• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

IGN: Sony has yet to show anything running on PS4, using PCs [actually Dev-kits]

benny_a

extra source of jiggaflops
https://twitter.com/ScottLowe/status/372457280249528321

Top to bottom, chronologically. (Edited out the most disreputable games journalist.)
I3D9TCU.png

84VnXHW.png

5eAdJdM.png

EoBT9vi.png

AZhsP5E.png

EzAMGxc.png


Scott Lowe is executive editor at IGN.com

First it read to me that he was saying that Sony was using generic PC hardware (and based on what we know about the PS4, it isn't PC hardware at all, except for the CPU architecture being x86_64.)

It seems he later clarified he was talking about PS4 devkits.
iwoBMHy.png


Edit #1:
The difference between a Devkit and a PC:
As countless others have said, there's quite a difference between a PC that is specced to match a PS4, and a devkit.

For example, while waiting to play NFS Rivals with a PS4 controller, the game crashed to a Windows 7 desktop with Origin and a command-line window running a script.

On the other hand, while waiting for the round to start in Battlefield 4, I pressed the PS button and got the PS4 OS menu, so unlike NFSR, it was a PS4 devkit.

One small correction, you don't need a devkit to play unfinished games; you can run them on a debug unit, which is what journalist do to preview upcoming games.

Edit #2:
Ok here's a quick crash course on how game developpement actually works.

We're seeing two different things right now...

That NFS picture is not what he's talking about in the OP's tweet. They are clearly running the PC version of the game with a PS4 controller.

What the OP is talking about is PS4 games running on a devkit instead of a "retail" console.

First of all this is complete bullshit. They are both running games on devkits. The XB1 devkits happens to look exactly like the retail console so the PR guys can say that it's a retail console but it's actually a devkit. The PS4 devkits look different so it's easier to spot. Three months before the console is released is WAYYY too early to run anything on a retail kit.

Second, you guys need to understand what a devkit actually is. The devkits that are in use right now (I'm not talking about the very early devkits but what's in use right now) are pretty much using the same final hardware that will be in the retail kits but with extra memory allocated to debug tools and the ability to run unsigned code.

There's nothing wrong or devious from running games on a devkit. That's how it always been. What did you think the 360/PS3 games were running on at E3 for the last 6 years? They were not retail consoles either, they were devkits since nobody has signed code that can run on a retail console until the game goes through submission...which happens 2-3 weeks before the game is released.

All those tweets and articles are just click bait to create controversy. It's a non story and people really need to move on.

Edit #3: DemonNite works for SCE.
just so that you know, test kits (not DevKits) are in the PS4 shell... and they've been in the office for a while :)
So they allegedly exist. "In" "the" "office".

Edit #4:
War Thunder:

Knack:

I think now it's a pretty ballsy claim. All Sony booth. All three images would ostensibly contradict what Scott Lowe is saying.

Would love a follow-up where he calls Sony out on their alleged masquerade.

Edit #5: This was a reply to the War Thunder picture above:
This info is second-hand from colleagues of mine who were working certain multiplatform booths at Gamescom.

These boxes were shell condiuts for powering the USB attached controller and to power the LEDs on the front. The back is hidden because all that was there was a power cord going down to the actual devkits running the games which were inside the counters the boxes sat on.

Can't identify where this particular setup photo was taken but same sort of tactic was used for Xbox One stations as well.

That is not to say this was the case everywhere at Gamescom, there were actual functional consoles that looked like their future retail counterparts present as well.
 
hmm it is strange for sure!

The Order 1886 demo was also running on PC @ gamescom. I thought that was really strange because the final dev kits were shipped to devs in July!?
 

DocSeuss

Member
I've been kinda concerned by the size of the PS4.

Find myself wondering what all the people who pointed out when some Xbox One games were running on PC are feeling right now. Hopefully equal feelings directed towards Sony.
 
Pre-order cancelled. There is no possible way on earth Sony has the engineering skills to make the cooling even remotely in the realm of happening.
 

Cartman86

Banned
About as much concern as I have for Xbox One. Which is none.

Though I still don't trust the remote play stuff is lag free.
 

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
I've been kinda concerned by the size of the PS4.

Find myself wondering what all the people who pointed out when some Xbox One games were running on PC are feeling right now. Hopefully equal feelings directed towards Sony.

Nah, I'm over it now.
 

quickwhips

Member
Will sony respond to this or no? I thought Sony was way further along and also had so many extra consoles that they were using them at gamescon?
 
Is anyone surprised by this?

I don't know why the writer is so concerned by this "development." Devkits are built to closely emulate final hardware. I'm not sure how this is different than any other console generation in the months leading up to launch.
 
I've been kinda concerned by the size of the PS4.

Find myself wondering what all the people who pointed out when some Xbox One games were running on PC are feeling right now. Hopefully equal feelings directed towards Sony.

Why would anything be directed at Sony? They're running on devkits, which shouldn't surprise a single person.
 

Dance Inferno

Unconfirmed Member
I find it unlikely that Sony would have so many spare PS4s available to use at all these conventions. If I'm not mistaken most Xbone games are played on devkits too.
 

benny_a

extra source of jiggaflops
Well of course they are dev-kits -_-
It seems he is making the distinction that this is bad, because Xbox One games were shown on the retail device.

No idea how they can tell that, because according to Albert Penello the Xbox One devkit and retail kit are the same.
Lastly – anything that was shown on a box, was shown on near-final retail HW. Our Dev Kits and Retail Units are the same.
 

gofreak

GAF's Bob Woodward
If he's suggesting we should be concerned they haven't shown the guts in the final casing and thus might be having problems putting them in that casing...well...if that were the case at this point I don't think they'd be announcing a Nov 15 launch.
 
The hardware itself is an engineering marvel--apparently whisper quiet, no power brick, small form factor, all while packing better hardware than XBO.

I'm getting to the point where I want to see the receipts.
 
That can be taken as good news. Sony is saving as many ps4s as it can for preorders and store shelves. They announced their street date. I have no worries about them meeting it.
 

VRMN

Member
I guess my question would be what is normal. Considering the November launch, when would they need to have retail units being produced?

It's my understanding that dev kits are the norm for demoing pre-launch software, but I've also seen posts claiming X1 stuff is on "near-final" retail units, whatever that means.

I wouldn't worry about it. I can't imagine they picked a form factor without testing its viability.
 
News at 11

Games being developed still for a console that hasn't launched and is still 3 months from launch are demoed on dev kits.

Dev Kits =/= To spec PCs
 

Skeff

Member
wut? Alpha games not being played on retail PS4's only devkits, It's as if Alpha builds don't run on retail consoles because their not authored.

disappointing "journalism".
 

Lord Panda

The Sea is Always Right
Wish these clowns would make an effort to support their claims with some facts instead going full retard all the time.
 

marrec

Banned
I've been kinda concerned by the size of the PS4.

Find myself wondering what all the people who pointed out when some Xbox One games were running on PC are feeling right now. Hopefully equal feelings directed towards Sony.

You mean ambivalence? Because this kind of thing always happens with yet to be released consoles?
 

teiresias

Member
Scott Lowe incompetent much? Of course they're devkits. His whole "Devkit PC" thing is so stupid. It's a good thing these people write about video games rather than something important.
 

op_ivy

Fallen Xbot (cannot continue gaining levels in this class)
as laughable as the xbox one / pc outrage. not surprising, this thread will go a different direction then those.
 

GlamFM

Banned
The way they were set up at Gamescom I assumed they were actually standing on top of hidden PCs.

So I was right.

Games were actually running on XBOX ONE hardware at the MS booth.
I know because my Forza demo crashed and the console had to be restarted.

Still - nothing to worry about I say.
 

benny_a

extra source of jiggaflops
Hands on remote play demo?

I thought they've showed us twice now? no?
Both the February 20th and GamesCom demo were hands-off. If there was something hands-on, I haven't heard about it yet.

The way they were set up at Gamescom I assumed they were actually standing on top of hidden PCs.
I've seen footage of a <thing that plays exclusive PS4 games> at Gamescom rebooting because it crashed in Driveclub. Booted straight into the game. Either extremely heavily modified Windows PC or something that can play PS4 games in development.
 
The way I understood this was that the uproar about XBOX One a few months ago was because they were using high-spec, Windows-based PC's, playing games with the XBOX Controller while Sony was showing stuff off on DevKits.

Am I wrong here? I would hope that, at this point, everything is running on DevKits at a minimum. I'm not that concerned if either of them aren't running on final hardware yet.

Scott Lowe incompetent much? Of course they're devkits. His whole "Devkit PC" thing is so stupid. It's a good thing these people wrote about video games rather than something important.

He doesn't usually write about games, he's their tech editor...
 
Top Bottom