CGI-Quality said:
To ever openly state that PC can't do something that a console can...... What makes that platform so great is you aren't restricted. Alt-Tab already allows one to open multiple games (and leave them open so they could go back to them whenever they want), browsers can remain open, a render in the background, Photoshop, benchmark (3DMark), streaming service(s), etc. Sure, you better have the RAM to do it, but that's not an issue I have and we're talking what is possible. What I just stated is a scenario I have actually been through on my rig. 'Sides, we really shouldn't try to pit my PC against a Series X. |
Yeah, I have enjoyed several opened PC-games and dozens of opened browser-tabs and a few apps in the background for decades.
Most games automatically go into pause mode when tabbing out and use only a small part of the system ressources. Of course there are some games which stay fully active in the background and don't play well with other games, but these are the minority.
Suspending whole xbox games to disk is an awesome feature, but that idea ain't new either. PC emulators have done that for decades... heck, even my C64 with "Final Cartridge 3" was able to write a memory snapshot to diskette (or tape) in the late 1980s:
That was great for games without a save option or where you could only save at certain points. You were able to write a memory image on a floppy disk and turn the computer off. After restoring that memory image, you had to insert the game disc of course (in case the game wants to load further data), then you were able continue where you left the game. The number of memory images was almost infinite (if you had enough floppy discs) and not limited to a handful of games.
On modern PCs, such a memory dump per game for PC games ain't as easy, because the RAM allocation is much more flexible and the games/apps aren't sandboxed... which parts of the RAM is allocated with the game data and with DLLs/apps necessary for running the game, which parts aren't necessary? So the whole memory has to be suspended to disc, if you want to turn off the PC after that (hibernation mode).
Strangely enough features that only PCs have, get downplayed for years... but as soon as a console gets this feature, it is super important. For example downloads in the background while playing a game (or installing a game while playing another game), which PS3 and Xbox 360 couldn't do.
Or switching between a game and an app. Or switching between several active games.