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Xbox boss says hardware analysis between consoles is “meaningless”

rothbart

Member
Penello feels consumers will pick a console for the games it offers, rather than for its capabilities on paper.

It's ironic that one of Xbox's heads is telling us specs don't matter (something you'd expect to hear from someone on the less-favorable side of any specs comparison/discussion) and we should pick a box based on the games rather than it's capabilities on paper. Then they shove the God damned Kinect requirement down our throats without giving us compelling GAMES to make us want it and promise that it's capabilities will eventually pan out.

Remove the Kinect connection requirement (or hell, the Kinect itself) and the awful hypocrisy taste might go away... might.
 
I some ways hes right.

The PS3 was arguably more powerful than the XBox 360, yet the XBox 360 usually had the better version of multi-plat games. A lot of the specs don't matter when in general the consoles are pretty close to one another.
 
This reminds me of a person with a small penis saying that penis size doesn't matter. If MS had more to offer, you bet they would be talking about spec numbers as well.
 

neorej

ERMYGERD!
I can't remember Sony playing the numbersgame at E3 though. Whereas Microsoft was shoving THE INFINITE POWER OF THE CLOUD down our throats every other second.
 

jaypah

Member
The point is that everybody with better hardware would publish specs while everybody with inferior hardware wouldn't publish specs, but say something like "doesn't really matter, and look at this, we have cookies" instead.

It has always been that way. Sony would likely do the same as Microsoft if they had inferior specs, and Microsoft would brag about specs if there was anything to brag about. (Hell, they are already bragging with "fucking nothing").
I said exactly the same thing in the rest of my post that you cut out. Pretty much point for point!
 
I some ways hes right.

The PS3 was arguably more powerful than the XBox 360, yet the XBox 360 usually had the better version of multi-plat games. A lot of the specs don't matter when in general the consoles are pretty close to one another.

no, he's entirely wrong, since the PS3 had a weaker GPU than the 360, split RAM, and was much, much more difficult to program. That's why 360 multiplatform titles ended up looking better.

The PS4 and the 360 are using the same architecture. If you can program for one, you can program for the other. The PS4 is simply a stronger version of it with 1/3 more RAM. There is no case where an Xbox360 game will run worse on the PS4, ever.
 

B.O.O.M

Member
Man xbox 'guys' be like touching parts and stuff man

This is some hilarious PR from MS...one billion transisters, power of the clowd that jumps the power from 10x to 40x etc etc and now say this. Just makes it apparent they have the weaker hardware
 

ypo

Member
"Hey guys hey guys concrete specs are meaningless, let me talk about the magic of the nebulous Cloud."
 
Man xbox 'guys' be like touching parts and stuff man

This is some hilarious PR from MS...one billion transisters, power of the clowd that jumps the power from 10x to 40x etc etc and now say this. Just makes it apparent they have the weaker hardware

doing a 180 on "always online" shot the "power of the cloud" argument to hell, now that there's no always online requirement. Pushing that narrative will just make it seem like games will perform worse for gamers that choose to play offline. so now it's "specs don't matter."
 

Croyles

Member
I agree that games are what matters most. Second thing is price.
Better hardware is just the icing on the cake.

A very see through comment from MS. Really reminds me of Sony a few years back.
 

abic

Banned
The PS4 cloud is for streaming games, the Xbox cloud is for processing game data, so they're two different things with the same name.

I'm sorry to sound mean but you have no idea how the cloud works do you? There is nothing about the Microsoft cloud that is different from cloud in the normal sense, it's something any platform can do.. PC, PS4,360, PS3..

Gaikai is a little bit different as its about video compression technology.

Microsoft cloud is generic in every sense. The messaging works because most people are ignorant, but like yourself, have a big mouth.
 
He then follows up by saying, "I’d rather not even have the conversation, because it’s not going to matter." and reiterates further that it's "a pointless argument". He's not leaving much room for interpretation by the time he's finished.

Use the full quote if you're going to quote him lol.

In your first quote fragment he is talking about how the hardware debate isn't going to matter because consumers choose based on the whole package.
"For me, I'd rather not even have the conversation, because it's not going to matter. The box is going to be awesome. The games are going to be awesome."

And in your second quote fragment he says the argument is pointless because those debating don't know the whole story, and he doesn't either.
"I heard this exact same argument last generation and it's a pointless argument, because people are debating things which they don't know about. They're not [head silicon engineer] Nick Baker or [corporate vice president of IEB hardware Todd Holmdahl], and I'm not [lead PS4 architect] Mark Cerny, so why are we having this discussion?"

And he is right. The same tech debate happened last gen and in the end it was pointless, both consoles sold well because both offered great experiences.
 
I need to find where it said that; I thought the Respawn dev mentioned that it was free for them. Can you direct me towards something that states they are charging them? Not denying it; just want to make sure..thanks.

http://www.respawn.com/news/lets-talk-about-the-xbox-live-cloud/

Most importantly to us, Microsoft priced it so that it’s far more affordable than other hosting options – their goal here is to get more awesome games, not to nickel-and-dime developers.
Note the wording here, it's "affordable" not "free".
 
“As a matter of fact, they actually go out and they talk about how proud they are about their off-the-shelf parts. Our guys’ll say, we touched every single component in the box and everything there is tweaked for optimum performance.

LOL, oh wow, if anything Cerny did more customization and added more dedicated hardware than you did Microsoft...

Absolutely; getting one for exclusives and Xbox is for exclusives and multi plat titles. I get much more out of my PS3 lately than my xbox.

Not sure why you'd get multiplats for the XB1 if you're going to have a PS4 which should have better multiplat performance this time?.

Not surprised at all.
I am more surprised that Sony is not spending much time talking about PS4's hardware being more powerful than Xbone.

I'd imagine it's because they didn't need to until now with the whole DRM thing. Now they'll probably start playing up their hardware advantage.
 
Some silly and somewhat contradictory statements, sure, but he's not completely incorrect that it's the games that will end up mattering more than what's listed on the console's paper specs.
 
I know it is fun to make fun of Xbox higher ups, but this interview was simply misunderstood or is being spun to fill an agenda.
He says comparing hardware is in some ways meaningless.
Which it is. I think we can all agree that the vast majority of consumers care about the software experiences.

His statements are actually reinforced by all the people pointing out Microsoft's emphasis on tech last gen.
Both the 360 and PS3 ended up selling about even worldwide because they both offered unique experiences, not because Microsoft through out a bunch of numbers in 2005.

Read the article for yourself, don't always trust one person's interpretation.

Agreed, exactly along the lines of what I was going to post.
 

Xamdou

Member
What the hell PR is that? Release damn the specs so DF can dissect and do an in depth analysis of the hardware, especially the GPU!
 

twobear

sputum-flecked apoplexy
What the hell PR is that? Release damn the specs so DF can dissect and do an in depth analysis of the hardware, especially the GPU!

Here is your in-depth analysis:

'Read our PS4 article but with two fewer CUs and half as many ROPs'.

The end.
 

Ding-Ding

Member
I wish I could get a pound everytime an MS exec uses the word "awesome". I'll be absolutely minted by the time the console releases at this rate.

I just want them to shut up & sod off. I'm tired of their bullshit.
 

Woo-Fu

Banned
“The problem is that Sony decided to go out and publish a bunch of numbers, which are in some ways meaningless,” he said.

92VdGP9.jpg
 

cyberheater

PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
I think in reality, the hardware performance isn't going to be anywhere near as big as a lot of folks on here think it will be.

Show me a game that demonstrably looks better then Forza 5 on PS4. And don't say Killzone 4 'cause it doesn't.
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
I feel like our games and experiences are going to be every bit as good, if not better, technically - on top of all the magic we're going to add with the instant switching, and the power of the cloud.
I can't believe that he actually said this. It's like a self parody at this point.
 

ReaperXL7

Member
I some ways hes right.

The PS3 was arguably more powerful than the XBox 360, yet the XBox 360 usually had the better version of multi-plat games. A lot of the specs don't matter when in general the consoles are pretty close to one another.

Except wasent it more a case of the 360 versions being better because of specs? Meaning that its specs, and build made it far easier to develop for then the PS3? In this case it would seem that the PS4 will be easier develop for, more powerful, and the cheaper option which could drive the install base quicker then the Xbone.

I was just always under the impression that 360 multiplats were better because they had yo jump through fewer hoops to make the game, and make it run well, not because it was the weaker system.
 

daveo42

Banned
I'm fine with the "It's all about the games" comment, since that is what it really comes down to at the end of the day, but it doesn't mesh with their 'power of the cloud' and 5 billion transistors' talk from May.

Don't try and hype up your hardware and then say it doesn't matter at all.
 

Hypron

Member
Except wasent it more a case of the 360 versions being better because of specs? Meaning that its specs, and build made it far easier to develop for then the PS3? In this case it would seem that the PS4 will be easier develop for, more powerful, and the cheaper option which could drive the install base quicker then the Xbone.

I was just always under the impression that 360 multiplats were better because they had yo jump through fewer hoops to make the game, and make it run well, not because it was the weaker system.

Yep. Furthermore, the xbox wasn't unilaterally less powerful than the PS3. It had a more powerful GPU iirc, whereas this time around the ps4 is more powerful all around.
 

IvorB

Member
“The problem is that Sony decided to go out and publish a bunch of numbers, which are in some ways meaningless,” he said. “Because this isn’t like 1990, when it was 16-bit versus 32-bit.

What??? This is from the company that advertised the transistor count of their new console.

He actually said "power of the cloud"????

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!! Microsoft are a laugh a minute these days. Keep it up, guys! Oh shit... *wipes a tear*

_49067431_jex_805013_de25-1.jpg
 

Sean*O

Member
Everyone at MS involved with xbone is a lying jackass. I dont think I want their system anymore at any time or any price. I hate that these jackasses stand to profit.

First they purposely did not design for gamers, and now its all about gamers. Still talking cloud BS when its not even mandatory anymore. MS you arent getting your moneys worth with this whole crew of yours.. They suck.
 
The saddest part is that their cloud BS seems to be working. I think they took a page out of Herman Cain's 2012 election book. Namely, you don't need to give any detailed information if you have a catchy phrase to toss around. For Cain it was "9/9/9", for Microsoft, it's "infinite power of the cloud."

Sony is doing all the technical talk, but if you look around the net, people are latching onto that cloud shit as though it means something.

Exactly. I always disliked Microsoft for how they ran their game studios but now I'm disliking them for their interviews...it's really off putting, just all of it, and people are defending it like they owe them some corporate allegiance.

Even Major Nelson can't get his act together and he's basically their spokesperson...
 
MS are just fucking loosing it more and more for each day, poor bastards dont know how to handle all this negativity towards Xboned.
 

kaching

"GAF's biggest wanker"
Use the full quote if you're going to quote him lol.
If you can partial quote, I can too lol

In your first quote fragment he is talking about how the hardware debate isn't going to matter because consumers choose based on the whole package.
Actually he just declares that he thinks the whole package will be better, not what consumers will choose. Besides, I've already covered this earlier: the "whole package" will also include price, which reflects key hardware decisions.

And in your second quote fragment he says the argument is pointless because those debating don't know the whole story, and he doesn't either.
Plenty of people involved in the debate would certainly _like_ to know the whole story if only MS would accommodate. Funny that.

And he is right. The same tech debate happened last gen and in the end it was pointless, both consoles sold well because both offered great experiences.
A lot fewer people chose to buy a PS3 compared to the PS2 while a lot more people decided to buy a 360 than bought the OG Xbox. There's more to that than just the games.
 

rothbart

Member
What??? This is from the company that advertised the transistor count of their new console.

He actually said "power of the cloud"????

I think he was trying to establish himself as an expert in meaningless numbers and concepts to quote during a product launch. If you look at it that way, it almost makes sense. :p
 

Marinlik

Neo Member
I some ways hes right.

The PS3 was arguably more powerful than the XBox 360, yet the XBox 360 usually had the better version of multi-plat games. A lot of the specs don't matter when in general the consoles are pretty close to one another.

The problem with that comparison is that the PS3 was harder to code for than the Xbox 360, with the cell processor and all. Now both have x86 processors, that will remove that problem and make them much more similar to code for. That should make it much easier to use the full power of the ps4 and therefor make a difference in the end result.
 
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