Epic VP 'PS4 is like a really perfect gaming PC'

[joeorc]

walsufnir said:

full press key note by Mark
interesting Mark Cerny interview with the Japanese press about PS4 

Cerney: In the next few years, we’ll also be supporting a different approach 

-We have our own shader APIs, but in the future, we’ll provide functions which will allow deeper access to the hardware level and it will be possible to directly control hardware using the shader APIs. As a mid-term target, in addition to common PC APIs such as OpenGL and DirectX, we’ll provide full access to our hardware. 

-This will also lead to the main difference with the PS3 era. The main difference is, we will have many titles for launch. Because game development is easier, there shouldn’t be a barrier as there had been previously. PS3 had the image that it was difficult to develop for. Even the PS2 wasn’t that easy. PS4 has a PC CPU and a GPU that’s been enhanced from a PC so the game lineup should become very rich. 

-Realizing Energy Efficiency and Smoothness using a Second Custom Chip with Embedded CPU 
Cerny: The second custom chip is essentially the Southbridge. However, this also has an embedded CPU. This will always be powered, and even when the PS4 is powered off, it is monitoring all IO systems. The embedded CPU and Southbridge manages download processes and all HDD access. Of course, even with the power off. 

-Cerney: The PS4 has a dedicated encoder for video sharing and such. There are a few dedicated encoder and decoder functions which are available and use the APU minimally. This is also used for playback of compressed in-game audio in MP3 and audio chat. 

When the system is fully on, the x86 CPU core controls the video sharing system. However the Southbridge has features to assist with network traffic control. 

http://forums.sega.com/showthread.php?475825-interesting-Mark-Cerny-interview-with-the-Japanese-press-about-PS4&p=7904284