Next-Gen Console Wars Will Soon Begin In Earnest 284
When the Wii U was released at the end of last year, Nintendo got a head-start on the long-awaited new generation of video game consoles. Now, Sony has announced a press conference for February 20th that is expected to unveil the PlayStation 4, codenamed 'Orbis.' This will precede the announcement of the Xbox 360's successor, codenamed 'Durango,' but that too will likely be announced by E3 in June. Specs for development kits of both systems have leaked widely. The two systems both use 8-core AMD chips clocked around 1.6 GHz. Durango has 8GB of DDR3 RAM, while Orbis has 4GB of GDDR5 RAM, though Sony is trying to push that up to 8GB for the console's final spec. Reports also suggest Sony is tinkering with its controller design, going so far as to add a "Share" button to let people exchange screenshots and recordings. Developers indicate the systems are very close in power, though Sony's system currently has an edge. With the upcoming announcement of the PS4, the big-three console makers will kick off a new round of direct competition. They'll maneuver to one-up each other with the most powerful hardware and the slickest software. However, they'll also hope the release of three major consoles in rapid succession will help to anchor a part of the games industry that no longer enjoys the dominance it once did, thanks to threats from mobile.
Well, it was nice while it lasted (Score:4, Insightful)
Somewhere, a Nintendo exec is opening a bottle of Jack Daniels to pour a toast to the one year they had a current gen console.
But seriously, any word on the optical drives for the new consoles? I imagine Sony will stick to a blu-ray drive (I just hope they lose the bluetooth remote and include an IR sensor this time). But will MS swallow their pride and go bluray (widely viewed as a Sony technology), or develop some proprietary optical drive, or use some sort of SSD-type technology--or take the REALLY bold, and risky, step of going download only? I think they would be better off swallowing their pride and going blu-ray myself. But, then again, I say that as someone who has a lot of blu-ray movies and who would really like one console to watch all my stuff instead of several.
Re:Well, it was nice while it lasted (Score:5, Informative)
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yea innovation like new supermario world zelda quest 387
Re:Well, it was nice while it lasted (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Well, it was nice while it lasted (Score:4, Interesting)
How many COD games are there again?
There are 9 CoD games [wikipedia.org].
On the other hand, there are 18 Super Mario games [wikipedia.org], 12 Mario Party games [wikipedia.org], 10 Mario Kart games [wikipedia.org], 19 Zelda games [wikipedia.org], and 12 Metroid games [wikipedia.org].
I am not the AC you're replying to, but I do agree with him. Nintendo basically re-re-re-re-re-releases the same three games over and over. Claiming they're "about innovation" is ridiculous (and I seriously question "fun for the whole family" too, given that all their multiplayer games either aggressively punish good players or have effectively random scoring systems).
Re:Well, it was nice while it lasted (Score:5, Insightful)
While the number of games alone certainly does seem to support your point, there are a few things to keep in mind. One, would be how different are these games from one another (in any way you care to compare games)? Another, you have to keep in mind the lifespan of these games. Yes, there are 18 Super Mario games, but they're also spread out over 30 years, which isn't all that different from 9 CoD games over 10 years. It's just that the Nintendo series have been around for longer. Given a few more decades, the other game developers are sure to milk their franchises for all they're worth.
Though, I hardly see how this is even really relevant. New people are continually being introduced to gaming, and even of those who've been gamers for decades, if a particular series continues to be fun to play, who cares if there are 20 previous games in the series?
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How is that relevant to repetitive Nintendo games? COD is from Activision and is on every platform, INCLUDING the Wii.
Compatibility (Score:3)
My concern is primarily compatibility. We've got a good sized collection of games -- far more dollars invested there than in the consoles -- and if the new hotness won't play them, it's not coming to my shelves.
Not sure how to deal with the lies: XBox 360 claimed they would implement compatibility via downloads; then they didn't produce the downloads for the best games (the Mechassault series for one example.)
Then there is "the cheapening": The PS3 (original) came with PS2 hardware, and that really worked p
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
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Someone oughta port -- not update, just port -- Mechassault I to a new machine, and then reopen the online gameplay. Those were the days, all right. Big pixels... sure. But the gameplay, OMG the gameplay.
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I have an XBox, XBox 360, PS3, and a Wii on the system. The pre/pro is at its max number of inputs (six HDMI, three component, I don't use composite except for the security system), so it's becoming an issue of what to take off if I add something new. Rewiring the thing every time the kids (or grandkids, or I, or my lady) change games... not an option. It has to be easy to switch and it has to fit int
Re:Well, it was nice while it lasted (Score:5, Funny)
Nintendo is not really about technology as much as innovative, fun games, for the whole family.
yea innovation like new supermario world zelda quest 387
How many COD games are there again?
Should I tell you from my high res gaming console or from my minecraft esq one?
When Qbert games match your quality of gaming output, you should re-evaluate your purchase.
"high res gaming console" HAH! Good one. Console games aren't even in 720p anymore, they are 600p and lower, upscaled to 720p running at 30fps. You keep thinking your puny console is high res, in the meantime I'll be enjoying truly gaming at "high res", on my PC.
NERD FIIIIIIIIGHT!!
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Well there was enough to write a lengthy Wikepedia entry about those :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codpiece [wikipedia.org]
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A warning for others. NSFW. It's not just historical pictures.
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yea innovation like new supermario world zelda quest 387
How many COD games are there again?
This is only relevant if one assumes the discussion is a fanboy/partisan pointscoring exercise where the "least worst" side wins.
In truth, the fact that there have been 234 Call of Duty games (or whatever) doesn't negate the fact that Nintendo's reliance on the 142nd Zelda game ("Zelda Gets Really Old" [imgur.com]), or Super Mario Land 379 1/2 are exploiting the same old properties, and hardly "innovative".
(Yes, they *could* in theory do something innovative featuring Mario, but (e.g.) "New Super Mario Bros U" isn'
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uhhh... Xenoblade was NOT a continuation of those games, in fact it's original name didn't even have "Xeno" in it.
Also, Xenosaga was not a continuation of Xenogears (more of a spiritual successor due to similar themes, although episode 1 did also include similar combat mechanics).
Really, the only reason this is even considered a series is that Tetsuya Takahashi was involved in the production of all of them and that they have the prefix "Xeno" in each title. I can see Xenogears and Xenosaga being lumped tog
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Once again, consoles are a tax on the stupid.
I disagree. I have a very nice gaming PC, but I feel that consoles fill an important niche. They're typically inexpensive compared to a comparable gaming PC; easier to use, thanks to less troubleshooting, no drivers to worry about, and generally simpler games; and are much more likely to be connected to a nice (or at least large) screen than the typical computer.
Beyond that, most games are designed with consoles as the primary target. You see this all over the place with crappy, console-esque menus on PC ga
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I have played a number of new games that required me to go into the settings and change graphics options because for some reason they didn't default to my system resolution, or because they defaulted to low, etc. Those are additional steps that consoles don't have. Keep in mind, I own and play on a gaming PC far more than I do my consoles. As to your specific point, the Steambox isn't even out yet. A console player doesn't need to do research to "standardize hardware"--they just buy the console they want.
Y
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Er...you *are* aware that you can use game pads on the PC, right? That, in fact, you can generally use the exact same hardware you use on the console, if you're minded to.
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Of course. I have one. That addresses controls, not interface. It's also annoying having to buy an extra peripheral to play a game, when a keyboard should work just fine.
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consoles [...] are much more likely to be connected to a nice (or at least large) screen than the typical computer.
Why is this the case, other than because of itself?
Dark Souls is essentially unplayable without a game pad
Then it's a good thing that PCs support USB HID gamepads, classic console gamepads (through an adapter), Xbox 360 wired controllers, and Xbox 360 wireless controllers (through an adapter). As for tedium of mapping buttons in each game, a well-made game should default to the common layouts (Xbox 360 if a controller supports XInput; Gravis/Logitech otherwise).
The PC is the pioneer of DRM and lock-in. Even today, console games are much "freer" in that you can still trade in your old games.
And PCs are "freer" in that more games are moddable in general (even if only for single player) and y
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As he points out there really isn't any upsides to the consoles anymore
The one upside to consoles is that neither major video game publishers nor the general public have caught on that a PC can be connected to any flat HDTV. Or can you show statistics that gaming HTPCs have become popular, as opposed to an extreme niche?
Re:Well, it was nice while it lasted (Score:5, Insightful)
Somewhere, a Nintendo exec is opening a bottle of Jack Daniels to pour a toast to the one year they had a current gen console.
If you define "generation" by technological capabilities, then yes. If you use the actual definition, then they have had a current gen console for years, and Sony and Microsoft are now joining the next gen that Nintendo started back in November.
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They've been a generation behind for years.
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The Wii sold 99 million units (making it quite easily the most popular of the generation), and was the least powerful unit of the generation. The PlayStation 3 sold 70 million units (making it arguably the least popular of the generation, though the Xbox 360's tendency toward hardware failure may very well make up for the 5 million unit difference between it and the PS3), and was the most powerful unit of the generation. Modern video game graphics are well beyond the point where we need to be desperately co
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Yep - the majority of revenue comes from software licensing, and the Wii has been far below Xbox 360 and PS3 as far as games sold per console (let alone Xbox Live and PSN subscription fees).
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I didn't cherry pick anything or even mention MSFT's Xbox profits or losses (it's common knowledge they they lost billions to break into the industry, and I assume also common knowledge that they had been making a healthy profit up until their recent losses). But as long as *you* are cherry picking, some more random stats: Nintendo lost almost $400M in the first half of 2012 (so basically about equivalent to the XBox division losses you mention). And the XBox division had a $700M *profit* in 2011 (which
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blu ray is not a sony tech, the consortium is over 300 companies including apple and microsoft. i don't even think sony owns most of the patents. they were just an early producer of the technology and wanted to push HD for their own profits
Re:Well, it was nice while it lasted (Score:5, Informative)
Perhaps you've forgotten that Microsoft backed HD-DVD against Blu-Ray [wikipedia.org].
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Perhaps you've forgotten that Microsoft backed HD-DVD against Blu-Ray [wikipedia.org].
If only MS stomped their own discs, and made their own hardware, the increased price of HD-DVD hardware / media due to scarcity wouldn't be an issue, and piracy of game discs would be much more difficult, since no one else produces the HD-DVD hardware / media.
Re:Well, it was nice while it lasted (Score:5, Interesting)
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using some proprietary format is just plain idiotic because of the overhead costs.
I'm actually kind of surprised MS didn't just buy up the old HD-DVD patents and re-task that format for game discs.
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Nobody's manufacturing the lasers any more. The generation of HD players that supported both HD-DVD and BluRay had two lasers in them, one for each disc.
It's a great format to use for game discs (or movies for that matter), but it's probably more expensive to implement HD-DVD than BluRay because supply costs will likely outweigh patent licensing costs.
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Because they want to push "home entertainment system" so that folks don't have to buy both an xbox and a blu-ray player etc.
Part of the reason I bought an original xbox was for the dvd capability. From my perspective the system didn't cost me $400 it cost me $400 minus the cost of a dvd player, so it ended up costing at the time a net of around $250.
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Oh? How big is your hard drive? BD-ROM's can hold 50GB, and even if they aren't full you aren't going to want to download and install too many of those suckers on your hard drive. You could also forget about having a large game library. In fact, if your ISP has a low bandwidth cap you simply wouldn't be able to download them. That's not to say that digital distribution doesn't have a place for "little games"
Never underestimate the bandwidth of a truck full of CD's/DVD's/BD-ROM's
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go to store (if not good bandwidth), stick in usb stick, swipe card, leave. it would be the easiest system to implement and use.
oh yeah, DRM fucks customer ease yet again. i remember having this idea but with mp3s burned to cd back in 2000. still waiting for something this simple for all media.
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No one ever plans a product around caps. Developers tend to completely ignore that they exist.
I'm lucky that my home internet (Cox) doesn't have a cap. But my mobile provider (Verizon) sure does, which they inflicted on me the second I signed a new contract. This means pretty much all the cool new "cloud" stuff isn't usable to me or many other people, unless we're okay with massive overage fees, or coughing up an extra decent amount of change monthly.
Hell, Steam goes on, even with much of the East Coast
Hello- What about the Upcoming Steam Box -by Valve (Score:3)
I think that the new steam (Linux) box by Valve will grab a significant market share. Why? because it will be much more customizable, AND run current PC games.
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Why? because it will be much more customizable,
No one gives a crap....gamers want to play games only Slashdot nerds have that kind of fetish for customization.
AND run current PC games.
No, it doesn't. Check the list of Linux compatible games on Steam, it's very short. Sure if you want to play Team Fortress and a few indie stuff then you're in luck, but if you want to play native Linux versions of stuff like WoW or STO, or Skyrim, or XCOM, then you're screwed.
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Personally, Consoles are dead to me. I'm tired of these gimmicky neutered PCs. You can't upgrade them, so their cycles drag on for multiples of actual hardware (moore's) cycles, ignoring exponential advancements and holding back the industry of games. These console specs are already shittier than a budget PC build I did for $500 today. When they're released a similar spec'd PC might be $300 or less, or even doable in a laptop. With a PC you can add on another GPU via Crossfire/SLI or hell even just mor
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or take the REALLY bold, and risky, step of going download only? ...with their own App Store and taking a measly 30% cut of every download, and tying everything into a marketing exercise in shifting Windows 8 phones and Windows 8 tablets? Nope, can't see that happening at all.
Blu-ray is for losers who want to own their own content and watch it again and again, Microsoft says you should pay to watch every movie you used to "own" every time you want to watch it.
Let the Crapware Games begin (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Let the Crapware Games begin (Score:5, Funny)
In the next gen, poor Kratos will be down to killing gods from minor cults in western China.
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Vampire U on Wii U was pretty amazing. Definitely innovative.
There are lots of good new titles I think. Its just that they don't have the marketing $, so you haven't seen most of them.
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release is not until later this year (Score:2)
Nintendo had crappy sales of the WiiU and the 3DS and so MS and Sony probably smell blood
announce their new consoles now to keep people from buying a Wii U. not like there are much games for the Wii U anyway. most of the good ones are still months away
X86-64? cpus? will they run linux or full windows (Score:3)
X86-64? cpus? will they be able to run linux or a full windows desktop?
Now a nice to have will be some kind of cable card / tru2way / allvid system as well.
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Well considering both the PS2 was/is and PS3 was/is (depending on which firmware it has) quite capable of running Linux, I would say yes.
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More interestingly, how are they going to keep it cool without noise? People are used to PCs that whirr, they are less forgiving of consoles.
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More interestingly, how are they going to keep it cool without noise? People are used to PCs that whirr, they are less forgiving of consoles.
I just build a new i7 system using Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU fan and COUGAR CF-V12HB Vortex Hydro-Dynamic-Bearing (Fluid) case fans and SSD drives. It is almost whisper quiet with 5 case fans and the CPU fan. The blu-ray drive makes more noise than the fans. The point is, they can make it quiet if they want to. The technology is available.
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The rumour is that the PS4 will actually use linux as the backend OS for the developers, might be bullshit but could be interesting.
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I thought that playstation traditionaly ran a modafied free or net Bsd wonder why they would break with there old kernal
and the winner (Score:2)
The winner will be decided by which one will allow "install another OS". We can trust that this time, Sony would mean it.
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PC+Steam. Easy
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Why would that determine the winner? Nobody outside of Slashdot gave a shit last time around.
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Why would that matter, nobody outside of Slashdot gave a shit....if they did we'd have seen a LOT more people on the YDL forum. Most of the people whining abou tthe removal of OtherOS probably NEVER actually ran Linux on a PS3, (or had a Linux kit for the PS2 for that matter)
And yes, I had that PS2 Linux kid AND I ran YDL on my PS3.
Meh (Score:2)
Meh
My Feelings
1.6 ghz? (Score:2)
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Clock speed doesn't say much about performance, unless you're comparing the exact same processor with different clock speeds.
Re:1.6 ghz? (Score:5, Informative)
As someone with some game development experience, let me throw in some observations. (*based on the specs mentioned here).
The 3.2 Ghz Power PC CPUs in the Xbox 360 and PS3 were in-order execution units. As I remember, code on the 360 typically executed about 0.2 IPC -(Instructions per cycle), sometimes worse. The very best hand optimized assembler doing tasks like video decoding could execute about 0.9 IPC once properly cached and unrolled.
AMD and Intel have decades of R&D now into out-of-order x86 execution (the x86/x64 opcodes being translated to internal micro ops), which is a major factor in their performance. Even the Power PC G5 chip devoted a good chunk of its silicon to Out-or-order execution. The 360 and PS3 CPUs - designed almost 10 years ago - traded Out of Order execution for die size and clock speed.
The specs say that the 1.6 Ghz CPUs can issue up to 2 instructions per cycle. If real world performance works out to an IPC of 1.2 to 1.6, which seems very doable, then you will see a 3x to 4x increase in the real-world rate of instructions being performed . ( 0.2 IPC @ 3.2Ghz == 0.4 IPC @ 1.6Ghz ). This doesn't take into account any efficiency gains due to the instruction set, cache, etc.
And at the same time, I would imagine it's a whole lot easier to deal with other things on the chipsets at 1,.6Ghz than at 3.2 Ghz (mature tech and all that)
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Except that you're forgetting one key component of the 360 CPU: SMT.
Fine-grained SMT (the only SMT worth pursuing) allows for a second thread to populate unused execution units, allowing for an in-order CPU core to potentially exceed 1.0 IPC when running highly-threaded code (or maintain near 1.0 in I/O-blocked instances)..
The 360 cores are dual-decode, dual-issue (just like the Pentium, Intel Atom), as anything less would make zero sense to implement SMT for, and anything more would be overkill for an in-o
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It's not all about clock speed, it depends on the architecture. The WiiU CPU has 3 PPC RISC cores, each capable of executing 2 instructions per cycle.
And of course the games are going to be multithreaded... it can effectively run 6 threads at once, 2 on each core. And given the GPU's capabilities and decent pixel/vertex/geometry shaders, on a game console the CPU isn't everything, anyway.
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Re: 1.6 ghz? (Score:4, Insightful)
No but at the same time, A given chip with a higher clock speed WILL out perform the same chipset at a lower clockspeed.
Depends on the kinds of operations you're throwing at it. If it's simple integer math, then yes, every single time. If it's more complicated floating point math, then it'll depend on how efficiently it's implemented in the instruction set (which is why a 2.8GHz i3 will smoke a 5GHz P4 on almost every benchmark). If it's very large array math (such as most graphics computations and AI), then it'll depend on how parallel your code is and how many threads you can execute simultaneously. You can take a modern Intel chipset, and clock an i7 at the same speed as an i3: for some types of operations they'll score exactly the same on benchmarks, and for others the i7 will score about 4x better (twice the cores, and hyperthreading enabled = 4x the threads).
There's a reason that NVidia and AMD are competing on stream processors more than they are clock speed: modern graphics processing is embarrassingly parallel, and performance scales linearly with number of processors, while you see diminishing returns with clock speed.
As for gaming, and why they will have gone with a lower clock speed... very little in modern games is actually dependent on having a high clock speed. Almost everything that games do is dependent on graphics, which is a completely different problem, which leaves things like AI and object tracking, both of which benefit more from parallelization than they do an increased clock speed. They also need to worry about EnergyStar certification, and a consumer base that is increasingly aware of the power consumption of their electronic devices. Money is not infinite for their consumers, and they get better economy throwing a manycore low speed processor at it than they would throwing a high speed processor with a low core count.
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No but at the same time, A given chip with a higher clock speed WILL out perform the same chipset at a lower clockspeed.
Depends on the kinds of operations you're throwing at it. If it's simple integer math, then yes, every single time. If it's more complicated floating point math, then it'll depend on how efficiently it's implemented in the instruction set (which is why a 2.8GHz i3 will smoke a 5GHz P4 on almost every benchmark). If it's very large array math (such as most graphics computations and AI), then it'll depend on how parallel your code is and how many threads you can execute simultaneously. You can take a modern Intel chipset, and clock an i7 at the same speed as an i3: for some types herp derp....
Did you even read the one sentence you quoted? Let's try again, and see if we can get through your ADD:
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No, but the chip they selected can run at 3.6Ghz and they're running it at only 1.6Ghz, the math speaks for itself. My processor will wipe the floor with this chip even though the console is not even out yet.
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Yeah, because clock speeds across cpus and chipsets are a real meaning full comparison. Who cares about stuff memory bandwith and speeds.
AMD are producing the Pentium-4s of this generation, which need about a 25% higher clock speed to be comparable with a similar Intel CPU for single-threaded use. So 1.6GHz is probably going to be soundly dumped on by Intel's low-end i3s unless they can really take advantage of all eight cores (which are presumably four of the Bulldozer-styte cores and not eight full cores).
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Yeah, because clock speeds across cpus and chipsets are a real meaning full comparison. Who cares about stuff memory bandwith and speeds.
AMD are producing the Pentium-4s of this generation, which need about a 25% higher clock speed to be comparable with a similar Intel CPU for single-threaded use. So 1.6GHz is probably going to be soundly dumped on by Intel's low-end i3s unless they can really take advantage of all eight cores (which are presumably four of the Bulldozer-styte cores and not eight full cores).
More FUD. AMD's chips are full cores that just share an FPU/SMID unit, you do not need a FPU unit to have a core. Most CPU's made do not have FPUs to begin with, so nobody doubts those are not CPU's.
And Intels chips only dump on AMD's in canned bentmarks, not real world tasks.
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More FUD. AMD's chips are full cores that just share an FPU/SMID unit, you do not need a FPU unit to have a core. Most CPU's made do not have FPUs to begin with, so nobody doubts those are not CPU's.
Nobody claimed they weren't CPUs, but nice strawman. The better question is whether one Bulldozer module is one core with SMT or two cores with SMP. Here's at least one claim to the difference between SMT and SMP:
Multithreading CPUs have hardware support to efficiently execute multiple threads. These are distinguished from multiprocessing systems (such as multi-core systems) in that the threads have to share the resources of a single core: the computing units, the CPU caches and the translation lookaside buffer (TLB).
A Bulldozer module shares computing units, CPU caches and the TLB. It doesn't share integer units and having an FPU is not necessary to be a CPU, but it is still relevant. Imagine if we're trying to determine if two twins are Siamese twins or not. If they had no legs, we'd still recognize them as t
consoles loseing dominance to mobiles (Score:2)
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No, the submitter sees where it's going, look at Nvidia's Tegra 4 [wikipedia.org] and with MS and Sony going for a surprisingly underpowered chip (1.6Ghz rather than the 3.6Ghz that the chip can run at) whilst mobile phones which cost as much as a console and can be plugged into a TV and have far less draconian DRM systems, and are a lot more open than PS or Xbox and can now play back HD1080 and are fully portable etc, and have you even looked at the 3d games available for android - that's now, mobile phones are getting mo
I think the time is ripe for a revolution. (Score:4, Insightful)
The Android concolelets, like the Ouya, could be about to upend the whole thing. It's just one more consequence of the "good enough" being embraced by both gamers and the industry. Nintendo was in this space before, and they'll definitely have to compete with Ouya, Gamestick and the sea of nameless Chinese manufacturers of Android mini PCs. The heavy games, those that needs tons of storage, CPU and GPU power will still be around, of course, not everyone who bought an Xbox was playing those. Problem (for MS and Sony) is, there's a new kid in town who wants to eat up some of that (the heavy gamer) marketshare: Valve.
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That doesn't really seem like a revolution; just a new competitor making headway into the same old space. The revolution would be if NONE of the next gen consoles sell well because all but the hardest of the hardcore are too busy playing Cut the Rope on their iPads to bother purchasing a console at all.
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Combining the openness of Android with the user experience of a traditional console is pretty revolutionary. Both users and devs no longer being bound to the chains of Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft could have a transformative effect on the industry.
Pricing will decide a lot! (Score:2)
I have been playing the wii up to now. I am actually interested in the Wii U. But the price is just too high for me to get it.
370 bucks for a gaming system with one game. Then each subsequent game is $60 new, $50 preowned. I am going to pass on that.
For comparison the wii launched at $250 and games were less than $50. 20% jack up in 7 years is too much. according to [1], inflation since the wii launch is only 14%. So definitely, the price rose.
[1] http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ [usinflatio...ulator.com]
A "Share" button? (Score:4, Insightful)
Oh FFS. That reeks of cluelessness and desperation.
Sony, sure enough.
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I hope it won't be tied to the Move camera, or we'll be seeing "share your penis" until Sony shuts that feature off. Nothing to look forward to next gen. I just can't be bothered to participate.
Ahh, New consoles... (Score:2)
It's funny... we hear "after the PSN fiasco, I won't trust Sony with my dirty underpants, much less buy their next console. Fuck Sony."
"After 6 consoles, damnit, I'm not giving Microsoft a dime since they can't be bothered to make decent, reliable hardware. Fuck Microsoft."
and then.... "new specs are leaked......."
SHINY! ME want!!!
Typical. :)
Are you doing it right? (Score:2)
That is bad luck for you. I had an xbox 360 for a while, and I actually never had a single issue with it. I did sell it after a while though to go back to PC gaming. ;)
Seeing as that you have had 5 replacements, it seem the customer service is doing well. Also, are you sure you are doing it right if you broke 5 boxes?
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I didn't have 5. I had 3. I stopped at 3, getting tired of the whole deal. There have been people who have had plenty of the old style consoles replaced. This isn't an isolated incident. Just google the track record of the pre-slim quality and you will see that 5 is about average if you gamed more than 15 minutes at a time.
The quality problem with the 360's hardware is precisely one reason why I won't be getting Microsoft's next console (720, whatever). And since Sony took Linux install from my console, I w
Games, not Platform (Score:2)
My hardware purchases are driven by the games I want to play. I'll not be buying the next Play Station because because Sony killed the PS version of the Everquest franchise. I'll be upgrading my PC for Everquest Next.
Brotherly Opinions (Score:2)
Just told my bro, who owns a 360, to get ready to shell out some dough for a new Xbox. He gave me a dirty look and said he's finished with Microsoft consoles because of, quote: "They Nickel and Dime me to death".
As for me, I'm very content with the Ouya and my Linux desktop. Gaming doesn't have to mean $600 for a console, plus subscription, plus $70 games. That's outrageous, for me at least.
Re: (Score:2)
This, but also, honestly, I'm tired of being fragmented to death as well, and I'm really afraid of that with the OUYA. You know what's nice?
Humble Bundles that let me pay for a game that I can play on my Linux box...
and my Mac...
and a Windows machine...
and an Android device.
Not quite as nice is me buying a game ONCE in the Play store and then being able to play it on all my Android devices. And possibly the desktop here soon via the Chrome browser or Android X86.
I'm all in for gaming on Android as a general
Social media button (Score:2)
I would assume that the "share button" is sony's attempt to put a social media component into their platform. Maybe one of of you younger guys can explain the draw, because I surely do not get it.
Why do so many games try to push a social media component. Like DIRT3 for example. I it constantly asking me to share a video on youtube. Why?? Why would anyone want to watch a video of me playing a game like it is some kind of real life event? I sure as heck have no desire to watch other folks play a game.
Sure, I
Announcing |= releasing (Score:3)
I don't exactly know and am honestly too drunk and lazy to google it, but if memory serves me right, the time between console announcement and actual appearance on the market seemed to be pretty long, so i think we look at 2014/2015.
Plus i think it is entirely possible that the announcements (NOT the actual market releases) are made a bit earlier this time to get people to diss the Wii U and wait for the "big thing"
Re: (Score:2)
Both the Xbox360 and the PS3 had additional hardware in the box to aid in debugging. The PS3 had another 128 megs of ram. And a second Ethernet port. Being an online engineer I almost worshipped that second Ethernet port. Being able to put the 'game' port onto a packet filter
Re: (Score:2)
my own game rig has 32 gb
And pretty much no game uses more than a couple of gigabytes.
Re: (Score:2)
And pretty much no game uses more than a couple of gigabytes.
Skyrim for example will eat up 4-8GB for textures alone if you have it configured for it.
Re: (Score:2)
You are aware that AMD's current CPUs are bigger, hotter and slower than Intel's, right? I'd guess AMD gave them a better deal because they need the money.
Re: (Score:2)
You forgot cheaper. :) That's why I buy them. :)
Re: (Score:3)
a feature that was advertised on their own packaging,
The packaging doesn't mention OtherOS at all. I still have my PS3 box...I looked.
Re: (Score:2)
Doesn't matter if it's capped. in fact it SHOULD be capped for realism purposes. You don't see real world soldiers doing maneuvers out of Quake or Tribes do you? No, they move deliberately because they're carrying a fuckton of stuff and wearing bulky uniforms/protective armor/helmets
That said, Sony has no problem with a developer throwing in alternate control schemes using keyboards and mice...it's a dev choice.
Re: (Score:2)
It's a PS2 with a tablet forcibly inserted.
"Tablet forcibly inserted" makes it sound like it's been given a suppository.
Re:8gb ffs (Score:4)
Why not stick 16 or 32 GB in it, if you use 8GB dimms it is cheap. Will be even cheaper by the time the thing is released.
When you're making a $300 consumer device, the extra $25 makes a big difference. And when you're competing in the $300 consumer space, a $25 increase in price will knock you out of the market.