XNA tilts video-game advantage to Microsoft?

[Spidermate]

After reading the last few replies in this thread, I can't help but think that people aren't quite debating the same thing in here.

What is XNA?

I strongly assume Spidermate was looking at XNA purely from one perspective in which it will serve as some kind of API or middleware to make development easier, especially dealing with multiple threads over the six cores. That's why the pin-point reference to DirectX, as he pointed out.

Surely, it doesn't take an industry insider to see that Sony must be building something in that direction. No one is saying it is going to be just as sophisticated by any means.

Of course, one could nitpick at the fact that XNA goes much deeper than just being a DirectX successor (link) but that wasn't his point in the first place. If it was, I stand corrected.

Anyway, on those grounds, the job listing surely isn't a bad reference point to start... (continued below)

Anything listed in game development studio job listings usually have little relation to the actual position they are advertising for, and quite often don't even make sense. They are most often written by someone in the HR department who has no idea what the words they are using mean.

I find that quite surprising actually. I would think that such detailled job listings are usually exactly what they're looking for. Perhaps exagerated, but usually not too far from the truth - that's at least how it's been in the IT industry, at least overhere. I couldn't think of how it would actually benefit the company searching for an employee by using unrelated requirements. Surely if a word such as directX stands in the job-listing, there must be a reason as to why (why they would want to attract such people?)

Just my two cents.

FINALLY,someone that understands. I rest my cast now.

 

[j^aws]

"Sony Computer Entertainment America is seeking a PlayStation® Senior Software Engineer. Join a team creating the system software to power Sony’s PlayStation® games. Be a key developer on Sony’s response to DirectX, working closely with our online and 3d group. Inspire a team to create the world’s best game system software.

Assuming this job post is accurate, why specifically mention the DirectX API as opposed to the XNA API, since XNA has been getting all the publicity recently, it seems an oddity? Of course XNA is a superset of DirectX and this response could be work in progress prior to the announcemnt of XNA.

Anyway, this response is obviously seen as a threat to Sony from M$. Since DirectX/XNA will encompass the PC/XB2 market, this response possibly is the work on the IBM/Sony E3 announcement on the APIs for the Cell Workstations/ PS3.

As a matter of interest, is there anyone qualified to apply for that post on these forums? If so, just go to the interview to get some inside info!

 

[Spidermate]

"Sony Computer Entertainment America is seeking a PlayStation® Senior Software Engineer. Join a team creating the system software to power Sony’s PlayStation® games. Be a key developer on Sony’s response to DirectX, working closely with our online and 3d group. Inspire a team to create the world’s best game system software.

Assuming this job post is accurate, why specifically mention the DirectX API as opposed to the XNA API, since XNA has been getting all the publicity recently, it seems an oddity? Of course XNA is a superset of DirectX and this response could be work in progress prior to the announcemnt of XNA.

Anyway, this response is obviously seen as a threat to Sony from M$. Since DirectX/XNA will encompass the PC/XB2 market, this response possibly is the work on the IBM/Sony E3 announcement on the APIs for the Cell Workstations/ PS3.

As a matter of interest, is there anyone qualified to apply for that post on these forums? If so, just go to the interview to get some inside info!

I'm not too sure what you mean in the first paragraph,but I'll try to respond the best way possible.

XNA is nothing more than an advance DirectX.Sony isn't looking for the advance part of this software;they are looking at the standard,which is DirectX.Judging from their approach,it won't even be completely like DirectX - but rather something very similar to it for the PS3/workstation only.But,that is an assumption right now.

Maybe it was seen as a threat and maybe not.If Sony is hiring a specialist for the job to work with them on this project,I assume everything must had been laid out (a blueprint perhaps) before this ad got out.It just wouldn't makes sense to release something like this openly if a building ground wasn't available to work off of.Which means this thing may have been in production longer than what we thought.

 

[Tuttle]

XNA is nothing more than an advance DirectX.Sony isn't looking for the advance part of this software;they are looking at the standard,which is DirectX.Judging from their approach,it won't even be completely like DirectX - but rather something very similar to it for the PS3/workstation only.But,that is an assumption right now.

Maybe it was seen as a threat and maybe not.If Sony is hiring a specialist for the job to work with them on this project,I assume everything must had been laid out (a blueprint perhaps) before this ad got out.It just wouldn't makes sense to release something like this openly if a building ground wasn't available to work off of.Which means this thing may have been in production longer than what we thought.

You're off in fantasyland.

Looks like Sony SD is looking for a guy on the low end of the SSE/Project Lead qualification range. And the team will be writing tools/api/system code for some unspecified Playstation hardware, PS1,PS2,PS3,PSP(who knows?). Big News!

 

[j^aws]

"Sony Computer Entertainment America is seeking a PlayStation® Senior Software Engineer. Join a team creating the system software to power Sony’s PlayStation® games. Be a key developer on Sony’s response to DirectX, working closely with our online and 3d group. Inspire a team to create the world’s best game system software.

Assuming this job post is accurate, why specifically mention the DirectX API as opposed to the XNA API, since XNA has been getting all the publicity recently, it seems an oddity? Of course XNA is a superset of DirectX and this response could be work in progress prior to the announcemnt of XNA.

Anyway, this response is obviously seen as a threat to Sony from M$. Since DirectX/XNA will encompass the PC/XB2 market, this response possibly is the work on the IBM/Sony E3 announcement on the APIs for the Cell Workstations/ PS3.

As a matter of interest, is there anyone qualified to apply for that post on these forums? If so, just go to the interview to get some inside info!

I'm not too sure what you mean in the first paragraph,but I'll try to respond the best way possible.

XNA is nothing more than an advance DirectX.Sony isn't looking for the advance part of this software;they are looking at the standard,which is DirectX.Judging from their approach,it won't even be completely like DirectX - but rather something very similar to it for the PS3/workstation only.But,that is an assumption right now.

Maybe it was seen as a threat and maybe not.If Sony is hiring a specialist for the job to work with them on this project,I assume everything must had been laid out (a blueprint perhaps) before this ad got out.It just wouldn't makes sense to release something like this openly if a building ground wasn't available to work off of.Which means this thing may have been in production longer than what we thought.

Since Sony seems to like open standards, I'm guessing the graphics API will be closer to OpenGL than DirectX on a Linux based OS. Or even OpenRT! 8)

If Sony learnt anything from the mistakes of PS2, the APIs/libraries should be long into development by now considering a Cell workstation launch in Q4 2004. 8)

 

[Tuttle]

"If Sony learnt anything from the mistakes of PS2, the APIs/libraries should be long into development by now considering a Cell workstation launch in Q4 2004"

???

What the hell are you talking about?

And I thought flipcode was bad...

 

[j^aws]

"If Sony learnt anything from the mistakes of PS2, the APIs/libraries should be long into development by now considering a Cell workstation launch in Q4 2004"

???

What the hell are you talking about?

And I thought flipcode was bad...

Chill mate... I thought the mistakes of PS2 were obvious...initial devkits were rushed out, no? Considered the least developer friendly of this gen, no? Isn't the Cell workstations due Q4 a precursor to the PS3 devkits, no?

 

[Spidermate]

XNA is nothing more than an advance DirectX.Sony isn't looking for the advance part of this software;they are looking at the standard,which is DirectX.Judging from their approach,it won't even be completely like DirectX - but rather something very similar to it for the PS3/workstation only.But,that is an assumption right now.

Maybe it was seen as a threat and maybe not.If Sony is hiring a specialist for the job to work with them on this project,I assume everything must had been laid out (a blueprint perhaps) before this ad got out.It just wouldn't makes sense to release something like this openly if a building ground wasn't available to work off of.Which means this thing may have been in production longer than what we thought.

You're off in fantasyland.

Looks like Sony SD is looking for a guy on the low end of the SSE/Project Lead qualification range. And the team will be writing tools/api/system code for some unspecified Playstation hardware, PS1,PS2,PS3,PSP(who knows?). Big News!

Maybe it's you who's off in fantasy land.The PS1 is old generation hardware that is getting ready to expire in about a year or two.The PS2 software tools has already been set for this generation.There is nothing more you can do with it.Its hardware is close to taped out.The PSP handheld tools has already been shipped and finalized for those programming games for the handheld.I'm sure you saw all the running launching titles for it at E3? Plus,If Sony is posting the information now,what makes you think they'll be able to hire and finish the software before the PSP ships on shelves? That leaves one console left.There is also more information regarding that artical that has even more positions to be filled besides the one above,but I'm going to let ONE of them do all the talking:

Yeah,I bet those tools are still for the PS1,PS2,and PSP.

 

[Tuttle]

"The PS1 is old generation hardware that is getting ready to expire in about a year or two."

Bzzt! You know of Sony's internal plans for the PS1?

"The PS2 software tools has already been set for this generation."

Bzzt! Sony, like every console manufacturer, is constantly updating and creating new tools for every console during its entire life time.

"There is nothing more you can do with it.Its hardware is close to taped out."

Bzzt! Sony will be coming out with new versions of the PS2/PSP and maybe even the PS1 for years to come.

"The PSP handheld tools has already been shipped and finalized for those programming games for the handheld."

Bzzt! Console dev tools are never finalized. They are continuously updated and sometimes entirely replaced by newer tools during a console's lifetime.

"I'm sure you saw all the running launching titles for it at E3?"

Bzzt! Getting something to 'run' has nothing to do with dev tools being finalized. I've gotten things to 'run' on console hardware with as little as some text files on a floppy.

"Plus,If Sony is posting the information now,what makes you think they'll be able to hire and finish the software before the PSP ships on shelves?"

Bzzt! When they hire has little relation to ship dates of products. People leave, get fired, get transfered, products get moved up, moved back, and on and on.

"That leaves one console left."

Bzzt! You know of every console, and every variation, Sony is currently developing? I don't think so.

Tell you what Einstein, with your extraordinary powers of deduction tell us what colour Ken Kutaragi's underwear is right now. That I'd be impressed with, the rest of your silly deductions, however, belong on Usenet, unless

1) You work at Sony and are leaking info
2) You know someone at Sony who is leaking info to you
3) You work at a major dev house that is working with the hw/sw in question

 

[Spidermate]

I could carry this debate on a little further,but it's clear you have already lost.Any non bias person can pretty much see that right now.The most you could do is remain adamant about it.