Take-Two Boss Says PS4 Hasn't Hit Its Full Potential

Is Agent dead? Thinking of Take-Two has reminded me that we've heard nothing of the game in years.

I really got upset by the slogan greatness awaits. Bloodborne is superb but i do miss games like résistance or an god of war. Maybe im spoiled.

OT did not play any GTA. since San andreas

I have already commented about the potential of the new gen consoles with the next generation of API's. People can be forgiven for thinking that the console is 'underpowered' as it struggles to maintain 30fps/1080p on games like the Witcher 3 but that was created using the last gen API's (DirectX 11) where a single core of a CPU are assigned to handle things like the graphics and therefore are overburdened whilst the others are hardly working.

The next gen of API's allow the cores to work in unison and spread the workload over multiple cores meaning the CPU works a lot more efficiently. What we are seeing at the moment is the limit of old API's with the current console and CPU design. The reason PC's are more capable than the PS4 to deliver 30 or even 60fps with these games has a lot to do with the CPU. The recommended CPU for the Witcher 3 is more than twice as fast (3.4-4ghz compared to 1.6ghz in the PS4) so a single core can do more than double the processes.

I personally believe the new generation of API's will certainly unlock a lot more potential in the new generation of consoles.

@BAMozzy - Too many people are ignorant to this kind of stuff. All I hear is that the consoles are underpowered, but it's not true. As time goes on, developers get more comfortable with the technology, more potential is unlocked through usage of the devices in different ways we'll certainly see games that completely blow us away. The consoles aren't underpowered, they're just getting started.

@Crimson_Ridley The architecture of a PS4 is identical to the majority of PC's. You have a CPU, GPU and RAM so developers should be used to developing for this type of set-up. It's 'theoretically' easier than the XB1 which has ESRAM added to the GPU too.

The main issue, like I said, is the existing API's and the size of the CPU. With these existing API's its impossible to spread processes across multiple cores so you end up with one core handling the most intensive aspect which is the graphics. I know the GPU does a lot of the graphical processing but it still needs to work with the CPU. If you could look at the work load of each core, you would see the one that is assigned to the GPU is working at 90+% whilst the others are working at say 10%. The new API's are designed to spread the work load across all cores so instead of the situation above, all work at 50-60%. As you can see this instantly gives a lot more potential as the CPU is not maxed out.

I expect it will still take time for developers to realise the consoles full potential with the new API's but I do expect the initial wave of games to be more stable. I don't expect to see 4k/60fps on these console though but we could see bigger worlds with more enemies/npc's all running smoothly at 1080p and consistent frame rates too - whether that's 60 or 30fps.

@BAMozzy That sounds promising, it sounds that you know what you are saying. Can I ask you a few questions? 1) Shouldn't pcs still surpass ps4 when developers learn how to use the new apis? 2) Does this really applies to ps4, as it uses another api (I guess OpenGL)? 3) Do you have any sources that I can read or share about this?
Please don't get me wrong. I really liked your comments and I want to know more about it. I love ps4, but they always says it's underpowered these days.

@jmbenetti It is very promising for consoles and to answer your questions

1) PC's will obviously continue to surpass Consoles as they will also benefit from the new API's too. Lets be honest though, you can't expect a £300 console to be better than something that costs 4-5 times as much or if you do, don't you think that's a bit unrealistic? I doubt though that a £300 PC would be able to play these games as well as a console does. Obviously lower end PC's will gain in terms of performance boosts too so the benefits are across all platforms. The point is that the current API's are limiting the performance available across all platforms and therefore improve games on the PS4 too.

2) The PS4 won't benefit (or is unlikely to benefit) from DirectX 12 as its a Microsoft exclusive or more accurately a windows 10 exclusive BUT OpenGL is being replaced by 'Vulkan' much like DirectX 12 is replacing 11 and basically does the same. I know a lot of information is available about DX12 but that doesn't mean its competitors are not doing similar things with their API's

3) Console Candy article is a good read although this focussed on DirectX 12 but it does illustrate the point about CPU usage and what this API will bring to games. Another interesting read is Dualshockers article with Stardockers CEO talking about the future of game development and again relates mainly to DX12 but as the principles are the same between this, Mantle & Vulkan, (as mentioned in another interview with Brad Wardell) you can see how it will benefit gamers and why the consoles seem to be under-performing with their architecture.

As stated the CPU in a PS4 is an 8core 1.6ghz processor so if you only have 1 core (thread) able to work with the GPU it is limited to how many processes that one core can do. Its why we get bottlenecking on graphical performance but by sharing this over multiple cores, you can see how an 8core processor suddenly has much more potential

@BAMozzy Thanks for the detailed answer. I'll check the article. I've played some games on PS4 that made me think it really pays in terms of what you get for the price of the hardware, but I was a bit dissapointed on specific titles. I've recently bought Alien Isolation and it's a great game, but I don't think it looks really next gen and I've read it runs better on mid range pcs. I think that game is poorly optimized, but seeing it struggle to show 30fps with not so good graphics makes me think how much work developers have to use to put graphics/performance like Shadow of Mordor or Black Flag on PS4. I really don't care about a game running at 720p or 1080p with a bit more or less effects, but poorly optimized games sometimes make me doubt about upcoming games and if we'll getting much better graphics/performance on them or not. I hope you are right, even if I'm sure I'll be enjoying games on Ps4 even if they don't look as good as on a high-end pc.

@BAMozzy
So your saying they can potentially "unlock" more power from the PS4 that isn't being utilized?

@jmbenetti I haven't had my PS4 for long so the games you mentioned I haven't played on this platform. I have played Alien: Isolation on XB1 though and the level of detail is incredible. I loved the 'flashback' mission where we were able to go inside the crashed ship from the Alien film - It looked remarkable and just like the film. Whether or not it could be ported down and still maintain the Alien's random AI as well as that tension, I don't know but I must admit I do think it would be possible. I really didn't notice any frame rate issues but like I said I played this on a different platform.

I get what you are saying though, despite a better resolution and more effects, the game doesn't do anything that 'differently' from games on the former generation. I bet some of tat though is down to developers. They have made games in a 'similar' way for years and now with the new generation, all it seems is that they up the visuals.

The Witcher 3 (for me) is one of those 'next gen' games that I really do think feels like it couldn't be on generation 7 consoles. Not just the visuals but the size of the world, the lack of loading screens (I know there are some between various places like Velen, Skellige, White Orchard etc), the way the random weather has a direct impact on the environment etc. With Batman: Arkham Knight due this month which is 5x the size of Arkham City, no loading free roam and according to Rocksteady the Batmobile alone has as many Polygons as the whole of 'City'. Not only that we have seen more enemies on screen with the 'dual' play feature too. All of this to me shows why it can't be ported down.

I know the previous 2 years has been a bit of a 'crossover' period and I bet some games probably started out with Gen 7 in mind. Other games maybe not but as more and more developers experiment and push the envelope of what games can do and leave the old mindset behind, we will see a difference. As I said the examples above (Witcher 3 and Batman) are pushing the boundaries of open world gaming so other developers will try to as well. At the moment, with games being developed on generation 7 consoles too, developers are still making games with 'DX9' (I say DX but I refer to that generation of API - XB360 is DX9 - but in the case of PS you can substitute for its equivalent) type mindset let alone the 'DX11' of the new gen or DX12, the future of game development. As new game engines are built with the next gen of API's, we could see a vast difference too but again it depends on the 'vision' of the development teams.

I also think, as I have stated, that games are limited by their API's and the way they use the console Hardware. A PS4, with current API's has 1 core communicating with the GPU so it can only process 1.6GHz which is why we get bottlenecking and frame rate drops but a PS4 has 8 cores - probably 1 of those is allocated to the system but that still leaves 7 - all able to process 1.6GHz each. Its not just graphical performance that can be improved by the next gen of API's but even the number of enemies/NPCs too.

@TRIALS There is a definitely more potential inside a PS4 than is currently being seen...

He's right. Way too much importence is placed on comparing the console hardware to PC hardware. Taking PC (a notoriously inefficient platform) out of the equation and just judging the PS4 on its own as a dedicated gaming machine, and it is a very powerful machine . And one that will not reach its full potential to the end of the generation, just like every other console before it. It's not just a matter of hardware , it's matter of better, more efficient game engines made with it specially in mind (which to my knowledge applies to no games yet. A lot of games are even still being made on engines incapable of using more than 4 CPU cores), new graphics technology (such as the new more hardware efficient AA Ubisoft invented which looks great on FC4) and a continually improving API.

This generation is no different to any before it. It'll take a while for game design to align with the new hardware. Similarity to PC architecture doesn't change that. It might accelerate the process but that's it. And people forget when they talk about this that devs haven't even really come to grips with PC technology in the first place. How many horribly broken or ridiculously badly performing PC games are still being released? Look at Project Cars, I have a powerful PC and yet I can barely maintain 30fps at 1080p because the game runs so poorly on AMD cards. I'd have been better getting it on PS4. Buying games on PC is STILL a lucky dip.

The proof is already here. Star Wars Battlefront looks incredible. I had my doubts when Sony showed it off at E3, even though they specifically said it was captured straight off a PS4, but journalists got to play the game themselves running on a standard PS4 and were blown away. Likewise, many reviews are calling Arkham Knight the best looking next gen game so far, and Digital Foundery have also shown it to be also one of the smoothest performing.

I don't think we'll get the sort of jump we got last gen, where we went from GTA IV to GTA V which look like they don't even belong to the same generation, but the PS4 will be ever evolving and improving right up until the last game is made for it.

On another note, if anyone hasn't played last gen games for while and thinks graphics haven't already massively improved, I suggest they go back and have a look... I played Uncharted 2 a few months ago after more than a year of just playing PC and PS4 gsmes and I couldn't get over how bad it looked. It was one of the best ooking games of last gen, but after getting used to PS4 games, wow did it loo, bad. I was literally shocked at the low resolution, muddy textures, the pop up and graphics glitches, the tiny field of view. Sometimes you just need a little perspective..