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Alan Wake 2 Dev Explains Two Biggest Challenges Of Working With Xbox Series S

"The GPU is an issue, it really is"

eagle21968d ago

He laid it out flat in easy to understand english....lol:

"Choosing my words carefully here... we like Xbox, we like Sony."...

"Obviously there's a massive difference in power [between Xbox Series X and Series S]"......

"but if you want to see the game at its best in full next-gen form then it's going to be on the machines that have the hardware to enable that."

And that's the the hardcore truth. Imagine what Rockstar is going through trying to deliver Grand Theft Auto 6 to Series S. Sigh......

Mr_cheese968d ago (Edited 968d ago )

The thing is with Rockstar, they're that big they can call the shots

EvertonFC968d ago

Even crazier 75% of Xbox console owners are series S so ONLY 25% playing games as they were intended from the Devs.
Even the dukes on sacred symbols played SF on PC and there supposed to be an Xbox channel lol.
I'd love to know the percentage of series X owners who actually played SF on series X and NOT PC or series S

968d ago Replies(1)
BLow968d ago

The sad thing is people have been telling the fanboys this since the S was announced but no one wanted to listen. We were even told by MS that the only thing that would be different is the resolution.

The sad thing is, people can't just be rational and except the truth just to stay loyal to a box. Every became a developer and engineering expert lol. All with comment section degrees. All talk as usual. Happy gaming people.

-Foxtrot968d ago

It’s strange because you see people going around saying things like the PS5 could be holding the Series X back when in reality the Series S is holding everyone back

It’s like the Series X was made powerful just so they could say they had the most powerful console knowing they don’t have the intention to harness that technology and push a game to the max on it

Their own parity rule is literally holding games back on the Series X and the PS5, maybe not fully but they still need to think of limitations in the back of their mind. Why would you focus pushing the PS5 when you can’t release something similar on the Series X because Ms requires the S and X to run / look the same.

If MS want to implement that stupid rule then I wish third party developers would grow a pair and tell MS to f*** right off with it “if you don’t want to change your rule then that’s fine we’ll just release our game on the PS5 and PC then until you think things through”

Shane Kim967d ago

You could just use the sliders though.

Cockney967d ago

With the caveat that this only applies to 3rd party multi platform games, Sony 1st party are still leading the way, from astros playroom to spiderman 2 Sony push their system

Ashunderfire86967d ago (Edited 967d ago )

Rockstar Love Them or Hate them, made wonders with underpowered consoles like PS3 and 360 running GTA5! Look at what they did to Xbox One and PS4 running Red Dead Redemption 2! They created one of the best simulated open world games to date! The NPC A.I attention to detail is unmatched, compared to many open world games out there! They can definitely make GTA 6 work with Series S!

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 967d ago
darthv72968d ago

This is a dev who knows how its supposed to be done. Aim high and then dial things down low... not the other way around. This game will showcase how "adjusting sliders" will allow the game to run on lower end hardware while not holding back the higher end in order to do it. Others should learn from this team on how to do split hardware correctly. Even if they used the PS5 as the middle ground, they can work up to SX and down to SS and the game will run and look accordingly to their respective hardware targets.

isarai968d ago

There's a lot more to getting a game to work on lesser hardware for developers than "Adjusting sliders" limitations like this are what cause delays, development hell, crunch, and cut content/features. And given MSs parity requirement, it's holding the PS5/SX versions back.

--Onilink--968d ago

How is it holding back SX and PS5 versions?

Thats like saying the PC version would be held back by the SS/SX/PS5 versions and yet PC is getting a full path traced mode…

Yes, scaling for SS (or lower end PCs) is and always will be, a significant amount of work, its not just “adjusting sliders”, but enough with the holding back nonsense… practically every aspect of a game can be scaled/tuned to meet any kind of hardware requirement

Kaze88967d ago

@--Onilink-- Have you lived in a barrel past year? the pc ports have been uttershit all year. The games are optimized to consoles and yes, holding back the PC versions. Ofc there are some that have actually good ports and version like current version of Cyberpunk. The Series S is the same due to 40% lower memory and less gpu power.

--Onilink--967d ago (Edited 967d ago )

@Kaze

Releasing a poor port and being held back are completely different topics though.

Being held back means that developers chose not to include something because it literally cant be done on lower end platforms, which for PC in specific, there will always be lower end platforms regardless of whether they do consoles or not. Now we even have to consider the PC handhelds that are coming up that are even weaker than PS5 and SX.

Again, the idea that Alan Wake 2 is supposed to be an example of being held back when we are literally getting a Series S version on one end and a fully path traced PC port on the other kind of speaks for itself.

I’d be interested to hear of a single example where a developer has had a drop a feature on PC because the consoles couldnt do it, or a PS5/SX game doing that because SS cant. Because THAT is what it means to hold back platforms, not just because its extra work to scale down

Johnh5223967d ago (Edited 967d ago )

Alot pcs gamers still dont have ssd’s which why nowadays you see pc games being janky when they use to be the best experience. Ps5 exclusives have been the visual showcases. I thinks series s games will end up cloud only in the future.

Crows90967d ago

I think this game is going to Showcase where is the best place to play. And the Xbox general population is not the best place to play.
And as we thought this generation all along...Xbox still has the weakest console out there. And they did that on purpose to limit the possibilities of this generation.

Thankfully we have the PlayStation 5 console to allow developers to really push the limits for console gaming. The Xbox platform does not allow for that because of the s.

purple101967d ago

Ps5 as a middle ground..? Haha.

Ps5 is tops and you know it! 2tf on paper I's not showing the % advantage it's supposed to.

The fact is horizon zero dawn/ burning shores is the best looking game so far this gen

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 967d ago
yarbie1000968d ago

Wow this completely destroys the Xbox narrative that it will 'just scale'.

He said you can't compare PC to Xbox because the Series S is super limited in both GPU and Memory and PC does not have a memory issue.

Can't believe Microsoft is gonna be the cause to hold this generation back the entire time all cause they wanted to cheap out on the hardware and components. And now the shelves are filled with them

Aussiesummer967d ago

Just microsoft being microsoft, havent you seen the recent leaks? absolute morons.

TheColbertinator968d ago

Game looks terrific even when held back

Hofstaderman968d ago

And 75% of series adopters have the S. Shame on you MS.

ABizzel1967d ago

Now imagine what their future plans look like knowing that their core is likely only 25% of their market, meanwhile, the majority of their consumers care more about the lowest cost possible and the power narrative is irrelevant to them.

MS is more likely to invest in the Xbox Streaming Stick / Box, plus an at best mid or mid-low range console for the $200 - $350 price range and call it a gen, and fans can only pray they throw them/us a bone with an actual high-end console.

Plague-Doctor27967d ago

I think a console will still be a priority for them. Having someone locked into Xbox means they have no alternatives to buying games/gamepass. People with a streaming stick can always do whatever netflix/apple/amazon are doing and will do in gaming the next few years. People with a PC have steam/GOG, etc. Anyone who games on xbox MUST go through microsoft themselves. Console players are the most reliable source of income

Johnh5223967d ago

FSR 3 maybe the only solution for series s parity. Which may mean 480p native games upscaled.

Show all comments (42)
60°

Take-Two CEO Once Again Side Steps Grand Theft Auto 6 Price Point

Strauss Zelnick says price of GTA 6 is being carefully considered and that Rockstar is focused on "making the most spectacular piece of entertainment on Earth."

Kuma32d ago

If GTA 6 abandons everything that made GTA 5 great, it will crash and burn right out of the gate. GTA 5 was funny and not at all PC. My worry is that they will cave to the PC crowd and ruin the vibes.

Eonjay32d ago

They got freaking BBLs twerking on the top of trucks for the gram, the freaking Flordia joker, and dude running down the stree in their undies and you are worried about it being 'too PC'? The internet has runied gamers. It doesn't matter how non-PC they make the game, you will all listen to the grifters telling you not to believe your lying eyes lol.

gigoran832d ago

"Rockstar Games’ co-founder and former VP of Development Jamie King said he envisions GTA 6 as a game that’s “maybe not quite as edgy or quite as funny” as its satirical predecessors."

oh yeah, totally internet grifters spreading rumors...

blacktiger32d ago

That's part of the plan, they destroyed you but they need to destroy the shareholders? Only 1 shre holder is the true elite that don't care

1nsomniac32d ago (Edited 32d ago )

Meh.., if it’s above £55 I ain’t buying it.

Rockstar are genuinely not half the company they used to be. I was a die hard GTA fan I’ve purchased every game and expansion and spin off day 1.

My opinion of GTA6 is that I can take it or leave it. Not bothered. They burnt too many bridges.

DaReapa32d ago (Edited 32d ago )

So they're actually leaving the door open for an L.A. Noire sequel? Nice!

VaNdAl32d ago (Edited 32d ago )

He should just come out and say it already it's getting stupid it's going to be a 100 bucks $200 for the special edition🤡🤡; 29315;🤣♿

Storm2332d ago

I won't be getting this game until I can get it for $70. SHoot, I could wait for it to be even lower. I don't need the game that badly as my backlog is still huge and I am enjoying playing other things.

Show all comments (13)
40°

Talking Aliens: The Video Games With Author Mike Diver

Skewed and Reviewed have posted an interview with Author Mike Diver about his pending book on Aliens video games.

70°

Xbox boss: Memory crisis could impact next-gen hardware pricing

Xbox boss Asha Sharma has discussed how component shortages will impact the company's plans for Project Helix.

Read Full Story >>
gamedeveloper.com
Eonjay33d ago

When does this end? Its killing everyone. Consoles and PC. And for what? AI? The benefits of AI are completely outweighed by the negatives. And the government should have never allowed one company to buy up all the RAM.

Lexreborn234d ago

This kind of proves this is an after thought product, most products like this are in r&d 5 years before they start mass producing. So they typically have the cost of components and things worked out long before assembly starts.

This is an assumption still, but I wouldn’t be surprised if project helix is similar to Scalebound,perfect dark and sod3. They had an idea but no actual execution other than concept stage. Being impacted by the ram shortage likely would also put this device 3-4 years out.

I’m not even sure MS has that endurance with Xbox yet

Fishy Fingers34d ago (Edited 34d ago )

I mean.... what?

We're at a point that Samsung wont even provide their own phone department ram because they can sell it at higher prices to 3rd parties (AI). Its more profitable to sell the ram than make their own devices with it.

You think because R&D starts 5 years ago the 3rd party component manufacturers will honour that price? They'll sell it to whomever is paying the most today, not some gentlemens agreement they made years ago. AI farms will buy more volume at higher prices than any console manufacturer will. It'll be the same for Playstation.

Lexreborn233d ago

Contractual agreements are not the same as “gentlemen” agreements. If you think that they work with their distributors a month before production then their entire business model is trash. They work with companies like nvidia constantly for building the graphics cards they need. They work with companies that build motherboards years in advance. This is what proper business planning does.

They are not buying components on a whim like a consumer. So again, considering the ram isn’t a singular module and is integrated into the motherboard I highly doubt they wouldn’t have a final schematic that they are supposed to be building around.

If they are delaying production another 3 years then it’s obvious again this is an after though project and is just trying to be responsive to their bad execution they had the last 14 years.

It also isn’t far fetched to use their failure to produce first party titles the last 7 years including the highly anticipated games I mentioned all being cancelled. That they would continue to you know… lie

Sitdown33d ago

You don't really know how this works huh?

Profchaos34d ago (Edited 34d ago )

Helix is going to be stupidly expensive

Instead of leaning into smarter upscaling techniques they're brute forcing hardware that will cost them dearly and it remains to be seen if it's genuinely going to provide a meaningful differential

I know in the oc.doace people like to brag about not using frame gen or dlss to get to high on a game but for the majority of players they happily use those technologies without a second thought

That's going to be ps6 vs Helix

Eonjay33d ago

Yeah with FSR 5 they should be able to offer a much cheaper version of Helix.

Eonjay33d ago

While this does seem to be the case, I am encouraged by the statement from Microsoft about wanting to provide affordable options. If this means a Series S style Helix, at least there will be something affordable being offered.

XBManiac33d ago

Series S is what has killed Xbox Series so... Will they dare?

blacktiger34d ago

It's called systematic inflationary. Yes we get it Microsoft, keep raising in the name ofall kinds of stuffs

pwnmaster300034d ago

Honestly if there was thing I learned from this generation is that new consoles arnt day one anymore.
I can wait 1-3 years.

DarXyde33d ago

Another important lesson from this generation: while Nintendo showed us that prices don't necessarily need to ever drop, we've now learned that waiting 1-3 years does carry some risk that prices increase. This generation is just bizarre in all the wrong ways.

LucasRuinedChildhood33d ago (Edited 33d ago )

The factors are largely external. Covid and Russia-Ukraine war causing inflation led to the first price increase in 2022.

Then we get Trump's tariffs increasing hardware prices, AI boom causing a RAM crisis, war on Iran causing a worldwide fuel crisis which impacts the cost of everything.

Gaming doesn't exist in a vacuum. The last few years have been a shitshow and lot of it was definitely avoidable.

DarXyde33d ago

LucasRuinedChildhood,

For sure. No disagreement on the external factors doing a lot of this. Where I have to gently push back however is on two fronts:

1. The pandemic definitely caused some issues: asynchronous development was a big issue and really complicated timelines and affected game quality. At the same time, when it comes to price hikes, it's really difficult to know what was genuine necessity and what was taking consumers for a ride. The pandemic brought about "stag-flation" which was increasing prices and stagnant wages, which was a problem caused by supply chain constraints. There was also "Greed-flation", where companies that were slightly affected or had no issues took advantage of the situation and squeezed everyone citing supply chain issues when there were none.

2. It's definitely true that the tariffs, AI boom, and RAM crisis were all things enabled by tech broligarchs throwing money at this caricature of a world leader, one of them being Satya Nadella. I don't think Sony and Nintendo have contributed much to this problem if at all, but Microsoft's Nadella I feel was instrumental in causing every one of those issues. Microsoft as a company contributed to both candidates (though they gave Harris 4x as much if I recall), but Nadella was all in on letting AI run wild. He paid for unregulated AI, and got a war that's not a war (even though Trump called it that at least five times on television) that screwed up helium access. So for me, I feel that one of the players in the gaming industry is a key architect of these issues, and for that reason I struggle a bit to think of it as "external".

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