950°

PS VR; Console Effectively 60% More [Efficient] Than Equally Specced PC

During the AR/VR Vision Summit, Sony's Richard Marks held a presentation about Playstation VR (PS VR). According middleware providers, the console is effectively 60% more powerful than an equally specced PC setup.

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CoNn3r_B3001d ago

I want to believe it but I doubt it.

Alexious3001d ago

Maybe he meant 60% more efficient?

CoNn3r_B3001d ago

That sounds more believable but still isn't believable enough.

Aenea3001d ago

Yes, that is what they meant, they can get 60% more out of the PS4 than on a similar specced PC 'cos of efficiency WHILE using VR...

And this is not a number Sony pulled from somewhere it's something that was measured by a 3rd party...

And don't forget, this is about PS4+PSVR as compared to similar specced PC + VR

freshslicepizza3001d ago

but why make that comparison if psvr has it's own processor? we already know how the ps4 measures up to a computer by the games.

FunAndGun3001d ago Show
BarneyS3001d ago Show
medman3001d ago Show
Eonjay3001d ago

He meant that that vr on the PS4 was comparable to a PC about 60% more powerful because of the low level access that developers have to the PS4. He refereed to something called 'system hooks' and how they really streamline the process.

joeorc3001d ago

Dr. marks explained it based on 3rd party middleware tools and the performance they gave him.

Wallstreet373001d ago

moldy...

Who told you psvr has its own processor? All the work is being done by the ps4. It arm chair analysts on here hearing rumors and hoping psvr would skyrocket in price saying that erroneous bs. Psvr has a box that only handles 3d audio and streaming the image from psvr to the tv.

IGiveHugs2NakedWomen3001d ago

It's more powerful than a pc with similar specs running vr because of asynchronous reprojection. Watch the video.

freshslicepizza3000d ago

@Wallstreet37

something has to make the games go to 120fps.

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

jb2273000d ago

Exactly, it is all about optimization...other devs are trying to hit a moving target while devs working w/ PSVR benefit from the fixed specs & capabilities of the unit. Pretty sure this has rang true for quite a while now across even traditional forms of gaming.

HammadTheBeast3000d ago

@Mike

If you don't have a tri-SLI Titan setup with a 120 Hz three-monitor and 4K setup, you're nothing more than a pretender.

nitus103000d ago

@moldybread

Why do you need to make games output to 120fps?

Normally when you look at the specs of a monitor or TV you are more interested in Hertz not frames per second.

A quick rule of thumb: If you have a TV/Monitor that has a refresh rate of say 120Hz it can normally display up to 120fps. There are other factors involved as well but lets keep this simple.

If you have a monitor that is rated at 60Hz (the de-facto standard) the maximum frame rate you can display from a graphics card is 60 fps. Now say the PS4 can only output a maximum of 60 fps to the PSVR which has a refresh rate of 120Hz you will still get 60 fps or a frame every 1/60 second however you will also get an additional frame per 1/60 of a second which actually assists in making the picture that much crisper especially during rapid movement of the image.

Do a search on "frame rate to hz" for more information.

wsoutlaw873000d ago

lol nitus10 hz means cycles per second. FPS is hertz except tvs have refresh rates and games have frames.

UltraNova3000d ago

Wow this is some seriously juicy and somewhat hard to believe info right there...but it kinda makes sense since on the ps4 you have almost no OS/API overhead to drag you down.

donthate3000d ago (Edited 3000d ago )

I need some of that cool aid Richard Marks been drinking, because the PS4 doesn't have enough power even if you double the processing power. Talking about 60% when you need several hundred percent is just disingenuous.

... and then we get the report from a reddit developer (supposedly) that claims the PS4 is comparable to a GeForce GTX 970. Furthermore, he claims there are no artifacts with reprojection, which is impossible. The whole downside to reprojection is the artifacts. If you can just perturb an image and get a different angle without artifacts, why even bother with re-rendering the frame.

So much BS.

its_JEFF3000d ago

I wonder how much people actually clicked on the article or just read the headline and saw RED, Argggg... Attack!!!!

I'm amazed at how many people like to think they're experts, just cause you own a PC and do all your own upgrades doesn't make you an expert. Reading up on how the tech works, without real world experience, doesn't make you an expert. Watching fights and actually being in a fight are two completely different things.

+ Show (18) more repliesLast reply 3000d ago
kenwonobi3001d ago

And why not? It comes with its own box and processor.

joeorc3001d ago (Edited 3001d ago )

@kenwonobi + 2h ago
"And why not? It comes with its own box and processor."

Yup, ironic thing is DR.Marks just explained what that connector box does..and its not to help with the PS4's graphics tasks! , reprojection is done on the PS4 not that external box. The box is for so to have both a TV & the PSVR hooked to the PS4 @ the same time. And that box contains a dedicated 3D audio chip.

Its in the 30 min video
http://www.gamasutra.com/vi...

donthate3000d ago

joerc:

Interesting, because it was originally reported that PS VR had 3 chips in the breakout box. One of them is the FRC (frame rate conversion) chip which I assumed was to do the reprojection because how else would you increase the frame rate.

http://www.dualshockers.com...

According to Richard Marks, the breakout box actually undoes the reprojection that the PS4 does, which makes more sense because you still have the z-buffer. You won't in the breakout box. So I guess the initial report must have been wrong.

joeorc3001d ago (Edited 3001d ago )

@CoNn3r_B + 8h ago
I want to believe it but I doubt it.

Think of it like this..on a PC you have in the case of a tower, a north bridge, and south bridge off die, that has instructions to and from the i/O. Now top it off if your GPU is not 3Dstacked I. The same Sips Die as such like the PS4 & Xbox one , that means from the PC's graphics card from the PCiEx connection through the system boards I/O you have extra processing steps. Yes there is multiprocess instructions going on , but still the bus to & from the I/O is still there.

While in the case of the Xbox one & PS4 is on the same die of the SOC!

Now let's take the points of overhead processing steps /clock cycle. The overhead for windows or Linux is far greater than it is for a PS4 & Xbox one. In its ui control software.

Yes you have DirectX, or Vulkan..but on the same token the PS4 is even closer to the metal for processing performance with less interruption processing steps between each instruction.

The best point to point out here is take a single board Arm Processing board..no moving parts, all solid state. At lower watt/ performance game console's or PC's were not designed to gain Higher performance by sipping power. Its the same with console's and PC's at lower power requirements vs the PC the performance/watt is greater for a =spec PC , not just because of software being closer to the metal, but also design choices.. Could PC's be designed this way? Of course. But the main point is they are not.

Console's are. Its kinda a point of pointing out well defined parameters vs open ended parameters. The open ended will or could be higher performance Is, if you load it with higher performance parts. The point would get to where the PC is bound to outstip the PS4 or Xbox one eventually.

But same spec's , no until you upgrade than of course that changes the dynamic of the outcome.

CoNn3r_B3000d ago

You sir have been the only person to say something helpful.

Corpser3000d ago (Edited 3000d ago )

It's not 2013 anymore. The jaguar core CPUs on consoles are now what AMD calls 3rd generation, AMD just announced their 7th generation is coming out this year.

Saying consoles outperform similar spec PC components are not saying much, a PC with these console specs would be so outdated by now

Tsar4ever013000d ago (Edited 3000d ago )

Nah, I think what their saying is Ps4 is 60% or whatever a similar spec pc means about the fact of it's SEMI-Customization. You can't buy the AMD parts off the shelf and build a Ps4. Ps4(*and XB1)has dual quad(4) core Jaguars chips. Off the shelf Jaguars core chips only come in 4 cores.

Second, Ps4's 7800/7870 GPU, However "Under clocked" has costumed 8 ACE's which is also on AMD much higher spec GPU R9 290X. http://www.redgamingtech.co... The regular 7870 gpu chip doesn't have 8 ACE's.

I believe This what they really mean when they say PS4 is 60% stronger.

Corpser3000d ago

You're right you can't buy cpus with Jaguars cores, it's AMD's 3rd generation , in the PC world they just announced 7th generation is coming out in 2016

showtimefolks3000d ago

pc crowd will say otherwise

but in my humble opinion psvr has a much higher chance of success since 40 plus million ps4 owners can buy one and don't need any other high end machine

if they price this thing right than sales difference could be like it is now between ps4 vs xbox one(not saying 40 to 20 million, basically saying if oculus sells 4 million than psvr could sell 6)

Corpser3000d ago

Who would want a PC with equal specs of a ps4 lol

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney2999d ago (Edited 2999d ago )

potato masher pc on youtube > ps4

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Volkama3001d ago

Can't be bothered to check the numbers, but I would think that'd still leave it a fair way behind the 970 that is considered the minimum requirement for Rift/Vive?

LightofDarkness3001d ago (Edited 3001d ago )

@Ritchi: An equally specced PC is a Radeon 7850 with a 1.6Ghz 8-core CPU and about 8GB RAM total (between GPU and CPU, not counting that only 5.5GB is available for games). This is still slower than a 970, if you measure using real-world benchmarks and apply 60% more raw FPS, as the 7850 achieves about 40% of the performance of a 970 in most games. The CPU is leagues slower and most gaming PCs, certainly VR ready ones, will have about 10GB-18GB RAM total between CPU and GPU (at least 2GB for GPU, 8GB-16GB for system).

Now where does this 60% come from? I believe they are already using frame interpolation instead of a true 100hz/120hz signal, so that's about 50% at least. It means there will be some potential motion artifacting as well, much like you get when enabling 120hz on your TV that also uses motion interpolation instead of a true 120hz signal. It's also only spitting out <25% of the number of pixels the Vive is rendering:

Vive = 457 million pixels/sec (1512x1680x2x90)
PSVR = ~100 million (1920x1080x60 – ~20%*)

(From article)

You're getting what you pay for, in any sense. It is a compromise on PS4, but it will hopefully be enough for most. I don't know if it has that suspension of disbelief factor that the more powerful competitors have with their sharper images and smoother framerates, but time will tell.

Volkama3001d ago (Edited 3001d ago )

Ritchi "I can read, thanks"

Point being that even with their "60% more power than an equally specced PC" comment, that would place the PS4 below the minimum requirements for other VR solutions.

I've read the article now, and as LightofDarkness quotes below it looks like PSVR only needs about 25% of power that drives those PC headsets. The PS4 specs are in a much more comfortable place if that is true, and if the experience is genuinely comparible (or even close) then Sony have achieved a mighty impressive feat.

XhiXExtreme3001d ago

gtx 480 with 2600K still more powerfull than a PS4 take it or leave it

Eonjay3001d ago

The calculation should be 1.86x1.6 (PS4+60%) = 2.9Tflops. This is just shy of a 970 but is incredibly impressive still. But to be frank it just boils down to the PS4 being a dedicated machine where there are no wildcards because all is known. A 970 should blow the PS4 away in theory, but the nature of the PC means that their is some built in latency.
Imagine how crazy you would go if you had to absolutely maximize every potential PC combo with the OS and whatever apps are loaded. Its not feasible. So the greatest asset to developing for PC is the raw power advantage.

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ApocalypseShadow3001d ago

The only real thing gamers need to pull from that presentation is that there isn't any extra GPU or CPU in the breakout box like I have been saying and showing forever in these threads. Here it is again. One more time
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

PS4 is handling all the work. The box splits the video with HDMI to the headset and changes the video projected onto the TV to normal. And also handles the 3D audio. That's it.

That means no Wii extra power. No gtx 970. No anything but being a splitter and doing sound. That means PSVR will be inexpensive on its own and not expensive as a bundle in comparison to Oculus and Vive.

Be happy and get your wallets ready.

Muadiib3001d ago

It also means it will massively under-powered compared to it's PC counterparts, that proposed 60% advantage over similarly specced PC's still leaves it far far off the minimum specs needed for Oculus et al.

I think the best you can expect is either simple graphics for open games or limited gameplay (on rails etc) when using nice graphics. Don't expect Elite Dangerous to ever work on PSVR for example.

BitbyDeath3001d ago

'Don't expect Elite Dangerous to ever work on PSVR for example.'

Elite Dangerous can run on a Radeon 7850 so PSVR supposedly being 60% more powerful than that will do that game no worries.

Did you mean to say Star Citizen by chance?

mogwaii3001d ago

"I think the best you can expect is either simple graphics for open games or limited gameplay (on rails etc) when using nice graphics."
This is my fear.

joeorc3001d ago

Its very clear you have not tried PSVR, and you are absolutely wrong on graphics you can expect to see on PSVR..you need to try it before coming to such conclusions, because what your saying is not only incorrect, but could give consumer the wrong idea on PSVR's capabilities.

kfk3000d ago

Streamlined hardware, less OS overhead and a more direct API mean that it already has a lower target minimum spec than its PC counterparts; that minimum further decreases with the use of reprojection and the particular type of screen Sony has implemented (OLED with RGB subpixels is inherently less prone to the 'screen door' effect).

JackBNimble3000d ago

Would you say that Ace Combat is a simple game on rails? With simple graphics and limited game play?

I'm not much for speculation and playing guessing games on whether the psvr with have enough power. But I do know one thing, that if Ace Combat is any indication of some of the games, then I will at least be happy with it.

Muadiib3000d ago (Edited 3000d ago )

I'll reply to myself as N4G's moronic messaging system doesn't let me reply to others! Let's make some comparisons.

Vive and Oculus 's refresh rate is a native 90Hz, whilst the PSVR can technically reach 120Hz, they will mostly be converting a 60Hz signal to 90Hz, they recently gave that as an option, unless the game looks very basic then expect all developers to take that option. Native 90HZ looks a lot better than 60Hz converted to 90 or even 120Hz, that is just a fact.

The Vive and Oculus use two oled pentile 1080x1200p screens whilst the PSVR uses a single 1920x1080p oled rgb display split in half which gives 960x1080p per eye. Sony has to use the higher pixel density of an rgb display considering they are only using one screen, they have to magnify a smaller surface area to fit a players fov, overall this will look inferior.

The Vive's and Oculus' fov is 110, whilst the PSVR's is 100, fov is crucial to presence, those extra 10 degrees go a long way tbh.

The minimum specs needed to run the Vive and Oculus are massively more powerful than the PS4, simple physics tell us that the kinds of graphics and experiences possible on PC VR will trounce anything on the PSVR. Of course a similarly powerful PC to a PS4 will always be outperformed, but we are talking about a PC that is a couple of generations ahead. Compromises on the PSVR will come, mark my words.

If you really think the demo Sony showed of Ace Combat will look that good in the PSVR headset then you must be incredibly gullible. I'll believe it when I see it personally. Sony have been too dishonest in this regard for me to take them at their words.

There is a ton of other tech in the Vive and Oculus Rift that make them a much higher quality product tbh but I'll put that in a response if anyone's interested.

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Death3001d ago

From the same article a developer claims Sony is "beefing" up the external processing unit to help with the "heavy lifting". Here's a link to a Sony event where he gets the information. https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Eonjay3001d ago

This is a misconception as addressed by Dr. Marks. Here is the exact video and exact timing where he corrects the misconceptions (posted 2 days ago):
https://youtu.be/XZVVs5O8NC...

The device process the signal for the TV and does Audio Processing which he goes on to say is a fraction of the PS4 itself. He reiterates that all of the graphics are done on the PS4. You cannot get any clearer than this. This can't be spun.

ApocalypseShadow3001d ago (Edited 3001d ago )

It's a processing unit. Sending video to the headset and the TV while doing sound.

There's no reason to drive up cost when PS4 is doing most of the work. How is it supposed to help with graphics through USB?HDMI is split from the box to the headset and TV.

I can see processing of video and sound being better but it won't magically increase the 1080p output. PS4 already does 1080p. Making it better doesn't mean tossing a graphics card that will need a cooling fan,sub components,etc.

It's unnecessary and over kill when you are trying to establish a platform everyone can afford within reason. The screen is the only thing I find expensive of the unit. Death, you tell me what you think is the cost of those components? Starting with the plastic, LEDs and foam...

Eonjay, thank you. It's like they want it to fail and be expensive where no one can buy it. And joeorc..yup..we see eye to eye

Death3001d ago (Edited 3001d ago )

He says it's just a breakout box that converts the video signal for the HDTV. He then goes on to say this same box has enough processing power left over to do the 3D audio. I can see where the confusion developers have is coming from. There is clearly a processor in the box, but it's not directly impact what is seen in the headset. It's more for the second screen experience and also to reduce load on the PS4 by taking care of audio processing.

I'm not sure how this is "spinning" anything. Without this box, PSVR won't work.

@Apocalypse,

It's pointless to discuss the cost of the materials involved in making any device. You also have overhead expenses, shipping, storage, R&D, employee expenses, healthcare, insurance, etc that needs factored in.

I'm not sure why having a realistic expectation of the retail cost of PSVR is wanting it to fail. There are a lot of obstacles for any VR device to overcome. Cost is only one part of the equation.

ApocalypseShadow3000d ago (Edited 3000d ago )

Well death...if you're factoring in health insurance ,plane flights,dinner meals,sick leave,etc then yes gamers are in for an expensive device price come March.

None of the components are expensive. The plastic, the LEDs, the foam, the breakout box, the HDMI out which cellphones and tablets have. The sub pixel screen is the only difference between cellphone screens. The tech is not that far in component price to the PS vita. And vita came out at $249-$299.

It won't be expensive. And PS4 is doing the work as Dr Marks states it does. Developers are just saying it's better than mid range PCs at certain tasks but can handle VR.

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joeorc3001d ago (Edited 3001d ago )

@Apocalypse Shadow

Finger to nose...nods head..

And for people that still does not seem to understand..the screen itself inside the PSVR is always clocked with a 120 hz. Refresh rate all the time!

Eonjay3001d ago

Is that accurate. I think it does support a 90Hz refresh rate as well. 60fps goes to 120. 120 stays 120 and 90 is 90 I think. Please correct me if I misundertood.

joeorc3001d ago (Edited 3001d ago )

@Eonjay + 3m ago
"Is that accurate. I think it does support a 90Hz refresh rate as well. 60fps goes to 120. 120 stays 120 and 90 is 90 I think. Please correct me if I misundertood."

It supports all the way up to 120hz, because the PlayStation VR screen's refresh rate is always on 120hz ie: it is at a locked in refresh rate of 120Hz, so even if your game is 60 or 90 the screen reprojection is always on, & the screen itself is locked in @
120hz on All the time.

That's why performance is as good as it is, because they have the screen itself refreshing @ a solid refresh rate with the PS4 itself performing the tasks of reprojecting working in tandem with the screen. With the 3D audio taking dedicated position sense placement in persistant active tracking..it allows with the led lights , gyro, accelerometer and magnameter. Being able to keep positional tracking and keep it persistent in a VR environment.

Bladesfist3000d ago

No that's not true, you do not have to turn reprojection on, you can have your games running at lower refresh rates. You can watch Sony talk about it here https://youtu.be/3RNbZpcfAh...

Muadiib3000d ago (Edited 3000d ago )

Imagine a PS4 running a game at 120 frames per second, now imagine all of the other demands of VR, how would that game look? Technically the PSVR can output up to 120Hz but if the developer wants it to look better than a PS3 game then they will instead convert native 60Hz (still very demanding) to 90Hz or 120Hz, don't expect native 120Hz ever unless the game is really basic looking. Don't even expect 60Hz converted to 120Hz very often, it's just too demanding.

Keep in mind the way Sony are converting a 60Hz signal to 90Hz or 120Hz gives nowhere near the level of smoothness as the Vive's or Oculus's native 90Hz signal. It's like upscaling 720p to 1080p compared to native 1080p.

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Tsar4ever012999d ago (Edited 2999d ago )

Sounds good, but I wish Sony's psvr was strong enough to work on current & upcoming games such as

Far cry 4
Alien isolation
Soma
Dying Light
Doom
Gta 5
Fallout 4
Elite Dangerous
Mirror's Edge Catalyst

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70°

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Garethvk53d ago

I can finally play Half Life Alyx.

mariopasta53d ago

I can finally watch pron, I mean watch pronouns be pronounced in PC VR games that were previously not available on Playstation.

crazyCoconuts53d ago

be careful not to sprain your... tongue pronouncing those pronouns

Profchaos53d ago

I'm excited for that to plus I can try fallout 4 VR always wanted to play that

crazyCoconuts53d ago

I was lucky and held off on 4 until I played it in VR. It really is pretty awesome - you'll love it.

DaReapa53d ago

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Knightofelemia61d ago

Hence why physical will always be better then digital.