Titanfall tops chart, but PS4 leads hardware again in March - NPD

[Showan]

At the end of the day $399 trumps $499, plain and simple. Most peoples mindset was and still is, most games (3rd party) will be on both consoles. And the few exclusives won't make or break things. So why not buy a PS4, save a $100 and call it a day...

A permanent price of $399 for the Xbox One (not dropping Kinect) would most definitely move units. $500 is still a back breaker to lots of people the world over.

But here is the thing that people are missing. SONY is in desperate need for the attach rate to be there. Let's not kid ourselves, the launch games for the PS4 weren't must haves (most could be had on the ps3 or 360). inFamous, scratched (and scratched it well I mite add). an itch that was becoming unbearable. Hold long did War Frame, Black Light, DC:UO really hold people's attention? Sony needs for people to not only buy the ps4 (in which most are), but to also buy games. Because each PS4 sold is at a loss.

The Xbox One ain't doing bad at all. TitanFall did amazingly well too. People forget that Respawn didn't have a ton of staff at their disposal, considering that they are new and still a small studio. That's why TitanFall could not have everything that Respan wanted it to have. Now that the sales are there, it was received well for the most part, that means they can grow in staff and do what they really had in mind.

It's amazing how it's only 5months into this gen, and people are already talking "funeral" for the Xbox One. If you honestly take a step back and look at the Xbox One and all it can do, it's a darn good console.

[+Anarkii Subscriber²]

With DX12 I doubt that's really necessary. Also, it seems everyone consistently forgets that power !=  better in consoles. It's features, user experience and games.

 

We've only had a few months on these consoles, lets stop bickering about who's winning cause at this point there aren't even any real reasons to buy either console unless you happen to be an inFamous fan or enjoy having a media hub.

The problem is, the Xbox One doesnt feel very next-gen at all. Review after review compare it as a mild upgrade over the Xbox 360, and games that are coming out for it, feel like they are made for the 360, not the XBone. So while I do agree with you to some degree, specially the games comment, the reason in my eyes why the Xbox One is currently failing is not so much the games, but the very restrictive hardware that it is running on. How can someone truely enjoy a game when its not the absolute best that it can be? 

[GotBored]

Would be interesting to know how much the PC version of titanfall sold versus the One version.

 

PC Version has sold just under 200k retail copies in a month after release.

 

 

At the end of the day $399 trumps $499, plain and simple. Most peoples mindset was and still is, most games (3rd party) will be on both consoles. And the few exclusives won't make or break things. So why not buy a PS4, save a $100 and call it a day...

A permanent price of $399 for the Xbox One (not dropping Kinect) would most definitely move units. $500 is still a back breaker to lots of people the world over.

But here is the thing that people are missing. SONY is in desperate need for the attach rate to be there. Let's not kid ourselves, the launch games for the PS4 weren't must haves (most could be had on the ps3 or 360). inFamous, scratched (and scratched it well I mite add). an itch that was becoming unbearable. Hold long did War Frame, Black Light, DC:UO really hold people's attention? Sony needs for people to not only buy the ps4 (in which most are), but to also buy games. Because each PS4 sold is at a loss.

The Xbox One ain't doing bad at all. TitanFall did amazingly well too. People forget that Respawn didn't have a ton of staff at their disposal, considering that they are new and still a small studio. That's why TitanFall could not have everything that Respan wanted it to have. Now that the sales are there, it was received well for the most part, that means they can grow in staff and do what they really had in mind.

It's amazing how it's only 5months into this gen, and people are already talking "funeral" for the Xbox One. If you honestly take a step back and look at the Xbox One and all it can do, it's a darn good console.

 

Actually the price is rarely ever an issue for early adopters. I bought the PS4 because I mostly play multiplatform games and it wasn't the price factor that persuaded me to buy it, it was the fact that the PS4 is a more powerful system and games would have better visuals on that system compared to its counterparts (Xbox One and Wii U). I am predominantly a PC Gamer but wanted a console because its simple and easy tp plug and play. Its also a social thing, if friends come over I'm not going to boot up the PC and play games, I going to turn on my TV and PS4 instead. (its also probably for the mere fact that playing on PC seems dorky to most people while playing on the PS4 seems to be fine)

 

Back to prices the Xbox One is priced better than the PS4 in the UK since awhile back and it was always priced better (When you factor in accessories) than the PS4 in Australia.

 

In both UK and Australia the PS4 outsells the X1 in very large margins still.

 

UK the X1 includes a free game in its bundle (Titanfall) for the same price that the standalone PS4 console is.

In Australia (where I live) the X1 is $50 more but it comes with Titanfall and also the Kinect. I wanted the motion-control features so bought a PS4 Eye camera which cost me $90 individually.

So a PS4 ($549) + Camera ($90) + 1 game costs ($100) = $739 while the same deal with X1 costs $599.

- People like to bring up the cost a lot but the cost difference doesn't phase early adopters, the cost difference usually comes into play a year or a few years after initial release when people worried about the cost decide to buy a comsole.

That last point is another factor as to why people are gloomy over the X1 future, early adopters are choosing the PS4 over the Xbox One because its more powerful and don't seem to be too interested in the Xbox exclusives and then the PS4 also has the option of being a cheaper console down the track (If people don't want motion control features) so when everyone else apart from early adopters starts buying the console it looks like the PS4 will be favorite again. 

 

PS4 is not only outselling the Xbox One, it is gaining more momentum and outselling it by more and more as time passes.

*Also noting that this graph indicates PS4 sales through-to-customers and X1 sales pre-customers to retailers (Unless retailers have large stockpiles at stores its likely that roughly 4.5 Million X1's have been sold through to customers)

[Emn1ty]

The problem is, the Xbox One doesnt feel very next-gen at all. Review after review compare it as a mild upgrade over the Xbox 360, and games that are coming out for it, feel like they are made for the 360, not the XBone. So while I do agree with you to some degree, specially the games comment, the reason in my eyes why the Xbox One is currently failing is not so much the games, but the very restrictive hardware that it is running on. How can someone truely enjoy a game when its not the absolute best that it can be? 

 

"Very restrictive hardware" - I feel like that is an ignorant statement, seeing as we've barely had a handful of games released for the system. Again, I've seen little to no reason to buy either console. And if you want the "absolute best" out of games, buy a PC (graphics wise). Other than that, a console is not meant to be tip of the spear in hardware. And honestly, it's common for there to be hiccups in the first wave of releases, even the second. Look at the 360, it wasn't till Gears of War was released we really saw what the console could do (nearly a year after the console's release). Early games are in no way representative of what the system can do.

[trooper11]

The problem is, the Xbox One doesnt feel very next-gen at all. Review after review compare it as a mild upgrade over the Xbox 360, and games that are coming out for it, feel like they are made for the 360, not the XBone. So while I do agree with you to some degree, specially the games comment, the reason in my eyes why the Xbox One is currently failing is not so much the games, but the very restrictive hardware that it is running on. How can someone truely enjoy a game when its not the absolute best that it can be?

Wait, isn't the X1 several times more powerful than the 360? Surely your not suggesting that its hardware is only mildly better than the 360?

It has several times more ram, several times more gpu, and several times more cpu. At least that much we know as fact.

 

PC Version has sold just under 200k retail copies in a month after release.

That bad huh? I would have guessed it was much close to the console numbers.

 

Actually the price is rarely ever an issue for early adopters. I bought the PS4 because I mostly play multiplatform games and it wasn't the price factor that persuaded me to buy it, it was the fact that the PS4 is a more powerful system and games would have better visuals on that system compared to its counterparts (Xbox One and Wii U). I am predominantly a PC Gamer but wanted a console because its simple and easy tp plug and play. Its also a social thing, if friends come over I'm not going to boot up the PC and play games, I going to turn on my TV and PS4 instead. (its also probably for the mere fact that playing on PC seems dorky to most people while playing on the PS4 seems to be fine)

You make a great point. However, we do have some recent history to say that price can effect early adopters. The PS3 showed that. It did sell, but people that might buy early were clearly holding back a while.

Beyond that example though, you could be right. The fact that the X1 is so much weaker may be the problem, regardless of price. If that truly is the case, then it really is not a good sign and you would think sales would start to deteriorate fairly soon. MS can't fix that problem either, so they get to sit and watch it all go down. They can drop the price, or drop Kinect, but that won't change things if the main issues is the weaker gpu.

 

PS4 is not only outselling the Xbox One, it is gaining more momentum and outselling it by more and more as time passes.

*Also noting that this graph indicates PS4 sales through-to-customers and X1 sales pre-customers to retailers (Unless retailers have large stockpiles at stores its likely that roughly 4.5 Million X1's have been sold through to customers)

Your right about that as well, the gap is widening each month. That can't be ignored. Once we see the X1 out in more regions, it'll be interesting to see if the gap continues to widen, or if it levels off/contracts a bit. Based on what most people say, the extra regions should have little impact, so it may not matter.

[xendrome]

Not sure if anyone pointed this out, but those numbers in the first post image only count Retail Boxed Copies... no data is included for Digital Purchases.

[trooper11]

Not sure if anyone pointed this out, but those numbers in the first post image only count Retail Boxed Copies... no data is included for Digital Purchases.

That is a good point. I could see a lot of people buying Titanfall digitally then at retail. It's one of those games that just seems to fit that model.

[Emn1ty]

Beyond that example though, you could be right. The fact that the X1 is so much weaker may be the problem, regardless of price. If that truly is the case, then it really is not a good sign and you would think sales would start to deteriorate fairly soon. MS can't fix that problem either, so they get to sit and watch it all go down. They can drop the price, or drop Kinect, but that won't change things if the main issues is the weaker gpu.

 

"So much weaker", I don't think the difference is that drastic honestly. You're making it sound as if there's a significant gap when there isn't. And we're still comparing launch titles and early generation games. Even when the PS3 and 360 came out, what they promised was not delivered on either console in terms of visuals. As far as i'm concerned neither console has really proven itself more worthy. All I know is that if graphics are the #1 things on people's minds over features, then I guess a few bumps in pixels will sell the PS4.

The fact of the matter is, we still don't really know what kind of effect DX12 will have, or the cloud computing. They could be "miracles" as people seem to want to sensationalize that a miracle is what the XBox One needs to catch up (which is an exaggeration in and of itself). And we don't really know what the consoles can actually do, since devs for the first gen of games probably weren't working on finalized dev kits on either side. Now that the hardware has been released, devs can more accurately hone their games and maybe in the next 6-8 months we'll see titles that really start pushing limits.

[trooper11]

"So much weaker", I don't think the difference is that drastic honestly. You're making it sound as if there's a significant gap when there isn't. And we're still comparing launch titles and early generation games. Even when the PS3 and 360 came out, what they promised was not delivered on either console in terms of visuals. As far as i'm concerned neither console has really proven itself more worthy. All I know is that if graphics are the #1 things on people's minds over features, then I guess a few bumps in pixels will sell the PS4.

The fact of the matter is, we still don't really know what kind of effect DX12 will have, or the cloud computing. They could be "miracles" as people seem to want to sensationalize that a miracle is what the XBox One needs to catch up (which is an exaggeration in and of itself). And we don't really know what the consoles can actually do, since devs for the first gen of games probably weren't working on finalized dev kits on either side. Now that the hardware has been released, devs can more accurately hone their games and maybe in the next 6-8 months we'll see titles that really start pushing limits.

Personally, I'm not convinced that the disparity in sales is rooted in the X1 being weaker, but GotBored and others seem fairly confident about that. Its not without merit though, based on the reaction to resolution discussions.

I think there is an obvious cause for that confidence: games released so far

Until you have releases on par for third party titles between the X1 and PS4, you will have this problem. Even if DX12 and further improvement to developer tools/firmware can improve the situation, many are only interested in tangible results. That means games that show parity across platforms and shows that the X1 can offer many games at 1080p. The X1 already has some of that, but its not consistent enough and the ratio is smaller compared to the ps4. That has resulted in the image problem for the X1, that is a much weaker system. You can't blame people for preferring to see results than to accept an excuse about what is going on behind the scenes.

Even worse, you have some game developers (I.E. Kojima) showing off games that look marginally better then a 360 version. Suddenly people start to think the X1 is hardly more powerful than the 360. That is of course false, but if the games don't show it, it doesn't matter.

The only hardware part of the X1 that we know is worse than the ps4 is the gpu. The gpu is 50% weaker in raw performance. So yes, the X1 is weaker in that area. Now you can define 'very weak' if you want and maybe that difference amounts to 'a bit weaker' or some other clarification, it doesn't change the games we see be released. That dictates the reaction from consumers, not all of the talk about how hardware parts compare or things like DX12. If MS secures games for the platform that work and look great, the issue takes care of itself.

[Emn1ty]

Personally, I'm not convinced that the disparity in sales is rooted in the X1 being weaker, but GotBored and others seem fairly confident about that. Its not without merit though, based on the reaction to resolution discussions.

I think there is an obvious cause for that confidence: games released so far

Until you have releases on par for third party titles between the X1 and PS4, you will have this problem. Even if DX12 and further improvement to developer tools/firmware can improve the situation, many are only interested in tangible results. That means games that show parity across platforms and shows that the X1 can offer many games at 1080p. The X1 already has some of that, but its not consistent enough and the ratio is smaller compared to the ps4. That has resulted in the image problem for the X1, that is a much weaker system. You can't blame people for preferring to see results than to accept an excuse about what is going on behind the scenes.

Even worse, you have some game developers (I.E. Kojima) showing off games that look marginally better then a 360 version. Suddenly people start to think the X1 is hardly more powerful than the 360. That is of course false, but if the games don't show it, it doesn't matter.

The only hardware part of the X1 that we know is worse than the ps4 is the gpu. The gpu is 50% weaker in raw performance. So yes, the X1 is weaker in that area. Now you can define 'very weak' if you want and maybe that difference amounts to 'a bit weaker' or some other clarification, it doesn't change the games we see be released. That dictates the reaction from consumers, not all of the talk about how hardware parts compare or things like DX12. If MS secures games for the platform that work and look great, the issue takes care of itself.

 

What bugs me about this, though, is that people begin to perpetuate this based on something that isn't adequate. And even worse, if this were Sony people would be sympathetic rather than beating a dead horse. The truth is, hating Microsoft is just what people do. And if Microsoft runs into an issue it's the end of the world that instant (RRoD was supposed to be the death of the 360), if Sony does we're all well and good waiting 6 years for them to play catch up and pat them on the back (PSN, backwards compatibility, overpriced).

[LAPDAlonzo]

 Man that's a horrible list of games lol. only 2 games on the list that is good are COD and NBA2K14.

[Vandalsquad]

 

Australia the PS4 outsells the X1 in very large margins still.

 

 

Would like a source on that as the xbox has always been the quickest selling console in Australia and out sold the PS4 through the holiday break.

[GotBored]

The only hardware part of the X1 that we know is worse than the ps4 is the gpu. The gpu is 50% weaker in raw performance. So yes, the X1 is weaker in that area. Now you can define 'very weak' if you want and maybe that difference amounts to 'a bit weaker' or some other clarification, it doesn't change the games we see be released. That dictates the reaction from consumers, not all of the talk about how hardware parts compare or things like DX12. If MS secures games for the platform that work and look great, the issue takes care of itself.

 

Also the RAM is significantly better in the PS4; GDDR5 (PS4) vs DDR3 (Xbox One).

 

What bugs me about this, though, is that people begin to perpetuate this based on something that isn't adequate. And even worse, if this were Sony people would be sympathetic rather than beating a dead horse. The truth is, hating Microsoft is just what people do. And if Microsoft runs into an issue it's the end of the world that instant (RRoD was supposed to be the death of the 360), if Sony does we're all well and good waiting 6 years for them to play catch up and pat them on the back (PSN, backwards compatibility, overpriced).

 

Your wrong, if the roles were reversed and the Xbox One was more powerful than the PS4 I would have bought the Xbox One instead. I have no sympathy for major corporations and I dont see the point in brand loyalty as these corporations make billions and the board earns million dollar wages and I don't get a cut so why should I support or care about a brand?

 

Would like a source on that as the xbox has always been the quickest selling console in Australia and out sold the PS4 through the holiday break.

 

From personal experience I tried to buy a PS4 when it released in November and was told I'd have to wait till late feb / early march for the backlog of pre-orders to fill before me. The Xbox One on the other hand has always been in stock I even picked up an Xbox One in store the day before Christmas for my nephew and niece.

 

Now onto sources:

 

http://www.cnet.com.au/ps4-and-xbox-one-next-gen-consoles-three-months-on-339346682.htm

http://mmgn.com/ps4/news--sony-expects-ps4-round-2-to-sellout-before-ch

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2014/02/ps4-overtakes-xbox-one-sales-in-australia/

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/538784/20140214/ps4-ps-plus-free-subscription-loophole-triple.htm#.U1M9AfnEJcY

http://mmgn.com/ps4/news--ps4-strives-down-under-success-reflects-aussi

http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2013/12/6/technology/australias-ps4-drought

 

This is what a quick google search found.. 

 

 

...PS4 has eclipsed Microsoft's efforts, not only being the best selling next-gen console in Australia, but also managing to sell more than 5.3 million units worldwide. (Feb 2014)

 

 

NPD Group Australia also revealed that the PS4 had overtaken the Xbox One in the sales stakes, making it the most popular next-generation console as stock becomes more readily available in the country, topping off a wonderful trifecta for the company.

 

 

Apparently, this is more so over in Australia, where the PS4 has already held quite a top position in sales. According to a report from the NPD Group, it seems that the PlayStation franchise, in general, has been on its third year being in the top sales position, with the PS3 being the highest selling console on its third year already.

 

 

Over in Australia, reports claimed that the Xbox One was initially leading the way in terms of sales during the opening weeks, perhaps due to the fact that the PlayStation 4 was constantly out of stock, But Sony has announced PS4 sales have surpassed Xbox One sales from the  week ending 2nd of February. (PS4 was still out of stock during this time and beat Xbox One sales filling pre-orders from November)

 

 

I've never seen demand like we are seeing now with PlayStation 4 in Australia, PlayStation 4 has been on sale in Australia since midnight last night, but was sold out at most retailers months ago.

[dead.cell]

 Man that's a horrible list of games lol. only 2 games on the list that is good are COD and NBA2K14.

You forgot the /s lol.

[trooper11]

What bugs me about this, though, is that people begin to perpetuate this based on something that isn't adequate. And even worse, if this were Sony people would be sympathetic rather than beating a dead horse. The truth is, hating Microsoft is just what people do. And if Microsoft runs into an issue it's the end of the world that instant (RRoD was supposed to be the death of the 360), if Sony does we're all well and good waiting 6 years for them to play catch up and pat them on the back (PSN, backwards compatibility, overpriced).

That does happen, yes, but still, the only thing that fixes that is real world results to back up a claim.

Arguing about it wont change anything. Venting your frustrations will not change anything. The legit claims are out there to see, but it will take something tangible to get people to accept it.

Also the RAM is significantly better in the PS4; GDDR5 (PS4) vs DDR3 (Xbox One).

The ram issue isn't as clear cut though. Its not just GDDR5 vs DDR3, the way ram is handled with the rest of the system is different too, not to mention how cache is set up differently. I don't know if there is a clear advantage or just a different way of doing things.

 

Your wrong, if the roles were reversed and the Xbox One was more powerful than the PS4 I would have bought the Xbox One instead. I have no sympathy for major corporations and I dont see the point in brand loyalty as these corporations make billions and the board earns million dollar wages and I don't get a cut so why should I support or care about a brand?

He wasn't pointing to you specifically. So while its nice to know that you are immune to brand loyalty forces, there are others that are not and you cannot speak for them. Some people would indeed react differently based on who is being discussed.

Those that do prefer a brand do so because they might like what the company is doing, or have felt well treated by that company thanks to experiences with products over time. That's fine in moderation, but it can turn into the dreaded 'fanboy' when taken to extremes.

 

You forgot the /s lol.

Unfortunately, people do like those games.

[spaceelf]

I don't really get this 'my games are better than your games!' thing you guys seem to be into.  So people like them.  So what?  Why gripe about it?

 

If we all liked the same games there would hardly be a gaming industry at all.

[dead.cell]

Unfortunately, people do like those games.

I was making more of a joke out of his attitude really. I don't care if someone likes Call of Duty.

[GotBored]

The ram issue isn't as clear cut though. Its not just GDDR5 vs DDR3, the way ram is handled with the rest of the system is different too, not to mention how cache is set up differently. I don't know if there is a clear advantage or just a different way of doing things.

 

He wasn't pointing to you specifically. So while its nice to know that you are immune to brand loyalty forces, there are others that are not and you cannot speak for them. Some people would indeed react differently based on who is being discussed.

Those that do prefer a brand do so because they might like what the company is doing, or have felt well treated by that company thanks to experiences with products over time. That's fine in moderation, but it can turn into the dreaded 'fanboy' when taken to extremes.

 

The RAM issue is very clear cut, GDDR5 ram is significantly better than DDR3 ram. Both systems use APU architectures to handle RAM usage and the caching is merely a feature of all RAM. It stores data from disk (caches) into RAM for faster access. (GDDR5 is faster than DDR3 in this regard)

 

It is fairly obvious that some people react differently based on who is being discussed, in most cases anything negative said about Microsoft is seen as an attack on Microsoft which is latter followed up with excuses or high hopes of how it can come back from it. I've been saying the PS4 is the more powerful system since before release when the specs of both consoles were announced, it didn't seem to matter then and lots of people believed that the 'cloud' and esram was going to make it better. Five months later we've had real world experience and it turns out its better system specs actually do have an impact on graphics (Who would have thought?) with all multiplatform games having better graphics on the PS4. The new excuse now is that DX12 is going to make the Xbox One have better graphics. I'm not sure if its buyers remorse or just brand loyalty but you can't argue facts and real world results, PS4 is the more powerful system on paper and in use.

 

I know you aren't making excuses for Xbox One trooper11 and I'm not directing this on you, but many do and I just don't see the point in it. People don't gain anything from brand loyalty, even if the previous product was good it doesn't mean their next isn't going to be a lemon. I'm not saying the Xbox One is a lemon but it did stuff up in many places.

[neoadorable]

Bored, you know very well both X1 and PS4 are plenty powerful. Can we put this to rest? We're not average laypersons, we can at least read a spec sheet, even if we're not engineers. Sure PS4 has an edge in raw processing power, but X1 is a five billion transistor chip with a 12-core GPU. The 360 and PS3 were like what, 300-500 million transistors on the GPU? Come on, we all know both X1 and PS4 can do 1080 in your precious 60 frames in almost any game you throw at them. They are vastly superior to their predecessors. Be patient, we will see the pretty games soon. Never as pretty as what's on a more powerful PC, but we all know this.

 

Titanfall is a prime example. It screams haste and lack of optimization. They basically admitted it was never meant to be on X1, so it's either a stripped down sort-of-PC build or a jazzed up 360 build. Either way not fair to X1 buyers, or the platform itself.

 

I think PS4 will handily outsell X1 in the next four-five years, but I think X1 will still do just fine. As someone who has both and enjoys both I don't agree with the constant Xbox hate, especially over performance. Not worried about performance - I would worry more about long term reliability, we had a few warm days where I am and the fan already went into crazy overdrive mode, so had to take her out of the entertainment center on put her out in the open :wacko:

[GotBored]

Bored, you know very well both X1 and PS4 are plenty powerful. Can we put this to rest? We're not average laypersons, we can at least read a spec sheet, even if we're not engineers. Sure PS4 has an edge in raw processing power, but X1 is a five billion transistor chip with a 12-core GPU. The 360 and PS3 were like what, 300-500 million transistors on the GPU? Come on, we all know both X1 and PS4 can do 1080 in your precious 60 frames in almost any game you throw at them. They are vastly superior to their predecessors. Be patient, we will see the pretty games soon. Never as pretty as what's on a more powerful PC, but we all know this.

 

Titanfall is a prime example. It screams haste and lack of optimization. They basically admitted it was never meant to be on X1, so it's either a stripped down sort-of-PC build or a jazzed up 360 build. Either way not fair to X1 buyers, or the platform itself.

 

I think PS4 will handily outsell X1 in the next four-five years, but I think X1 will still do just fine. As someone who has both and enjoys both I don't agree with the constant Xbox hate, especially over performance. Not worried about performance - I would worry more about long term reliability, we had a few warm days where I am and the fan already went into crazy overdrive mode, so had to take her out of the entertainment center on put her out in the open :wacko:

 

Respawn did say that originally TitanFall was just a PC/360 title, but I find that hard to believe. If that were the case it would have been a Microsoft exclusive regardless and we've expected to believe Microsoft didn't mention they had a new console coming? Pre-release at E3 it had a functional TitanFall demo on the Xbox One. Also the 360 version release date was pushed back because it wasn't ready, but the X1 version was ready even though it wasn't originally planned?. TitanFall is just a COD clone, COD isn't known for its graphics its just a fun, fast paced shooter and that's what TitanFall is. I'm not using Titanfall as a reference to graphics performance compared to PS4, that's just silly.

 

As for the X1 and PS4 being powerful, sure they are much better than the X360 and PS3. But performance wise they are around the same as a median-priced PC setup. Yes both can do 1080p@60fps but with the visual effects the developers want to add into their games the PS4 is coming on top. Its not just about the resolution/pixel count because this just means more small color pixels are displayed on your screen which makes images clearer. FPS is how quickly those little pixels can change. Lower fps makes these pixel look like they skip but that is usually fixed with motion blur which in turn makes them blur slightly. A basic engine can run even on a X360 or PS3 at 1080p/60fps without issue, but with the game engines the new games are using and the amount of visual effects and details they are using it makes it harder to output at 1080p/60fps and the PS4 does that a lot more than the Xbox One. So yes the PS4 is more powerful and yes raw performance power is a big factor for visuals and optimization has its limits which is the consoles raw performance power

[Emn1ty]

Respawn did say that originally TitanFall was just a PC/360 title, but I find that hard to believe. If that were the case it would have been a Microsoft exclusive regardless and we've expected to believe Microsoft didn't mention they had a new console coming?

What you find hard to believe isn't necessarily the reality. It's not about knowing a new console is coming. It's about having the actual hardware to work with, since no PC is going to work the same way as one of these consoles do.

 

This also happened with other games in the reverse, like Halo 2 which was originally slated a next gen game, then forced to release on the Original XBox by Microsoft. It turned out far worse than was advertised (graphics wise).

 

As for the X1 and PS4 being powerful, sure they are much better than the X360 and PS3. But performance wise they are around the same as a median-priced PC setup. Yes both can do 1080p@60fps but with the visual effects the developers want to add into their games the PS4 is coming on top. Its not just about the resolution/pixel count because this just means more small color pixels are displayed on your screen which makes images clearer. FPS is how quickly those little pixels can change. Lower fps makes these pixel look like they skip but that is usually fixed with motion blur which in turn makes them blur slightly. A basic engine can run even on a X360 or PS3 at 1080p/60fps without issue, but with the game engines the new games are using and the amount of visual effects and details they are using it makes it harder to output at 1080p/60fps and the PS4 does that a lot more than the Xbox One. So yes the PS4 is more powerful and yes raw performance power is a big factor for visuals and optimization has its limits which is the consoles raw performance power

The difference between PC's and Consoles is the optimization factor. You cannot fully optimize PC games (it may be a lot easier now though in the past). PC's have different configurations, driver versions, etc. So the best people can do is brute force their way past the limitations. That's why a you have a $300-$500 price gap between a "mid-level" gaming rig and a XB1. You need more to do the same.

And also, you talk as if we don't know what 'fps' means. And I get the feeling you don't understand what a "basic" engine is from a "new engine". They aren't that much different. A few refactors here or there to help optimize and include new tech, along with some bumped up numbers as a result of the optimizations with maybe a few new features. It's not like new games have reinvented the engine. Let alone you're making judgements about optimization before the devs have even had a chance to optimize anything.

 

PS: A team ported the Unreal Engine 4 to Javascript and ran it in Firefox (and browsers don't have low level access to manage memory, etc) yet it still ran fairly smooth. I think you overestimate the "weight" of new engines.

[trooper11]

The RAM issue is very clear cut, GDDR5 ram is significantly better than DDR3 ram. Both systems use APU architectures to handle RAM usage and the caching is merely a feature of all RAM. It stores data from disk (caches) into RAM for faster access. (GDDR5 is faster than DDR3 in this regard)

Well unless someone wants to refute your claim with facts, I can't do much more then say ok. I was pretty sure that the X1 had a different setup vs the ps4, which meant there would be differences that affected the raw bandwidth numbers between the two types. You are claiming there is nothing different, so there you go.

It is fairly obvious that some people react differently based on who is being discussed, in most cases anything negative said about Microsoft is seen as an attack on Microsoft which is latter followed up with excuses or high hopes of how it can come back from it. I've been saying the PS4 is the more powerful system since before release when the specs of both consoles were announced, it didn't seem to matter then and lots of people believed that the 'cloud' and esram was going to make it better. Five months later we've had real world experience and it turns out its better system specs actually do have an impact on graphics (Who would have thought?) with all multiplatform games having better graphics on the PS4. The new excuse now is that DX12 is going to make the Xbox One have better graphics. I'm not sure if its buyers remorse or just brand loyalty but you can't argue facts and real world results, PS4 is the more powerful system on paper and in use.

That's fine and I can see your point, but lets not try to make this one sided, as if reactions only occur when its going against MS. Let's set aside the BS and admit that it happens a lot from many sides of the discussion.

The other part of this is sometimes people feel like a poster is trying to rub it in when something goes their way or they turn out to be right about something. Whether someone means to do it or not, it happens.

Finally, I don't think its fair to jump on an idea and just dismiss it as silly. The DX12 stuff for instance. You find zero merit to it? You don't think it will be a good thing for developers. We need to separate the exaggeration from the realistic possibilities. Its fine to call out exaggerations, but don't throw out the entire concept in the process. It happened with the cloud stuff too. Instead of focusing on what can really be done, the focus is instead on reacting to exaggerations. Surely, you would like to know what real advantages will come from various features, no matter how big or small they are.

I know you aren't making excuses for Xbox One trooper11 and I'm not directing this on you, but many do and I just don't see the point in it. People don't gain anything from brand loyalty, even if the previous product was good it doesn't mean their next isn't going to be a lemon. I'm not saying the Xbox One is a lemon but it did stuff up in many places.

Honestly, if you cut it all away, the only mistake MS made was the gpu choice. Because it is weaker on its own, that requires so much extra work on the part of MS to optimize or do something like get DX12 on it quick and for developers to squeeze out performance. A stronger gpu means you can brute force things and just develop quicker.

Even the dreaded and hated Kinect being bundled would be less of an issue to talk about if there was no such thing as resolution-gate and the continuous drum beat with each multiplatform release.

As far as the brand loyalty bit, let's not get stuck in the mud of trying to discuss the motivations of customers or of people that post online. It really does not matter as long as you stick to the facts out there and be willing to react to new information reasonably. That doesn't mean everyone must agree, it just means you make your point as best you can and you leave it at that.

[neoadorable]

Respawn did say that originally TitanFall was just a PC/360 title, but I find that hard to believe. If that were the case it would have been a Microsoft exclusive regardless and we've expected to believe Microsoft didn't mention they had a new console coming? Pre-release at E3 it had a functional TitanFall demo on the Xbox One. Also the 360 version release date was pushed back because it wasn't ready, but the X1 version was ready even though it wasn't originally planned?. TitanFall is just a COD clone, COD isn't known for its graphics its just a fun, fast paced shooter and that's what TitanFall is. I'm not using Titanfall as a reference to graphics performance compared to PS4, that's just silly.

 

As for the X1 and PS4 being powerful, sure they are much better than the X360 and PS3. But performance wise they are around the same as a median-priced PC setup. Yes both can do 1080p@60fps but with the visual effects the developers want to add into their games the PS4 is coming on top. Its not just about the resolution/pixel count because this just means more small color pixels are displayed on your screen which makes images clearer. FPS is how quickly those little pixels can change. Lower fps makes these pixel look like they skip but that is usually fixed with motion blur which in turn makes them blur slightly. A basic engine can run even on a X360 or PS3 at 1080p/60fps without issue, but with the game engines the new games are using and the amount of visual effects and details they are using it makes it harder to output at 1080p/60fps and the PS4 does that a lot more than the Xbox One. So yes the PS4 is more powerful and yes raw performance power is a big factor for visuals and optimization has its limits which is the consoles raw performance power

 

Your tone is quite dismissive, which indicates your mindset, i have to say. Titanfall isn't a COD clone any more than Killzone is, sure it's related, but it's equally a Halo "clone". Very similar to both COD and Halo, but not a "clone". Anyway, i believe that's how it happened: game was developed for 360 and eventually PC, MS offered incentives to port to X1, 360 version got reworked into X1 version, then the 360 version proper got slightly delayed as it needed to be completed outside Respawn. A similar thing also happened with the original Halo, which was supposed to be a Mac release of all things until MS stepped in, as you remember.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write and don't be offended, but no need to explain graphics to me on that level. Sure, both consoles are about what we would call mid-range gaming PCs, but what did you expect? They're consoles, no a $10K Falcon Northwest vanity build. My point was that they are not as weak as some people's mantra would have you believe, and both are capable of much more than we're seeing now, so give it some time.

 

EDIT: it is very likely at least some Titanfall PS3 work was done initially, and i still believe the game is like Mass Effect - a timed exclusive that will make it to PS4, and i don't mean Titanfall 2. I also don't know what Respawn mean when they say the life of the product - that could be many things.

[McKay]

Your tone is quite dismissive, which indicates your mindset, i have to say. Titanfall isn't a COD clone any more than Killzone is, sure it's related, but it's equally a Halo "clone". Very similar to both COD and Halo, but not a "clone". Anyway, i believe that's how it happened: game was developed for 360 and eventually PC, MS offered incentives to port to X1, 360 version got reworked into X1 version, then the 360 version proper got slightly delayed as it needed to be completed outside Respawn. A similar thing also happened with the original Halo, which was supposed to be a Mac release of all things until MS stepped in, as you remember.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write and don't be offended, but no need to explain graphics to me on that level. Sure, both consoles are about what we would call mid-range gaming PCs, but what did you expect? They're consoles, no a $10K Falcon Northwest vanity build. My point was that they are not as weak as some people's mantra would have you believe, and both a capable of much more than we're seeing now, so give it some time.

 

EDIT: it is very likely at least some Titanfall PS3 work was done initially, and i still believe the game is like Mass Effect - a timed exclusive that will make it to PS4, and i don't mean Titanfall 2. I also don't know what Respawn mean when they say the life of the product - that could be many things.

 

Having read the story behind Titanfall, they were working on it before the X1 dev kits were even given out, before Devs were made aware. When Microsoft told them about the X1 they thought they could have a hit, like how Call of Duty 2 was a smash hit being an early launch on the 360, so they targeted the X1.

[neoadorable]

Having read the story behind Titanfall, they were working on it before the X1 dev kits were even given out, before Devs were made aware. When Microsoft told them about the X1 they thought they could have a hit, like how Call of Duty 2 was a smash hit being an early launch on the 360, so they targeted the X1.

 

Don't know if it will be a mega-seller like the CODs and Halos of the world, but it will turn a profit and to me is an excellent experience - simple, elegant, and works more smoothly than most online shooters in terms of connectivity. Balancing remains an issue.