Front loaded Generation... What does that even mean?

[Gehirnkrampf]

torok said:

Gehirnkrampf said:

 

well, more hardware iterations mean people will have to buy more consoles over time. consoles get their strong advantage weakened (you don't have to upgrade for a time). shorter console lifecycles would also lead to less time and interest to optimize coding techniques (because the next system is around the corner).

but yeah, since the new consoles are just standartized x86 pcs there is not TOO much to expect in the future. so i think because of that this generation is bound to be shorter than last gen. which means we will improve on the hardware side of things earlier, but not so much on the software side. more expensive for the gamers, cheaper for the software companies, and, of course more money for the console manufacturers.

 

That kind of statement is just popularized by people who don't have a slight knowledge of programming. It doesn't make any difference. PS3 and 360 already used standard GPUs, like PCs, simply because it isn't feasible anymore to create custom graphics hardware with the increased complexity.

But the CPU? It doesn't matter: x86, ARM, PowerPC. It's the same for the developer. The compiler does the job, since only the assembly code will be changed. And even then, modern x86 is way more RISC-like, so it isn't that different from Power. And please, don't say they are standardized PCs. Just the memory architecture, that is radically different, already makes the affirmation fake. And the CPU don't matter. They just moved to x86 because PowerPC development is basically halted because nobody uses. Apple ditched Power because x86 was as fast as Power. The performance advantage was gone and it just remained more expensive. Anyone who says that x86 or Power makes any difference probably never used a compiler in his life.

i'm working as programmer fulltime for 8 years now. maybe i just simplified my thoughts. the architectural proximity to pc will lead to less optimization because 1:1 ports are much easier. but you are right, that's my narrow sight on game development. maybe it's narrow because i only use compilers... and have no clue about game development, that's right.