Ken Kutaragi Interview by Hiroshige Goto (PC Wach)

Agreed.

I think on either PS3 or 360 I'd seriously look at doing some of the vertex work on the CPU. The CPU is better suited to certain types of operation than the Vertex shaders are. And on XB360 if you offload the vertex work you get more pixel power.

It's difficult to predict where the best place to draw that line on each pf the architectures is going to be without spending time running tests on somewhat real assets.

It's also a LOT more difficult to write optimal shader code on an SPE or XBOX360 core than it is for a vertex shader.

 

Gamespot translation (lacking Watch Impress's additional commentary though):

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/06/13/news_6127392.html

 

it sounds like sony has to do the same thing ms is doing they are just being sly about it . If there is no ps2 / psone hardware ist going to have to be emulated

 

It's a mix of hardware and software. At a guess, and as others discussed, it seems likely GS is in there, with CPU emulation on Cell. Or perhaps some key parts of hardware, with the rest emulated on Cell or RSX? But without more detail it's hard to tell.

 

KK is so full of crap.

He says emulation will be "technically difficult" for X360 but doesn't explain why it won't also be difficult for PS3. All he says is:

"However, with the powers of [a machine like] the PS3, some parts can be handled by hardware, and some parts by software. "

Basically he says the "power" of the CELL will solve all these difficulties, last time I checked X360 had some "power" as well. What does this have to do with emulating 10+ years worth of games?

If there's no hardware included for BC, then it's just an emulator and they'll run into the same sort of problems as X360 devs. Except they don't have the option of storing XBE's on the HDD.

 

Cell is bi-endian? That must have been part of the DD2 revision, as the original prototype was only big endian according to the microprocessor report pdf that came out just after ISSCC.

 

But it sounds as though there will be some type of legacy Hardware that will support Emulation...in which cas KK has a valid point about Microsoft not being able to have the luxury that Sony has (as far as owning and creating most of their parts). Full on Emulation is very resource intensive I don't know if Microsoft can pull off complete Emulation of all their catalogs (That applies to Sony to, even though I see them having an easier time doing so..)

 

He said they didn't have the chips in there . So there wont be legacy hardware. If the ps2 hardware isn't in there then it doesn't make any sense ? What are they going to do put the ee on the rsx die and emulate the gs functions ? I mean it sounds like a load of bull .

I also don't see why this guy has to knock ms all the time , doesn't he have class when doing interviews ?

 

I don't think the Chipset doesn't need to be there (Possible other type of hardware thats tailored to emulate both PSX and PS2). I dislike how KK didn't delve into how they will partly using hardware (which is in the interview mind you). So there WILL be some kind of Hardware supplementing the software end of the Emulation (which will help of course..because like a said, pure software emulations of consoles are very resource hungry).

Unless this is KK trying to move on MS emulation parade with claims that have no substance...well the decision to think thats the case is up to you...

 

Scooby - you are very quick to slag people off for talking bull, even when the evidence to the contrary is in front of you.

I do wish instead of people saying stuff like 'this guy's so full of crap' they inquire with something a little more civil like 'that doesn't make sense to me. How can such and such be possible?'

 

I don't see how that will work blue .


Even with hardware to assist your still going to need to emulate the calls and the functions of the hardware that the code was for . Unless this hardware for helping is the original hardware .


So it doesn't make sense .

 

Yeah..thats why I dislike how he didn't delve into how the emulation will be handled by both software and hardware methods. I guess this is one of those situations where you have to take his word for it

In my mind...I don't take what he says as any thing substancial...until KK shows us specific hardware and how it will accept PSX and PS2 code, then i'll just have to wait until they release an actual explanation on how it works..till then that article is meaningless PR :?

 

I'm just tired of his nonsense.

Besides, what I said was "If there's no hardware included for BC" referring to an embedded EE or something of the sort. Not the main CPU, simply using the CELL to emulate, which seems to be what he's saying, and is also exactly what the 360 will do.

SO he makes it seem like they have some mysterious advantage the X360 doesn't have. Just more of his nonsense intended to fool people who don't think for themselves.

 

When asked how BC is implemented, KK says it's a hardware+software solution, with hardware support to ensure full compatibility. Why isn't that to be believed. Just because he doesn't explain the level of hardware support doesn't mean they didn't get a solution. I don't see how it counts as 'meaningless PR'.

It counts as a promise of 100% (or near abouts) BC for PS2 games (specifics of implementation unknown) out of the box - run your back catalogue on the new hardware the day you get it home. For all we know RSX has GS functions or whatnot.

 

All emulation is hardware + software.

Care to explain to me how the cell and the rsx are going to use calls for the ee and gs when they are very diffrent hardware setups and have very diffrent feature sets ?

I'm specificly asking how they are going to acomplish this . If the original hardware isn't there then its going to be a strait emulation setup where the software will emulate the functions of these calls and convert them to something the cell and the rsx can understand and this is exactly how the x360 will handle it .

Even if you take his comments at face value of meulation + hardware that software is going to have to work a 100% of the time and so is the hardware for every feature or exotic call or use of the ee + gs and the old psone hardware .

 

For a company that is only competing with the PS2, they sure are getting a lot of attention from KK.

 

Shhhhhh..... You're ruining his moment.

 

Its competing with the PS2 for about half a year until PS3 is released

 

Seriously guys what's the point of nitpicking every PR interview when the same posters post the same crap it's becoming way too predictibale (i.e the same posters wear their biases on their sleves and they know who they are)

From this point foward i'm adpoting a wait and see approach instead of drinking down all the PR speak like a good little zealot.

 

I think he wants people to believe 360 is only competing with PS2 because he knows PS3 won't launch until a year after 360 and he doesn't even want to even associate the 360 directly with the PS3 in people's minds.