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Inside the PlayStation 4 With Mark Cerny

Cerny approached Gamasutra in the hope of delivering a "no holds barred PlayStation 4 hardware expose," he said, during the interview that resulted in this story. "That certainly is what we're here to do," said Cerny, before speaking to Gamasutra for well over an hour.

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gamasutra.com
majiebeast4792d ago (Edited 4792d ago )

"For example, this is his take on its GPU: "It's ATI Radeon. Getting into specific numbers probably doesn't help clarify the situation much, except we took their most current technology, and performed a large number of modifications to it."

They build it! We made it better!

Article is a good read thanks for posting it.

LightofDarkness4792d ago

More like: "They designed the original, we adapted it to fit our solution". Making it work with their design paradigm doesn't necessarily make it "better". But yes, I digress.

abzdine4792d ago (Edited 4792d ago )

The PlayStation 3 was very powerful, but its unfamiliar CELL processor stymied developers. "There was huge performance there, but in order to unlock that performance, you really needed to study it and learn unique ways of using the hardware," said Cerny.

I actually like the way PS3 was built, it helped me distinguish the good developers from the bad and lazy ones.
The problem with PS3 was only the launch price. If it launched at 400bucks PS4 wouldn't be as it is.
The reason why i'm writing this is that it wouldn't take to long before developers unleash full PS4 power if the architecture is known, we wont see as much evolution as we did with PS3. in the end life cycle will be much shorter.

NewMonday4792d ago

seems all of the internal hardware secrets are unveiled, the next mysteries are on the softwere side.

Minato-Namikaze4792d ago

@abzine

Exactly. The good devs learned to use the system and made amazing games. Lazy devs complained and tried to take shorcuts and their games suffered for it.

"If I’d asked people what they wanted, they would have asked for a faster horse" - henry ford

WUTCHUGUNNADO4792d ago

@Abzdine

The console cycle won't be shorted. In fact next gen has the probability of lasting longer than even this gen with the main focus going towards what features they can implement into the console itself.

"The reason why i'm writing this is that it wouldn't take to long before developers unleash full PS4 power if the architecture is known, we wont see as much evolution as we did with PS3"

That wasn't evolution per say... PS3 was always capable of it but it just took longer for the Devs to realize it due to the complications of learning the new tech. The PS4's architecture makes it easier for Devs to hit the ground running right off the back which is no where close to being something to be disappointed about simply because you'll see the console running at it's full potential sooner than the PS3 took. I'm in no way shape or form Pro-PS4 but I do understand that it will bring the entire industry to the level I want to see whether it's PC/720/PS4.

NeoBasch4792d ago

"The PlayStation 4's architecture looks very familiar, at first blush -- and it is. But Cerny maintains that his team's work on it extends it far beyond its basic capabilities."

I think this is sufficient proof that they at least believe its better. Now who knows if that's actually true. It's the kind of thing where you need to just decide for yourself if you agree. Hopefully, developers will be able to tap into it if true.

SHORYUKEN4792d ago

Dude Lightofdarknes.

PS4 is the best you can get.

Please stop being such a fanboy and just accept the benefits the PS4 will give you.

Free online playing with friends etc. you know it.

sengoku4792d ago

simply a beautiful design

nukeitall4792d ago

@abzdine:

"I actually like the way PS3 was built, it helped me distinguish the good developers from the bad and lazy ones."

Keep in mind that game design has little to do with the technical side of things. You can have "lazy" developers, but still create a great game and vice versa.

So I don't think that necessarily says anything. There is also a resource issue.

I think Sony's approach this time around with unified memory and ease of development is the correct path.

That said, remember when "unified memory" was supposed to be for cheap and low end PC systems?

MS changed that around pretty quickly, with the Xbox 360 and now it is more recognized as a genius move. Well played, well played!

Gazondaily4792d ago (Edited 4792d ago )

I can see why Cerny's appointment as lead man for the PS4 was met with little to no resistance. Simply put, this man knows what he is doing and is undeniably very passionate about it too.

Hats off to him. He has already played a big part in making the PS4 a veritable 'beast' in the console arena.

Why o why4792d ago (Edited 4792d ago )

Its amazing that the hardest console to develop for yielded most technically advanced games this gen. Not to say Naughty Dog, Santa Monica or PD couldn't do wonders on the 360 mind you but the console that was the easiest to develop on should of yielded the most.....

microsoft should acquire more devs of the ilk sony have in my opinion or at least use the ones they do have to create more advance game engines and stuff

Like septic said, this guy seems to be on the ball and passionate about our industry. Lets see what naughtysantidigital and the likes can pull off on a console that's allegedly easy to dev on.

GraveLord4792d ago

Uhhh...yes it does make it better.

MysticStrummer4791d ago

Actually yes, that does make it better. Better for use in the PS4.

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 4791d ago
4792d ago Replies(3)
flyingmunky4792d ago

"One thing we could have done is drop it down to 128-bit bus, which would drop the bandwidth to 88 gigabytes per second, and then have eDRAM on chip to bring the performance back up again," said Cerny. While that solution initially looked appealing to the team due to its ease of manufacturability, it was abandoned thanks to the complexity it would add for developers. "We did not want to create some kind of puzzle that the development community would have to solve in order to create their games. And so we stayed true to the philosophy of unified memory."

^^Isn't that what the rumored xbox is going to use? He basically just said MS's method is a cheaper, developer unfriendly, way of doing things. It will be interesting if MS has the box that is more difficult to code for next generation.

GiggMan4792d ago

You're right. All BS aside that was a great article to read.

ATi_Elite4792d ago (Edited 4792d ago )

" Getting into specific numbers probably doesn't help clarify the situation much,"

WTF! YES Specific Numbers would Clarify the situation. Why is SOny tap dancing around and not releasing specific GPU specs?

Can't wait till E3 and hopefully those specs are released.

Oh by the Way Knack Looks Awesome! Now THAT'S impressive.

ravinash4792d ago

Would the numbers help clarify the situation?
With the architecture so different to a standard PC, how would you compare them.

you would look at the basic numbers and think "Oh look, their lower than my PC so there for it can't be as good".

With all the changes, how you you judge that?

Cryptcuzz4792d ago

@ ravinash

Exactly as you said, took the words directly from my mouth as if you're a wizard :)

To say it in a slightly different way, if the numbers were released, all it would achieve is numbers PC extremists would simply use to compare the two platforms since the components are very similar.

That is not what they want to achieve, since it would totally overlook what they have carefully planned and engineered the components to behave and perform.

The result, a platform with familiar components that have been significantly modified to perform synonymously with one another to achieve performance not possible on a platform like a PC, where parts are just thrown together for brute force, but not efficiency.

Kenshin_BATT0USAI4791d ago

Actually, numbers would at the very least give us a vague idea where the GPUs power stands. We have all the other specs, if we had those numbers we'd have an extremely solid grasp as to what to expect.

Sy_Wolf4791d ago

As a heavily certified IT guy I can tell you it would help a lot. Modifying the GPU won't make it radically faster. Knowing the exact GPU that it came from would give an idea of what type of performance you can expect. It's not comparable at all to the PC because of the way a PC works, but it would give you an idea of what to expect.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4791d ago
pain777pas4792d ago

Cerny is a Wiz kid. Seriously, he is a certified grade skipping complete college before 18 years old genius. Sony is in the driver seat........ again.

PeaSFor4792d ago

....Cerny could also be a supervillain

4792d ago
4792d ago
Gamer19824792d ago

"One thing we could have done is drop it down to 128-bit bus, which would drop the bandwidth to 88 gigabytes per second, and then have eDRAM on chip to bring the performance back up again," said Cerny. While that solution initially looked appealing to the team due to its ease of manufacturability, it was abandoned thanks to the complexity it would add for developers.

Like MS has done so hes taking a cheap shot while pointing out games are going to be harder to develop for MS new console compared to Sonys.

Tsar4ever014791d ago

Ya'll think all this ps4 intel is cool then you'll LUV this link. http://www.neogaf.com/forum...

enjoy,

ps3_pwns4791d ago

so why do some people not want to get the ps4 with all this news and info is out? everything the xbox 360 has now is whats gonna be on the ps4 except for halo, gears, forza, and 60 dollar online fee and ads. dont see why you guys arent gonna buy a ps4 because thats also what your friends are gonna get especially if it comes out first. its time for people to be gamers and jump on board the best console so we can get the best games.

JsonHenry4791d ago

"That lead, naturally, to thoughts about what to do next. Musing on the architecture of Sony's next system, Cerny spent his Thanksgiving holiday reading up on the history of the X86 architecture -- realizing that not only had it evolved dramatically over the years, but that by the time the PlayStation 4 shipped, it would be powerful enough for Sony's needs."

Ugh... this is the most self gratifying thing I've read in a long while.

It should have read 'we looked at the x86 architecture because all of the developers are familiar with it, it has a lower R&D cost, and the parts are dirt cheap and we don't have to come up with our own chips and decided we should have been using this all along'.

Seriously. ANYONE who knows even the smallest bit about hardware knows that the x86 platform has been MORE THAN POWERFUL ENOUGH since inception for any console to use.

I am extremely happy that Sony pulled their heads out of their asses. I will be standing in line to buy a PS4 come launch day which I haven't done for any hardware since the launch of the PS2. But please, Sony. Stop with the dumb articles and intellectually dishonest statements like the one I quoted above. It isn't doing you any favors. The hardware will speak for itself.

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 4790d ago
jc485734792d ago (Edited 4792d ago )

you know what's funny and I guess I'm one of the few that feel this way, but Mark Cerny kinda has become the center of attention ever since the announcement of PS4. I mean, he seems like a nice person and I think Sony saw that in him and it's using that to their advantage. Cerny simply looks like the guy you want to make friends with. just look at the photo!

delboy4792d ago ShowReplies(3)
WeAreLegion4792d ago

Actually, Mark Cerny is a genius. He graduated high school at 12 and had his bachelor's at 15.

Sarobi4791d ago

Woah really?, that's pretty damn awesome.

WeAreLegion4791d ago

Yes, really. :) I've been studying him since the PlayStation Meeting. I freaking worship this guy now.

Marceles4792d ago

Cerny has that "Apple employee spokesperson from Apple ad" feel about him. I don't know his background but seems like he's genuine.

yewles14792d ago

Looks like they're really going for efficiency over pure power for this.

"When we say 1.8 TFLOP/s, we MEAN it this time... with a VENGEANCE!!!" in a nutshell...

I_am_Batman4792d ago

Exactly. Just like gaming PCs are build more for efficiency compared to a High End PC. The difference here is that Sony built a system from the ground that doesn't need to run Windows.

I like that they asked dev teams to come with their own ideas for the PS4. That's the reason why everybody seems happy with the final architecture of the system.

Is the PS4 a high end PC? No. More like a super efficient gaming PC.

ps3_pwns4791d ago

the ps4 is basically astro boy. small little robot who beats the crap out of huge monster atlus type robots. small but packs a huge punch.

Godchild10204792d ago

I hope they spread those titles out and not just release them in a 3 month window. These games need to be spread out, so the console stays attractive. Please don't don't release a great deal of games too early like you did with the Vita and have months with no retail titles.

I just hope they learn from their mistakes.

KwietStorm_BLM4792d ago

Learn from their mistakes? With the Vita? It's not up to Sony if developers simply aren't making games for it. It's foreseeable future is looking very good right now, but it's an entirely different situation with the PS4. It's a home console, and developers are very keen on working with it. If it went months or an extended time with no games, then that would mean developers just weren't producing anything, which just doesn't happen. It's not like it's the Wii U where many third party games pass on it.

Godchild10204792d ago (Edited 4792d ago )

I'm not talking development of the games, I'm talking about a lot of games with its launch window or its first month with no releases 2 months after its releases other than digital titles.

Why release 26 games within its first month and have only 2-3 games a month after its release. Home console or not, they have made mistakes with the PS3 as well. It's all about keeping the momentum and not hoping the current titles released will help keep the system selling.

And how about developer support from their own first party after its launch window and not just within it.

The first 3 months mean a lot for them, but the months after means a lot more for the system and the consumers.

GribbleGrunger4792d ago

Yeah, I agree. I think the 'big splash' in the hope that momentum takes care of itself isn't the best approach unless you have a hell of a lot of content to fill that launch window.

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40°

The Big PSSR Interview With Mark Cerny

DF: "Just over a year ago, we shared exciting news directly from PlayStation 5 lead system architect Mark Cerny that Sony intended "to have something very similar to FSR 4's upscaler available on PS5 Pro for 2026 titles as the next evolution of PSSR." Just over a year later, the promise has been delivered and the quality upgrade can be transformative. This is the technology we hoped for, duly delivered, and when the opportunity arose to share some questions with Cerny about the revised PSSR, we didn't need to be asked twice."

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digitalfoundry.net
70°

Mark Cerny Confirms Frame Generation "Should Be Seen At Some Point On PlayStation Platforms"

In a detailed interview coming soon on Digital Foundry, PlayStation 5 lead system architect Mark Cerny has shared more on the Project Amethyst collaboration with AMD, confirming that ML-based frame generation is coming to "PlayStation platforms" but advising DF not to expect any further updates this year.

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digitalfoundry.net
Chocoburger77d ago

Hopefully it can be turned off for those who don't desire frame generation. Just a simple toggle in the settings menu shouldn't be hard to add.

Eonjay77d ago

Yeah I am pretty sure this is the plan... Just easier to make it an option.
I am actually quite interested to see just what this does to extend the life of the PS5 Pro.
As far as PS6... I really feel like this tech is gonna greatly even the playing field with higher end PCs.
This is why Nvidia is trying to pass off its new AI filter as something worth caring about. We are fast approaching the endgame of raster performance.

Michiel198977d ago

bro nvidia doesnt care about pc or consoles....these tinfoilhat theories that nvidia want to deceive the public cause ps6 get closer to pc power? come on man....
They're making an ai filter because "drumroll" they're focussed on ai right now....not because of consoles power might or might not rival pc's power or whatever other console vs pc argument you wanna come up with. I like how every action a company takes in the mind of the sony goons always has either to do with console wars or consoles vs pc instead of just making money.

Look up the % of their revenue that comes from gaming and how much comes from AI

Inverno77d ago

Fake frames and fake resolutions should enhance an already well optimized game. Industry been moving in the wrong direction since these pro models came out last gen. The PS360 gen couldn't even deal with 720p res without tanking fps, PS4ONE gen started pushing for 4K when they couldn't even push beyond 900p/720p, and current gen can't run at 1080p/60 fps without dynamic resolution or some AI trickery.

SonyStyled76d ago

There’s quite a few PS3 games that are 1080p/60fps

OpenGL76d ago

Not really. Most of them were not actually native 1080p, Wipeout HD used dynamic resolution, GT5 was 1280x1080 scaled horizontally, etc.

LucasRuinedChildhood76d ago (Edited 76d ago )

PS3 was great but the frame rates weren't.
The vast majority of first person shooters on PS3 besides COD targeted 30fps, the genre which most needs 60fps.

Arcade racing games also often were only 30fps. Respect to Burnout Paradise and Driver Dan Francisco for actually being 60fps despite being open world when even track based racers were usually 30fps.

isarai_lee77d ago (Edited 77d ago )

Famegen is the most backwards garbage imo. The whole point of more frames is better response, but framegen doesn't improve response, in fact it makes it worse so what's the point?

jznrpg76d ago

I don’t have experience using it but I’m sure the end goal is to further the tech as time goes so it’s a benefit in the long run

MagUk76d ago

Frame gen has its usefulness but I would only use it if you can run a game above 60fps and upwards. It can add extra smoothness. Personally I’d only use it on single player games that ain’t that ain’t to fast paced.

Eonjay76d ago

I think how it will be used. I think it will be used on the Pro to provide improvements in unlocked games running in the 60-80 range... of which their are quite a few.

Pyrofire9576d ago

I am just coming around to thinking Frame-gen is okay but I have to emphasis so hard that a game already should be running at 60 before it.

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170°

Mark Cerny 'Loved' Legend of Dragoon, But Admits It 'Can't Possibly Be as Good' as He Remembers

The Legend of Dragoon is held in very high regard by Sony stalwarts, a JRPG developed in-house for the original PlayStation. While it never achieved the same success as other games of that era, it's retained a cult status, and you still see calls from fans today for Sony to return to the land of Endiness. Now, fans can say that Mark Cerny, lead system architect for the PS4 and PS5, ranks among their number.

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pushsquare.com
no_more_heroes186d ago

There's definitely parts of it that haven't aged well, for sure. It would be interesting to see how a remake could fix the things that need it while somehow maintaining the game's charm.

gold_drake185d ago

i think the combat could definitely be almost like expedition 33, with the precision input thing.

no_more_heroes185d ago

My thoughts exactly. It's been a long-ass time since I've played it, but I remember there being weirdness with the plot regarding a female character. I'm on the fence about whether I'd want an FF7 Remake-style approach, or just a warts-and-all approach of it being the same exact game with 21st century graphics and presentation.

Even with regards to the goofy voice acting lol!

Part of me wants that FF7R style treatment.

Relientk77186d ago

A fantastic JRPG that should return. I wish Sony would just remake this already. I mean Bluepoint Studios makes fantastic remakes... there you go Sony.

-Foxtrot185d ago

They do…and as soon as Sony bought them they decided to waste their talents on a GaaS title for 5 years before cancelling it.

Such a shame

We could have had at least a remake from them with the next one close to being teased

MDTunkown186d ago

Jrpg age well it’s not like replaying driver.
And its flaws like to much random encounter and slow combat can easily be fixed

Knightofelemia186d ago

It's still one of those hidden gem JRPG's I love the game. I wish Sony would do something with the title whether an HD remaster or give it the remake treatment like Square did with FF7. I also wish Sony would do something with the Wild Arms franchise and another JRPG franchise I love as well.

Miraak82 186d ago

Story and charecters were good, cinematics were top notch and gameplay was fun for its time but world and exploration left much to be desired especially after playing games that came out before it like FF and Xenogears . It's a shame we never got another in-house made Sony rpg , kinda surprised they never tried to acquire Level-5 for all they rpgs they've made for them

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