Is it hard for companies to convert game to another console?

I was wondering what procedures do Video Game companies take for converting a game from where its originally made to another console!

Like Resident Evil 4, when they converted it from gamecube and Playstation 2, to PS3 or PC!

OR like when they convert GTA 5 from PS3/X360 to PS4/Xone...........

Why is it hard to convert? do they need to remake the game to make it into other console or just copy it?
 
Lots of work - - this task is known to software engineers as "porting".

  • Software runs "in an environment" aka on a platform
  • Is written in a programming language (which implies the need for a compiler on that platform)
  • and requires (most frequently) a runtime library for that platform

Historically, Unix programs were ported from SunMicro, to HP, IBM, SGI and others.
That effort was controlled by the hardware (Intel, PowerPC, and even the 80086) and the differences in the OS systems. It can take several man/months to port, test, package and begin to market a new port.

Linux comes along and there are several distributions (Redhat, FreeBSD, Ubuntu, ... ) and while the systems are very similar, the install and libraries are all over the place.

Moving a game from one console to another (aka porting) will be a chore and take some engineering time and a good marketing understanding to determine *IF* it is cost effective to make the effort (ie "can they make money in doing so").
 
Depends how well they convert it. games like fifa on the pc and some fighting games still have press "start" to continue and images from xbox controls.
 
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