Nvidia Claims PS4 Is Only as Good as a "Low-End" PC

[TotalerKrieger]

Pointing out a that a Honda Accord is not a sportscar...elitism
Pointing out that the standard US Marine is not a Navy SEAL...elitism
Pointing out that a Psych undergrad is not a psychologist...elitism

There are just as many wild claims from enthusiastic devs and Sony reps stating that the PS4 will outperform PCs. Until the bloody thing is released it is a rather unimportant discussion.

I will say that consoles generally seem to be more efficient with their hardware when running games. A console OS is far less bloated than say Windows, so more "power" can be directed to the game itself. On the other hand, the use of memory shared by both the GPU and CPU might be a counterbalance to this effect.

Regardless, the market will always dictate the speed of technological progress (unfortunately). The PS4 is a welcome development to me as a PC gamer, as I cannot wait to see what the next-gen titles have in store. If these claims by Nvidia are true, I would say that I am actually relieved as it means that I will not have to spend more money on upgrades.

 

[Jamous]

Well you know how it is. We're all obsessed with 'the graffix'. Prettying up is always nice all the same though. Either way, the PS4 is going to be perfectly functional, if perhaps a bit low on processing. The HD7850 is a perfectly good card anyway, so that's not really an issue.
Also please tell me your Username -is- the Monty Python reference. Please. ;D

Lol, sorry, i found about about the Monty python reference after i started using the name. I just used to love the killing spree notifications in games like UT saying 'The comfy chair is godlike!'

But ya, the HD7850 is a decent enough card, i'd have no problem recommending it for someone playing on a PC for a few years. It's just the PS4s CPU which makes me a sad panda seeing as it's hardly 1/4 the performance of a stock i5-2500K really :<

Heh, that's as good a reason as any for the Username. Ah well. I guess the CPU will have to do. I got myself a decent PC recently anyway so I'm not all that bothered about new consoles atm anyway. PCs just seem better to me.

 

[ImperialSunlight]

yeah, it's a total misnomer anyway. The term elitism implies some sort of exclusivity or special designation, whereas anyone is free to get a PC and join the "elite."

Of course! You know, besides that whole "money" thing.

OT: The PS3 isn't a low-end PC. It's a PS3. The point of the PS3 is to be as powerful as it can, relevant to games, while maintaining a low enough price point to sell. It's not the same thing as a PC.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

Who the hell cares Nvidia? The reason you buy a console is because you don't want to spend $800 building a pc. I will buy the ps4 for the fact that it will be quick and easy to set up and because I know that developers will continue to optimize games specifically for its specs. Does this guy really think people would be willing to spend more than $500 on a new console?

 

[Epona]

Microsoft does business with NVidia with the original XBOX and then drops them. Sony does business with NVidia with the PS3 and then drops them. NVidia lost the contract to make the 3DS video chip (the Tegra).

NVidia has been dropped by all three major console/handheld manufacturers, they are obviously a big part of their own problem. I know there isn't alot of money in making console parts but most people also don't buy the highest end video cards at their launch price.

 

[revjay]

In other news, fire is hot. New research points out that putting your hand on a lit burner can cause serious burns, blisters and loss of flesh. It's unsure at this point if people should avoid blankets and other sources of warmth but until more facts are uncovered try to minimize the amount of time you keep your hand in a fire.

 

[N3squ1ck]

Somebody is mad that that thing is not powered by a dual Titan.

To be honest, I would like to see the thing to pack a bit more power, but then again I am pretty happy what is possible with the current hardware already, and as it looks like the game devs would use the plus in power just for some more lensflares anyways, so w/e

 

[DaWaffledude]

Well, it's better than my computer. Granted, I got mine around 2005 or something, but still...

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Well when you start off with that statement we just know you jelly, also I love how the queens of locking down are now all happy about open platforms.

very true.

while obviously some of the stuff he says is a "no duh you dumbshit" moment, he just comes across like a butthurt child because his toy wasn't picked for show'n tell.

 

[Undomesticated Equine]

PC is slowed down by OS while on consoles can interface directly with hardware so even weaker GPU on console should match the performance of decent gaming rig. Which should enable next gen console to run some sweet looking games and they have now huge and fast memory so multiplatform games should not be hampered by low memory on consoles. Also most of the current gen games look great even on low spec pcs

 

[DonTsetsi]

Sadly, every console has at least one major underpowered component, if it didn't, consoles wouldn't be cheaper than other PCs. Last generation had horrible RAM, which turned most console games into corridors, next generation will have horrible CPUs, which will continue stifling gameplay advances. I wonder if there will ever be a console with a horrible GPU. A cheap console that will give more freedom to developers.

 

[Callate]

On one hand, he's probably technically correct.

On the other, there's a lot to be said for a dedicated group of programmers working towards a single technical specification with a top resolution of 1080p. There's something to be said for being very good at reaching your fullest potential versus having greater potential you never really use.

 

[Mister Linton]

Somebody doesn't understand the concept of writing to the metal, or unified specifications. Also, mass market appeal and adoption means games will be made with console specs in mind for the forseeable future. Sure developers could make a thirty million dollar game that only runs on the most advanced hardware created-- but it won't be economically feasable for quite a few years, and by then the PC elitist will have moved on to buy even more powerful (and expensive) cards that nobody makes games for yet. The cycle of suckers continues...

 

[The Comfy Chair]

On one hand, he's probably technically correct.

On the other, there's a lot to be said for a dedicated group of programmers working towards a single technical specification with a top resolution of 1080p. There's something to be said for being very good at reaching your fullest potential versus having greater potential you never really use.

Aye, although as mentioned previously, consoles don't perform much better (talking 10-15%) than their PC component counterparts (e.g. a 2.5GHz C2D and a 8600GT). That's mainly because of the move to third party engines like unreal engine and cryengine as opposed to a lot of propriety engines in the PS2 era.

So, as much as it's brought up all the time, optimization on console really doesn't account for much it seems. Yes, there's an overhead with the windows OS (which is pretty much negated by vastly more powerful PC CPUs) and directX, but it's surprisingly little overall. The way it's described, you'd think a 360 could hang with a 8800GTX or something.

Overall, pretty much all work done with console optimization transfers across to PC. It's one of the reasons PC gamers haven't had to updates cards for console-like settings and games for years and years. Very highest settings? Sure, but that's a whole different ballpark.

 

[axlryder]

I don't think nvidia is taking into account optimization here, but they're probably mostly right. Doesn't matter to me though. It's a vidya game system meant for convenience. Besides, as long as gaming systems make the most money for devs, then console's graphical capabilities will remain the primary benchmark that devs will feel they have to meet. Harnessing the full power of a current high-end PC will remain cursory for many devs, especially considering it's (I imagine) cheaper to make games with less graphical complexity. Obviously not true of all devs and the games they make, but I can't see how development costs are going to remain manageable in an attempt to keep up with PCs that continue to grow rapidly, despite sales numbers not seeming to be trending in that direction.

Besides, I don't feel like dropping a few hundred bucks every year or so just to be able to play the most current games on medium-high settings. I'd prefer just to have a decent rig in the last few years of a console's life, when the gulf between PC and consoles is particularly apparent.