Well it looks like the lag has been removed so at least now the potential is there for it to be used in a way that is actually enjoyable and the end user not feeling like an untrained director of traffic.

Awaits doubtfully. :)

DS4 is probably more expensive to produce than the new Xbox controller, so the price probably gets bumped up a lot by Kinect 2.0

The DataMoves are easy to understand... MS needs to move fast data between eSRAM, DDR3, CPU and GPU... so all that work was being made by CPU in first place but the CPU some times are in heavly load due the games that that at the end generates a bootleneck (no data transfered fast enough from DDR3 to eSRAM).

So what the purpose of eSRAM if you can't move the data from DDR3 to eSRAM fast enough to GPU use it.

So Microsoft created four fixed and specialized units to do that work... the DataMoves exists to move data bettwen eSRAM, DDR3, CPU and GPU... while you are using the CPU and GPU the  DataMoves is already woking in background to move the data between the parts... that from you free up the CPU from that task and the bootleneks deu the low bandwidth speeds.

MS created that due the use of slow RAM (DDR3).

I almost forget... they added zlib compression and encryption/dencryption into the DataMoves so while moving the data there do some simple works over it if needed... freeing even more the CPU.

Sony always wanted to hit that $399 price point and planned for it, MS believe they are over-delivering value at their $499 price point! As for which is better value for money, that will be up to the consumer to decide.

The Xbox One price reflects the inclusion of Kinect as everybody says which is a good idea imo, everyone get's it and that makes it worthwhile for developers to produce something for it, but you get it if you want it or not. The lower price point of the PS4 is still the better option though.

Sony - Shuhei Yoshida:

“Designing PS4 was all about learning lessons from PS3 – ease of development and the cost of the system is a big part of it,” he said. “We always wanted to hit $399 and we designed the system and carefully chose out of all the potential inclusions of the core hardware components and we made a system that we could sell for $399.

http://www.vg247.com/2013/06/12/sony-to-support-ps4-for-10-years-always-wanted-to-hit-the-399-price-

Microsoft - Don Mattrick:

"We're over-delivering value against other choices I think consumers can get. Any modern product these days you look at it [and] $499 isn't a ridiculous price point.

"We're delivering thousands of dollars of value to people, so I think they're going to love it when they use it. We're really making the living room your centre of fun for your family," Mattrick said.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/414870/499-isnt-ridiculous-microsoft-defends-xbox-one-price/

Kinect and the fact that MS seems to think it's worth the extra cost. That, and/or they thought the PS4 would be priced higher.

1. The 7950 and 7970 are identical gpu chips. One is clocked lower with fewer active units.
No outsider knows the die sizes of the two APUs or their intrinsic complexities. Both contain "additional goodies" that make them larger than just a generic cpu/gpu combo. On XBox side, we have 32M of esram which probably needs 80mm^2 as a rough guess, but then we have more cu units in the PS4 gpu that offset some of the esram space.  Then add goodies left and right, and overall die sizes essentially become guesswork. But it is highly unlikely there is a 50% difference in die sizes.

2 A few numbers just for amusement. In the early 1980, the research group I was working with was thinking of buying a tof camera. Price $40'000 for a 32*16 (or less? - can't remember) pixels camera. Around 2000, a 160*160 tof camera cost around $10'000. In 2010, a 320*160 camera still cost around $6000. Right now, the cheapest tof chip I found is around $500 for 320*160 pixels (bought in bulk quantities). The Kinect2 has a tof camera with 500*400 pixels (rumoured and demos seem to confirm that) - you'd certainly have to fork over $1000 for getting such a chip from a company. How MS has managed it i can only speculate, no more. If MS ever brings out Kinect2 solo kits for under $500, they will be bought up in hoardes by every research group who ever thought of using a tof camera.

Just to make more accurate... the eSRAM is six time bigger than eDRAM... the Xbone APU have 5 billions transistors due the eSRAM (PS4 APU have 3 billion transistors).

About the GPU only... PS4 uses a custom HD 7850 and the Xbone a custom HD 7770.

PS4 GPU (~2.5 billions transistors, ~180mm²)
Xbone GPU (~1.5 billion transistors, ~125mm²)

So no.... the DataMoves and eSRAM add a lot more than the GPU difference.

Anyway I don't want to enter in discussion what is part bigger but overall it is a 5 vs 3 billions transistors .

DMA can do simple CPU tasks? If not then DadaMoves are more complex than DMA.

Simply:

1. Lack of R&D (unlike the previous generation, theres no format change and uses off the shelf components)

2. Lack of Exclusive Contracts (Sony is making no effot in getting third party developers into exclusive contract with them - instead they are just making ps4 attractive to develop for)

misconception:

Yen - Despite yen becoming weaker since end of last year, yen is still considered strong compared to 2007 (94 vs 115)