inFAMOUS Dev on Perks of Exclusivity: Chip Always Over 90%, Pushing Until PS4 can "Barely Stand it"

inFAMOUS: Second Son definitely looks beautiful visuals-wise, and it's doubtless that the game benefited considerably from being a PS4 exclusive, like most games that have to cope with only one platform. Sucker Punch Co-Founder Chris Zimmerman explained why

[KingKelloggTheWH]

I can't wait till we get to see the better optimized engines in a year or two,that's when the games will shine.

[SynGamer]

REALLY excited to see what Polyphony Digital can do with GT7 on PS4. It hasn't been officially announced, but they were *VERY* close to hitting 1080p on the PS3 (with a bit of cheating). Can only imagine how good they make make the next GT game on PS4. Full 1080p 60fps. AA, no screen-tearing.

Can't wait.

/off-topic

inFAMOUS is looking both good graphically AND gameplay-wise. Can't wait.

[Allsystemgamer]

I'm willing to be gt7 will look as good or maybe even better (from optimization) than PCARS on PC!

[TomShoe]

I can already tell that the Lambos will look like sex in car form.

[PoSTedUP]

i hope the VR is implemented for GT7, ill cry if it is... and streak, crying while streaking, with the VR on my face, screen frozen in the cockpit of a GT40 yup.

[tbone567]

I can't justify 60 dollars for a 10 hour game. Sorry that is just criminal to me.

[Skips]

^ Same with other games like Titanfall if that's the case. If I've played all the different types of matches and I've seen everything there is to be seen in that game. Which would take a lot less than 10 hours. $60 bucks is just waaay too much for an MP only game (COD with mechs). Absolutely criminal.

[Magnes]

@tbone567 one look at your comment history shows all you do is rip ps4 and Imfomous and praise Xbox and titafall so plz.. Your comment is biased

[ArchangelMike]

I hope this gen they can completely eliminate loading times. Last gen, games like Uncharted, God of War, TLOU, (to name a few), didn't have any loading times in-game. I'm hoping this will be standard this gen.

Did infamous 2 have loading times in-game? I cant remember now!?

[MONOLITHICIDE]

it did not, to answer your question.

[DoomeDx]

Actually..using 100% of a machine is easy :/

What counts is optimization. Ever played an ugly game with lots of framedrops? (Bodycount, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Saints Row 2). Those games are using 100% of the system but failed at optimizing.

Uncharted 1 & 3 both used 100% of the system aswell. But during the development of uncharted 3 (which was 4 years later), the engine was far more developed. So optimization was much better then. Meaning there was much more room available for extra eye candy

[Ninjatogo]

So much room they were able to add in split screen multiplayer and keep the graphics looking the same.

[InTheZoneAC]

Lucky for me I knew the guy that sold me RSV2, he allowed me to return it the same day it released. This was the ONLY game I have ever taken back immediately.

RSV1 was fun, smooth controls, consistent framerate.

RSV2 was grainy, blurray/fuzzy, animations were stiff, framerate was horrible, controls were clunkier than ever. It flat out sucked.

[PS4FEVER]

mark cerny said it will be 2 oe 3 years till game developers start unleashing the ps4 potential

[gamer2013]

PR bullshit! There's nothing complicated about the PS4 architecture.

[Silly Mammo]

@gamer -every generation takes a couple of years to get comfortable with a new system. When they do get it- That's when the Magic Happens!

[CARROT180994]

once the ICE team have had a year or two with the hardware all the first party stuff is going to be on another level

[No_Limit]

Dude, what is up with Dualshockers and inFamous news? Are there any other sites out there with interviews and news on inFamous?

[ArchangelMike]

I've been thinking the same think. They must have a posse here in N4G that approves anything they post.

still I'm not complaining. I love anything Infamous (except for spoilers.. I don't love the spoilers)

[Lunarassassin]

I've had all the powers ruined for me by arseholes in the comments -_-

[pyramidshead]

All the new news it probably coming out of this blogcast
http://blog.us.playstation....

literally just heard the dude from sucker punch say the thing about it's 'in the 90s half of the time' etc.

[thehitman1398]

Then on the same note, what was up with IGN and Polygon's non-stop news with titanfail???

[No_Limit]

Only IGN and Polygon???? How about every freaking sites!!!!! That game is smoking hot!

[Silly gameAr]

Yeah, that's called paying gaming sites for smoking hot marketing!

[-Alpha]

I knew Second Son looked good, but I really am shocked at how much better it is than I originally assumed. I'm rather surprised that Sucker Punch hasn't been hyping the graphics as much as I feel they should. Maybe it's just their style of revealing the game, because I've seen leaks from the game that are so much better than anything they've shown off in trailers.

It's genuinely the first game to release next gen that I think is truly a generational leap. Games like Ryse and Shadow Fall were good, but neither wowed me to the extent iNFamous has.

It's not just the graphics either. They seem to have done a great job with animations, and voice acting cast. Surely some of this is really due to them going from second party to first party.

[dodgemoose]

Indeed.

I watched an interview on IGN I think were Zimmerman said that being part of the sony 1st party group allowed them to literally call up Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Santa Monica, et cetera, and ask how they did this and how they did that.

Sounded like they all shared their tips and tricks with one another. Cool stuff.

[ab5olut10n]

That IS pretty cool. I had no idea that different studios would work together like that.

[IRetrouk]

@ ab5olut10n

Yeah, they have an ice team as well made up of a few top devs, they are the ones that work on codes and try to get things running as smooth as possible on the hardware then share it out amoung sonys devs.

[ArchangelMike]

Too true. I know the graphics are absolutely phenomenal, but the thing that really excites me is the acting. The character performance seems to be up there with TLOU, and that is what really made the game great. I'm hoping Sucker punch have a story that is engrossing, and that is enhanced by the acting. For me that is all part of the next-gen package. (which to me was started with TLOU)

[Maninja]

Too true. Ever since The Last of Us my expectations for stories in games have been placed unrealisticly high. I haven't experienced such a good story since then and I have a feeling I might this friday.

[iceman06]

I actually feel the same way about this generation. While I have bought in and purchased a console, I was waiting for a title that made me feel like it was part of something new. Sucker Punch has been able to do this buy showing the incredible graphical fidelity of a "normal" game in a open world setting. I'm just so accustomed to expecting less from open world. Guess I have to adjust my expectations from here on out.

[WatDoesTheStarFoxSay]

Let this gaming generation be the beginning of the end of the movie, and the beginning of the each individual living a fantasy experience through thier own decisions. May we never look back.

[GentlemenRUs]

This is the start of something wonderful!

Once devs use optimizations and the full advantage with the PS4... Oh boy!

[Tripl3seis]

Can't wait to play it is gonna be a long week waiting for it but is gonna be awesome!

[Godmars290]

Hate it when devs talk about getting or pushing the limits of a console. Just means they ask for a new system sooner.

[iceman06]

Not really. It just means that they did all that they could with the current tools and within the time frame. Evidenced by prior generations, we KNOW that this 90% will not perform like the 90% that we will see in 3 years.

[Bathyj]

I think PS4 is going to be good for quite a while. What hes basically saying is that because they have one platform to worry about and they dont need to think about lesser machines, they know what they can add in. If the framerate is still coping, they can chuck in more stuff and know it will all work.

It does sound like a weight off a devs shoulders. I dont think well see a multiplat open world game match these graphics for a long time.

[Godmars290]

And in 3-4 years devs will be complaining about not being able to get all that they want to out of a console. That its holding them back.

[DelsinRowe]

I always push until they can barely stand it.

[cbuc1125]

@DelsinRowe....Bubs up for funny! So do i my man.

[numNuts]

Its great that the PS4 is easier to develop for. But, i dont wanna hear 'using 90% of chip' after only 4 months.

[Abriael]

You're wrong there. Chip usage doesn't mean that the console doesn't have room for growth.

Developers always try to use as much as possible of the chip. Earlier games normally use as much as later games, if not more.

Real evolution is not done by using MORE of the chip. Is using by optimizing so that the same amount of chip load can yield better results.

[numNuts]

Can i ask what makes you such an expert? Do you work in the industry?

[Abriael]

I've been working as a game journalist for about 16 years on both print and web, so I've been talking with countless developers, even about this topic (which is a pretty common one).

besides, it's pretty basic knowledge. You don't really need a degree in computer science to know :D

[DeadMansHand]

Exactly. Optimization is king. This is why I love owning a playstation. Sony 1st party devs just have this uncanny knack to be able to run truly fluid code. Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games and now Suckerpunch. Them also calling each other up for help just shows how integrated the Sony teams are at achieving the goal of giving gamers the best games possible.

[1nsomniac]

I think Abriael summed it up as much as he needed to with "common sense" & "Basic Knowledge"...

[Hicken]

That's always the case. The real display of power comes from optimization.

[MONOLITHICIDE]

now whos the numnuts!

[numNuts]

Says the idiot with 2 bubbles.

[kenshiro100]

You call yourself numnuts and you're getting mad because he called you that.

Lol.

[polow got sol]

So infamous is already maxing out the ps4?? or very close to it?? dam.

[Abriael]

Read my comment above. Keeping the chip almost fully loaded at all times doesn't mean maxing out the console.

Improvement isn't represented by chip load. It's represented by getting better results with the SAME chip load.

Earlier games often load the chip the same if not more than later ones. As optimization progresses and new tech is developed, the same features take less and less of the chip's resources, allowing you to fit more in the same load.

What zimmerman means here is that since they have to work only on PS4, they can push the chip as much as their current technology allows.

If they had to run the same code on PS4 and Xbox One, they'd load the xbox One over 90% and that would probably load the PS4's chip less, wasting resources.

[pyramidshead]

shouldn't have wasted your time. Check his post history.

[DanielGearSolid]

I usually don't like your snarky responses, but when youre right, youre right

[Blade Runner]

How about this. Insted of lazy code writing. How about brag that you wrote code that produced an incredable game and used 60% with 40% headroom available for peak cpu/gpu needs.

[Abriael]

What about telling us your credentials, so we can see how much title you have to call a developer with 17 years of experience in one of the best studios in the industry "lazy?"

[annus]

Why would they only use 60%? If they got to that stage they would just add in more things to make it look even better...

You're also talking about arguably one of the best looking games on console to date, I wouldn't call that lazy.

[I_am_Batman]

You clearly have no idea how game development works. If they got the recources why wouldn't they use them?

[nycgamer4ever]

You guys so quick to complain and hate that you don't realize how much lack of logic is in your comments. If you are only using 50% of your available resources then you are wasting it! If means you can add more, to make the game play better and look better. YOu should use every bit of power available to you. I would say 90% at all times is just perfect without overdoing it, giving it just enough room to breath. That same 90% will yield better results in the future when the codes are more streamlined and efficient.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

Future is playstation !

[killzone619]

your future...

[Bathyj]

So Delsin can do the 100m dash in 5.55 seconds?

Future Olympian.

[DanielGearSolid]

I think everyone is surprised at how good infamous looks. I know I am

[PFFT]

Infamous Second Son looks freaking SPECTACULAR!
Also Walmart is nothing but a tease since they have the game on display BUT they cant sell it yet. Freaking Aholes!

[gamer2013]

Fanboy hyperbole. Infamous was downgraded since E3 looks like Sony were also using PC's!

http://www.gamespot.com/for...

[Destrania]

You realize a time-of-day change for a particular scene has absolutely nothing to do with a 'downgrade' right? Idiot. Infamous is probably the best looking game to date hands-down.

[PFFT]

I dont know man. The game looks great to me.

[kenshiro100]

Says the troll with two bubbles. Try harder.

[RevXM]

Cant wait to see what the future brings.
I hope what these consoles lack in brute power, they might be able to make up for with innovations in chip design and software. The most interesting thing to me atm is Tiled resources I want to see that in some real games if it can be done without some major hiccups going on it could boost the bar of what is possible significantly on these consoles.

Optimization and creation of new teqniques to deal with IQ and performance is important and last gen consoles adopted and improved a lot of heavy software technology along the way. AA techniques, 3D, Global illumination, realtime and dynamic lighting, HDR, SSAO, soft shadows, proper shaders, physics simulations exploded and devs wanted to things like proper water and rag doll animation blend physics and actual particles. and lets not forget about adaptive resolutions like Wipeout and Gears 3 and tesselation (GT6).

The list could prolly go on for a while but I hope the new consoles can manage 4-6 pleasant years with changes in software techniques and developement until the possible successors arrive. It is off to a great start and Second son looks beast.

[Brettman2008]

PS4 is also designed to use compute, that is, offload some of the work from CPU to GPU. More work for the developer but potentially better results.

[Firebird360]

I love my ps4 but it and x1 are both very underpowered. They were dated before they launched. I'm thinking 5 years max, and that's a stretch, before we see new hardware. It wouldn't surprise me to see new hardware launching in 4 years, announced in 3. PC is going to destroy these systems in 2 years time, they already are now. The only reason they run 8gb ram is because of all the non game related crap running in the background, and that's only going to get worse.I'm not a PC gamer and couldn't care less about PC but graphics are all that seem to matter anymore, I can recommend a game to someone and first thing they'll ask is, how goods it look? Games are and have been for awhile now just a graphics race and these new consoles won't be able to hold on I'm afraid. I really hope I'm wrong because I really do love my ps4.

[Brettman2008]

No way, I think PS4 will have a life of at least 8 years. PS4 graphics will improve a lot over the next few years, especially using compute. How much do you want to pay for a cutting edge GPU? An extra $150 per console? Consoles are built to a price point, it's a business decision. I hate comparisons with PC, absolutely pointless. I reckon most PS4 games will be 1080P/60fps in a few years anyway.

[Qdog]

I agree. The comparisons to PC aren't entirely pointless though, as in a couple of years...we can look back and see how far forward consoles have come and benefited PC in the process. Its like the masses simply can't see the industry merging. SteamOS, Mantle API, Steamboxes....it should be obvious that consoles and PCs are coming together for the benefit of both.

[Qdog]

@Firebird360

The PS4 is more powerful than my old desktop replacement (gaming laptop) and it was very beefy for its time (mobile i7/ and hd6990m) and it played current games with high/ultra settings in 1080p no problem.

The PS4 will of course benefit more from focused software optimization, more efficient hardware optimization, and more mature SDKs. Calling the PS4 underpowered exposes the ugly truth about your understanding. I've debated the merits and flaws of the Xbox One and PS4 to the point that I'm tired of trying to fight what I perceive to be nothing more than gross ignorance, so I'll just shut up and let the games in a year or two from now do the talking.

Just as a little insight, I was gaming @ 5k (5760 x 1080)resolutions over 3 years ago with my previous beastly rig. I've studied heavily the design philosophies and implementations of modern computing and built more than one liquid cooled, overclocked, benchmarking/gaming rig. I said that to say this... I've been on the extremely elite bleeding edge of PC gaming for a long time and even I am amazed at and appreciative for what these consoles are doing, both for me and for the broader industry as a whole. They are essentially moving the lowest common denominator for a developer into the mid-range.

[justicefanboyX]

ffx anybody?

[idontcare]

seems like they forgot to add a little action and diversity

[TheRedButterfly]

Good thing the PS4 has a massive power brick to make sure that it won't overheat… oh wait.

[Father__Merrin]

GT7 will kick arse for the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kenshiro100]

Im excited for Infamous.