MS Executive says Devs will need to learn how to work around Slower SSD on XSX

[DonFerrari]

shikamaru317 said:

DonFerrari said:

You are somewhat wrong. The improvements they put in Velocity Architeture (that they didn't detail) is sure to have some impact, but at the same time Sony put more into the I/O than simply a faster SSD. So even if the API or software wizardry helps somewhat the hardware optmization would still be above it (even more because the SW can be changed and improved over time), PS5 have more priority levels, more connections, better general compression, better direct access, etc.

Second you inverted the SSD expansion. For Sony you will be able to use third party SSDs (or HDs) for expansion or you can substitute the one in PS5 (or play directly from expansion) if the SSD have enough speed (as said by Mark Cerny you would need over 7Gb/s for similar performance if the SSD misses the priority levels) and form factor fits in the bay. But for MS you would have the same option fro expansion, but if you want to play directly from the SSD new gen games you would need propietary drive.

They did detail what Velocity Architecture and DirectX12 Ultimate features will do for Series X, at least somewhat:

Microsoft's new custom SSD storage is central to Velocity Architecture on Xbox Series X, adopting an in-house NVMe solution, delivering unseen speeds in past generations. That provides 2.4 GB/s raw I/O throughput — or 4.8 GB/s compressed, enabled by a custom decompression block. Compared to the 120MB/s offered by Xbox One X, quick maths reveals up to 40 times increases could be a reality.

The hardware decompression block plays a vital role, allowing games to consume less space via compression on the SSD. That hardware is devoted to tackling run-time decompression, keeping games running smoothly without giving more work to the CPU. It uses Zlib, a general-purpose data-compression library, and a mysterious new system named "BCPack," geared to GPU textures.

We also have DirectStorage, building upon DirectX, and aimed at further reducing CPU workloads. The new Microsoft-built API seeks to optimize the efficiency of Xbox Series X asset streaming, with plans to expand to Windows devices moving forward. That couples with Sampler Feedback Streaming (SFS), streamlining GPU usage and loading only portions of textures demanded by a setting. Both provide software solutions that enhance the efficiency of games on Xbox Series X, taking full advantage of CPU and GPU gains.

Yes, but MS is going to sell SSD cartridges that match the speed of the internal drive soon after the launch of the system, meaning that you will be able to install Series X games on your 2nd SSD with no disadvantages. Sony is not going to be selling SSD's that match the speed of their internal SSD, and we won't see off the shelf SSD's that have speeds over 7 GB/s for at least several more years, at least not ones that are affordable. Which basically means that you are limited to the the 825 GB internal SSD for the first several years of the generation, which will be more like 750 GB accessible by the player thanks to space taken up by the OS. You can expand PS5 storage with a slower off the shelf SSD, but you will basically only be able to install PS4 BC games to it, as PS5 games will be optimized to take full advantage of the faster internal drive, and therefore PS5 games would run like dog crap if you tried to play them from a slower off the shelf SSD. 

Yes I had seem these info on the Velocity Architecture, and is similar to what Sony put (although for me it was HW based as well similar to PS5 not SW). That is why I said it will have a impact on improving the I/O in general, but if it is sw based it probably won't be as efficient as the HW based solution of PS5 (there is a compression/decompression block on the silicion, there is direct lines for the CPU/GPU to get info from SSD without passing through RAM, the Tempest Audio will totally bypass the RAM, etc).

From what we know Sony is not going to sell SSDs, but they could partner with the major SSD providers to have certified SSDs (with 5.5 Gb and 6 layers) soon after launch (no information of it but we never heard neither company talking about the HDDs and SSDs certified devices this gen but they do exist), but yes it is fair to assume that for like 1 year you won't be able to expand the memory while playing directly on that expanded drive (be it changing the original or adding a driver) on PS5. You can always do memory management and also transfer from the external to internal drive even if it is a bother.

I'm curious on what prices MS will practice on the SSD cartridge since accessories are usually sold with a very big margin (sometimes they sell for like 3x the cost of manufacture, all big 3) but yes it is an option and when we discover the average size of games we will see how willing people will be to buy these.