• 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.

Xbox Velocity Architecture - 100 GB is instantly accessible by the developer through a custom hardware decompression block

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Terrible explanation

Memory is a precious commodity in computer systems. Advances in memory architecture has been a lot slower than say everything else in a computer. Add on top of that, bandwidth is an even more precious commodity.

You have your CPUs and GPUs which process tons of information but if you don't have a fast enough Memory and bandwidth, they will be sitting idle most of the time waiting to be fed information.

You have 2GB storage to work with and you can transfer a file at 1GB/s from that storage to your CPU and GPU. it will take 2 seconds transfer 2GB worth of data. This is where compression comes in. If you compress the file, you can fit more things into the storage essentially giving you twice the storage. You can now fit 4GB worth of data into only 2GB worth of storage therefore you can transfer 4GB worth of data to your CPU and GPU giving them better utilization.

Compression comes at a cost of CPU performance because in say a regular computer, you have to use a CPU core or 2 dedicated to just compressing and decompressing data. That is not ideal in a console because you don't want to take away CPU cores that can be used for anything else. Here comes dedicated ASICs who's sole purpose is to be really good at compressing and decompressing data. The CPU is free to do other things while the ASIC will just keep compressing and decompressing data all day everyday without breaking a sweat.

To tie it to XSX and PS5.

XSX has a 1TB SSD that has a RAW bandwidth of 2.4GB/s they also have a decompression system that can handle doing 6GB/s. Meaning you can transfer 4.8GB worth of compressed data without breaking a sweat because they have 1.2GB/s overhead.

PS5 has a 825GB SSD that has a RAW bandwidth of 5.5GB/s, they also have a decompression system that can handle doing 22GB/s.
Meaning they can transfer 11GB worth of compressed data without breaking a sweat because they have 11GB/s overhead.

You always want to compress because you get more out of your storage and IO.

Well, Mark Cerny literally said you don't need that hassle, you download those assets on the fly. Not sure if you watched the small parts of the first 2 videos, that answers everything you've pointed out. Regards :messenger_winking:
 
Last edited:
Even 1TB standard NVME Drives aren't $99 today; then add in Samsungs markup, MS mark up, no competition and it is the opposite of consumer friendly. The price will never drop and will cost more than a standard NVME drive. PS5 compatible drives may cost more initially but they will offer better performance, the market will set the price, and they will go down in cost over time. Cost/benefit is much better with the model Sony has chosen and future proofed. I have never heard anyone ever prefer proprietary storage vs bring your own storage.

both will go down in cost over time

PS5 compatible drives will be significantly more expensive

we don’t even know when they will be available

I prefer the XsX approach here
 

T-Cake

Member
both will go down in cost over time

PS5 compatible drives will be significantly more expensive

we don’t even know when they will be available

I prefer the XsX approach here

Is the fact that MS's SSDs custom a factor here? I.e. If you use an official Xbox SSD cart, will that have all the usual chips and bits that a PC NVMe drive will have? Will there only be flash chips and the Xbox system will act as I/O controller? That could save a few bob.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Don't derail another thread. Plenty of those already. If you're still salty, take it up in those threads.

3tcssc.jpg
 

Connxtion

Member
Is the fact that MS's SSDs custom a factor here? I.e. If you use an official Xbox SSD cart, will that have all the usual chips and bits that a PC NVMe drive will have? Will there only be flash chips and the Xbox system will act as I/O controller? That could save a few bob.
From the size of it that’s what I was thinking, just flash chips and the XSX does the rest. As they are quite small for a NVMe drive.
 

B_Boss

Member
A developer commented...on The Verge...?
Didn't know developers visited The Verge.

But lets examine this developer comment, shall we?



Right, so. The only variable in the PS5 is the GPU, which runs at constant power, variable frequency instead of the Xbox's variable power, constant frequency.
What does this have to do with the SSD? Microsoft do indeed have a wonderful cooling solution. As I'm sure do Sony. We don't know, but to make assumptions at this stage is foolish.



The Series X SSD is also a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. The principle difference between them being their operating bandwidth and Sony's highly customised SSD controller.
Also I believe the term this person is looking for is heat sink.




This is false, as microsoft are using a PCIe 4.0 SSD. They might not be using an M.2 slot to connect it, as the onboard memory seems to be embedded, but the interface is still PCIe 4.0. So no, Microsoft did not conclude PCIe 4.0 will run too hot, because they are using PCIe 4.0 - that would be rather counterproductive, would it not?




This statement doesn't make any sense at all.

Did Sony engineer a blazing fast SSD so they could compensate for poor cooling? So, this individual thinks that Sony made an SSD that can operate at more than twice the rated maximum bandwidth as the XSX, just so that when it thermal throttles, it can match the XSX's SSD? Why not just use a slower SSD that doesn't thermal throttle. Much cheaper.

They made a really fast SSD, because they wanted a really fast SSD. Its not that complicated.




This reads as fanboy nonsense at best and astroturfing at worst.


He's heard from Devs? I thought he was a Dev?

Either way, there is immediately a problem here, as he falsely claims that Sony made the presentation as a response to Microsoft's reveal. We know that to be false, as the PlayStation presentation was originally intended as a GDC keynote. The second claim that developers that have the kit feel the Xbox is easier to optimise for is a statement that needs some serious evidence to support it.
Cerny spent a hilarious amount of time talking about "Time to triangle", and making the PS5 as easy to develop for as humanly possible. How the two systems compare on that front remains to be seen.



Well yes, the Xbox has a 20-30% compute advantage. That would be why games would look better on Xbox.



This is a legitimate point actually. Brings back the days of the memory cards.

Excellent analysis and yet folks will keep spreading this around without critically analyzing it first. I mean reading it, one could honestly think or ask what is the point of even considering a PS5 😅.
 
Last edited:

Bernkastel

Ask me about my fanboy energy!
I can't believe Sony caught them out this much. They were so focused on the conventional power measurements while Sony got a major advantage in terms of speed. The end result is a slightly more powerful but slower less efficient box.
Performance and Speed depends on RAM and CPU speed, both in which XSX has an edge. I guess you meant game and texture loading times.
 

Tripolygon

Banned
Well, Mark Cerny literally said you don't need that hassle, you download those assets on the fly. Not sure if you watched the small parts of the first 2 videos, that answers everything you've pointed out. Regards :messenger_winking:
I doubt he said that in the context you are interpreting it. They went out of their way to build a decompression block that also supports the latest Kraken format. You always want to compress because you get more out of your storoge and bandwidth.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
Even 1TB standard NVME Drives aren't $99 today; then add in Samsungs markup, MS mark up, no competition and it is the opposite of consumer friendly. The price will never drop and will cost more than a standard NVME drive. PS5 compatible drives may cost more initially but they will offer better performance, the market will set the price, and they will go down in cost over time. Cost/benefit is much better with the model Sony has chosen and future proofed. I have never heard anyone ever prefer proprietary storage vs bring your own storage.

It's a little more complicated than that. I'm sure the XSX cards will be padded a bit, as these drives always are (just like the 360 drives). However, in this instance they will likely always be cheaper than a M.2 that hits the specifications needed for PS5. This is different than the PS3 vs. 360, where just any old spinner could be used in the PS3. By the time the current "high-end" drives are cheap, the XSX drives will be "dirt-cheap" by comparison.
 
It's a little more complicated than that. I'm sure the XSX cards will be padded a bit, as these drives always are (just like the 360 drives). However, in this instance they will likely always be cheaper than a M.2 that hits the specifications needed for PS5. This is different than the PS3 vs. 360, where just any old spinner could be used in the PS3. By the time the current "high-end" drives are cheap, the XSX drives will be "dirt-cheap" by comparison.

MS could even bundle an additional storage card in SKUs by that point. We're probably 2-3 years out from that happening, though.
 
It’s simple what you do then. You make two trips! The question is, when devs are used to only having room for 5, how long will it take them to make games that need 200? And then 400? This is such a leap I think it will be a while before it’s a fully realized change, and it’s one that both consoles will experience. The obvious exception is PS5 exclusives, which will trailblaze and be indicative of how and where things can continue to improve. In the meantime, XSX will enjoy the benefits of their SSD while also having a bit more grunt behind it. This is why their console is the more balanced one right now.

look in real world the bigger gpu wins all the time.

best example rtx 2080ti vs rtx 2080 ultra
2080ti is bigger and slower
2080ultra is smaller but has 300Hz more clock speed.

the similarities to xsx and gpu and ps5 gpu are ridiculous

2080ti wins in all games in under all conditions

stop talking bullshit

wEQ7Z0x.png


CE1BT8Q.jpg


x3Rs7qQ.jpg
 

UnNamed

Banned
I wonder what impact have to use ddr3 on xbox one vs gddr5 on ps4, if it is relevant or the difference on multiplatform games are mostly on gpu cores.
 
Last edited:
That's going to be a rigmarole in itself. Say you're using a 1TB cart and you want to upgrade to a 4TB one in five year's time. How do you move all the data from one to the other?

I'm guessing you mean external 1TB and 4TB cards, right? Hmm...that might be something where a 3rd-party external drive through the USB comes into play. Temporarily transfer the encrypted data to that drive, remove the 1TB, insert the 4TB, then transfer the data back from the external drive to the 4TB.

That does mean another cost component for users, but it can probably range from external platter drives, external SSDs, or USB thumb drives, and the speed of those drives won't matter except for how quickly a user transferring between two proprietary expansion cards wants that process to actually transpire. That probably means the user can use 3rd-party drives as fast or slow as they wish to temporarily hold the data between going from the 1TB drive to the 4TB, only requirement would be making sure the 3rd-party external drive has enough space to hold the data temporarily.
 

quest

Not Banned from OT
MS could even bundle an additional storage card in SKUs by that point. We're probably 2-3 years out from that happening, though.
By then they will just offer 2tb internal models for 100 more with pack in game. I do think Microsoft will lisence out the storage technology so others can sell cards they have been extremely consumer friendly and have to be Sony is still going to be way a head this new generation to much mindshare and the main land EU firewall.
 
Last edited:
It's a little more complicated than that. I'm sure the XSX cards will be padded a bit, as these drives always are (just like the 360 drives). However, in this instance they will likely always be cheaper than a M.2 that hits the specifications needed for PS5. This is different than the PS3 vs. 360, where just any old spinner could be used in the PS3. By the time the current "high-end" drives are cheap, the XSX drives will be "dirt-cheap" by comparison.
time will tell, but proprietary doesn't typically drop in price like typical technology
 

Neur4lN01s3

Neophyte
You sure? Never heard, or let's say I don't remember at least although I've watched it more than once?

Yes friend, this is what I was talking about :) Kraken+ssd

The system features an 825 GB NVMe SSD, but it uses a custom flash that connects it directly to the main processor. The drive is capable of 5.5 GB/s. The strange size comes from the fact that this is a custom-built SSD designed to match the PlayStation’s capabilities and bandwidth needs. The SSD uses a four-lane PCIe 4.0 connection with what Cerny says is a lot of added customization to eliminate SSD bottlenecks.

Further adding to this speed is a new compression tool. The PS5 users ZLIB compression, which is the industry standard, but also supports Kraken, from a company called RAD Game Tools, which offers 10% more efficient compression. That translates to 8-9 GB/s in terms of raw performance.
 
Bu then they will just offer 2tb internal models for 100 more with pack in game. I don't think Microsoft will lisence out the storage technology so others can sell cards they have been extremely consumer friendly and have to be Sony is still going to be way a head this new generation to much mindshare and the main land EU firewall.

No I didn't mean including a 2nd card as in it being a 3rd-party one they license the tech out to. I meant more an extra pack-in card that is the MS/Seagate one. I think the pack-in of a 2nd drive would be better than just upgrading the size of the internal one, since they could just repurpose stock of expansion cards and bundle them right into the SKU, and the cards also have the benefit of portability.

But that depends on if the system can read from both the internal and external cards simultaneously (at least in terms of the internal able to be accessed if the expansion card is installed; preferably in terms of data from both able to be read from and written to concurrently). Otherwise I agree just bumping up the size of the internal drive would probably be the better option.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
That's going to be a rigmarole in itself. Say you're using a 1TB cart and you want to upgrade to a 4TB one in five year's time. How do you move all the data from one to the other?

Probably, if you wanted everything on one cart, you'd have to move things to the internal drive or an external usb drive and then onto the new drive.
 

Bo_Hazem

Banned
No I didn't mean including a 2nd card as in it being a 3rd-party one they license the tech out to. I meant more an extra pack-in card that is the MS/Seagate one. I think the pack-in of a 2nd drive would be better than just upgrading the size of the internal one, since they could just repurpose stock of expansion cards and bundle them right into the SKU, and the cards also have the benefit of portability.

But that depends on if the system can read from both the internal and external cards simultaneously (at least in terms of the internal able to be accessed if the expansion card is installed; preferably in terms of data from both able to be read from and written to concurrently). Otherwise I agree just bumping up the size of the internal drive would probably be the better option.

I think it's expandable NVMe M.2, not a replacement which would be madness.

by buying some off-the-shelf PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs and installing them in an expansion bay in the console. However, there are caveats — Sony is undertaking a certification program, since the drives must meet or exceed the speed of the console’s internal SSD and must fit within the bay. The certification is “likely to be a bit past [the PS5 launch],” said Cerny, so don’t go buying any SSDs just yet.

 

T-Cake

Member
Probably, if you wanted everything on one cart, you'd have to move things to the internal drive or an external usb drive and then onto the new drive.

Yeah, going from one SSD to another would be acceptable but moving 1TB to an external hard drive is excruciatingly long. My fingernails grow 5 inches by the time it's completed on PS4.
 
Last edited:

Three

Member
The NVMe SSD drive inside XSX, is the same one as the one in the memory card. The memory card contains a NVMe SSD drive which is inserted into PCIe 4.0 m.2. slot and the XSX has a NVMe SSD drive embedded on the board.
But again how does this relate to my response to this
I think the propriety add on storage will be better for the consumer too. You will just grab one off the shelf when you go into the game shop. Sony’s you are probably going to have to hunt down one that actually meets the standard, and it will be pricey

I said that the proprietary one will likely be more expensive or lower performing or possibly even both like the 360 drive. Now what has the fact that the one inside the XSX is the same as the external ones they sell you got to do with this?

Is this some kind of confusion tactic?
 
Last edited:
Xbox is selling its own propitiatory memory card in partnership with Seagate. Incase of PS5, customers will have to buy 5.5 GB/s NVMe SSD drives for external storage, which will cost like hell. This also makes you question the retail price of PS5.

Also, MS propiatory SSD can be more expensive because ......it's propiatory, while off the shelf SSD can be cheaper in the next few years
 

Allandor

Member
Wait a second. The SSD memory in PS5 can only be replaced with another m.2 drive and not extended? I thought it will be extended the whole time.
This means I need at least a 2 TB drive to gain a bit space. That is far, far more than 300€ right now (at that speed).
 
Last edited:

quest

Not Banned from OT
No I didn't mean including a 2nd card as in it being a 3rd-party one they license the tech out to. I meant more an extra pack-in card that is the MS/Seagate one. I think the pack-in of a 2nd drive would be better than just upgrading the size of the internal one, since they could just repurpose stock of expansion cards and bundle them right into the SKU, and the cards also have the benefit of portability.

But that depends on if the system can read from both the internal and external cards simultaneously (at least in terms of the internal able to be accessed if the expansion card is installed; preferably in terms of data from both able to be read from and written to concurrently). Otherwise I agree just bumping up the size of the internal drive would probably be the better option.
I assume it treat it as 1 big drive to the user even if 2 separate drives to the os and internally.
 

DaGwaphics

Member
Wait a second. The SSD memory in PS5 can only be replaced with another m.2 drive and not extended? I thought it will be extended the whole time.
This means I need at least a 2 TB drive to gain a bit space. That is far, far more than 300€ right now (at that speed).

I think it is an extension, there are rumors that Sony's drive is soldered right to the motherboard (XSX looks to be a separate PCB installed).
 

Bernkastel

Ask me about my fanboy energy!
But again how does this relate to my response to this


I said that the proprietary one will likely be more expensive or lower performing or possibly even both like the 360 drive. Now what has the fact that the one inside the XSX is the same as the external ones they sell you got to do with this?

Is this some kind of confusion tactic?
And how will the same NVMe drive be lower performing ? You are repeatedly using Xbox 360 when you can use the recent Seagate licensed HDDs for Xbox One. The Seagate 4 TB Xbox One HDD costs 115 USD compared to 93 USD for normal ones.
 

T-Cake

Member
Wait a second. The SSD memory in PS5 can only be replaced with another m.2 drive and not extended? I thought it will be extended the whole time.
This means I need at least a 2 TB drive to gain a bit space. That is far, far more than 300€ right now (at that speed).

I'm pretty sure it's extended. They wouldn't just disable 825GB of capacity - they may as well sell you the console without any onboard flash and make you put your own in.
 
Last edited:
Wait a second. The SSD memory in PS5 can only be replaced with another m.2 drive and not extended? I thought it will be extended the whole time.
This means I need at least a 2 TB drive to gain a bit space. That is far, far more than 300€ right now (at that speed).

No, it's expandable. But the 3rd-party drive needs to be at least 7 GB/s (among other things) to be compatible.

I assume it treat it as 1 big drive to the user even if 2 separate drives to the os and internally.

That's what I'm thinking, too. The thing tho is that games can only target a guarantee of just the internal drive's 1TB and 2.4 GB/s speed. Games can probably take advantage of the expansion card but the OS will probably need to manage utilization of that expansion drive as transparently to the game application as possible.
 
Last edited:

Bernkastel

Ask me about my fanboy energy!
Also, MS propiatory SSD can be more expensive because ......it's propiatory, while off the shelf SSD can be cheaper in the next few years
Those 7 GB/s NVMe drives are not even sold in the market. They will never get as cheap as you think they will get. A 4.5 GB/s NVMe drive costs around 240 USD.
XSX expansion card contains the same drive as in the console itself, so its also being produced in mass.
 

Allandor

Member
No, it's expandable. But the 3rd-party drive needs to be at least 7 GB/s (among other things) to be compatible.
There are two PS5 expanded storage options for the PS5:

  • Replacing the internal drive within the PS5 with a Sony-certified, off-the-shelf SSD
  • Plugging in an external hard drive
Though Sony doesn't have to supply these options, there are caveats to what you can use or what you can use them for.

Replacing the internal SSD with a larger drive

The internal SSD can be replaced with a bigger hard drive with an off-the-shelf drive - meaning NVMe PC drives will work on your console.

However, it's not as straightforward as picking a larger sized hard drive and expecting the same benefits as what comes with the PS5, as many SSDs on the market today don't have the same bandwidth specifications.

Again, Digital Foundry explains the technical reasons behind this in closer detail, but the long and short of it is - though today's SSDs will physically fit, they won't get as much out of the PS5's dedicated hardware in the same way.
...

So - though you're likely stuck with your 825GB of super fast storage at launch, the good news is the industry will catch up to offer suitable replacements which can replace your internal PS5 drive.
 
Last edited:

Three

Member
And how will the same NVMe drive be lower performing ? You are repeatedly using Xbox 360 when you can use the recent Seagate licensed HDDs for Xbox One. The Seagate 4 TB Xbox One HDD costs 115 USD compared to 93 USD for normal ones.
So which is more expensive to you when it's a normal external drive in a special 'xbox one' plastic? Like I said, you're not making sense.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I bet the 1TB Xbox Seagate SSD will be cheaper than whatever external SSD is sold which PS5 can use when it launches.

Googling it, there isn't even an external SSD that is even 5.5gb/s yet. It maxes out at about 5 gb and it falls fast after that to the 3's.

So for Cerny to say the SSD has to be a minimum of 5.5gb/s and that in the fall there will be tons of 7 gb/s to choose from might be hard picking.

People also have to remember the Seagate thing is a set standard and will work. People bring up the external SSD for PS5 is hit and miss because not only speed minimum but something about needing to be certified to work and something about 6 vs 2 pipelines. 6 being PS5 and PC SSDs being 2.
 

But I just changed the OP in my other thread because someone told me it worked differently :S.

I bet the 1TB Xbox Seagate SSD will be cheaper than whatever external SSD is sold which PS5 can use when it launches.

Googling it, there isn't even an external SSD that is even 5.5gb/s yet. It maxes out at about 5 gb and it falls fast after that to the 3's.

So for Cerny to say the SSD has to be a minimum of 5.5gb/s and that in the fall there will be tons of 7 gb/s to choose from might be hard picking.

People also have to remember the Seagate thing is a set standard and will work. People bring up the external SSD for PS5 is hit and miss because not only speed minimum but something about needing to be certified to work and something about 6 vs 2 pipelines. 6 being PS5 and PC SSDs being 2.

Speed isn't the only thing at work here, either; the drives also have to be PCIe 4.0-based. There are actually a couple PCIe 3.0 drives that meet the speed requirement right now, but because they're 3.0 they aren't compatible.

The more I think about it, the more the SSD is kind of like another Blu-Ray situation all over again. Something that'll definitely find its place and influence the wider market down the line, but will be costly out of the gate. But at least it will fare much better than Vita's memory cards. And I guess we can say XSX's approach is more like HD-DVD, but should fare much better in the long run as well because it won't be a technological dead-end (mass market can potentially see use for its approach to storage as well).
 
Last edited:

Bernkastel

Ask me about my fanboy energy!
So which is more expensive to you when it's a normal external drive in a special 'xbox one' plastic? Like I said, you're not making sense.
Its like only 23.6% more expensive, not how much you make it out to be. It also has slightly better specifications(140 MB/s vs 120 MB/s).
In case Series X, since it is the same drive as XSX(unlike the previous example), its also being mass produced. Compare that with those 7 GB/s NVMe drives for PS5, they will cost like 300-400 USD. No way will they cost less than XSX drives.
 
Top Bottom