Next Gen Console - Easier to Port from PC

[1Kurgan1]

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has revealed that the promising open-world hack-’em-up Watch Dogs is being developed using PC as the lead platform. In an interview with Dutch site Inside Gamer, Guillemot explained how, for once, it’s the consoles that are on the receiving end of the port process. I’d joke about PS4 owners being forced to deal with incomprehensible QTEs asking them to press LMB, but I’m not bitter.

So what’s the benefit of leading with PC over consoles? “We expect fewer problems with porting games to the PS4 than the PS3, which had a completely different infrastructure,” Guillemot said. “Previously, we developed games first on the Xbox 360 and then translated them onto the PS3. It took a lot of time and money to port.”

If both upcoming next-gen platforms stick to PC-friendly architecture, the result will likely be more stable games for everyone. If the easiest way for developers to achieve multi-platform release is to lead on PC, then we might finally see an end to the long list of porting grievances that have affected so many of out AAA hand-me-downs.

Source

 

[1Kurgan1]

Yes the article is about Watch Dogs, but I felt the information on PC porting to console was a much more important topic. If this is true, that will be great. I remember hearing about BF3 being pushed for PC, but in the end, it still is a console port with icing on top. If this really is being made on PC and ported to console, and other games do the same, I will be extremely happy, and not so disappointed in consoles.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Ive been thinking this since we heard that hardware is going to be x86 architecture. Crappy console ports might just be a thing of the past.

 

[Nordic]

Good news

 

[Frenzic]

We might actually get to use the power of the PC and have more straight up code and not messed about with during ports. Good news.

 

[15th Warlock]

Most developers are constrained by the limits in the current generation of consoles, mostly in terms of RAM, yes, when porting games to PC they can add a ton of effects and high def textures, but the basic AI routines, map sizes, and in most cases even polygon counts are limited by the lowest common denominator (512MBs of RAM give or take)

So they can polish a turd until it's shiny and all, but it still is a turd in the end.

At least, the bar will be set higher with a new console cycle, and developers will finally be able to break that hard limit that has been dragging all PC gamers down for over 7 years.

The fact that both next gen consoles will share the x86 architecture will make things even easier for developers, and we can some of them to utilize the power of this architecture to maximize what they can accomplish with their imaginations, but I guess that'll depend also on whether they want to invest in the extra effort of making the PC version the main focus, and go down from there as Guillemont says.

Thanks for this article, it was a nice read

 

[FordGT90Concept]

The underlying problem of having many computer configurations to just a handful a console configurations will remain a problem. Console versions will still be more optimized for the hardware than computer versions.

 

[1Kurgan1]

The underlying problem of having many computer configurations to just a handful a console configurations will remain a problem. Console versions will still be more optimized for the hardware than computer versions.

That'll always be and issue. It's why there is some pretty great looking console games, where has hardware of that quality age for PC now couldn't do anything like that. But with it all starting on PC, at least we should be seeing more features that belong on PC games (I mean even simple things like an FOV slider, so many games without something that small these days its unreal). And people who invest in great hardware should notice a good gap, and the older the console get, the more that gap will widen.

I'd much rather have us port down than them port up.

 

[Fourstaff]

Or they are just going to do it the other way round as usual since PC will inevitably be more powerful than consoles.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

I'm so sick of all the pre launch next gen console hype I could turn vomit yellow. There's some forums now chock full of back and forth flaming between those praising PS4 over Wii U, 720, and some even claiming it better than PC.

What I'm reading, if there's any truth to the latest rumor mills, is that the 720 will have as high as 8900 graphics, which if true, would stomp Sony's 7850 level spec. It's sounding like MS may be planning two models as well, one with slightly lower GPU spec and a lower clocked CPU. If so that would allow them to be competetive on performance and/or pricing.

That said, let's let these little next gen boxes speak for themselves once we actually see the final spec and get an idea of how well they play the games made for them. Until then we may as well be pissing in the wind.

 

[Xzibit]

Brace yourselves still 4 months of speculation to go until E3.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

I'm so sick of all the pre launch next gen console hype I could turn vomit yellow. There's some forums now chock full of back and forth flaming between those praising PS4 over Wii U, 720, and some even claiming it better than PC.

What I'm reading, if there's any truth to the latest rumor mills, is that the 720 will have as high as 8900 graphics, which if true, would stomp Sony's 7850 level spec. It's sounding like MS may be planning two mdels as well, one with slightly lower GPU spec and a lower clocked CPU. If so that would allow them to be competetive on performance and/or pricing.

That said, let's let these little next gen boxes speak for themselves once we actually see the final spec and get an idea of how well they play the games made for them. Until then we may as well be pissing in the wind.

IM the opposite ive not been this enthusiastic since the ps2 was launched

 

[happita]

IM the opposite ive not been this enthusiastic since the ps2 was launched

Funny thing is that this is probably the biggest increase in hardware improvement from 1 generation of consoles to the next.....ever...and yet sony and microsoft says that they aren't going to focus on graphics as much really.

But on topic, I'm sure that the porting whether or not if it's easier, the games that come out in the first 2 years will be decently optimized in terms of being ported, but after that, PC graphics will have surpassed it by 2 or 3 generations of cards and we will end up down the same road PC gamers have always ended up. Last on the food chain.

 

[Bjorn_Of_Iceland]

Ubisoft has been giving a pro-PC facade lately.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Ubis...360-to-Be-Similar-to-a-PC-Social-332694.shtml

 

[Xzibit]

Its were Microsoft was headed. Early rumors were that the next X-box will be capable or running a Windows 8 or lite version a la Windows 7 Starter. Microsoft has already stated thats where they are headed to make a single OS to cover there entire span of hardware from PCs, tablets to phones. If it can do that it will be able to slowly squeeze out the competition.
Both have been building eco-systems for there consoles since last gen. Windows & Sony Store/Market Place. They are transition further into providing a service and the console hardware is going to be more of a end device as a Smartphone is now.

 

[DannibusX]

I'm excited for the next generation of console. Yes, the 360 and PS3 are long in the tooth, but the days of radically different architecture are over (CELL v x86), Sony tried to develop the next big thing with PS3, but instead found developers struggling with their hardware (GabeN bashing it, famously).

But when you look at what happened with the current gen, some seriously talented people squeezed every drop of performance out of those stones. I know there's a lot of CoD haters, but every iteration of that game looks better, while running at 60 FPS. Would it look better if it had been developed for PC first? Absolutely, but I've been more than impressed with what people have been squeezing out of the 360 (can't comment on PS3, I never bought one).

Rumors are swirling that the next Xbox will have a Bluray drive, which is Sony owned technology. I wonder if Microsoft would license some variant of Windows (for DirectX purposes, obviously) to Sony for the cost of the Bluray license. It's all speculation. And I love speculation.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

The way I look at it, with consoles it's not just overall graphics power, but developer friendliness that makes or breaks them. The exclusives always look pretty good on each platform, but consistency in multi plat titles is where they really compare once you get past which has the best exclusives.

Both Sony and MS' next systems are said to be x86, but there's more to it than that in determining how easy they are to develop on/for. Sony has been the one that tries to go for the most elaborate CPU, ans in doing so has created a handful for a lot of devs. I'm not sure this round is going to be much different in that regard, and if MS beats them on hardware and comes in at their usually low pricing, it could be a knockout blow.

That said, a LOT of people buy these systems just for the exclusives they like most, so it may not make much of a difference, but for those on a fence or new to such systems, it most certainly could.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Microsoft already has Sony beat from the XNA/.NET/DirectX point of view. Microsoft made it far easier to port between Xbox 360 and Windows than Sony did with any platform except the Vita. From what I understand, the next Xbox is even going to be easier. Sony, outside of Japan, is going to struggle with Microsft merging two markets as well as other startups like the Valve SteamBox. If I had to guess, this is probably why they choose AMD x86 over IBM PPC. It's likely more costly for Sony and Microsoft but they both understand the console is in danger of vanishing into networked smartphones in a decade. They both have to consolidate to remain competitive in the expanding market.

I'd much rather have us port down than them port up.

Very true. I was going to put something to the same effect at the end of my post but I couldn't sum it up like that so I opt'd not to. XD

 

[KainXS]

hopefully this will mean more titles will become available on pc that were not on pc before, for example more jrpgs and whatnot but I'm leaning to the the next xbox more the fact that the DX on the next xbox will without a doubt be very similar to pc's.

 

[Vertrucio]

Yeah, as others have stated, it's an interesting change with the upcoming "next gen" consoles. Where they're basically heavily gaming centric PC architectures, with a closed network.

I still think it's a good idea, you can really nail down performance in these cases.

What I'm really excited about is all the tech and hardware specs that are currently underutilized in PC games, that now will be standard use in all games due to the influence of consoles.

Hardware like 8GB of RAM, few games use that much. Heck, we might see an game AI renaissance due to all the extra space to fit in AI code.

Other graphics tech like the DX11 features, and direct compute (GPU computations) will now all be standard, developers will be practically forced to learn to use them.

 

[Azazel]

cool