Xbox Series X / S are the only consoles that use the full capabilities of the AMD RDNA 2 architecture
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anxious_f0x
I think it’s more a case of both Xbox Series X/S supporting the full feature set that DX12 Ultimate provides because both consoles use DX12. Sony however use their own API so who knows what features it supports?
The specs list the PS5 as RDNA 2 so I don’t see why it wouldn’t support all those things at a hardware level at least, and they’ve already shown off games that use Ray Tracing.
nicugoalkeper
To me this is not a good news, it is more like they say:
We only have RDNA 2 so nothing new...
I will like them to say something like:
This is something that is not from RDNA 2 and is new in our console.
For example Sony has a new Geometry Engine. We don't know how good it will do but is something new... And Sony also say that the have RDNA 2 to some extent.
To me this is not a good market strategy.
XenthorX
Tbh it's not like Sony consoles had a great track record of being easy to develop for, using AMD is a first for them.
Understandable that Microsoft uses this angle of attack in marketing, AMD is market leader in computing being CPU or GPU technology and they've been working with them for 15years.
The technology mentionned are also not only AMD exclusives, but internationally defined/normed technology as part of latest graphic APIs.
There's a ton of firms involved in the making of those standard, just checking the Kronos Group and you'll see Sony isn't part of the equation of firms working on the future of graphic computing.
https://i.imgur.com/sLFQNNq.png
AlmondMan
More likely it's using the same Smart memory access thing where Sony have their own special storage compression solution.
anxious_f0x
Of course, I was just using it as an example of one of the RDNA 2 features that’s proven to be in use.
As more games come out it’ll be interesting to see if indeed the PS5 lacks any of the things listed in the article.
Tsenng
This has already been tested. Apparently the cooling solution is pretty awsome!! Check on Le Tube for videos on it.
Richard Nutman
Huh? Playstation 4 was an AMD Jaguar based CPU with Radeon graphics chip. It was easy to develop for, it was x86_64 basically with a sony graphics API and some funky memory.
It was PS2 with the vector processing units that was crazy difficult to develop for.
XenthorX
Damn, so PS2 and PS3 had bad track record my bad. I'm really out of the loop, last console i had was a ps2.
To me, Sony is still milking the fruits of video game studio it bought during its 10 years head start over microsoft in the video game/console business. (Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games, Polyphony Digital, Media Molecule).
To their credit their strategy was clear ahead of the competition, but as far as the last 5 years i really love everything Microsoft has done with its gamepass, studio acquisition ..
Ricepudding
Only the PS3 was know to be hard to develop for due to the cell processor far as i know. Never heard anyone say much about the ps2 being hard to develop for?
But yeah ps4 was easy peasy to develop for based on developers love for the architecture
Back to the topic, Xbox can only say this because of direct x12 which yeah they own and sony cant use. But clearly it isn't an issue they are already showing games with ray tracing and other nex gen features so very unlikely to be an issue with their API. Just Xbox throwing Shade. Its about time for everyone to pick a team so each side is doing it
Richard Nutman
Yeah PS2 was difficult in the graphics department. The vector processors were very complicated. My colleague at the time, a great graphics programmer, took him about a month just to get 1 triangle rendered onscreen! The cpu side was fine though.
Yxskaft
Both Sony and AMD have also said the PS5 uses RDNA2.
The only features Microsoft can claim, at least in public, that the PS5 doesn't support, are the additional features that Microsoft wanted added for their GPU.
nicugoalkeper
Yes but they don't market them, only RDNA 2 why ?? lol
Yxskaft
Sony doesn't simply claim RDNA2 features, both AMD and Sony have explicitly said RDNA2-based GPU.
It could even be something so simple as Sony not being allowed to disclose more specific RDNA2 details at their first reveal, but Microsoft had written permission for it in their contract.
What Microsoft claims is irrelevant here. They aren't supposed to know the details of Sony's GPU customizations, that's a deal between AMD and Sony, and the only features they realistically can claim in public as being Series X only are those that were added at Microsoft's request.
Microsoft also has an interest in promoting the commonality of the PC and Xbox, Sony doesn't have any interest in that since they use neither DirectX nor Vulkan. If they don't consider a feature worth mentioning because its relevance is primarily on the fragmented PC side, it's no surprise they act as if it's not there.
asturur
Does it really matter? i suppose apart very few exceptions, available in one console only, all the other games will look the same on both consoles.
They are so similar, i wonder if developer can add any meaningful feature to a game that they can't on the other console.
pharma
Cerny's comments "Road to PS5" seems to hint Sony has designed their own Geometry engine that will be included in RDNA3.
Also they seem to have their own version of VRS which is said to be better than the MS version.
https://twitter.com/ExpSevDavis/status/1321975285407977473
schmidtbag
Huh? PS3 is the one with the IBM "Cell" CPU, which was notoriously difficult to develop for. PS2 just had a run-of-the-mill MIPS.
Fender178
Also I don't think the Series S would be able to take full advantage of RDNA2 because I keep hearing that the Series S is very weak. Look at the new Yukza game it has to run sub full HD to get 60 fps on the Series S in 2020. Yeah I get the engine isn't very well optimized for that game but still.
You have no idea what you are talking about. The PS3 made the PS2 look like the OG Xbox in terms of programming for it.
H83
This^ Developers are not going to waste time coding differently gor both consoles, with the exception of studios owned by Sony or MS. And i think we can all agree that the Xbox is a little more powerful than the PS5.
Richard Nutman
I'm not talking about the PS2's CPU, I'm talking about the custom vector unit GPU it had.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_2_technical_specifications
"The true power of the EE comes from its two vector units which are known as VU0 and VU1. These are referred to by Sony as two additional floating point units and aid the basic FPU in 3D T&L calculations. The power provided by these vector units is tremendous however their downfall is in their implementation. The power of the two VUs exists in the proper use of them as serial counterparts in handling the T&L calculations necessary during 3D rendering, but with the PS2 being relatively new architecture and dramatically different from what most developers had seen in the past, getting the most out of the host CPU was quite difficult. This is where the majority of the learning curve for developers came from when dealing with the PS2, especially considering that the PS2 shipped to developers without any C libraries. Writing assembly to control the interaction between these two units and the rest of the CPU is not an easy task to say the least and led to many frustrated PS2 developers."
from https://www.anandtech.com/show/853/13
I have no idea what you're trying to say here.
schmidtbag
Ah ok, fair enough. I just remember the PS3 being also difficult to develop for haha.
