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How important are the pro / x1x / ps4 / X1 face offs to you?

Bowler

Member
Before answering, lets take a walk down memory lane for a minute.

If we go back to previous gens you had the ps3 / 360 face offs that really took hold. But lets ask ourselves why? To me back then, and truly you can say the same for every gen, but you really needed both or all consoles to fully take part in all the exclusive games.

then you had to make a decision on what console to play your third party titles on.

the ps3/360 gen really put this to the forefront, more then any other gen IMO. With High definition TV's, now 4k tvs, pixel counting, frame rates all on the buzz word hot plate.

Digital foundry, NXgamer, lens of truth etc. countless time researching last gen to figure out which platform to buy a third party title on. PS3 and 360 were so different in terms of architecture, yet so close in end results. These reviewers influenced my buying behavior tremendously. I may be in the minority with that statement but that is what was happening.

But lets fast forward to this gen. Personally I have found myself less concerned with which platform plays a game better. Is it because they are so close in architecture that it doesn't matter? Is it because ps4 was a bit more powerful then x1, so we already knew what every face off would be? Now that we have a x1x and ps4pro does the same rule apply now? That the x1x is just that more powerful then pro that we already know that is the best platform.

The top question also needs to be discussed that do we in this gen really need all the consoles like last gens? The MS machine and the sony machine is so close this gen that at times ive wondered if I just blew money for the hell of it because of past gens, only realizing that both consoles are virtually the same now. +/- few frames +/- pixels here and there. You could pick one or the other and be perfectly content.

Now we have the x1x and the pro. Two mid generation upgrades a year apart in terms of release date, but also internal components. We know the x1x is the superior console with the newer internals, but do we really need to have both consoles taking up space under the tv? Do we really need the faceoffs to tell us how many more pixels each is pushing? How important is having all three consoles gracing your living room these days?

Or is Bowler just getting old and cranky, and i need to apply to AARP, then worry about what people do with there money.
 

B_Signal

Member
I think they're interesting in the right circumstances. The Xbox One is going to perform better than the Pro 99% of the time, simply pointing that out isn't interesting.

With the PS3 and 360, because they both had quirks and limitations it could be interesting reading why certain games had certain problems, or why something was better on one. If it's just a numbers race then it's all a bit redundant
 

ViolentP

Member
I have no intention of changing my primary platform this late in the game so I will likely pick up the PC/PS4 version before Xbox even if it outperforms. Still, I find the videos pretty entertaining.
 

Malcolm9

Member
I like the videos and i think you have to commend MS on their work with the X, and the gains compared to the original Xbox One are there to see.

Personally I think it's too late for them to have a big impact, but it helps to give good hardware competition to Sony going forward, and puts MS on a better footing with gamers.

I'm not a fan of certain people shit posting constantly (either side) in those threads though.
 
It's good to see what the hardware limits are for different games and developers. There is no harm in it. People on the forum are what make it painful when reading the comments.
 

kuYuri

Member
I like them a lot and I find them useful from an “academic” standpoint. It’s interesting to me to see the little or big differences between the versions or how devs get around limitations of certain consoles. I wish we had DF’s analysis methodology and videos back in the PS2/GC/Xbox era. Imagine how much deeper they could have gone for multi platform titles like Splinter Cell on a PS2 vs GameCube vs. Xbox and some of the giant differences between those versions.
 

mad597

Banned
This thread is just gonna turn into the same three X trolls saying

“Sony fanboys butthurt because X is BEAST” over and over

Truth hurts. Seriosuly though where was all this self reflection earlier in the gen when Sony fans were counting blades of grass in GTA and proclaiming 900p VS 1080p the end all be all?

The timing of these arguments and talks of "diminishing returns" are disingenuous and simply coming from a fan base having to pivot to a different bullett point cause their favorite console brand no longer excels in these faceoffs like they used to. Sony fans taking their ball and going home.
 

jobrro

Member
They are cool. It's good to know the differences and how devs are utilizing the varying levels of power (from Switch undocked up to the One X and PC).

I know it is more or less going to be high end PC > One X > PS4 Pro > PS4 > One > Switch > Switch undocked, but I still like that they exist and it is interesting to know the ins and outs.

My only issue is lately developers seem to be opting for 1440p on the Pro when it was always supposed to use tricks like checkerboarding to get close to a 4K output. Anything less than 1800c looks a bit too rough to me on a 4K display, even if that is a maximum resolution achieved through dynamic resolution that is better than a locked 1440p for me. All this is on the developers rather than NX/DF, but they certainly help bring these issues to light.

I know there have been several titles I was on the edge of purchasing day/week one the last few months and when their (in my mind) poor level of Pro support came to light it killed my interest until those games are on a very deep discount or they come to PS+ or a Humble Bundle.

I already own a Pro, semi decent PC, Switch, Wii U, PS3 and the OG Xbone (complete with Kinect ;-) ) so don't have a lot of reason to get the One X. Maybe in a year or two in a bundle or a deep discount it could become appealing at least partially due to its UHD Blu-ray drive, but the PS5/Xbox Two could be on the horizon by then so who knows.
 

Space_nut

Member
Definitely games are showing amazing performance out of the Xbox One X. There's a performance increase of double what pro is producing. Love how these consoles work
 

Journey

Banned
This thread is just gonna turn into the same three X trolls saying

”Sony fanboys butthurt because X is BEAST" over and over


Was there a similar thread when PS4 was winning all the head to heads? I doubt it, but if it did exist, I would expect no less from Sony fans to call Xbox fans butt hurt. The existence of this thread in itself is very telling, especially if there wasn't such a thread back then.
 
I guess it's like watching sport, people will enjoy the ones where their "team" wins. Personally I find the tech analysis quite interesting and it is a good way to keep dev teams in check with their updates by showing up any lazy patches etc.
 

Adam_802

Member
Well it certainly mattered a lot to some sony fans for the last 4 years, now it doesnt seem to matter as much to them. Also, the gap being shown between the Pro and the X is wider than the base ps4/XB1 gap was for sure.

Truth hurts. Seriosuly though where was all this self reflection earlier in the gen when Sony fans were counting blades of grass in GTA and proclaiming 900p VS 1080p the end all be all?

The timing of these arguments and talks of "diminishing returns" are disingenuous and simply coming from a fan base having to pivot to a different bullett point cause their favorite console brand no longer excels in these faceoffs like they used to. Sony fans taking their ball and going home.

^ Also this
 

hiphopcr

Member
As an X1X guy I think the comparisons to the PS4Pro are getting old and obvious. But I am interested in seeing the upgrades from the X1 to the X1X so I can know what my $500 got me.
 
I like to see how the One X is performing compared to the Pro so I can be better informed after getting a 4k set next year. I have no interest in fanboy ramblings whatsoever.
 

Mentaur

Neo Member
This is all related to 'game X on the PC is badly optimised because I can't run it on maximum settings' even though you'll likely only ever notice the difference between medium and ultra settings on a freeze frame comparison shot. Everyone likes to know that if they are going to sink 80 hours into a game that they are getting the best possible experience. As someone who owns an Xbox and a PS4 I enjoy seeing where the corners have been cut.

You could argue that it was videos such as these that helped the PS4 win this console round in the first place. Could the average punter tell if he was looking at 900p upscaled or 1080p? There's an argument that 4K TV production is a waste of time and money as most viewers won't tell the difference. Have you noticed that Game of Thrones is not made in 4K?

But those who love their games want the best stuff and are happy to spend the money to get it. The Xbox 1X is founded on that vision from what I've heard.

The DF videos sometimes turn up really interesting things too e.g. the state of Final Fantasy XV right now where each version has its own quirks and there is no obvious winner. Sometimes they feed their findings back to the devs and things get fixed e.g. Titanfall 2 on Xbox 1X under-performing in its first patch.
 

Journey

Banned
I guess it's like watching sport, people will enjoy the ones where their "team" wins. Personally I find the tech analysis quite interesting and it is a good way to keep dev teams in check with their updates by showing up any lazy patches etc.


For some people it might be about that, but I find it useful in the sense that if you own both consoles, you would think that you can just buy the Xbox One X version and call it a day, but sometimes there are other factors, like having more friends playing on PS4 or preferring a controller or other features, and if the face-off is a wash, then you might lean toward the other features, but sometimes it can be lopsided, then you just go with the superior version.
 

Hellshy.

Member
I would prefer they talk about the base ps4 and xb1 comparisons as well. Most people continue to buy these versions so it would be nice to still see these comparisons.
 

trikster40

Member
Not important to me at all. In This day and age with the improvements to sound, resolution, etc, I get why they’re done, but I think they take away from the real focus that should be on playability, story, etc. in the end, no matter which machine wins, we all play the same game with the same story and have the same shared experiences.

I just saw one for Homefront, and who cares? A crappy game is a a crappy game. I’d rather there be one thread that is constantly updated with the face-offs rather than see 10 new ones every day.
 
They seem less important to me at this point because 99% of the time the result is X1X > PS4 Pro > PS4 >XB1. Also, technical issues don't bother me that much unless we're talking framerate drops into the teens on a regular basis.

I grew up on Genesis games so my tolerance on frame rate plummets is pretty high.
 

NahaNago

Member
If the x1 had released at the same time as the pro i would pay a bit more attention but now i just don't care. I am still interested in how good switch ports are.
 

b0bbyJ03

Member
Don't care a whole lot. If anything it just makes me a little jealous that my Pro can't push out the same fidelity as the X but 2 minutes after watching the comparison I get over it. lol.
 

DonF

Member
Stupidly irrelevant. We know for a fact that the Xbox 1x is a more powerful machine. I own a PS4 pro and I love the x, since it was released more old games have had pro support patched.
 
Tbh I always found those Digital Foundry-comparisons childish. The differences are so marginal these days that their output only serves as fuel for fanboys.

Most people will buy a game where they're most comfortable (controller, friendlist, etc), and it's meaningless if one version has slightly higher settings.

I remember the incredibly idiotic MK8-video. Nobody had noticed about the 59fps prior to their video ... but then everybody found,it to be a grave issue. Sigh.
 

Alx

Member
Zero. I've been fine with my Xbone fat since launch, and don't mind that it's the weakest of the bunch (X1 < PS4 < PS4pro < 1X technically, we all know it and there's no need for constant self-congratulatory or deprecatory "xxx is a beast" discussions).
The only interesting thing about 1X performances is in comparison with features like BC/emulation, since it paints a certain picture of the "new" cross-platform environment MS is trying to create, and could define how the future iterations will handle.
 

kruis

Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
Tbh I always found those Digital Foundry-comparisons childish. The differences are so marginal these days that their output only serves as fuel for fanboys.

True. I watched DF's video on RIme on the Switch and even though the Switch version had graphical features missing (textures, moving grass, etc) I was supposed to feel outrage at such a graphical travesty, but I actually thought it looked like a very decent port. It's obvious that consoles differ in power ....

Switch > Xbox One -> PS4 -> PS4 Pro -> Xbox One X -> gaming PC

... but you can play generally the same games on all of them. Sure, a gaming PC will be able to play an indie game in a far higher resolution and with a better framerate than the Switch, but the experience of playing that game will remain the same. Graphical excellence is nice to have, but it's not what games are about.
 

kunonabi

Member
Not really important for me since I'm not getting anything more than my launch PS4.

I'm in it for the games.

Pretty much my situation. I may have considered a Pro at one point but all this talk of it breaking existing games and needing patches to make them work again turned me off.

Still, there is a breed of gamer that cares about this stuff so I totally see why it continues to be a thing especially now that Microsoft is pushing the XboneX so hard.
 

Pjsprojects

Member
I watch NX the most and some of the DF stuff but play just as much on my Xbox s as I do on my Pro so all these zoomed in images mean nothing unless nthe game is a total mess on one platform.
 

MilkyJoe

Member
I watch the DF videos regardless of they are face offs or exclusives. I just want to see what they are like on my console. I'm not interested in the others or how they perform. One will always be better the other will always be worse, it's as black and white as that.



JareBear is having a terrible time with all this.
 

Big Blue

Member
It's too late in the generation for me to care, I'm running with my launch PS4 until the PS5. I have no interest in 4K.
 

JP

Member
I'm not sure I'd use the word "important", I find them interesting, I find them entertaining but unless something has gone horribly wrong with a game they aren't. Also, I'm not only including comparisons across different platforms as I find these things to be just as interesting on platform exclusive games.

Lets be honest though, I don't think NeoGAF is really the place to go if you're truly interested in facts because it usually takes a matter of minutes before people with particular platform allegiances to distort the facts towards their preferred platform, whichever their particular platform is.

It's sad to say but these days there are far better paces to go if you have an interest in quantitative and qualitative benchmarks.
 

Leonidas

Member
I do think its good to see how powerful the consoles are in relation to each other and its interesting to see how some games take better advantage of the given hardware compared to others.
 

iamvin22

Industry Verified
Means nothing to me and the majority of my friends I play online with. I always tell people to buy the console where your friends are on. That's the most important thing when buying a console.
 

Composer

Member
As a fan of both consoles, I think the digital foundry comparisons are a joke. I mean honestly, the differences are indistinguishable. Are we really so vapid that we are sitting around counting pixels and then OH WAIT, DID YOU NOTICE THAT SHADOW OVER THERE HAS SLIGHTY LESS JAGGIES?! Its so ludicrous. Most of the time they could swap images and no one would notice. Just play the damn games, people.

Someone should make a satire site about it DigitalFoundry.
 
It's important to me because I have both consoles and I want to purchase the best version of a game available to me. Knowing how each version balances performance with image quality is very helpful.
 

Calibos

Member
With every bit of honesty I have....looking in the mirror...

They weren't important to me at all at the beginning of this gen and before...Now that I have the X1X though, I check every couple hours if there is a new one out there.

I think 3-4 years of coming here and having people who prefer Sony rubbing the faceoffs into the faces of X fans has jaded me.

I hate console wars, especially now with the internet mob mentality...I still own everything but a Switch, and love them all, but it's nice to see MS bring their "A" game with the X.

Seeing the Salty attempts to bring the system down just makes me smile a bit.


Honesty over.
 

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
If both consoles would have come out at the same time for the same price then these comparison videos would have meant more to me.

But is anyone actually shocked a system comes out a year later and $100 more because of newer tech outperforms the Pro?
 

JordanN

Banned
I prefer cross generation comparisons like PS3 vs PS4 or 360 vs PS2.

Comparing consoles of the same generation, you already know what to expect. As well as PC versions usually being the best means you are looking at a downgrade no matter which console comes out on top.

The only exception I can think of was Wii vs PS3/360. I remember people convincing themselves back then there was no difference between SD and HD. Good god, that was a beat down but the fanboys kept resisting.
 

Z..

Member
Truth hurts. Seriosuly though where was all this self reflection earlier in the gen when Sony fans were counting blades of grass in GTA and proclaiming 900p VS 1080p the end all be all?

The timing of these arguments and talks of "diminishing returns" are disingenuous and simply coming from a fan base having to pivot to a different bullett point cause their favorite console brand no longer excels in these faceoffs like they used to. Sony fans taking their ball and going home.

Can't you just please shut the fuck up? Please?
Who are these obnoxious Sony fans you constantly speak of? I've never witnessed anything coming from their side that is even near being as invasive and outright asininine as the bile you lot keep spouting. Nobody except you and a handful of equally moronic zealots on the other side even gives a fuck about your pathetic little feud. If you really cared that much about performance you'd be gaming on a high end PC and actually enjoying your games instead of dedicating all your free time towards bicep flexing, all this petty bragging ever even amounts to is spite towards the (perceivedly) opposing side!
Anyone who's ever been a part of any of these "discussions", regardless of side is a complete goddamn idiot and the entire gaming industry as a whole would be far better off without this toxic smear campaign crap.
 

watdaeff4

Member
This thread is just gonna turn into the same three X trolls saying

”Sony fanboys butthurt because X is BEAST" over and over

Yeah, it was the opposite though at the beginning of the gen. Sony fanboys crowing about 1080 vs. 900.

And now the Sony fanboys moved the goalposts to "well, xbox has no GAMEZ!!!!"

Both sides can be ugly, no need to try to act like it's only Xbox trolls.

How good does Bloodborne look on the xboxX? &#55357;&#56860;
As a new owner of the Pro, does it give any benefit to Bloodborne at all?
 
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