Xbox 360 Video Interview - Scott Henson

[Platon]

There were a number of suggested uses. If you're talking about 32:9 gaming across two screens, rendering the scene entirely to two screens, then that will indeed be very rare I think. But gaming applications aside from that are quite possible (and apparently there are some games in development using the dual screen capability in one fashion or another), not to mention more general ones (e.g. one person watching a movie on one screen while someone else plays on another etc.).

These general ones I have a bit of difficulty with. Wouldn't a game (hopefully) suck most of the power from PS3? Or will it be like that that all games should not tap to the full power of the PS3 and leave enough "room" so the PS3 can be used for the applications at the same time as playing, and an even simpler problem, if the BR player is loaded with a game disc, where would the movie come from?...

 

[Platon]

The two HDMI's add welcome versatility in setting up, although I doubt that's been the main reason when they designed it that way...

I don't think the dual HDMI is much a design decision...

 

[rabidrabbit]

I don't think the dual HDMI is much a design decision...

What do you mean by that? The second HDMI came there by accident???!?!
Or do mean it was a marketing decision, in which case, I hate to say, but I think I agree somewhat.

 

[Urian]

Can a developer use 1 or 2 SPE with the enough speed for a upscaling from 480p/720p to 1080 at real time?

 

[pipo]

With PS3, the other HDMI connected to the front projector, and the other to the LCD or plasma, I wouldn't need to physically keep switching the cables when I want to watch a Blu-ray movie or play a short game on PS3. Of course a separate HDMI switcher (or a receiver with HDMIs) would do the same thing, but it would add extra cost.

The two HDMI's add welcome versatility in setting up, although I doubt that's been the main reason when they designed it that way...

Assuming the thing is auto-sensing or switchable using a menu or something...

 

[Titanio]

These general ones I have a bit of difficulty with. Wouldn't a game (hopefully) suck most of the power from PS3? Or will it be like that that all games should not tap to the full power of the PS3 and leave enough "room" so the PS3 can be used for the applications at the same time as playing, and an even simpler problem, if the BR player is loaded with a game disc, where would the movie come from?...

The OS will have resources reserved. As per the E3 presentation, media browsing/playback, web browsing, video chat etc. are all possible simultaneous with gameplay.

The movie playback on one screen while playing on another could come from a number of combinations. Managed copy to PS3 HDD of the movie would let you put the game disc in, or perhaps you'll be able to "copy" games to the PS3 HDD? Or of course, you always have other types of games on the HDD itself - perhaps download PSone games or XBLA type games. It doesn't have to be a Blu-ray movie either, it could be a downloaded video/tv show, or one you copied over from a memory stick (or your PC).

pipo - the usefulness is all dependent on the usage patterns of the PS3 in whatever home you're talking about. There's potential value beyond those who wish to use it as a Linux station without lugging it around the house, as long as things like those mentioned above can be done on a second screen while others are playing a game or whatever. And well, there may just be a compelling use of it in a game that pushes you to connect that second screen!

 

[Platon]

What do you mean by that? The second HDMI came there by accident???!?!
Or do mean it was a marketing decision, in which case, I hate to say, but I think I agree somewhat.

I might be wrong, but don't Geforce cards have dual outputs in general? So as I see it it more about having something there already, of which they have made a bulletpoint and used in their marketing and in the spec war, rather someting they have actively design into the card...

 

[Platon]

The OS will have resources reserved. As per the E3 presentation, media browsing/playback, web browsing, video chat etc. are all possible simultaneous with gameplay.

The movie playback on one screen while playing on another could come from a number of combinations. Managed copy to PS3 HDD of the movie would let you put the game disc in, or perhaps you'll be able to "copy" games to the PS3 HDD? Or of course, you always have other types of games on the HDD itself - perhaps download PSone games or XBLA type games. It doesn't have to be a Blu-ray movie either, it could be a downloaded video/tv show, or one you copied over from a memory stick (or your PC).

I do not doubt what you are saying, and I can see it doable, but damn, there must lots of power then that is "reserved" then for such activities, suggesting that there will never be a single game, that taps into the full power of the PS3, making the power advantage that the PS3 might have over xbox360 even less significant, so much so, that maybe when it comes to games, the 360 has more power...

 

[pipo]

And well, there may just be a compelling use of it in a game that pushes you to connect that second screen!

I'm personally gonna kick Ueda-san's or Kojima-san's behind(s) if they make me do that.

 

[Titanio]

I do not doubt what you are saying, and I can see it doable, but damn, there must lots of power then that is "reserved" then for such activities, suggesting that there will never be a single game, that taps into the full power of the PS3, making the power advantage that the PS3 might have over xbox360 even less significant, so much so, that maybe when it comes to games, the 360 has more power...

Let's say the OS reserves a small percentage of PPE time and perhaps a single SPU (the most commonly speculated scenario)..that isn't going to break the CPU bank relative to 360 Remember also that 360's OS reserves CPU resources also.

So..no.

 

[rabidrabbit]

I do not doubt what you are saying, and I can see it doable, but damn, there must lots of power then that is "reserved" then for such activities, suggesting that there will never be a single game, that taps into the full power of the PS3, making the power advantage that the PS3 might have over xbox360 even less significant, so much so, that maybe when it comes to games, the 360 has more power...

But the "power advantage" PS3 has said to have over xbox360.... for example the devs commenting on this, they must've known how much of that "power" there would be reserved for games.
So the "full power" of PS3 in gaming must be the power that is reserved for gaming functions.
With your logic, the "full power" of xbox360 would neither ever be realised, because of the power reserved for the "Blade" OS, "Live" functions etc...

I don't know which one I'd like better; that my game would slow down from "full 7 processor power" if there was some other application running on the second screen, or if the game would run unaffercted but I'd know there is a couple of processors doing other stuff not related to my gaming.
But I do know the general public won't care as long as both experiences are satisfying.

 

[fireshot]

1080p multimedia display on the second hdmi?

wake me up when sony doubled the same 512mb and gpu bandwidth. virtual memory swapping is a bit*h.

the ps3 is delay so do something. i can/rather buy the hd separately.

btw where goes the praise for mspd flash?

 

[Platon]

Let's say the OS reserves a small percentage of PPE time and perhaps a single SPU (the most commonly speculated scenario)..that isn't going to break the CPU bank relative to 360 Remember also that 360's OS reserves CPU resources also.

So..no.

But we are talking about totaly different things. It is one thing having an OS in the backround that maybe cheking for messages and what not (xbox360) and it is another thing not only having the OS running, but a second game at the same time. That I am sure will take more than a bit a CPU and RAM, but might need the GPU, bandwidth and more and lots of power will just be thrown out the window due to inneficiences and so on, imagine two games fighting for the GPU and what not. If Sony can pull it of more power to them...

 

[Titanio]

But we are talking about totaly different things. It is one thing having an OS in the backround that maybe cheking for messages and what not (xbox360) and it is another thing not only having the OS running, but a second game at the same time.

Who said there'd be a second game running at the same time?

 

[Platon]

But the "power advantage" PS3 has said to have over xbox360.... for example the devs commenting on this, they must've known how much of that "power" there would be reserved for games.
So the "full power" of PS3 in gaming must be the power that is reserved for gaming functions.
With your logic, the "full power" of xbox360 would neither ever be realised, because of the power reserved for the "Blade" OS, "Live" functions etc...

I don't know which one I'd like better; that my game would slow down from "full 7 processor power" if there was some other application running on the second screen, or if the game would run unaffercted but I'd know there is a couple of processors doing other stuff not related to my gaming.
But I do know the general public won't care as long as both experiences are satisfying.

Sure, neither xbox360 nor PS3 will ever utilize their "full" potential due to the OS running in the backround, but as I said in the previous post, its one thing just having a small OS running in the backround, for which you know the exact requierments and another where you might have two applications fighting for the remaining resources. There must be quite a bit of headroom then and for that to avoid conflicts between them and so on...

 

[Platon]

Who said there'd be a second game running at the same time?

I just thought that that would be one of those general applications. Download a PS1/2, arcade or whatever game and play that as the other plays a PS3 game...

 

[Titanio]

I just thought that that would be one of those general applications. Download a PS1/2, arcade or whatever game and play that as the other plays a PS3 game...

Nah, certainly wouldn't think PS1 or PS2 games would be playable alongside PS3 games. I doubt XBLA equivalents would either, it might constrain them too much.

I was talking earlier about "gameplay alongside other functionality" being ps3 or ps2 or psone or other gameplay, alongside things like movie playback etc. Not PS3 and PS2 gameplay at the same time etc. When it was asked how you could play a game while watching a movie.

 

[rabidrabbit]

Sure, neither xbox360 nor PS3 will ever utilize their "full" potential due to the OS running in the backround, but as I said in the previous post, its one thing just having a small OS running in the backround, for which you know the exact requierments and another where you might have two applications fighting for the remaining resources. There must be quite a bit of headroom then and for that to avoid conflicts between them and so on...

True, it'll be interesting to see how Sony manages this, considering that Microsofts solution isn't very elegant, and MS should have the edge in OS development.

 

[Platon]

True, it'll be interesting to see how Sony manages this, considering that Microsofts solution isn't very elegant, and MS should have the edge in OS development.

What isn't elegant?...

 

[rabidrabbit]

The Blade OS is a bit slow and juddery if brought up in the middle of a game.
It was a demo pod I experienced this so I'm not sure if it's a feature.