Well, Guess We Won't Hear About The PS4's "Hidden Power"
See Full ImageBefore I begin, let me make something perfectly clear-
Whenever someone wants to poke fun at Sony, developers, or journalists for using the term "hidden power" in reference to past PlayStation consoles, I get annoyed. They use the term in a sarcastic or mocking manner when in truth, there was nothing more apt. Think about it:
There was indeed a lot of hidden power in the PS2 and PS3 (and in the original PlayStation, to some extent). And when we say "hidden," we of course mean that due to the complex nature of the architecture, it took some time for developers to fully tap into the system's true power and overall capability. Multiple designers have made this very clear time and time again, so I'm not sure why "hidden power" has always gotten so much flak. Just use your eyes. Did the launch titles on the PS2 look anything like Final Fantasy XII, God of War II, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, which came out later in the generation? Hell, making the comparisons, you could be looking at two completely different machines. It's a fairly drastic leap.
And it has been a similar road for the PS3, as we're seeing graphics presentations from The Last Of Us, Beyond: Two Souls, and God of War: Ascension that are leaps and bounds ahead of launch titles like Ridge Racer 7, Call of Duty 3, Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom, and Genji: Days of the Blade. However, given the fact that Sony is taking a more accessible route this next generation, now it appears that we won't be allowed to use the "hidden power" phrase anymore. This accessibility has its downside, in that we probably won't be seeing ever-increasing technical quality throughout the generation. Then again, that's nothing new for Microsoft fans; as far as anyone could tell, devs knew the Xbox and Xbox 360 inside and out when those systems first hit the market.
So maybe this is the right way to go. And besides, let's not forget that multiplatform titles have been iffy for the PS3 this generation, although that issue has almost died out. Let's not have that issue at all next time around, and let's not wait three or four years before seeing the best of what this system can produce. It's not that I'm impatient but after several generations of seeing the same sort of path taken by PlayStation, it's nice to see something different. ...and yes, "hidden power" probably won't be a subject of conversation. Not with that architecture, apparently.
Tags: ps4, playstation 4, sony, ps4 specs, ps4 power
2/21/2013 10:41:30 PM Ben Dutka
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Comments (51 posts)
Axe99
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 12:01:28 AM
3 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 7:23:30 AM
2 up, 1 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 8:34:50 AM
4 up, 0 down
Fane1024
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 9:00:24 AM
Stop gloating, Beam. ;D
1 up, 3 down
Beamboom
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 10:05:28 AM
Just you wait and see. We are going to hang here on PSXE and praise a *lot* of games the coming years.
1 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 10:08:04 AM
3 up, 0 down
xenris
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 11:22:41 AM
1 up, 0 down
Crabba
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 4:07:03 PM
In fact, since the top PS3s devs like Naughty Dog have spent all their time developing and specializing for the Cell, their first game for the PS4 may not even look as good as the best third-party games who are already used to the tech for a long time.
3 up, 1 down
Fane1024
Sunday, February 24, 2013 @ 6:06:47 AM
The huge amount of quick RAM will certainly help. The not-much-improved processing power available for advanced AI and physics will not.
0 up, 0 down
Akuma07
Thursday, February 21, 2013 @ 11:12:34 PM
Reply
I expect games at the end of this generation to play very different to games at the start, I also expect many genre's to evolve and blur, just like we did current-gen.
2 up, 1 down
Fane1024
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 9:02:29 AM
1 up, 0 down
Simcoe
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 10:18:46 AM
The extra time that it took developers to "learn" how to program for new architecture might now be redistributed into things like variety of gameplay, longer SP stories, and even other new and innovating things not yet thought of.
1 up, 1 down
Temjin001
Thursday, February 21, 2013 @ 11:15:17 PM
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So whether or not we're using PC'ish hardware or not, we're at a point where developers have seemingly endless possibilities to paint us an entertainment experience that is limited only by their imagination ....or target markets by corporate cash cows... but that's a different topic =p
6 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Thursday, February 21, 2013 @ 11:26:42 PM
5 up, 0 down
bigrailer19
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 1:14:01 AM
2 up, 0 down
Karosso
Thursday, February 21, 2013 @ 11:56:42 PM
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On the other hand, I do understand Sony's need to create an easier to develop for console, another PS3 repeat would most likely end it for them. I have high hopes that the PS4 will be the console to put them way up at the top of the game world again, just like the PS1 and PS2 did.
3 up, 0 down
maxpontiac
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 12:28:04 AM
The PS1 and the PS2 weren't some ultra powerful machines to rule them all. They were about bringing a technology based entertainment medium to the masses.
The PS4 has that same vibe friend.
5 up, 2 down
Akuma07
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 12:28:38 AM
The next step is to get CGI movie quality graphics into real time gameplay. Once we get there, that is it, there will be no more graphical leaps. The only thing further than that is VR.
I've been feeling for a long time that the next generation wouldn't be too much of a graphics focused gen. For years I have felt like games are at a point graphically where I am satisfied with them, I could play games with current graphics and be happy with it for at least another 5 years. (With the exception of the completely crap anti-aliasing, crappy textures, pop-up and screen tearing I always see).
When I see playable games that look like I'm playing a CGI movie, I will be blown away.
Last edited by Akuma07 on 2/22/2013 12:29:32 AM
4 up, 1 down
Beamboom
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 4:06:06 AM
I'd call that quite a leap in itself.
Last edited by Beamboom on 2/22/2013 7:25:06 AM
4 up, 0 down
Karosso
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 8:20:17 AM
Also the fact that we did not get to see the actual PS4 hardware took some of the impact out...
I agree that graphics are getting to a point where it's hitting a ceiling and is starting to matter less and less. Lets hope that since it is so easy to develop for, it gives us some amazing new way to experience gaming.
Also there is always ways to make a better looking game. The so called hidden power will always exist, it lives in the head of amazing developers like ND, QD, PD and GG, and it is called optimizing the hell out of your game engine :)
2 up, 2 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 10:09:39 AM
4 up, 0 down
taus90
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 1:12:25 PM
0 up, 0 down
dkmrules
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 1:16:23 AM
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Hopefully the console won't cost $600 again, that was a big setback too.
2 up, 3 down
Fane1024
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 9:12:15 AM
I still think an evolution of the Cell would have provided the best balance between ease/affordability and power/continuity with PS3.
8 up, 1 down
Highlander
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 11:21:59 AM
4 up, 1 down
homura
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 3:27:15 AM
Reply
3 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 3:52:05 AM
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To push hardware further has more to do with the developers than the architecture, and Sony owns some of the very best studios in the entire business. So this is a safe bet.
Didn't the latest Halo again push the X360 further? At least the reviewers said so. That's the perfect case-in-point.
Last edited by Beamboom on 2/22/2013 4:08:41 AM
5 up, 0 down
Karosso
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 8:54:24 AM
"To push hardware further has more to do with the developers than the architecture, and Sony owns some of the very best studios in the entire business. So this is a safe bet."
-------------------------------------------------
"Also there is always ways to make a better looking game. The so called hidden power will always exist, it lives in the head of amazing developers like ND, QD, PD and GG, and it is called optimizing the hell out of your game engine :)"
I think this is the main thing Highlander keeps forgetting when it comes to the hardware limitation, it comes down to the developers working on it, there is nothing stopping the PS4 from having the same quality curve the PS3 had, in my less tech savvy opinion of course :)
1 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 11:10:24 AM
Developers are all excited BECAUSE they can access more of the system's power right off the bat. And in the case of this familiar hardware, there isn't much in the way of "hidden" capabilities.
That's going to be the big difference between this generation and others for PlayStation. Trust me on that.
5 up, 0 down
taus90
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 1:38:12 PM
0 up, 1 down
___________
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 6:02:32 AM
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im concerned that because of the more simplistic well known easy to tap approach were not going to see the incremental leap we are use too.
obviously it will take developers a few years to learn the ins and outs of the system, like any platform would, but it wont take as long to reach the peak with this than it will previous systems.
and will it be as frequent a lift as it was last gen, or will it come in big but infrequent blips?
kinda a double edged sword having such a technical prowess developer working on a launch title.
im a bit concerned GG is going to bring out KZ on launch, than every one else will release a game and it will look so much older simply because they dont have the prowess GG has.
i hope that wont effect the games and system too much, hopefully devs will be able to keep up with each other, and also keep up with the leap in tech we have become accustomed to both at a frequency level and as well at a jump level.
1 up, 2 down
Gabriel013
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 10:03:41 AM
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I'm sure I'm not the only one to recall the negative comments aimed at the 360 saying that it had peaked very early and new releases looked very similar to those we had seen in the previous year or so. They even went so far, in some cases, to say that the new Microsoft HW should have been released years ago as we were at the point of seeing nothing new from it.
Because of the hardware used in the PS3 it did eventually and easily outpace the 360 in visual quality.
I hope that the fact that the PS3 uses more mundane technology doesn't lead to the same problem. I'd hate for us in 3-4 years time be wanting a new machine because we were already getting the best out of it that we could get. I want to see hardware lifespans extending, not shortening.
4 up, 0 down
Bio
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 10:48:02 AM
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Every console goes through that same cycle, and Playstation consoles have been no different in that regard. The 'hidden power' marketing phrase was always silly on Sony's part, and equally silly on people who use it to bag on Sony, since every company uses silly marketing jargon to sell their stuff.
2 up, 2 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 11:09:06 AM
There was a whole lot more "hidden power" in any Sony console as the architecture was essentially alien to most developers. Any "hidden power" in a Microsoft product was minimal at best; devs had firm grasps on all that hardware from the start.
I remember several developers once estimating their proficiency with Sony and Microsoft products, saying they could maybe tap into 30-35% of the PS2 at the start, while they could access 80-85% of the Xbox. And based on the progression of that generation, that seems correct. The same estimates were given for the PS3 and 360, by the way.
The only thing Microsoft consoles drastically improved in through the course of generations is reliability. They start off being catastrophically bad and end up being only embarrassingly bad.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 2/22/2013 11:24:26 AM
5 up, 1 down
Fane1024
Sunday, February 24, 2013 @ 6:15:51 AM
0 up, 0 down
Highlander
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 11:19:34 AM
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Going forward with PS4 and whatever MS eventually drops, it seems clear that the initial wave of games will represent about 90% of what the system can do, and that by the second wave of games, the system will be maxed out. The third wave of games will not see much - if any - increase in quality, and as such could be seen as a disappointment to an industry and market used to seeing ever increasing quality.
The lifecycle of consoles will effectively be cut from 6-7 years to about 4. You might get that third wave of games, but after that, people will be looking for the next step up because the gaming industry will already be talking about having maxxed out the architecture ater 2 waves of game.
the shorter cycle will mean that console makers will have to make their money in a shorter period of time, their horizons will be shorter. That means that the cost of the console will be closer to the purchase price to minimize the time in market needed to make money in the usual business cycle. It also means that future consoles - assuming that there will be a PS5 and beyond - will have to follow a similar architecture to the previous design to minimize transition and minimize the time taken to start the gravy train for the console maker.
Eventually I could see all console makers going hardware independent. Sony already seems to be taking major steps in that direction by punting backward compatibility into the cloud, and basing so many of it's games and services in online services like PSN, PS Plus, PS Mobile (device independent) and Home.
Looking at PS Mobile, I think we can see the future for game consoles, there will be a standard environment for games and as long as a piece of hardware meets the specifications of that standard environment, it will run the games and services.
Basically, I think that this is the turning point where the video game console dies and in turn becomes a virtual console running on any sufficiently powerful computing device. Call me a pessimist if you must, but Sony just announced the last home console - and it's a PC in disguise. In 6 years, we will see what happens, but I am betting on a fully device independent console application that will run on any PC/Mac or sufficiently powerful Tablet.
2 up, 1 down
Simcoe
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 11:45:30 AM
0 up, 0 down
Highlander
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 12:13:18 PM
2 up, 0 down
Highlander
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 1:21:43 PM
2 up, 1 down
Fane1024
Sunday, February 24, 2013 @ 6:21:44 AM
0 up, 0 down
Bio
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 11:31:32 AM
Reply
http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a489/BionicNinjas/Halo-4-Gameplay-Launch-Trailer_zps2b37a27d.jpg
Is 'a mild improvement' over this:
http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a489/BionicNinjas/kameo_screen002_zpsf83938da.jpg
Then I'm really going to have to recommend an eye exam :P
0 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 11:40:31 AM
And the developer stats I listed above are accurate. They've talked about them hundreds of times, so I'm not even sure there's a discussion here. PlayStation architecture has always been harder and therefore has always taken developers longer to master, and in turn, we've seen far bigger jumps in technical quality.
3 up, 1 down
Underdog15
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 12:26:09 PM
http://www.nextgenupdate.com/EE/images/thumbnails/TheLastOfUs_FloodedStreet.jpg
Is an equally as mild improvement from what the 360 did, compared to this:
http://img.hexus.net/v2/gaming/screenshots_ps3/msgc/msgc_large_1.jpg
Then I'm going to have to recommend a straight up eye transplant.
0 up, 0 down
Simcoe
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 11:31:53 AM
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Most of the technical focus at the Sony presentation was based upon new graphics card and 8 GB GDD5 memory. That being said, is all that was *really* required was kind of a PlayStation 3.5. Keeping the existing CellBE (1 PPE, 8 SPE) and just adding more memory and better graphics chip?
0 up, 0 down
Highlander
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 11:48:21 AM
2 up, 0 down
Karosso
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 12:50:13 PM
They can't afford to go through the whole mess again with all those ports looking and playing better on MS's machine. Look at Ben's review of Crisis 3, "The only downside is that the PS3 version doesn’t quite have the level of clarity found in the 360 version." This is still happening today! no way Sony can start another generation with a complicated architecture.
Highlander, I share your pain and had a bad feeling about the future PS hardware since they removed "Crazy Ken" from engineering duty. But it is what it is, and I believe the first party developers will keep at it and make up for the lack in "hidden power."
No matter what the fanboys say, XboX360 games did improve considerably on the graphical side form its first games, and there is no reason we can't expect even better results with ND, QD, GG and PM working exclusively on PS4.
1 up, 0 down
Simcoe
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 1:03:59 PM
Karosso, I was thinking of putting the post as a reply in with yours, but the ensuing discussion was a bit broader than the discussion I was thinking of.
1 up, 0 down
___________
Saturday, February 23, 2013 @ 10:21:51 AM
hopefully this will remove the crappy port problems, and also it also opens the door to new developers.
theres allot of PC developers out there that are really small studios so they dont have the money to go hire cell experienced staff, not enough money and not enough room to put them.
this solves that issue.
where $ony shot themselves in the foot is they chose the most basic bog standard chipset available!
the jaguar system $ony is using is designed for general purpose laptops!
web browsing, facebook, NOT your high spec gaming system!
if they chose something that was designed to be a high spec chip set than the x86 decision would of been a perfect one.
but sadly they dident, as i knew would happen they cheaped out.
$ony has lost a arm and a leg in this generation, and their strap for cash ways have effected the company badly.
they have cheaped out on the ps4 trying to make it as cheap to manufacture as possible, and im afraid the cheap route is going to come back and bite them!
yes they saved money in the short run, but in the long run they have lost 100 fold because there going to need a replacement much sooner.
in switching to x86 $ony has developed a PC attitude, PCs can afford to go cheap low spec because they can upgrade whenever they want.
is $ony going to be offering "boost packs" to plug into the ps4 and give it extra juice?
hell no, that would fracture the market and defeat the whole purpose of a console!
yoshi, if your listening, PLEASE for the love of god, go back to ATI and say hey this is not exactly what were looking for.
what other APUs can you offer with a bit more juice?
we need a 8 core CPU clocked at 2GHz MINIMUM!
and a 2TFLOP GPU with minimum 2GBs of GDDR5 VRAM.
slap that with the 8GBs of GDDR5 memory already announced, and everyone will be humming like a church choir!
ps3 had one achilles heel.
it was SUPER powerful but hard to use.
$onys gone the total opposite way now, very easy to use but super low end!
lets try get back to a happy medium, no?
2 up, 1 down
Warrior Poet
Friday, February 22, 2013 @ 5:15:30 PM
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The PS4 won't be any different. We're going to see the same increase in quality. It's not as if exotic architectures are automatically more extensible than PC chips. When you see demos running on "closed-box" PC systems, you see things that a commercial PC game could -never- do on that same hardware. Consoles can do more with less for that reason (along with many others).
Ultimately, the power in Cell or Emotion Engine was never "hidden" as much as it was "hard to learn." The PS2 had some awesome looking games, but it never did rival the very best-looking games on xbox and gamecube. The PS3 took a while to get better-looking games even though it was clearly more powerful. The exotic design only meant it took longer for a system to reach its potential.
0 up, 2 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Reply
Thursday, February 21, 2013 @ 11:05:11 PM