baloofarsan said:
Netty said:
The x86 architecture is good enough. The big benefit is the whole universe of skills, parts, and drivers that have been built around it over decades of computing. The benefits start with the platform holder (Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, etc), allowing them to more easily design hardware platforms since they can pretty much pick and choose the parts they want, with a high degree of confidence that everything will work together. Since everything is a little more standardized, they can then put out higher quality development tools (compilers, debuggers, drivers, etc) for developers, allowing people to spend more time developing their software and less time fighting with crappy tools. |
Good answer. Is the X86 so much bigger and standardized than ARM or PPC??
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PPC is dead - I can't imagine any new mainstream devices will be making use of it. In fact, Nintendo's decision to stay with PPC for Wii U may explain why the cost of the system is still so high. Since x86 and ARM are manufactured in such huge volumes they are a much more cost effective option, and their popularity guarantees that drivers and toolsets will continue to be maintained.
