just OS? Even Windows on PC doesn't require so much RAM.

 

[DR3AM]

so this pretty much confirms that the Ps4 ( and 720) will come out this year?

 

[Singularity42]

Developers will be happy that both systems hardware is so similar should make multiplats easier to develop for...

Pure speculation of course

 

[Dark_AnNiaLatOr]

Orbis and Durango are ... brothers?

Kane and the Undertaker.

 

[BlackJace]

THIS IS ME WHILE READING DF ARTICLE:​

PLAYSTATION 4 is a great console that will host amazing 1080p games and incredible 720p games!​

They went with 8 jaguar cores - great! One of them is more efficient than than one PPU of CELL. It will be somewhere in the ~10x PS3 CPU range [without SPE-s].

They went with downclocked variant of 7970m - great! I expected something from Pitcarin line, and instead of going with desktop 78xx, they went with more efficient mobile version. 1.84 TF is good, but I expected better. At least, cooling will be easier with sub <2TF GPU section. ~10x PS3 GPU

They went with 4 GB of GDDR5 - awesome! This is the killer feature of PS4. It has the more powerfull GPU than Durango, but the fast memory will ensure that GPU can use all that power on the maximum ammount of data avaiable. More than 3GB of RAM data can be accessed by GPU during one frame of 60fps game! More ram access = more effect per pixel. More AA, more pixel shaders, more stuff Also, 512MB of ram is MORE THAN ENOUGH for console use and great news for games that will have access to 7x more ram data [and much faster one] than in PS3.

They included custom processing unit - awesome! This feature will enable untold advantages to the system, from physics processing, to advanced fluid dynamics, complex lightning calculations, to who knows what. Flops advantages that will be gained from this module are unknown, but will surely manage to produce great effects.

Entire console will use about 150W - great! I expected a little more power [and Gflops], but this way they have console that is really easy to manufacture [one APU, 8 RAM chips on motherboard, southbridge, and nothing much more] and relatively affordable to sell. I expect $350 for a SKU with small HDD, hopefully even lower if they want to produce console with 16/32GB of flash and empty HDD slot. Cooling and size od the console whould be around the size of PS3 Slim.


In the end, its a fast console, with fast gpu and AMAZINGLY fast RAM. I shudder when I think about the games that Guerilla, Santa Monica and Naughty Dog will create with this great hardware. Great times are in front of us! E3 will be epic!

Ugh, this reads like a PR statement.

 

[Singularity42]

so this pretty much confirms that the Ps4 ( and 720) will come out this year?

The magic 8-ball says "All signs point to YES!"

the magic 8-ball never lies!

 

[Orayn]

I don't know man, tessellation and compute shaders can make some very impressive looking scenes. Sparse octree voxelization for real-time global illumination is something the current consoles can't do at all and that's going to be an Unreal Engine 4 feature.

I guess. Kind of hard to say, since CryEngine 3 and high end Frostbite games are cross-gen, Samaritan was running on a decked out Unreal 3, and we're still months away from any public demonstrations of UE4 on a game.

 

[LuuKyK]

PS4 can consider itself bought by me already. All this talk made me super hyped. This + the "you will hear about it in a matter of weeks and not months" is just too much. t_t

 

[AranhaHunter]

512MB for OS when WiiU has 1GB and Durango will have 3GB?

I don't know why Sony wouldn't add 2-3GBs of slower DDR3 RAM for the OS and keep the 4GB DDR5 RAM open to developers.

 

[Psychotext]

3GB dedicated to OS for the next Xbox? Why would they need so much for just OS? Even Windows on PC doesn't require so much RAM.

It's just guesswork, but I still reckon it's for something like DVR related functionality (recording in the background, picture in picture etc). As well as being able to switch to a browser in game.

 

[fallagin]

my $399 is ready

If this is the price for either then my mind will be blown.

 

[WalkMan]

I believe dedicated gaming consoles are a thing of the past. So having as much memory as you can in order to be able to do many stuff outside of gaming is a must. Microsoft got it right. As for Sony if that 512mb is right I am not sure.

Then buy a PC.

 

[OniShiro]

512MB for OS when WiiU has 1GB and Durango will have 3GB?

I don't know why Sony wouldn't add 2-3GBs of slower DDR3 RAM for the OS and keep the 4GB DDR5 RAM open to developers.

Xp worked fine with 512mb. No need for more if it's well optimized

 

[Phonomezer]

.

 

[grimshawish]

I believe dedicated gaming consoles are a thing of the past. So having as much memory as you can in order to be able to do many stuff outside of gaming is a must. Microsoft got it right. As for Sony if that 512mb is right I am not sure.

Joining dedicated handhelds on the scrapheap am'aright?

 

[kinggroin]

GPU and CPU seem okish considering it's been 7 years, but the memory configuration for both are fantastic! Sony especially.

Can't wait to see what developers can do with these specs as baseline! Also, what that'll mean for the PC.


Also interesting to note that Durango and Wii U share a similar setup (with Durango being more of everything). Wonder how ports (if any) will hold up?

Anyone want to make an educated guess?

 

[Violater]

Ugh, this reads like a PR statement.

Joke post?

 

[Tears For Fears]

Looks like my gtx670 will last a few years.

 

[phosphor112]

Excellent stuff. So, rumours so far:

Orbis
- CPU: 8-core Jaguar @ 1.6GHz
- GPU: ~ Radeon 7970M in power, 18 compute units @ 800MHz (I'd seen 8830-8850 rumoured but also comments that those - were fake)
- Memory: 4GB GDDR5 @ 192GB/s bandwidth - 512MB reserved for OS -> 3.5GB for games
- Extra: "Compute module"

Durango
- CPU: 8-core Jaguar @ 1.6GHz
- GPU: ~ ? in power (DF says potentially weaker than Orbis), 12 compute units
- Memory: 8GB DDR3 @ 68GB/s bandwidth - 3GB reserved for OS (rumoured it may be down to 1-1.5GB though) -> 5-7GB for games
- Extra: "ESRAM" (small amount of faster RAM, 102GB/s bandwidth), other custom chips

Orbis
- CPU: 8-core Jaguar @ 1.6GHz
- GPU: ~ Radeon 7970M in power, 18 compute units @ 800MHz
- Memory: 4GB GDDR5 @ 192GB/s bandwidth (maybe 3D or TSV DDR4 in final. Offers similar bandwidth, same high costs, lower heat, price drops eventually)
- Extra: 2x 1PPU and 4SPU for Media, DSP functions, BC?

 

[Coolwhip]

In our Radeon 7970M review, we ran Battlefield 3 on medium settings

So not magical consoles filled with pixie dust capable of Toy Story visuals for just $399? Shocker.

 

[Tomcat]

Then buy a PC.

Don't worry I have a pc and specs wise it blows these next gen specs.

 

[Snubbers]

While I'm a little downbeat about Durango specs (As I remember being when PS3 specs where revealed and it looked like it had landslide power victory),

I am thinking about the 3Gb and potentially 2 cores reserved for the OS, and I have had a thought about this.

I think the key word missing could be 'up to'.. I think it was T10 when talking about Kinect in Forza 4, and people crying over how Kinect was going to rob all the resources and graphically etc it'd be a step backwards, but the reality was that the kinect resources are modular.. i.e. MS dictate that if you want 'voice' then you need X MB RAM + so much CPU time, if you want basic headtracking, then it's more MB + more CPU Time, and so on..

So the reality was something not too bad.. the developer decided the right match of CPU/RAM/Kinect features for them, and it's dynamic depending on if you have kinect, or if you have those features 'enabled'..

The other thing is that people saying 3GB is for all those Ads and Kinect 2.0 shit may feel MS are going down that route, but being realistic, we are talking 6 times the Xbox 360's total RAM amount, that's not ads, or kinect, surely they already fit in a small fraction of the 360's RAM.. So it might *shudder* be some attempt at something 'useful', and hopefully they follow the same rules as Kinect resources today, dynamic reservation depending on features..

The other note is that PS4 will need to reserve a core for OS stuff, that cross game chat (please be present) and any other OS stuff will need some CPU resource to power it..

Still.. I really 'want' Orbis/Durango to carry on the 'swings and roundabouts, but largely equal' game, it's meant I've owned both consoles and really enjoyed the exclusives, and loved having the choice of platforms for multiplatform without thinking I'm sacrificing anything other then a bit of tit for tat graphics or framerate..

 

[Draft]

Ugh, this reads like a PR statement.

A lot of posters on GAF have had to endure a very tough generation. They deserve a little excitement for once.

 

[BlackJace]

Joke post?

No? Explain how my comment led to that deduction.

 

[ghst]

Now devs can do so much more with physics, AI, destruction, NPCs, animation, world size, particle effects, etc. They're no longer just better ports of 360/PS3 games. They'll turn into different beasts altogether.

almost all of those elements you listed are CPU dependant. a mid range CPU in 2011 was the 2500k, which is still an effective mid range choice today. while i'm sure there's some optimal trickery that can be pulled working with 8 jaguar cores which will begin to really materialise later in the console's life, its raw number crunching ability will be far behind what a 2500k can do.

 

[KKRT00]

It's just guesswork, but I still reckon it's for something like DVR related functionality (recording in the background, picture in picture etc). As well as being able to switch to a browser in game.

None of those does require more than 512mb actually. If You're using browser You can offload some ram from cached assets, because Your game is paused and for streaming You need mostly several frames of buffer before You write them into the file on HDD.

 

[Orayn]

If this is the price for either then my mind will be blown.

Jaguar is a low-power laptop/tablet chip, the 7870 GPU they're using will be well over a year old and dirt cheap when these launch, DDR3 is already cheap as sin, and Blu-Ray drives cost a fraction of what they did when the PS3 launched. The only potentially expensive parts are the Orbis' GDDR5 and mysterious custom chip, and I'm using the word expensive quite liberally.

These really do look like $400, 150W TDP machines to me.

 

[TimeEffect]

What kind of apps would needed to be run anyway, for 3 GB of RAM? And wont Sony get bottlenecked with just ~500 MB?

I wonder how hard Kinect will be driven, and if third party will jump on board as easily on MS as they did this gen, considering the possibility that Sony has a chance to come out on equal footing. Microsoft has the best chance to sell to non-gamers here, perhaps more so than even Nintendo. I also wonder how forced Kinect will be, and how core Xbox consumers will feel about it.

One thing Sony has to do is really push the PSN/PS+ brand. I really like VITA's PSN, I'm confident Sony isn't as incompetent as Nintendo when it comes to online OS. Seems PS3 was held back by the limited RAM? XBL is such a huge presence in America, but a properly functional/accessible/attractive UI for PSN could do wonders.

The biggest factor to me here is the games. If Sony has their roster timed properly, they could release an onslaught of heavy hitters like clockwork

Killzone 4/Other rumoured IP
Uncharted 4/New ND game
God of War 4
Jak 4? (VITA)
Ratchet sequel
Gran Turismo 6
New Sucker Punch game
LittleBigPlanet 3/new Mm IP
New Quantic Dreams game
Santa Monica Studios various other studios
PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale 2 is pretty much confirmed if I'm not mistaken

Fighting over hardware, if it's all relatively so close could take a backseat if Sony is able to timely release their internal workings at opportune times in that first 1-2 years. I wonder how MS will approach it. Do they have their own studios working on heavy hitters that could negate what Sony has? One next gen Halo game could blow a couple of these Sony IPs, and MS has money to really keep up the timed exclusivity pressure when it comes to the biggest IPs: third party games. Wonder if that way will continue. If Sony's hardware isn't such a bitch anymore, I wonder if early sales will dictate where third party puts their priority on.

It's also interesting to read about cost-saving measures. If I am understanding right, the heavy costs of this gen should make things easier next gen for PS4? Or is most of that not a factor anymore?

I am also highly curious if PS3 will continue to sell after next gen like PS2 did. Dirt cheap PS3's with massive bundles? Or maybe it'd be smarter to bundle late-gen PS3 games with PS4?

 

[Clay Davis]

Major changes to the OS halfway in the console's lifecycle is unlikely. We also have to take into account that they will be optimizing it with each firmware update so maybe they'll find a way to fit it in. I would be happy with 1GB GDDR5 reserved for the OS, but that really sounds like a waste due to how expensive the memory is. For basic functionalities 512MB is enough in my opinion.

I would have agreed if not for the fact that we're living in a post new xbox experience world where an entire os overhaul is possible and likely half way through the consoles life-cycle.

 

[Raven77]

Here is the problem, games today are made for current gen consoles first and then ported. So it doesn't really matter how much of a PC you have with a few exceptions. All you are getting is really a higher rez version of the same game. We need games made for next gen consoles.

Quoted!!!!!


A million times over, quoted, again and again. This person speaks the truth!!!


This is the EXACT and SINGLE MOST reason anyone who games mostly (or soley) on PC should be super duper excited for new consoles.


The bar will be raised for PC games, finally, after 4-5 long long years of crappy ports.

 

[FrankT]

Some things here aren't accurate at all but I won't say which ones

Not surprised. Still not really buying the 3GB stuff nor core reserves, but we shall see.

 

[statham]

Looks like my gtx670 will last a few years.

My overclocked 7850 is ready.

 

[shinobi602]

Let me justify why I think it's a monster machine.

All the PS3/360 games ported over to PC are practically ports of games released on old hardware. We see great results of those ports. Just imagine what kinda games we'll get on PC and consoles with the hardware we're rumored to witness.

I'm personally very excited and optimistic and hyped about the direction of next-gen. It's going to be spectacular.

Exactly. So many here are having trouble understanding that.

 

[K.Jack]

You won't have to have a 680, but your going to take a big hit in framerate with a 570 when the gen starts

Your 570 won't last long at all when next gen starts.

Ya know, I post on a major laptop sight, and there are people who refuse to believe me, when I say that system requirements are taking a major leap with the next-gen consoles. Ironically, a lot of them have 7970Ms in their gaming laptops, and they think they'll still be running console ports at 1080p with High/Max settings a year or so from now.

I'm about to quit arguing with them, as the rude awakening will speak for me.

 

[Psychotext]

Any of those does not require more than 512mb actually. If You're using browser You can offload some ram from cached assets, because Your game is paused and for streaming You need mostly several frames of buffer before You write them into the file on HDD.

Makes sense... and yet, here we are. What uses up so much RAM?

 

[Radec]

512MB for OS when WiiU has 1GB and Durango will have 3GB?

I don't know why Sony wouldn't add 2-3GBs of slower DDR3 RAM for the OS and keep the 4GB DDR5 RAM open to developers.

GDDR5 >>> DDR3

See how many ">" that?

 

[KKRT00]

Makes sense... and yet, here we are. What uses up so much RAM?

Dont ask me

 

[sTeLioSco]

I believe dedicated gaming consoles are a thing of the past. So having as much memory as you can in order to be able to do many stuff outside of gaming is a must. Microsoft got it right. As for Sony if that 512mb is right I am not sure.

because you cant check stock prices on:
smartphone/tablet/laptop/pc/smart tv/photo frame and fridge already.

 

[phosphor112]

So not magical consoles filled with pixie dust capable of Toy Story visuals for just $399? Shocker.

Comparing consoles to PC hardware?
K.

 

[Orayn]

512MB for OS when WiiU has 1GB and Durango will have 3GB?

I don't know why Sony wouldn't add 2-3GBs of slower DDR3 RAM for the OS and keep the 4GB DDR5 RAM open to developers.

It was explained in another PS4 RAM thread that you just can't tack on significantly slower DDR3 for RAM stuff. It's not a good design and it would be a major headache for everyone.

 

[thehillissilent]

I don't feel too bad about my pc that I built last year:

AMD FX-6100 6 core @ 3.3ghz
8GB of RAM DDR3
Geforce 550Ti 1GB DDR5

I'll keep running games at max settings at 720p @ 60 fps until I'm unable. Heck, I will lower IQ and even resolution if I have to. My old computer had a very low end GT 610 (rebranded GT 520) in it. I can live with decreased IQ as long as I can play at an exceptable framerate. I'll make my GPU last at least 2 years.

 

[MagicWithEarvin]

haha

 

[Coen]

Not going to lie: I like the new post-Kutaragi Sony. Vita is an excellent piece of hardware and Orbis sounds no different. Both seem to be plenty powerful, focused on videogames but not overly expensive. Just reasonable design all around. I hope it pays off for Sony, they deserve a break for backing us gamers while other companies seem to have a different agenda.

 

[Coolwhip]

Comparing consoles to PC hardware?
K.

It's what they did in that article, they did list the advantages of a console though.

 

[fallagin]

Jaguar is a low-power laptop/tablet chip, the 7870 GPU they're using will be well over a year old and dirt cheap when these launch, DDR3 is already cheap as sin, and Blu-Ray drives cost a fraction of what they did when the PS3 launched. The only potentially expensive parts are the Orbis' GDDR5 and mysterious custom chip, and I'm using the word expensive quite liberally.

These really do look like $400, 150W TDP machines to me.

Huh, well great if it turns out this way!

 

[Foshy]

I'm so fucking hyped for next-gen right now. I hope the rumor that the PS4 will be unveiled in a few weeks is true.

 

[Wynnebeck]

So not magical consoles filled with pixie dust capable of Toy Story visuals for just $399? Shocker.

Still better than Wii U in any case. If they do end up being for $399 compared to the Wii U's price, it's not going to be good for Nintendo.