Microsoft gives more CPU power to Xbox One developers

Eurogamer :

"Over the Christmas break, hacking group H4LT leaked the November 2014 Xbox One development tools, firmware and documentation, giving us a fascinating insight into the evolution of the console since its inception. The latest upgrades rolled out reveal that game-makers now have access to a seventh CPU core, as Microsoft continues to roll-back the background system reservation, giving more processing power to game-makers.

Up until recently, both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have reserved two entire CPU cores (out of eight available) in order to run the background operating system in parallel with games. Since October, Microsoft has allowed developers access to 50 to 80 per cent of a seventh processing core - which may partly explain why a small amount of multi-platform titles released during Q4 2014 may have possessed performance advantages over their PS4 counterparts in certain scenarios."

[christocolus]

"The latest upgrades rolled out reveal that game-makers now have access to a seventh CPU core"

Damn...Ms with those updates. must be preparing the console for DX12 and Windows10. Great job,whatever helps devs will definitly benefit gamers.

[Masterchief_thegoat]

dx12 and window 10, will make xbox one a much better console then it was in 2013-2014

[christocolus]

it will definitely keep getting better just like the xbx360 in its time.constant updates (big and small) kept the 360 going strong, we will see same with the xbox one...

[Nekroo91]

All companies do this, the same thing happened with last gen.

Look at Halo 3 and compare it to Halo 4 or Uncharted Drakes fortune vs UC3.

Optimization is the key word.

And now lets wait for Ice team move...

[uptownsoul]

I'm kinda surprised that people aren't reading the whole article. Its clear that there is a major trade off in features when giving developers more CPU cores. It seems like they're taking away Kinect features to give developers more CPU access:

"Firstly, developers need to give up custom, game-specific voice commands in order to access the seventh core at all, while Kinect's infra-red and depth functionality is also disabled. Secondly, the amount of CPU time available to developers varies at any given moment - system-related voice commands ("Xbox record that", "Xbox go to friends") automatically see CPU usage for the seventh core rise to 50 per cent. At the moment, the operating system does not inform the developer how much CPU time is available, so scheduling tasks will be troublesome. This is quite important - voice commands during gameplay will be few and far between, meaning that 80 per cent of the core should be available most of the time. However, right now, developers won't know if and when that allocation will drop."

But it seems some people think this power is coming out of thin air

[GameNameFame]

Lol wow. Love dx12 desperate straw grab. MS mentioned it is for mostly PC. I mean even ms themselves had to clarify that.

Yet, won't break delusion and desperation their fans are in.

@uptownsoul

Just like that gpu unlock.

The so called 10percent gpu unlock was confirmed to be only 2% to9%. With same issues you mentioned.

And ps4 is already ahead in CPU actual benchmarked power

http://www.cinemablend.com/...

@nekroo

They are working on it, but don't announce pr crap like that cloud power lol.

They will just show result. Just like DriveClub graphics. Results is what matters.

[marlinfan10]

@gamename

So if anyone mentions dx12 now it's a desperate straw grab? All he said was dx12 and win 10 will make the console better than it was before. Looking at how much it's already improved over the last year I don't think there's any doubt that it will indeed help. No one's saying what it will do, just that it will help. You guys just look for something to moan about, it's unbelievable.

And to your little comment about driveclub

"They will just show result. Just like DriveClub graphics. Results is what matters."

I'm sure if all devs wanted to churn out games that have features and car list comparable to games from 10 yrs ago then yeah I'd hope they'd have great graphics. Some of you guys need to realize graphics aren't everything. other people would rather features be put before graphics

[Docknoss]

@Lamenamenofame I like how you keep Trolling these xbox one articles. I miss n4g of old,when we were segregated. I'm like an old man I just wanna read the news AND comments in peace.

[GameNameFame]

Marlin

Ms already said dx12 won't do much for x1 in terms of power. That's what article is and that's the topic.

Stop playing desperate grab. Even ms themselves had to clarify.

MS themselves.! You Are holding on to that delusion.

As for driveclub, we are not talking about gameplay was it? Again not even the topic.

Seemed like the common habit of changing topic when faced with truce

[thekhurg]

@uptown

Considering the xbox one is popular with the kinectless option, sacrificing functionality of a peripheral that many gamers don't want seems like a wise option for Microsoft to give developers.

[XBLSkull]

The definitive next generation console just keeps getting better..... and better and better and better and better and better and better. Keep up the great work Microsoft. With 360 seeing only a few updates throughout its cycle I never would have guessed the Xbox One would see so many upgrades, especially in such a short time frame. And no end in sight, awesome.

[fr0sty]

Good for them for finally giving up on the failure that was Kinect and giving back a little bit of the power it gimped from the system. That will help close the gap a bit, but you're still going to see plenty of 900p or less. No update will fix that big of a hardware gap.

[Kal0psia]

@GameFameName

Article had nothing to do with Dx12. Come back when we can see the super advanced difference between either console then probably many who aren't a Sony worshipper will give you bubbles.

Dx12 will see a huge difference in terms of first party studios using the development tools in it.

If anyone here, you most of all will be truly surprised in how much a difference games fully rendered and designed under Dx12 will be. At least that's my bet to you. Mark it!

[rainslacker]

As awesome as I think this is as a developer, although there are catches to it all, MS should be a bit more reserved than to start freeing up resources so early in the generation. They don't want to get caught like Sony did not being able to implement something because the resources are made available to developers and there isn't enough left over since they have to maintain compatibility.

Overall, I think game machines should be games first, but the fact they're already having to remove features, or at least restrict their access, to be able to offer up this extra core, which will likely only provide negligible gains, is not a good sign to me for the long term expandibility of the platform.

Since so many people love all the features that MS is adding to the X1 every month, and rightfully so, take some caution on the optimism here, because that isn't likely going to continue if freeing one core is already causing them to cut back.

I was also under the impression that MS only activated 7 cores to begin with to increase production yield, so 7 cores aren't being made available to the devs anyhow, only 6...up from 5? This sourcing seems off some how.

[Kingscorpion1981]

Its not going to help them beat Sony though but good luck lol

[Azzanation]

Of course it will. Fans on this site don't believe in software, they only believe in hardware. They don't understand the importance of software.

DX12 will certainty make the X1 a more efficient system (Notice I said efficient and not more powerful)But fans boys don't want to believe in that word.

A more simpler console to work with is a more powerful console. Just how 360 was compared to the PS3. It had a much bigger gap to close yet was able to outperform it. XB1 has a smaller gap to close this gen.

These console will end up the same with very minor differences in there games.

[GameNameFame]

@kalopsia

Really want to bring up ps4?

Yea. See anything near what you see in Driveclub?

Yea... I thought so. X1 is struggling as is in 1080p.

As gk32 says, gaps are massive.

http://images.eurogamer.net...

http://www.cinemablend.com/...
Just accept it man.

[Kal0psia]

^
It's a shame you wouldn't compliment the developers moreso than a hardware. Current-gen hardware isn't even eye popping when looking at it compared to most high-end hardware, since it has more to do with developers than hardware especially in consoles. Shame fanboys these days. *tsk,tsk*

Come back when you stop staring at your screen and actually enjoy games. You still on with the 1080p argument?! ...still grapsing his last straw, lol! xDDD

[Blaze929]

keep up the great work Microsoft! The race is a marathon, not a sprint.

[Mechanism]

Yea, and we know how that ended last 2 gens.. Dead for years,

[gfk342]

Indeed it is a marathon! But in this case, why we are discussing something that will become irrelevant in the near future.

We are discussing about CPU power, when the future is all about the GPU.

http://images.eurogamer.net...

Ubisoft made a performance test (see the above picture) for the CPU and GPU of both PS4 and X1, with the following results:
- PS4's CPU power: 98
- X1's CPU power: 113
- PS4's GPU power: 1600
- X1's GPU power: 830

Thus, discussing about CPU power does not have much of a sense when the PS4's GPU is 16 times more powerfull than its CPU.

The fact that MS released a CPU core for X1 (more exactly 50-80% from the seventh CPU) will not make a big difference in the long run (a marathon). Their decision to release a CPU core is just a confirmation that KINECT is dead and they struggle to keep with PS4's power.

Think about the fact that MS released a lot of X1's power, even if only one year passed from its release!!! What will they do in year 2, 3, 4 etc?

All in all, the numbers are not lying and PS4 is much more powerful than X1 (twice according with Ubisoft benchmark). Thus, what MS is trying to do, is just trying to keep with PS'4 power.

[rainslacker]

Then why is MS sprinting to make it's machine more powerful so early in the generation?

Did you read the article? They're are two scenarios here. 1. Core isn't fully available to devs so it can maintain system tasks when needed, meaning it's almost useless from a game development standpoint. 2. Some system features will have to be shut down for certain games if the devs decide to use that core...and given the option, a dev will take the core.

Given #2 above, how is MS going to keep adding all these awesome new features every month that X1 owners rave about each month?

[Prime157]

GfK, the problem lies with those that think cpu boosts help graphics catch up with gpu... g for graphics, everyone.

[marcofdeath]

@gfk342

"Ubisoft made a performance test (see the above picture) for the CPU and GPU of both PS4 and X1, with the following results:
- PS4's CPU power: 98
- X1's CPU power: 113
- PS4's GPU power: 1600
- X1's GPU power: 830"

Well that's only partly true...
They left out one big part ESRAM to GPU!
It's way faster than PS4's GDDR5.
PS4 GDDR to GPU 200ns
XB1 ESRAM to GPU 140-150ns.

And this is old. that's why they did not show it.

[donthate]

gfk:

Yet multiple developers have expressed the need for more CPU power, not GPU.

That is why we see more and more parity in games, and in some cases even the Xbox One pulls ahead.

A bottlenecked system is pointless, because parts can't keep up.

[Saijahn]

The power isn't coming from thin air, it's just that MS realizes that Kinect isn't going to be a necessity in gaming, so why not free up the resources for improved optimization?

[VegasDawg]

Sales have decided graphics are more important to games than kinect,no big deal.

[Eddie20101]

Majority of games are still better on PS4. the couple of games that Xbox One has that run slightly better have lower resolution graphics and the slight edge is barely noticeable. All Microsoft and Xbox One have managed to do is keep up with Sony and the PS4 and they did it by dropping features, features (Kinect) that Microsoft and Xbox Fanboys said made the Xbox One better than the PS4.

All the while Sony has made several upgrades to it's development software, just the specifics haven't been leaked like they have been for the Xbox One.

[Saijahn]

I have to disagree Eddie, owning both systems and multi-plats on both, you really can't tell the difference graphically at all.

I like using my kinect to navigate, but beyond that I don't use it gaming wise. I also prefer the X1 controller as it doesn't make my hands sweat and the thumbsticks feel a lot more comfortable than the DS4.

The two visual standouts I've owned for both are Infamous SS and Ryse.

Both looked fantastic but both gameplay wise left a lot to be desired for me. They looked pretty but played dull.

I'll be picking up The Order, Dying Light (PS4), The Division (X1)and Witcher 3 (X1).

The graphical differences was never enough for me to say which console was better, to me it's about gameplay and exclusives.

Quantum Break looks intriguing to me, but so far it's really been a wash to me. Neither console is sticking out as the go to console to have over the other.

[Eddie20101]

I own both systems also, I prefer The PS4 Over Xbox One. Their are a lot of graphical differences other than just resolution and yes the difference is noticeable between the two consoles, sometimes its higher resolution (which is noticeable to me and a great many other people) difference in lighting, difference in foliage and objects on screen, differences in anti aliasing.

I like both systems and I also buy for game play and exclusives and I like games on both systems even Ryse and Infamous Second Sun. Infamous Second Sun being much better than Ryse, both worth playing.

If I had to choose between the two systems I would choose the PS4 because to me it is a better all around system with better games and wider selection, weather it be AAA, Indi, or Exclusives.

[FanboyKilla]

lol bash anything xone does cause somebody else is not doing much if anything. lol dx12 wont do shit blah blah blah. meanwhile another version is in ps4. is it there for nothing? no, its a reason its there. u mad bro?

[XanderZane]

Greatness is coming. Microsoft is just getting the XBox One warmed up for what will be shown at this years E3.

[Mikeyy]

3 years worth of wait till posts just flashed before my eyes..

We've been waiting.

[UKmilitia]

another core??
well done MS,hope it stays stable because why wouldnt it be unlocked from start?

im sure i read sony had some locked away though,but with ps4 being so small i dont think it could take much more heat coming from it.

[OB1Biker]

If you read the article:
'Certainly, the whole point of Ubisoft's presentation is that moving CPU tasks to GPU is the future, and in this respect, it is the PS4 that is in the driving seat. Based on the single example Ubisoft's presentation provides (and it's worth stressing that all of these numbers are derived from just one piece of code), PS4 is almost twice as fast.'
The latest PS4 SDK details posted on Dualshockers were going in this direction.

[NuggetsOfGod]

Can't wait for the console like optimization with dx12 on my I7 and gtx 970!

MS have great engineers and I am very interested to see what they will do with xbox.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Really glad Phil's taking advantage of what hardware they got.

MS is owning the hardware, the hardware isn't owning MS.

[sensor21]

We grow accustom to updates but more cpu is great news. Optimize it so certain background task can be turned off and we will hold that 7th core I assume but possibe. GOOD JOB M$ !

And some of u should read differences between gpu and cpu.

[VegasDawg]

Is it really that important? The multi-plats are already coming out nearly identical. The most powerful console has never meant anything in the history of video games. A developer is simply not going to spend more time on a game just to make it better on a certain console, they're not fanBOYs.lol. It would only cost them more money and that's not going to happen.

[showtimefolks]

good, i just sold my ps4 and bought a xbox one(i hope i don't loose a bubble for saying this). I am a core sony fan but i feel like major titles for ps4 will be hitting in mid 2015 while xbox one has a lot more to offer right now

competition is great for consumers

[irokster]

Excuse my language but you're a dumbass.

[showtimefolks]

irokster

I traded my ps4 for

xbox one(brand new in box)
AC unity and black flag
facry 4
sunset overdrive
play and charge cable

so no i don't see how that is a bad trade, and like i said before i will get a ps4 again. Maybe i will get it when witcher 3 comes out(if its better on ps4) otherwise with uncharted 4 for sure

its called liking different games

dead rising 3 and sunset overdrive

[u got owned]

I think it was a great trade, i have both console but i hace to admit my pS4 hasn't seen to much action lately.

[rainslacker]

To each their own, but you'd save a lot of money showing more restraint. I use to trade up systems all the time, and you lose a lot out of the deal.

[gfk342]

Wow! You realize that MS is stripping X1 from features just to give a marginal power gain?!!This is not a good update in my opinion!

[mark3214uk]

so ms cant afford any more price cuts so it is back to the old secret sauce days :sigh

[MCTJim]

With each passing SDK update the system just keeps getting better optimization. Well done :D

[monreader]

Eh is that not the whole point of updating the SDK's...

[lemoncake]

Improved efficiency isn't the only reason for updating a sdk.

[pompous]

Lol, it's not a well done. Jesus fucking christ people, this is the natural progression of the hardware. You don't give props for things that are expected and natural. MS did nothing out of the ordinary or gone out of their way on this. Announcing this just further proves their desperation and/or desperation for anything positive xbox for mindshare. They're the ones getting embarrassed.

[DJustinUNCHAIND]

Cool!

[BLKxSEPTEMBER]

They are both good systems imo. The ps4 has the advantage when it comes to raw power but the X1 has the advantage when it comes to innovation. Personally i perfer the X1 over the ps4 simply because ive always been an Xbox guy. I have all current gen systems and i love what MS is doing with the X1. The ps4 to me feels like nothing more than a upgraded ps3. Im not saying its a bad system im just saying that the ps4 hasnt brought anything new (FOR ME) this gen. I could be bias tho, the ps4 could wasy my car make breakfast transform and rollout and id STILL prefer my X1. Bottom line is this, there are no FACTS when it comes to this silly console war. I see things one way while someone else sees it another. Whos to say whos right or wrong...

[BX81]

Yeah when I play my ps4 I feel like I'm playing a stronger console than the PS3 but when I play my xb1 i feel like I'm playing a next gen console. Of course ps4's next gen card might be more in the vr field. It's still early in the console life cycle so I expect good things still

[pompous]

Lol. How so? The only thing xbone has over ps4 is hdmi in for tv for those with cheap model tvs that have 1-2 hdmi inputs. They both hqve tons of voice commands such scrreenshots, recording, navigation, etc. But don't let me stop you from trying to justify your purchase. Quote me now- Xbox One doesn't break 40 mil sold.

[BX81]

Justify my purchase? To who? You? You're silly. I put on my big boy pants and go to the store fork over my money for the xb1 the same way I did for my ps4. Justification? You kids these days.... imo xb1 is better all around. Deal with it. You probably favor the ps4 and thats cool its a good console.

[Dark-Funeral]

look to the first GOW and the last one, Same to Uncharted, on the last GEN.

things get better by time, when the developer knew how to optimize their games better.

It is not about CPU and GPU ONLY, but about optimization also.

[nowitzki2004]

Gears very slightly improved graphics wise, Where uncharted totally transformed from 1 to 2 to 3.
I loved Gears 1 and 2 but I hated the Horde mode type campaign in judgement. Horde mode is amazing by itself but it was not needed in the campaign. Gears 1 and 2 had great campaigns.

Gears Judgement http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5...

Uncharted 3 http://i.imgur.com/KRJi2.jp...

Uncharted 3 looks so much better than Gears Judgement

[Concertoine]

Honestly gears 3 looks way better than judgement.

The real evolution was halo 3 to reach to 4. Halo 4 is just as impressive as U3 if you ask me. Not as much as TLOU, but still very good looking.

[_NotoriousJaee]

I come to n4g comments everyday just to read these hilarious fanboy comments! :D

[Minute Man 721]

Good to hear, I'll be picking up a X1 later in the year

[Simmo3D]

Xbox One FTW!

[RiseofScorpio]

I love how Sony fanboys take it personal when someone says this, hence the thumbs down.

[Andofaus]

Man it's great to be an Xbox gamer right now. Just checked the net after some epic halo 5 matches and yet more great new for Xbox owners.

[hello12]

Next year will show how good the PS4 is and how good the x box 1 is. Its amazing how fast the x box 1 has matured. 8 months ago it was doom and gloom and every game barely went over 720p

Now the x box 1 has lots of games at 1080p or near enough and even frame rates are better on x box 1, for some of the newer games. I expected it to happen and said that long time ago and with Windows 10 and directx12 out in 2015 for the x box 1 i expect to see even further frame rate improvements.

Its unlikely the seven core was utilised if it only came available in October. Its probably a 2015 thing if used at all?

[bababrooks]

Open available cores to prime the system for DX12 integration....soon the X1 will be working as intended!!!

[yewles1]

Now that Ubisoft slide makes sense.

[IrishSt0ner]

It's a nice little increase for an extra few fps, although lets not forget the cores themselves are really quite poor, that's the bottleneck.

I really wish MS/SONY went a fair bit higher with their CPUs (hell even PS3s cell is close to these CPUs - a decade on).

I was sold on the promise that Cloud Compute would allow 3x the CPU computation power. A year on, still waiting, told it'll be late 2015 or 2016 when Crackdown will really show this off..

Needless to say the old bait and switch tactic worked, although on a positive note it convinced me to upgrade my PC... which if anyone is thinking of doing, I say GO FOR IT, a much more rewarding experience.

[yarbie1000]

The main point of DX12 is that is takes that bottleneck from the cores out.

[duplissi]

Note quite. I'm sure they are working on improvements for the X1, however you need to remember - this is a console, and consoles already have Graphics APIs that offer reduced CPU overhead and "Closer to the metal" access. That's how it's always been, this gen is no different.

Just brace yourself so that you are not dissapointed when there are less than stellar differences. DX12 will be huge for PC, as Mantle has shown, PC APIs need to reduce CPU overhead... DX11 and OpenGL are fairly bloated, thus slowing down your GPU.

[yarbie1000]

duplissi, the multi-core cpu system working together is not what closer to the metal means. Last gen the consoles were also "closer to the metal". Go read about how they've figured out the CPU workload in DX12.

[IrishSt0ner]

I'm not sure about what impact DX12 will have on XBO, as in the heavy single core usage seen on PC (where the biggest gains are to be had). I've only read contrasting views.

Anwyway that's not what I meant, core performace vastly differs. A sigle core from my PCs i7 can achieve a lot more than a 'Jaguar' single core. For example, this '1 x Intel quad core' is over 6 times as powerful as the '2 x quad core Jaguar'.

The consoles could have benfited massively from another more powerful AMD CPU.

[duplissi]

Yeah, I understand that. DX12 and Mantle aim to reduce cpu overhead by increasing the size of batch calls per cycle. Obviously there is more to it than that, like better memory management, parallelism, etc.

The current consoles have 8 weak cores (weaker than the Desktop AMD cores). There is no way that current games would run the way they do if the same cpu overhead was present in both consoles. DX11 on the Xbox is not the same as DX11 on PC, in fact the point of DX12 and mantle is to bring those improvements to PC.

DX12 for the Xbox will be an improvement, yes. That should be obvious, but my point is that DX11 is already doing many of these things for the xbox. It is all just marketing fud.

If it turns out that it is indeed a huge difference, then HURRAY. It can only be a good thing, but I'm just trying to be realistic here. I've been through a few console generations (Technically I started with NES, but I was far to young to get into the industry side of things, it wasnt until the PS1 that I started to read into it). I am not so easily swayed by the PR spin on things as others are.

[GUTZnPAPERCUTZ]

Faster CPU and an extra 50% at worst Core! This is awesome news for CPU task like AI, Physics, Frame rate, and background calculations especially in RPG's and RTS's.

[gamingisnotacrime]

Sweet, i have been liking my xone more and more as i learn to use all its functions since november. I got the ps4 at launch and the xone keeps impressing me, great console no doubt. Haters gonna miss out on some fine gaming

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

http://img.pandawhale.com/p...

[RosweeSon]

Shame they didn't do this as a Day One edition.

[Illusive_Man]

Wait until dx12 starts giving devs the appropriate tools to spread tasks across available cores. A lot of games are not even spreading the work out like they should be. Dx12 will show even more CPU level gains as it is a more efficient api than dx11.x.

Before someone says but Phil said there won't be massive gains....massive doesn't mean there won't be significant gains. Here let's use some arbitrary numbers....

1.5
2.9 - significant
15 - massive

If significant means better AI and more stable frame rates I'm good.

Oh and with Windows 10 being even less of a resource hog than Windows 8 which is very good with resources (7 inch pcs are now fully functioning PCs 😳😁) should help reduce overhead even more.

[BlissSeeker]

Just read the opening paragraphs.
Very insightful!

[Outthink_The_Room]

This generation may get very interesting if Euclideon shows up with a functional SDK.

If DX12 can now be optimized for even a 7th core, XB1 would have a humungous advantage with the Unlimited Detail Tech.

Mathematically, you're looking at about a 70-73% advantage in CPU efficiency. And about an 18-20% advantage in CPU power. If Euclideon's technology truly is CPU based with minimal offloading to the GPU, the XB1 would have roughly a 35% overall advantage going forward.

Yikes! Forums are not going to be a pleasant place to visit if this happens. Apparently, we're going to find out about Euclideon's tech later this year, so brace yourself folks.

[bababrooks]

CPU is the way forward....also think outside the box ;)

[SCW1982]

Sorry bro but every Dev has said GPU is more important than CPU.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

PS4's maximum CPU clock speed is unknown (base clock speed is 1.6 GHz)

Gddr5 is superior

18 Compute Unit GPU is superior with 1152 cores vs Xbox One 12 Compute Unit GPU with 768 cores

PS4 GPU is at 1.84 tflops vs Xbox One GPU 1.31 tflops

Please understand that anyone in this thread who actually believes that the Xbox One can actually outperform the PS4 when running the same game that has been optimized for each system is just denying reality. There are only a few multiplatform games that "run" better on the Xbox One and the only reason is that those games (Unity, Madden, and a few others) have been optimized for the Xbox One. It's obvious and clear as day when you compare the specs of both machines.

I'm still laughing.

[nowitzki2004]

Dont put facts up. People like dreams.

[Unarmed_Civilian]

We will see this thru all the generation, ppl that wont accept the fact that the pS4 is more powerful.

Its sad that ppl stay ignorant by choice.

[nowitzki2004]

@unarmed

Its not even that its more powerful. Im sick of the same old exclusives on xbox. and the new ones just do not interest me outside of Quantum Break. Halo 5 looks amazing, but its the same halo just improved graphics, I have played Halo for countless hours and it needs major chages, bigger maps or something. all the mp maps look like I have been there done that.

PS2 was weaker than Xbox but PS2 whooped that @$$, with that legendary games lineup.

[FromTheAshes]

@nowitzki2004

PS2 released a whole year prior to the original Xbox.

PS4 and Xbox One released within weeks of one another.

The whole "PS2 was weaker...but" argument shouldn't apply in that case.

[Unarmed_Civilian]

Look how much better the PS4 gpu is at Ubisofts benchmark thanks to the Compute power that Cerny was talking about.

Just shows how shortsighted MS really is with x1 hardware.

http://images.eurogamer.net...

[Outthink_The_Room]

GDDR5 is superior in GPU styled calculations.

DDR3 is superior in CPU styled calculations.

To say that one is superior in every facet is incorrect. If GDDR5 was superior for all types of computation, then we'd be running it in every computer today. But we aren't and for good reason.

Also, as I stated directly above you, if rendering is moved to the CPU, then the extra power in the GPU that PS4 has, would be irrelevant.

So be very careful when trying to state that it's impossible for the XB1 to outperform the PS4. One company may change everything, overnight.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

The only way that the Xbox One will outperform the PS4 is if Microsoft changes the hardware configuration, anything else is just an illusion.

Read up on Sony Ice Team, Initiative for a Common Engine, they're in the same building as Naughty Dog.

[Outthink_The_Room]

@IGiveHugs

You should read up on Euclideon's Unlimited Detail Technology.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Yeah, that is being rendered on a CPU, using only one core. So photo-real without using the GPU, aside from displaying the image once it's processed.

Also, since Euclideon's Tech isn't polygons, there is no need to waste RAM for graphics. You don't load textures, nor do you load geometry into RAM before hand.

Euclideon's Tech runs straight off the hard-drive and pulls Point Cloud Data out, then renders one Point for every Pixel.

So like I said, GDDR5 is good for the GPU. Problem is, Euclideon may change the entire world of graphics and put all processing on the CPU.

Again, the GPU in both XB1 and PS4 would be of little use. The CPU's would be the main unit for computing. And since the XB1 has a more powerful CPU, things can change rather quickly.

...so I'll repeat it again for the people who don't know about technology. BE CAREFUL. Because this may very well backfire on the warriors. Especially the PS4 Warriors.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

Euclideon Unlimited Detail Is A Hoax

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Cloud computing has one problem, it depends on an internet connection to a server which as we all know, that connection can be disrupted at any moment. Like I said, cloud computing is wonderful, but trying to say that this technology is miraculously going to make the Xbox One's hardware perform the task of running video game software better than the PS4 is just a pipe dream. I'm not saying that it's impossible for the Xbox One's hardware to outperform the PS4, The specifications for both consoles do all the talking for me.

The Xbox One is not a PC. It's based on the same AMD Jaguar Laptop architecture as the PS4 and there's nothing you can say that will change the fact that the PS4 is better equipped to run video game software better than the Xbox One.

[Outthink_The_Room]

WTF.....................Who said Cloud Computing?

Point Cloud.....

Point.

Cloud.

Point Cloud Data.

Jesus Christ, it's like you know NOTHING of technology, yet you feel you're smart enough to have this conversation.

SECONDLY......Oh yeah, by the way, Euclideon has won 8 awards for their technology. And have been used by more than a dozen companies. Some of which are the largest Geo-Spatial companies in the world.

Yeah, Billion dollar companies are using a technology that's apparently a hoax. Perfect.

You just go on YouTube and pull a video from 4 years ago, then talk to me about it being a hoax? REALLY? You keep fighting the good fight kid.

Also, since you're a blatant PS4 Fanboy, pay attention.

Pray every day that Euclideon's SDK is not game-ready. Kneel down in front of your PS4 and Pray. Call it the PrayStation 4 if you want, I really don't care.

Because you and the other PS4 Warriors, better get ready if Euclideon shows up. Because all this nonsense about "impossible", will be gone in an instant.

So pray this doesn't happen.

[Rhythmattic]

IGiveHugs2NakedWomen

One thing to add...

The Australian Government gave a massive grant and invested into Euclideon.

Its real.

[Rhythmattic]

FFS...
to the disagree's

2nd Paragraph
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

http://www.kotaku.com.au/20...

[bababrooks]

Whith HSA technology you will find your reasoning incorrect....replace the 5 with a 3!!! Go and research the graphs and chips for next gen gaming.

Edit..responce to I give hugs

[HeMan76]

These are the foot steps of dx12.With windows 10 software upgrade,the MS will unlock some parts of the hardware which will be utilized only on dx12.7.5x greater draw calls if you compare to dx11 is insanely huge and that means XO games will display alot more objects and much more poly counts than ever.Over %50 CPU Reduction will bring more 60fps games and more consistent performance.

Phill said it is not gonna be a massive change which is he is right.The XO already using a low level dx11 API and will still be using low level API but this time it will be dx12.Thats why hes says not gonna be massive.Sony boys dont understand this at all.dx12 and dx11 completely different APIs.dx11 can crate a frame at 9ms on the other hand dx12 doing the same process at 3.8-4ms.This is very big difference.Just let the Sony boys downplay the dx12 but facts are gonna hurt them very badly

[XanderZane]

Sssshhhhhh.. don't give too much away. Let's just wait for the E3 ok? Phil is right. DX12 won't do much by itself at all, but.. DX12 + tools + Cloud Processing + FGPA = BOOOOOM!!

[the_dark_one]

Yes, some of them might end up on a hospital bed with an accute case of LOL's from your last point in this comment

[DougLord]

Frankly I love the Kinect. I'm playing Madden and can verbally call timeouts or audibles. Last night I was playing DA while watching Oregon kill FSU. Finally it's a really easy way to communicate in MP. I wouldn't give up the responsiveness of the OS to gain a few more ops per second.

We have yet to see a single game on PS4 that is dramatically superior to games on Xone. Take the best looking games like Far Cry or GTA and you really can't see any differences. But Snap, Voice commands and the smoothness and flexibility of the Xone's OS are LEAGUES beyond what Sony can do. Don't give that up to win some fake paper spec war.

[AutoCad]

I thought people knew this already about the CPU being untapped..
NVM its n4g.

[ATi_Elite]

I like this. Kinect is dead so opening up 80% of a 7th core is a good sign that MS is trying to get devs the most out of the xb1 that they can.

Progress is always good. Good job MS.

(still waiting on cloud computing and DX12 improvements)

I have a slight feeling Halo 5 may showcase cloud compute.

[thexmanone]

PS4 fans will do everything in there power to turn a good thing to a bad thing for the Xbox one just to prove that the PS4 is better. Well its a matter of opinion. Xbox One is my console of choice. And its getting better and better ever month. Good job MS. keep it up.

[Shineon]

They should have put the cell in ps4!I have no idea why they chose a weaker CPU. Congrats to Xbox one

[Ps4andxb1]

The ps4 cpu is much more powerful than the cell. So is the xb1 cpu.

Like many things, it's a total myth the cell is more powerful.

It's complete myth the ps4 has triple a exclusives running at 1080p 60fps. Go ahead and search for some, there aren't any.

It's total myth the ps4 is much more powerful them xb1 too. The end results when used properly are basically the same.

Xb1 just had a slow technical start.

[Shineon]

Your wrong sir a test was already conducted the cell is more powerful than ps4 http://www.lazygamer.net/ge... Just Google it it explains. The GPU in the ps4 is pretty good tho it can handle certain task

My phone sucks can't copy and paste for s*** d**** you Android!!!!

[asadachi]

I keep hearing that MS is improving their system and gamers will benefit. I've been hearing this for over a year now though when they claimed the next direct x will do this. I am all for the improvement, but want to see proof at this point.

[VP37]

Have you played Forza Horizon-2? It's a pretty amazing game. Did you watch the 15-20 minute direct feed game-play video of Quantum Break being played on an Xbox One? I defy anyone to say any other game looks better graphically.

[SCW1982]

I will tell you The Order and Uncharted 4 already look better graphically. Oh yeah also Second Son.

[asadachi]

I'm not talking about existing games. I'm talking about the promise that the system will improve. This is MS saying this, I'm not saying anything about the current system.

[Tzuno]

The grand daddy of software, no wonder Ms is evolving so much,how to make a so called inferior hardware to be more powerful without changing a damn piece? simply , it's called optimization.

[TWB]

Nice

[corroios]

Lol. The cpu in the Xbox One is better then the ps4, lol. It Was overclock and does like 3 of 4 frames more...

[hiawa23]

MS is doing what they need to do and I applaud them. Haters going to continue to hate so, MS just needs to stay on course.

[MadMenX]

This is what happens when you have Phil at the head, as a past Dev, he understands the needs and the mistakes.

[jairusmonillas]

PS4's GPU is and will always be 40% stronger lol.

[dRanzer]

Not only the GPU

http://www.cinemablend.com/...

Time to belive the truth :)

[CptVimes]

Time to stop believing everything you read by William Usher.

[dRanzer]

Why? becouse xbox owner say it? give me a break

[CptVimes]

No, quite honestly it's because somebody can come along with a link to an article which refutes what another article says like so :-
http://www.redgamingtech.co...
My argument is, take everything you read with a pinch of salt. Then again if you want to believe everything you read just because it knocks something you don't like I suppose that's another way to go.

[dRanzer]

I can say the same thing on the link you brought? I do not believe it
indeed People believe what they want to believe

[HelghastGeneral]

PS4 includes a secondary ARM processor (with separate 256 MiB of RAM) to assist with background functions and OS features.

[mysteryraz11]

ps4 is gonna improve to, sdk 2.0 article already showed this, running cpu tasks on the gpu 10x better then the cpu, ps4 uses something similar to directx called opengl so a updated opengl will help ps4 also get a performance boost, ps4 isnt maxed out not bye a long shot

[Locknuts]

I'll take a better framerate over stupid voice commands any day. Nice work MS.

[PcGamer629]

Still as powerful as a low end pc

[acemonkey]

wish in this hand and put one hand under ur butt see which one fills up faster

[RickyLee]

Microsoft doing very good job now a days.

[VP37]

Where's the Ice Team guy who was talking smack about the Xbox and DX12 a few months ago?

Haven't heard much from the Ice Team since then.

[Agent_hitman]

But that doesn't necessarily mean that X1 will be more powerful than PS4 by just releasing updated SDK without re-bumping or upgrading the hardware itself. We all know that the PS4's hardware, especially the GPU is a lot more powerful, that it can produce more juice than X1. Just sayin.

It's not like a magic or miracle that will pop out and produce extraordinary thing on the X1, y'know.

I'm not trolling, if you think otherwise then the jokes on you.

[AndyLFC5]

I own both consoles, I 've had a ps4 for a year and recently got an Xbox. So I want both to be great. Here's my thoughts on both. Ps4 is obviously the most powerful, I prefer it's home screen and menu layout, but for the first 10 months the only game I had was BF4. Xboxone, better line up of games, seems to be getting stronger, but I think MS didn't realise how powerful the PS4 was going to be, hence the price cuts and optimization. I hate the dashboard, I used a code the other day to download a game, it then took me 10 mins trying to find it! But games matter, I see Drive club being mentioned, great graphics but gameplay utter shite, I am sorry but 30fps on a driving game doesn't work, I got rid of this game within 24hrs, give me Forza any day. So for me I want both to improve, the Xbox getting a better more user friendly dashboard and the PS4 getting a stronger games line-up, I am sure both will happen.

[ironmonkey]

Well of course ps4 is more powerful. Sony isnt running around hiring teams trying optimize and find solutions to make 1080p. Were not hearing anything about sony optimizing shit about ps4 cause Their system just works simple as that. Hopefully for the price xboxone will be easier to work with eventually or someday.

[ScaryMonkey]

"which may partly explain why a small amount of multi-platform titles released during Q4 2014 may have possessed performance advantages over their PS4 counterparts in certain scenarios."

LOL, hilarious! The xbox fanboy delusion continues.

[snoopgg]

Okay after having 3 360s shat out on me last generation, I will have to see and wait if this extra core stuff even happens before I buy multiconsloles again. I bought the ps3 last gen also. With that I got a better built console that I am still playing. I am going to buy a ps4, but am on the fence with the xboxone unless it can actually beat the ps4 at playing games, I don't need two consoles that can do the same thing at the same performance rate. I have always liked Sony exclusives better anyway. Although this is good news if true for xboxone owners out there if their machine can be made more powerful by using that extra core. Everybody should just game on in 2015 on whatever they have I am sure it will be a good year in gaming for all.

[masterfox]

yay more extra/super/incredible secret sausage!!! I mean sauce.

No make me a unicorn MS!!!

[urwifeminder]

Nice they certainly are going for this will be so well optimised before this year is out top work MS.

[kenwonobi]

Ps is being optimized as we speak. Short lived blah blah secret sauce talk. Xbox is always behind. If it wasnt why would they always need to optimize it?