SvennoJ said:
That audio FUD again. Sony said that down the road the GPU can be used for other things, like ray-casting, during downtime between frames, to show how flexible the GPU is. They didn't tell developers that they have to do their sound processing on the GPU at all.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-face-to-face-with-mark-cerny
Now when I say that many people say, "but we want the best possible graphics". It turns out that they're not incompatible. If you look at how the GPU and its various sub-components are utilised throughout the frame, there are many portions throughout the frame - for example during the rendering of opaque shadowmaps - that the bulk of the GPU is unused. And so if you're doing compute for collision detection, physics or ray-casting for audio during those times you're not really affecting the graphics. You're utilising portions of the GPU that at that instant are otherwise under-utilised. And if you look through the frame you can see that depending on what phase it is, what portion is really available to use for compute.
http://blog.games.com/2013/07/23/sony-explains-how-developers-will-unlock-full-potential-ps4/
Cerny describes how the PS4 will be ready for the future and claims that the full power of the next-gen console will increase as the years go by. He explains what will happen when the PS4 launches as well as what will occur several years down the road.
The interview did get technical, though, so we've devised a list on what was discussed:
- At the beginning of the PS4 cycle, most games will not unlock the PS4′s full potential.
- Earlier PS4 Games will use "straight forward" features of the console, like its visual power and bandwidth.
- Later on, the GPU will be used for many other objectives besides processing graphics
- The GPU can do things like "physics, simulation, collision detecting or ray casting for audio or the like."
- The extra stuff will not make the visuals worse.
- "Some of these phases [within a frame of animation on-screen] don't really use all of the various modules within the GPU."
- When there is free space on the GPU modules, it will have room for other tasks.
- It will "improve the quality of your world's simulation without decreasing the quality of your graphics."
And this is what Sony said in April
http://techreport.com/news/24725/ps4-architect-discusses-console-custom-amd-processor
Cerny says the PS4's custom silicon incorporates not only the CPU and GPU, but also a "large number of other units." The chip has a dedicated audio unit to perform processing for voice chat and multiple audio streams. It also has a hardware block designed explicitly for zlib decompression. The main processor is backed by a secondary chip that enables an ultra-low-power mode for background downloading. In that mode, the CPU and GPU shut down, leaving only the auxiliary chip, system memory, networking, and storage active.
A 256-bit interface links the console's processor to its shared memory pool. According to Cerny, Sony considered a 128-bit implementation paired with on-chip eDRAM but deemed that solution too complex for developers to exploit. Sony has also taken steps to make it easier for developers to use the graphics component for general-purpose computing tasks.
secret sauce!
|
OK, so the screen going blank, or switching to 'shadow mode' so every game looks like Limbo, so they can have cool game sound is a desired 'feature.' Got it.
So "Sony considered a 128-bit implementation paired with on-chip eDRAM but deemed that solution too complex for developers to exploit." Yea, I kinda feel bad for him. He has done his best, and so much responsibility on his shoulders. To bad they couldn't have incorporated it into the OS to work behind the scenes so it would enhance performance, without making it more complected to program. I am thankful there is a some company in Washington that is doing just that.
And this "At the beginning of the PS4 cycle, most games will not unlock the PS4′s full potential." So he is apologizing for the quality of games before they are even out. Sure everyone knows games get better, but this, is just sounding so, I wish him comfort in his solace.
But hey, perhaps it's time for Crash Bash 2.
