[PCGamesN]The Division's PC version had to be kept "in check with consoles"

[poofyhairguy]

I keep wondering why they hold to such long upgrade cycles for the consoles. Why not release an XB1.5 like 3-4 years after the XB1 launch and then XB2 like 3-4 years after that? 3 or 4 years is more than enough time for a generational change in CPU/GPU, they should be able to probably increase performance by 50% without costing a dime more, don't change the layout just the APU installed in there.

Is that much extra GPU power worth the cost/confusion though?

From what I understand thanks to law of diminishing returns a system twice as powerful as a PS4 would look like the same generation. I know for a lot of people the resolution bump was the biggest jump from PS3-PS4. A 1.5 generation system would have to be at least four times as powerful to jump to 4K, but then the consumer would need a 4K screen too.

I think we have kinda hit the end of the plank for 3D rendering on a 2D display. I think whatever consoles replace the current ones will be mostly VR focused. VR is the place where all that extra hardware power can lead to a new EXPERIENCE.

 

[Headfoot]

Where the new consoles really fell flat is the CPU. Even the Xbox One's GPU is solid since you can just run at lower resolution to keep the in-game effects up, and it uses a modern GPU architecture with modern features (~gcn 1.1).

But the CPU is just slow. Even if they had just used the same CPU but clocked at 2.5-3.0 instead it would've made a big difference. They should've spent the few more cents on a bigger heatsink and upped the clocks.

 

[Silverforce11]

You guys underestimate the CPU, console with low level API is the perfect environment for multi-threaded coding. This is why we've seen many recent AAA titles so well threaded, scaling on 6 and 8!

That's easily enough to sustain 30fps+, but the weak GPU itself is the limiting factor. You take a 7850/750Ti and expect it to run 1080p with high settings in modern games, not going to happen.

This is why we often see the 25% more powerful GPU in the PS4 manage to run at higher resolution than Xbone or faster. Consoles are 100% GPU bottle-necked.

 

[ShintaiDK]

You overestimate both the CPU and the low level API. PS4 have had access to low level API all the time. Yet when it really hits, the Xbox One shows slightly better results due to its faster CPU.

Its a super weak CPU. And nothing is going to fix that.

 

[jpiniero]

It makes sense from a development perspective, esp since they are obviously spending as little as time as possible on the PC version. Once they realized they weren't going to get the frame rate they wanted with the console CPUs they scaled back things. But it's also likely only a small portion of the assets.

 

[Silverforce11]

Is that why many games on both consoles, the PS4 ends up running at 900p or 1080p and the Xbone is running 720p?

Edit: I'm not debating that the games are designed to the lower standards of the CPU. I am pointing out that the GPU is also a major bottleneck for these modern games. Thus, the SOC on consoles is actually balanced. If you give it a faster CPU, its not going to help when they struggle to run at 900p & 1080p, especially the Xbone that gets low-res more often.

And if you give it a faster GPU, it will prolly hit the CPU limits. What we can say, the Xbone's weaker GPU is holding it back more compared to the PS4 as the latter manages to run games at higher resolution 30 fps.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Is that why many games on both consoles, the PS4 ends up running at 900p or 1080p and the Xbone is running 720p?

The game is still dumbed down due to the CPU limitation. And PS4 can use GNM, Xbox One is just starting to be able to use DX12.

If I recall right, DICE said they had to pick between 1080p and 64 player limit with BF4.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Is that why many games on both consoles, the PS4 ends up running at 900p or 1080p and the Xbone is running 720p?

Meh, for some games both are found lacking

While the Xbox One version of the game seems be suffering the most, the PS4 version—which runs at 1080p, rather the Xbox One's 900p—also has frame rate drops. According to Digital Foundry, both the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game are unable to sustain their 30FPS target, although it notes that the console versions look "equivalent to the high setting on the PC game."

"Avalanche pushes the boat out there with the Havok [physics engine] middleware," says Digital Foundry, "but this does cause performance issues on both consoles. Blowing up a bridge with C4 explosives causes a mid-20s dip on both machines as the structure crumbles into its component parts. Bearing in mind that not a huge amount is happening from a visual perspective otherwise, it does suggest that the Jaguar CPU architecture of both consoles is being pushed to its limit."

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/...s-glitches-and-fps-drops-on-consoles-and-pcs/

 

[Headfoot]

Here's the thing. You can't really say something is GPU limited unless there is a hard resolution requirement/limit/floor. Since the developer gets to pick what resolution the game runs at, you can pretty easily work around the GPU limits as long as you're in the right ballpark (same process node as a general barometer).

IMO the consoles are 720p/900p consoles masquerading as 1080p consoles. And thats before you even talk 30fps vs 60fps. Sure you're GPU limited if you aim for a resolution thats too far past your hardware's capabilities. Any game on PC can be GPU limited by running at 4k. Eg. Fallout 4 is CPU limited on nearly every rig on PC, but you could still push that limit to the GPU by running 4k. You can just as easily move down to 720 and be certainly CPU limited. There's talk of having constantly variable internal resolution scaled to 1080p on XboxOne to hit more consistent frame rates. I think one of the Halos does it someplaces

 

[jpiniero]

Its a super weak CPU. And nothing is going to fix that.

This is true. At least it does mean you can run the game on very old PCs and still get a decent frame rate... provided you have a recent dGPU even with the poor optimization.

 

[ShintaiDK]

This is true. At least it does mean you can run the game on very old PCs and still get a decent frame rate... provided you have a recent dGPU even with the poor optimization.

This is also why we see something like the i3 2100 do so well over and over.