GDC Europe

[mckmas8808]

Wow nice to see a guy like Phil Harrsion admit that they lost in the online gaming scene. Good man Phil.


SOME BREAKING NEWS

What's interesting, however, is how this plays out between PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. At the European Game Developers Conference, Extreme Tech noted that the company confirmed plans to offer software-based rendering for single and dual-core PCs, PCs decked out with PhysX chips and software versions for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

That makes sense to offer development solutions on all platforms, but what's interesting is Ageia's report that Xbox 360 can't handle all of the PhysX's features because of architecture limitations. PhysX offers technologies ranging from physical object interactions to fluid-based particle effects like water and smoke and reportedly only PS3 and PCs will be able to handle all the goods.

What will Xbox 360 miss out on? PhysX's fluid-based technology. How exactly that impacts Xbox 360's future is for all intents and purposes minimal, but it's strange to see a split between the two machines after such rabid debate over which one had the edge.

This is from http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143371


Hmmmm..... Kind of interesting. Can you smarter guys discuss this. What will this mean?

 

[mckmas8808]

Ok I just saw that someone beat me to it so forget the last post.

 

[EpicZero]

Now it may be that I missed it, but has anybody heard anything about:

Developing for PlayStation 3
Speaker: George Bain (Developer Support Manager, SCEE Technology Group)
Time/Date: Wednesday (August 31, 2005) 4:00pm — 5:00pm
Audience level: All
Presentation Description
A new platform always presents new challenges and opportunities for game developers. This technical presentation introduces PlayStation 3, the new state-of-the-art entertainment platform from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The presentation will provide an overview of the system architecture including the Cell processor and the new graphics processor (RSX) along with the Blu-ray storage medium. It will also include information about the new development tools and is aimed to give developers an insight into PlayStation 3 title development.
Presentation Format: 60-minute Lecture
Tracks: Vision

http://www.cmpevents.com/GDCeu05/a.asp?option=C&V=11&SessID=930

Day later and nothing has appeared.

 

[pipo]

Wow nice to see a guy like Phil Harrsion admit that they lost in the online gaming scene. Good man Phil.

He would be seen as a complete idiot if he tried to deny that, now won't he?

 

[Acert93]

SOME BREAKING NEWS

=> http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23158

Fr everyone else

 

[Squeak]

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25860

WTF!
This guy should be fired with no explanation, and be glad too that he was let of that easy.
Is the INQ run by monkeys?

 

[mckmas8808]

He would be seen as a complete idiot if he tried to deny that, now won't he?

Well yeah, but he didn't have to tell everybody that he thought that. He could have kept that to his self. He also said that their model will follow MS's model.

Fr everyone else

Well my next post admitted that. Sorry.

 

[DeanoC]

For the record, I got the crazy numbers slide WRONG.
I think I've misread one of the low level docs.

So my currenting reading is
There is only one VMX unit for the PPE and the total flops is 211GLOPS (VMX+FPU).

But don't quote me. I'll get the web version updated at some point.

 

[BlueTsunami]

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=25860

WTF!
This guy should be fired with no explanation, and be glad too that he was let of that easy.
Is the INQ run by monkeys?

The graphics is Nvidia's RSX, but that’s another story altogether. The bottom line is that Sony cried for Nvidia’s help as it could not get decent graphic performance out of its Cell chip by itself. µ

Its becoming more and more appearent...heh...true colors shining through?

 

[Carl B]

People it's a catch-all rumor site; I don't get why folk get so worked up about the Inquirer.

 

[overclocked]

For the record, I got the crazy numbers slide WRONG.
I think I've misread one of the low level docs.

So my currenting reading is
There is only one VMX unit for the PPE and the total flops is 211GLOPS (VMX+FPU).

But don't quote me. I'll get the web version updated at some point.

Was it ONE VMX unit dual-threaded or TWO single?

There are big difference between DD1 and DD2 and i assume its DD2 they are using, right?

 

[Titanio]

Article on the "Developing for PS3" presentation - doesn't look like there was much new. But some interesting points:

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20050901/jenkins_01.shtml

After running through the statistics for the Cell processor and NVidia's RSX GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), Bain paused to discuss the new controllers in more detail. He reiterated that the new boomerang designs were concepts only and were not necessarily representative of the final retail models.

In answer to a later question from the audience Bain admitted that the wireless signal could be interfered with by another nearby PlayStation 3 console and in those instances where many consoles would be close by, such as at a LAN party, it would be necessary to default to using wired controllers via the console's USB ports. It was also mentioned that keyboards, mice and other devices could also be used as games controllers but that Sony would always insist that any game could also be controlled with the default controller.

Bain also touched upon the PlayStation 3's removable hard drive, confirming that Sony did consider it an important peripheral, but saying that the company had not yet decided its price, its size or – most importantly – whether it would be bundled with the console or available only as a stand alone extra.

Concerning the individual SPEs (Synergistic Processing Elements) of the Cell chip, Bain emphasized that it was no longer necessary to program in assembly language to achieve superior performance, although this did still exist as an option.

As Phil Harrison had said earlier in the day, he acknowledged that the PlayStation 2 had proven difficult to program for and assured the audience that Sony had learnt its lesson. Bain suggested that this was one reason for using NVidia's graphics technology, since it would enable the use of more widely familiar APIs. OpenGL ES, described as a lightweight subset of OpenGL, was being used for the same reason and was part of what was explained as a very different approach to graphics when compared to the PlayStation 2.

After admitting that the PlayStation 2's default compiler was “rubbishâ€￾, Bain also indicated that SN System's new compiler would also be included in the SDK, along with support for (but not free licensing of) Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3. He emphasized that the Unreal Engine 3 demo shown at E3 was “realâ€￾ and proceeded to display some new screenshots using the engine which if they were, as claimed, real-time were certainly on a par with the kind of imagery seen in the infamous E3 Killzone demonstration.

A little controversial perhaps, especially that last comment Would be cool to see those shots. Also Gamasutra throws out a "200GB/s" bandwidth figure, but methinks there was a mixup somewhere a long the way.

 

[Bad_Boy]

thanks for the info Titanio, some good news in there

 

[MechanizedDeath]

Thanks Titanio. Now fetch me those new Unreal demo screenies, chop chop. Seriously though, I think even I'm getting tired of hearing that KZ demo being referenced, and I LOVE talking about it. :lol PEACE.

 

[one]

Also Gamasutra throws out a "200GB/s" bandwidth figure, but methinks there was a mixup somewhere a long the way.

It's the EIB bandwidth.

 

[BlueTsunami]

After admitting that the PlayStation 2's default compiler was “rubbishâ€￾, Bain also indicated that SN System's new compiler would also be included in the SDK, along with support for (but not free licensing of) Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3. He emphasized that the Unreal Engine 3 demo shown at E3 was “realâ€￾ and proceeded to display some new screenshots using the engine which if they were, as claimed, real-time were certainly on a par with the kind of imagery seen in the infamous E3 Killzone demonstration.

I wonder when those pictures will be released

 

[mckmas8808]

I wonder when those pictures will be released

Yeah no kidding man. Can you imagine what the videogame forum would be saying then? The world would go crazy.

I thought this was pretty cool too.

This was perhaps the most interesting aspect of the session with a major SDK update promised that would include all existing PlayStation tools as well as fully licensed versions of physics tools Havok Complete and AGEIA's NovodeX. These will be available free to use for developers and will require no additional licensing fee to publish games using the technology.

I didn't think they were the fully licensed versions. Wow free thats nice.

 

[jonnyp]

Yeah no kidding man. Can you imagine what the videogame forum would be saying then? The world would go crazy.

I thought this was pretty cool too.



I didn't think they were the fully licensed versions. Wow free thats nice.

Well seeing as the developer kits cost 25 grand I doubt they're "free". Their price is just part of the total package you get for paying for a devkit.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

True, but considering the licensing fees cost $n hundred thousand per game released, it's a far better deal than Sony not licensing the kits themselves. This'll also mean lower profit per unit of PS3 software unless Sony up the royalty fee a bit.

 

[Titanio]

True, but considering the licensing fees cost $n hundred thousand per game released, it's a far better deal than Sony not licensing the kits themselves. This'll also mean lower profit per unit of PS3 software unless Sony up the royalty fee a bit.

I doubt Havok/AGEIA licensing is that much. But sure, no doubt there's a discount there.