Next-gen launch strategising *Spawn

I still think running native 4K, as easy as it is to understand as a marketting point, is a complete waste of GPU resources considering how well some of the reconstruction techniques work. Everyone would be better served if they used the GPU to push for higher quality elsewhere than resolution.

 

Exactly. We've reached a point were resolutions are quite high even though they don't reach 4K, no matter what.

Hopefully, devs and players will focus more in overall quality than just in that resolution standard.

 

I totally agree, 1440p or 1600p CBR or Frame Injection to 4k is more than enough for most 55-65" 4k TVs (the most commonly used sizes for consumers), coupled with high level AA and we can ride it out the entire gen. That said we should never stop asking for more power tho, just because we don't need native 4k doesn't mean we don't need 14 tf for all the dynamic GI, realistic fluid, cloth, hair sims in the world.

 

Pretty sure the project name was fairly common knowledge...
http://www.xbox2gamers.com/order

And if not, doesn't mean DSoup works for MS as much as MS stole his name...

 

So was the notion of MS execs reading his post and stealing his name.

 

INCONCEIVABLE!

 

Execs clearly don't read our hallowed pages, or they wouldn't do all the dumb things they do.

 

Execs can still do dumb things after reading this holy grail of entertainment lore

 

If it turns out the project codename for Xbox 4 is DSoup, I'll be speaking to my attorney. They can stick to zodiac sign names and Simpson's villains. Xbox Sideshow Bob anybody?

 

I remember back in the days we had that insider here who spewed some juicy beans regarding the CU count of Durango and I had to use my bike analogy to fish out that info . Wonder if the person is still here.

 

Whatever timing happens, even if its 1 year difference between releases, I think that large power difference like we saw between PS4 and Xbone will not be present.

Xbone was strategically designed to have 8GB of RAM [they belived only DDR3 could achieve that]. That forced them to "waste" die space with very large amount of ESRAM, which enabled smaller PS4 APU chip to house 50% more CUs. That 50% difference was noticeable in games, and Xbox One got its fair share of 720p games [CODs, Battlefields, MGSV, etc]. MS simply fucked up at planning stage.... or like in professional Starcraft, it was a build-order loss.

This time, both will again be on same production node, both will dedicate entire APU to ZEN & big GPU. Even if Xbox Infinite launches in late 2019 with Zen+Vega, and PS4 launches in late 2020 with Zen+Navi, I don't think performance difference will be as huge as in gen8.

 

I wouldn't say that. Sony got lucky, or rather made an optimistic call and and it paid off. So MS were unlucky that PS4 came with 8 GBs. Had it been 4 GBs, with 1 GB reserved for OS, there'd be a considerable difference in various quality aspects. We'd likely be looking at one console with more detail and the other with better clarity. Given the options presented to MS, they made a decent enough choice.

During a penalty shoot out as a keeper, you dive left or right. Whether you stop the ball or not is kinda out of your hands. When you design a console, you can only make sensible decisions and hope your opponent doesn't trump you with something else. MS has made the same range of decisions as the other companies - some good, some not so good. Sony have managed to make both the best of decisions and the worst.

And that's basically what these threads are about, us exploring the same sorts of options as these console companies to identify the good and bad ones. Only we do it without any of the essential insider info like time-lines and bulk-purchase prices and overall corporate strategy...

 

If there was no competition, Sony would push PS4 as long as they could. PlayStation division is now ~27% of entire Sony.

But MS is already making moves, both will have to launch soon.

 

Sony can wait, bring something more powerful and correct the competitor's mistakes but at the same time they might be sacrificing market share and will not be able to compete in pricing.
It is a difficult decision. Unless the brand awareness is unquestionably super strong like the PS1 and PS2 times.

 

Is there reason to think it isn't? A recent UK poll placed PlayStation as the fourth strongest brand in the UK. Sales are comparable to those machines but at a higher price. I've no idea what launch strategy Sony should pursue, but the PS brand seems very solid.

Searched for some branding lists. The internet -- lists of everything!! A cursory glances seems to place PS higher than XB. eg. First list, PS at 40, XB at 81. Doubt there's much data going back to PS1/2 for comparison.

 

Is there any indication that PS4 or PS4 Pro is losing sales to X1X because it’s more powerful?

 

Not sure how you'd tell without doing a scientific poll.

 

It's inevitably losing sales versus if XB1X didn't exist. It's a certainty that there are some gamers who are either XB1 owners who want to game at 4K and would buy a PS4 if XB1X didn't exist, and some gamers who want the best possible in some multiplats and get an XB1X for that. The question is how many?

That number will lie somewhere between 1 and however many XB1X's are sold.