Nvidia's Tony Tamasi says new consoles are good news for PC gamers

Jesse

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Nvidia senior vice president Tony Tamasi says he’s happy that the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft are finally here. With additional details and pricing just recently announced at E3, the industry is abuzz with the recent news, as media outlets and gaming pundits weigh in on the information that was disclosed.

Tamasi told The Verge that the new consoles are “nothing but goodness for the PC.” This perspective doesn’t come as a surprise from a PC gaming perspective.

As consoles have dominated the gaming market for years, developers have designed games that maximized performance on now 8 year-old hardware. This has often left PC gamers with ports of console games that don’t come close to taking full advantage of latest-generation computer hardware.

Even though there is still a significant gap in the capabilities between the PS4 and Xbox One and those of the latest computers, developers will now be able to build games that are tens, if not hundreds, of times more resource intensive than in previous generation consoles. “Developers can now build really awesome content that can then scale to the PC,” said Tamasi.

nvidia xbox playstation pcs sony microsoft ps4 playstation 4 xbox one

Note that Nvidia's graph above highlights a 2.5x performance differential between the GTX Titan and the PS4. That's great for all current Titan owners, but relatively speaking, it's a tough comparison to take seriously. The GTX Titan costs $1000, and any computer worth putting a Titan in is going to cost at least a couple thousand. In contrast, the PS4 will be on sale for $399, which puts it at just 13 percent the cost of a $3000 Titan machine.

What doesn’t make as much practical sense about Tamasi remarking he's pleased with the arrival of the new consoles, is the economical ramifications of their production. AMD beat out Nvidia for contracts for both the Xbox One and the PS4. And, on top of that, AMD is supplying the Wii U’s graphics chip as well. For now, apparently Nvidia is content with the universal benefit to PC gaming.

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If nVidia would bring down prices, they would have a lot more sales.
 
If Microsoft would support PC Gamers instead of the ancient technology that is consoles then PC gaming would have alot more sales.
 
Guest said:
If Microsoft would support PC Gamers instead of the ancient technology that is consoles then PC gaming would have alot more sales.
This childish PC gamer vs console gamer crap needs to end.

There is room for both to co-exist if the developers stop being lazy and have separate production teams develop games for each system. The game publishers have the funds and are raking in the money these days to bring the best out of the PC, Xbox, Playstation
 
NVidia did not want to under bid goes many other stories. They are not on even ground where AMD has access to a SoC x86 and GPU... Nvidia has ARM and GPU SoC... not designed for PC gaming at a console's level. Besides their initial foray into designing hardware for Microsoft went south and the upfront cost with Sony did not pay off as much. In the end they are beholden to the stock holders. Unfortunate as it is not to have the props for being in all the consoles... the one thing is that competition on the console has taken to services rather a cpu/gpu arms race.

This new generation will play itself based off of how much exclusives each can grab and what the online networks will offer as we move away from disc media to digital downloads. What they all need to do is invest in our country's Internet infrastructure to bring down the subscriber cost and move it into areas where you cannot find broadband... they are after all only able to deliver their services off the backs of another subscription the consumer has to keep up.
 
If Microsoft would support PC Gamers instead of the ancient technology that is consoles then PC gaming would have alot more sales.
The last thing Microsoft wants to do is push the limits of console power. They want to release cash cows in long slow cycles and dance to the bank.
Personally I am rooting for the PS4 and might consider one next winter Q4 2014. I hope the Xbox One's sales are pitiful. That with Windows 8 being a flop might finally dent their ego.
Sony finally woke up before it was too late, pricing their products accordingly now, not just consoles. I am really starting to get concerned about Microsofts future. The name just doesn't carry the weight it used to...I see blood, and if it can bleed, it can be killed.
 
$3000! are you nuts!
How about building this:

GTX 770 sli $800
Intel Core i7-4770K $350
Some Motherboard $260
Seagate SuperSpeed HDD STBD1000400 1TB $130
NZXT Phantom 820 $220 or Cooler Master Haf $200
LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE $69.99
ENERMAX Platimax EPM850EWT 850W $230
G.SKILL Trident X Series 8GB $99.99
CORSAIR Hydro series H50 $59.99

Total: $2200

And that's not even if you shop around and get deals! and 2 gtx 770 put a titan to shame. So lets say you build this for $2000 sure its $1600 more expensive than a ps4 BUT most people still will buy a computer lets say $600 for the average person? So that's only $1000 more then! Also you save money on games! If you buy say 20 games a year (which is typical of myself) And I say save and average of $30/game That's $600 I save every year! And I get better graphics! So ya sure its more money upfront (kinda like straight talk, You have to pay $450 for a Samsung s3! But you only pay $45/month! which with sprint I was paying $90 with taxes)!!
 
You can get Titan like performance with a pair of GTX 660 Ti cards so you can go much lower than $2200. It should be possible to get that kind of performance for a little over $1000, certainly no more than $1500.

But you are right "thewind" in the long run PC gaming is no more expensive and its a ship load better when you factor in the significantly better graphics and the fact that a computer can still be used as a computer.
 
Sony finally woke up before it was too late, pricing their products accordingly now, not just consoles. I am really starting to get concerned about Microsofts future. The name just doesn't carry the weight it used to...I see blood, and if it can bleed, it can be killed.

Sony has the original PS3 in their history and they probably remember the struggles of trying to sell a $600 console.

But Microsoft bleeding? Hardly. The majority of the corporate world runs on Windows. Until there is a real competitor that just doesn't make any sense. You can't just choose to never upgrade; Windows 7 does have an end of support date and you'll buy Windows 9 or perish. They stumble with every other OS, it's kind of a pattern by now. I wouldn't mind seeing a competitor but the reality is that there isn't one yet and none that I've heard of on the rise. Perhaps as we switch over to tablets there will be an opening there though... Until Microsoft cancels Tech Ed, there's no real worry. If Microsoft's xbox division is bleeding and the sharks are circling, you're ignoring the pod of killer whales that is the Windows division.
 
Honestly I like windows 8, its a little annoying but I don't see it as a disaster or another vista as some people say.

I find it funny they say that after they made those claims earlier against consoles and saying they were far behind them etc. Its a PR stunt it feels like to make them not look as mad as they seemed at first.
 
The PC hardware is more expensive for sure. You can get GTX Titan performance with two GTX 570's in SLI easy. Many motherboard have dual PCI Express slots. Armed with i6-2600K and above you can build a decent rig for about $1,500 max. $3,000 is too high of an estimate. It's better you drop $1500 and be set for 8 years, outperforming the specs of all new gen systems. But game developers only program for the consoles, holding exclusive contracts. What would you life be like without ever seeing an Arnold or Stallone movie? Not seeing ALiens? Not seeing something because it was exclusive to a console you didn't own.

They maximize the system potential like Sony Santa Monica and Naugty Dog, not to mention Valve, Rockstar, Bungie and other great developers that spend 3-5 years producing a game (well with new techonology and the desire for money a lot less time) and countless efforts into making a great game.

But it is definitely good news for PC gamers. They are now using better technology. Regardless, I think game delevopers should program for high end Titan games and downgrade to the consoles. But really it's not about technological advancement as it is gameplay and fun factor, look at Nintendo's direction. Never been about technology, it's about fun and family.

I'm rooting for all systems. I hope they all survive the next round.

Goodbye Sega, Goodbye SNK, Goodbye Atari...no more game systems from you. But keep your IP's alive! I want to see another Samurai Shodown and Art of Fighting. I want to see another Ninja Combat. I want to see another Fire Suplex, 3 count bout....Anyone love these games too from Neo Geo?
 
"Even though there is still a significant gap in the capabilities between the PS4 and Xbox One and those of the latest computers...", well, this guy begs to differ, LOL
 
Well I'm still primary a PC gamer anyway so the new consoles don't affect me directly but I always have a console as well for the exclusives and because some of my gamer friends are console only.

In this respect, the PS4 is more powerful, from what I've read, the Xbox One has got a GPU that is rated at 1.2TFLOP and the PS4 is 1.8TFLOP.

From what else I've read, the architecture used on the PS4 allows it be even better thanks the 8GB GDDR5 RAM and the ATI GCN Architecture, the way it was explained to me was that the Xbox One has almost 50% less graphical power than the PS4. This is almost a similar gap between the PS2 and original Xbox and notice how the original had games like Half-Life 2 but PS2 didn't? Although with the graphic level we are at now it won't be anywhere near as noticeable of jump between the two as back then but we will still notice.

Like the start of all console wars it doesn't make much of an effect at first since we're not fully utilizing them properly, but in 3-4 years down the line, I'm happy to bet this will make a considerable difference like draw distances and resolution / text choices, add to the fact that so far, the OS on the Xbox One (3 OS's running) probably takes some more resources to run that whatever Sony will have that will reduce resources for games even more.
 
$3000! are you nuts!
How about building this:

GTX 770 sli $800
Intel Core i7-4770K $350
Some Motherboard $260
Seagate SuperSpeed HDD STBD1000400 1TB $130
NZXT Phantom 820 $220 or Cooler Master Haf $200
LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE $69.99
ENERMAX Platimax EPM850EWT 850W $230
G.SKILL Trident X Series 8GB $99.99
CORSAIR Hydro series H50 $59.99

Total: $2200

And that's not even if you shop around and get deals! and 2 gtx 770 put a titan to shame. So lets say you build this for $2000 sure its $1600 more expensive than a ps4 BUT most people still will buy a computer lets say $600 for the average person? So that's only $1000 more then! Also you save money on games! If you buy say 20 games a year (which is typical of myself) And I say save and average of $30/game That's $600 I save every year! And I get better graphics! So ya sure its more money upfront (kinda like straight talk, You have to pay $450 for a Samsung s3! But you only pay $45/month! which with sprint I was paying $90 with taxes)!!
Take out the i7 and add in a i5 quad core. Then add in a SSD.
 
You're right, thewind, you could build a comparable machine for that amount of money. I was more interested in examining what I considered to be an inapt comparison between the Titan and the PS4. I was also assuming that someone who spent a grand on a GPU would buy top-end hardware across the board.

Pop in dual octo-core Xeon E5s while you are at it lol.
 
In other words, AMD wants everyone to buy consoles so that their strategy will be verified and they will make a ton of money off you. To me, this just sounds like more marketing blather.

If I could use the console as a PC and customize it to my liking, then I might consider buying one.

I'm really getting tired of lame marketers always trying to sell stuff by making people think that their products somehow make the buyers better people. Personally, I've never owned a console, and it is more than likely I never will. Money spent on a PC brings a far greater value, IMHO.
 
You can't just choose to never upgrade; Windows 7 does have an end of support date and you'll buy Windows 9 or perish.
Yea, and that date is: January 14, 2020
Which reminds me; maybe I should switch my main OS to Windows 7, I mean support for XP x64 ends April 8, 2014
Haha no, just kidding, I'll keep using XP x64 as long as I did with Win2K, and you can all chime in and call me an old fart for it! :D
 
I was wondering what would be an equivalent PC spec to the XBO and PS4? What CPU and GPU combination would you need to match the console. I would expect a PC to perform better with a SSD.
 
I was wondering what would be an equivalent PC spec to the XBO and PS4? What CPU and GPU combination would you need to match the console. I would expect a PC to perform better with a SSD.

CPU wise, any current quad CPU at 3Ghz or higher (older CPUs will need to be a bit faster like Core 2 quads, but not much,) will match the CPUs in the consoles. They're running 8 1.5-1.6Ghz cores. Games aren't going to require much CPU power anymore anyway. Developers are having the GPUs run pretty much everything now. The CPU just needs to feed the GPU.

The XBO's GPU is = +/- 5% AMD 7790
PS4's GPU is = AMD 7850

The DDR3 vs GDDR5 shouldn't be a major issue, but Sony has about 15% more bandwidth after taking MS embedded dRAM in to account.

So if you have an AMD X4 3.2 Ghz, or Core 2 Quad 3.2Ghz, with either of the GPUs above with 8GB 2133DDR3 Your system is equal to theirs. PC's will start focusing on playing games at 4K resolution soon. Something these consoles will never touch.
 
That makes the new consoles pretty impressive. Looking at a decent AMD 7850 card at around £140 factor in the cost of 8 Gb memory at around £50. A decent PSU £70, Motherboard £80, CPU £90, Case £80, keyboard and mouse £30, hard drive £50 Windows 7 £70 that makes a PC more expensive.

I would prefer a PC despite the cost as it would be more adaptable but if I was into gaming the console seems a more cost effective option.
 
Wow, I love die hard pc gamers. I'm personally a pc gamer, and been playing pc gaming ever since I first got doom at the age of 5. Pc gaming is fantastic and I love it, but that doesn't mean console gaming is dead. You need to get off your high horse about some of this crap. They have their place in gaming. Just accept it, Yea Pc gaming is far more powerful, but they are played for different reasons. And about the Nvidia titan comparison. I mean Come on! You don't compare an Olympic Sprinter to a quadriplegic in running speed why would you compare them at all.
 
Why do the normal gamers are the ones that make the most sense? What happen to wanting more fun with your personal preferences to "You need the best or you might as well hang yourself." type of mentality.
 
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