Consoles PlayStation 4 (review) and the Xbox One went the third year. For both platforms came out a decent amount of games, so to judge the success of video game consoles eighth generation. In fact, the life cycle of consoles is approaching its equator. Both consoles are based on AMD Jaguar. System-on-chip has eight cores, graphics GCN architecture and 8 GB of shared memory. In terms of computing, this is very bad. Computing architecture Jaguar, even in 2012, was regarded as obsolete: the kernel slow and they work on very low frequency, and graphics, by the standards of 2016, corresponds to the level of a desktop graphics card Low-end. 3D-accelerator with similar performance — Radeon R7 370. Embedded video consists of 20 modular units CU (Compute Unit) — the main unit of the graphics architecture GCN. The PS4 is activated only 18 units. Each block has 64 stream processor. And so it turns stated 18х64=1152 stream processor. The Xbox One uses 768 sweat all processors, since only activated units 12 CU. Top graphics card for PC AMD Radeon R9 Fury X — brags 4096 stream processors. Roughly speaking, it is 3.5 times more powerful graphics of the PlayStation 4 and four times that of the Xbox One.
System-on-chip AMD Jaguar
The conclusion is simple: the console has since hopelessly outdated in technical terms. This confirms a number of facts. Game AAA-class for “Curling” and “Juan” often do not work in native 1080p resolution. And if they work, not always at 60 fps. PC now vengeance wins the Ultra HD resolution. While it turns out so-so, but in 2016, AMD, and NVIDIA with their new video cards will make a huge step forward. And gaining popularity VR, which also require a lot of computing power. Existing game consoles will remain at its original location exactly to the moment until the new generation. Microsoft decided to kill two birds with one stone: to promote the Xbox, and with it the Windows operating system (or Vice versa). This company will help to create a universal gaming platform, which the user will improve if necessary.
The graphics comparison between the PlayStation 4 and PC in “the Witcher 3: wild hunt”
What will be the new Xbox
The first hints of the merge Xbox and PC appeared last year, when they released Rise of the Tomb Raider. At first the game appeared for all the owners of Xbox One, but immediately it was announced that the “bakers” will receive access to new adventures of Lara Croft later. Then Microsoft announced that the Xbox-exclusive Quantum Break will come out including on the PC. However, with some software limitations. Firstly, the game uses DirectX 12, which will run only on Windows 10. Secondly, the third person shooter will be sold only through the Microsoft store. Finally, in the spring of this year, will shareware Forza Motorsport 6 Apex. Exclusively for DirectX 12 and Windows 10. As you can see, the implementation strategy for the merger of the personal computer and Xbox in a single ecosystem has begun. While DirectX 12 in all cases acts as a kind of limiter. Want to play by the rules of Microsoft? Update the game to Windows 10!
Windows 10 is promoted as a gaming platform
All the dots on “i” set up Chapter gaming division of Microsoft’s Phil Spencer (Phil Spencer) at the meeting on the day of the press conference in San Francisco. Senior management has set before it the task to prepare the base for the creation of a universal software interface that would be used in the Xbox, and a computer running the Windows operating system. Namely, to integrate the so-called UWA-platform (Universal Windows Applications), because technically the consoles and PC are no different. Microsoft plans to go even further: under the UWA-application will be implemented fully cross-platform. That is a hybrid of the Xbox and PC can run the software developed for smartphone and/or tablet.
Xbox One is the latest console from Microsoft in its canonical representation
The second important innovation. Xbox will become obvious features of the PC. The console will lose its chief and abiding characteristics — persistence configuration. A hybrid STB will upgrade itself.
Something new? There it was! This prefix already exists. This Steam Machine. A Valve console with a grief-half-and-half appeared on the market in the end of last year. Especially popular is the brainchild of Gabe, however, does not use. Because of some technical troubles, not all suppliers collect their own versions of “steam engines”. I think Microsoft will go the other way. The reference will be created in the console, which if desired can always be upgraded from the list specifically compatible equipment. No Amateur.
Or Microsoft will come even easier (yet more expensive), but a developer will release several different versions of the Xbox hardware, but with backward compatibility. And will update the configuration of the consoles every year or two. Saved on the console? Play all the same games but at lower settings. Want a maximum? Take the most expensive “box”.
One of the variants of Steam Machine
The main purpose of avoiding “console rules”, when a certain generation of consoles have a fixed configuration, in theory, untie the programmers hands. The use of more powerful configurations will raise the quality of graphics in games to a new level. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 even in 2016 it’s so-so. A fixed set of components — that’s a plus, because in this case it is easier to optimize the code. The emergence of hybrid Xbox consoles with different hardware will complicate this task. In fairness, I should note that even for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 started to come out unoptimized games. Dramatically the worse the situation is unlikely to change.
Microsoft is implanting all on Windows 10. Resistance is futile! That is why you see games that work only with DirectX 12. The true purpose of the latest APIs is to unleash the developer of the computer game hands by providing low-level access to hardware. Therefore, in games under DirectX 12 should increase performance but to decrease system requirements. But this is not happening! The announced Quantum Break in the recommended requirements are Radeon R9 Fury X, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and 16 GB RAM. Just released the PC version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, working exclusively in Windows 10. “This game is designed to show you the latest features of the PC“is written on the product page. Only here for the “gears of war” loose on even the most powerful gaming systems. Optimization and does not smell. While the first game on DirectX 12 only upset.
In conclusion
What is so good console? The fact that you buy a device that just don’t need to upgrade. And no need to dig into the graphics settings of the game, because everything is already done for you. I just buy the app, install it and play. All extra links in this chain there is and should not be. Then, after a 6-7 years old console is sent to landfill, and in its place sold a new. So I was plagued by vague doubts that the consolers with enthusiasm will apprehend the possibility of an independent upgrade of what you don’t need to upgrade or change consoles entirely every year or two. Even under the pretext of improvement of quality graphics in games. The questions raised and optimization of games. How will this work on hybrid consoles with different hardware? DirectX 12 is not yet happy.
The second advantage of consoles is the availability of exclusives not found on PC. As you can see, now Xbox One games will be released with Windows 10. Logical question: why I need a console?
Hybrid set — top box is in any case interesting. To our eyes history is made. Either the idea is Microsoft will succeed, and the Xbox in terms of graphics significantly outperform canonical PlayStation. Along with it will increase the popularity of the personal computer as a gaming system. Either idea will fail miserably. And then Microsoft will never be able to compete with Sony. As they say, we’ll see. When will the first hybrid Xbox is still unknown.