Performance of Next-Gen Effects on Xbox One Detailed; PS4 Can Do Volumetric Fog Asynchronously

During the panel “Assassin’s Creed 4: Road to Next-gen Graphics” held at the Game Developers Conference Ubisoft Montreal 3D programmer Bart Wronski gave some quite interesting information on what it took to launch Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag on next generation consoles, including some detailed information on performance costs of advanced effects like volumetric fog and screenspace reflections on Xbox One, also mentioning that the PS4 can do the former asynchronously.

[Lawboy2]

What does this mean....also what is the purpose of mentioning the ps4...

Before commenting u should read the story the ubisoft guy is talking about the xbox one....then the author says that the ubisoft guy didn't give any charts about the ps4 or was talking about the ps4...he was probably asked about which his response was that it could do it to....also the author then adds that the ps4 can do Ray tracing after it is mentioned the xbox one can do it....and then goes on to give an example on ps4 (killzone)....I'm just saying why was all that needed why couldn't the article simply be about the presentation

@ incendy below

Okay thank you for clarifying...I still don't understand but I think what ur saying is it allows for more things to be done without putting more stress on the Gpu which allows the system to do more things....if I'm understanding u correctly if not it's okay I probably wasn't going to get it anyway...but thanks again

[Abriael]

Let's see... because it was part of the presentation and the fact that it can compute the effect on the GPU is interesting?

I know, hard to understand right?

[Lawboy2]

No it wasn't...they added I in...did u read the story

Well good now that I'm talking to u...what was the point in pointing out the ps4....if u have no slides or he was specifically using the ps4 to demonstrate it why mention it...I understand telling the ps4 can do it...but to go into detail about the ps4 without it actually being what it is shown on escapes me...maybe I don't understand it just seems like it was away to not let the spotlight shine on the xbox one

Okay sorry for all the edits

I just read the presentation...I was confused by the article...sorry @ abriael....the presentation was for both xbox one and for ps4 combined it was just shown on the xbox one...I didnt get that at first sorry man...

[Abriael]

@Lawboy2: Not only I read the story. I *Wrote* it.

PS4 was mentioned extensively in the presentation, including the asynchronous compute feature, and for the second table it was mentioned that the 2ms timing is for both consoles.

[ThanatosDMC]

^Hilarious

[SniperControl]

lol.....

[mark3214uk]

quote "@Lawboy2: Not only I read the story. I *Wrote* it. "

Owned lol

[fr0sty]

This is where Sony's heavy focus on GPU compute is paying off. Sony put 8 asynchronous compute engines in PS4's GPU, vs. only 2 in xbox one. Each ACE can have 8 compute queues each. So, Xbox One can handle 16 compute queues at once and PS4 can do 64. This is why PS4 is shown to have the advantage here. The GPU can use all those ACEs to do things like volumetric fog, lighting, physics, fluid dynamics, etc. without being a performance drain on the CPU or other elements of the GPU.

[DigitalRaptor]

Read article and source to find out more.

[incendy35]

Asynchronous means that the effect does not hold up other processes and is possible that it is not run in order of first to last. Basically you don't have to wait for it to finish, it will do its work without holding up any other tasks. It is mostly a good thing, you can always run a task synchronously if you need to.

[scott182]

The asynchronous compute feature takes stress off of the GPU to do features like volumetric fog? Am I understanding right?

[Angeljuice]

@Scott182

It's kind of the other way around, the GPU does the computation itself without having to wait to communicate with the CPU, thus speeding up the process and freeing up CPU resources.

[xx4xx]

I don't know either.

But if it's on dualshockers.com, you can bet it's:

PS4 = good
XBox = bad

[-Foxtrot]

Really so your going to list a site as a fanboy site because of what they REPORT on. It's not their fault if theres "bad" Xbox news out there then PS4 news

If you want a bias site look at Polygon.

[Muerte2494]

lmao oh the click, hungry Polygon.

[FamilyGuy]

Dualshockers... is called Dualshockers. With that name you would think it to be a more Sony focused site to begin with. Aside from that I've seen some X1 articles there that were positive, there just isn't as much positive news about the X1 when compared to the PS4 or all the negative X1 news.

[MasterCornholio]

Its their fault that the Xbox One is weaker than the PS4. Which is why developers announce more advance graphical features for the PS4 like dynamic clouds in MGS5 Ground Zeroes.

[cell989]

for biased websites look up in your dictionary POLYGON, youll see biased there

[Hicken]

Holy crap, seriously?

It was an Assassin's Creed panel, not an Xbox One panel. BOTH CONSOLES were mentioned, hence the purpose of mentioning the PS4.

It cannot be that difficult a concept.

[No_Limit]

Why is the PS4 even mentioned in the headline on an interview that is about the features of the Xbox One? Yea, Dualshockers, you sure know how to get hits.

[Abriael]

Here's another that didn't even read it.

One. It's evidently not an interview.
Two. The presentation is about both consoles. The Xbox One was the only one for which precise timings were given, but the PS4 was definitely included.

My, so defensive.

[No_Limit]

My apologies. I read a bit through that long PDF file and there is a bunch of stuff on there pertaining to all systems but the way you presented it on your website by picking and choosing certain parts to quote and the way the headline is constructed really adds fire to the flame, so to speak. It would be better if you just separate those two topics and post them separately.

[Sci0n]

what im getting from butthurt xbox fans is they want all news and things said about the xbox one to be neutral with the PS4 or not mentioned at all. The thing is we can't help it that one console does things better then the next when it comes to specs and performance. They want to close there ears and scream that everyone is bias even when developers themselves mention the plus and minus of owning each console. It just so happens that the x1 has allot more minuses then the PS4.

[Alan_Shore]

Because ps4 was mentioned in the presentation they just didn't show the performance of the ps4. Probably becuase there roughly the same as the article state's

[Tatsuya]

LOL so many butthurt Xbots I see, tell me, what did you actually expect from a weaker box they called a console?

I bet you are one of the funny ones who would believe anything MisterX says. Stop trying to believe that the Xbone can be more powerful than the PS4. Here's the truth for ya, that can never happen !bam! Since, PS4 is the most powerful console on earth right now!

#PS4LIFE

[Alan_Shore]

You sound like you would be a derrick in real life ;)

[candy_mafia]

Dang!, so much misunderstanding on something so simples....or, so much hard feelings that PS4 must not be mentioned beside it's lesser counterpart maybe?.

Can people really get this salty?

It must really hurt those that take our hobby too seriously, that PS4 is being shown to be far more capable than the competition.

Can't go on forever hating on PS4 owners who had nothing to do with the architecture of their console, that turns up crapping on it's nearest competitor.

[B1uBurneR]

One has the power of the cloud the other has the power of the fog?

[ILive]

Lmaooo! Im guessing im the only one who finds your comment funny.

[scootscottskeet93]

Lol.. It was funny

[Dasteru]

-Power of the cloud (singular) Only has access to one cloud, clouds are far away so high latency.

-Power of the fog. Fog is a grouping of clouds so more power, and it is close to the ground and therfore more accessable.

[mmc-007]

lmao, nice one

[CrazedFiend]

Actually, it's not really the cloud. In Cali we call it the "marine layer" and when the sun comes out, it just all bakes away.

[AndrewLB]

Yeah. It's just wet enough to completely f**k up your clean car you spent two hours detailing the day before. Or make the 605 freeway just slick enough to cause a big-rig to dump 20,000 gallons of honey all over the freeway yesterday. I got stuck (excuse the pun) in traffic for two hours cuz of that mess.

[windblowsagain]

Fog is much better.

It blinds your enemies.

[Edvin1984]

This is kinda interesting to see, as we really have no clue or me at least to what programing language the systems are tied to. I think something like that would limit the porting greatly, and before someone says the program to metal yeah with a compiler/assembly of some sort not machine code thats for sure as that would be crazy.

I wonder what the X1 is probably something along the line of C#. DirectD directive of some sort. Also, any one have a clue what the PS4 is using?

[LambOfLucifer79]

We get it. The PS4 is more powerful. We also know that from past generations..IE, Xbox vs PS2 and Xb360 vs PS3 that the more powerful console doesn't always win. That being said, give us games, not hardware specs. I have an XbOne and plan on buying a PS4 as soon as I convince my wife that I need 2 consoles. Lol

[Alan_Shore]

This has nothing to do with power of the consoles lol

[LambOfLucifer79]

That's what I get for not reading the article. Damn it. Lol

[r2oB]

@ lamboflucifer

Off topic and incorrect... Nice work. /s

You do realize that your example of the PS3 vs. 360 is completely false. The PS3 is more powerful AND sold more. It's still outselling both last gen consoles and will more than likely have the highest worldwide numbers by the time the console is discontinued.

[candy_mafia]

@Alan_Shore

Everything is to do with 'Power'.

No power, No ray tracing, No volumetric fog...by your logic, SNES/Genesis should be able to do it, right?

You're not so Shore, Alan.... Wake up!

[Paulie_gualtieri]

If i've learned anything from history it's that PS always beats Xbox lol

[AceBlazer13]

Lol, freakin hilarious.

Spongebob: It's funny cause it's true *spongebob laugh*.

[aragon]

why did u get disagrees? " We get it. The PS4 is more powerful. We also know that from past generations..IE, Xbox vs PS2 and Xb360 vs PS3 that the more powerful console doesn't always win. Its the truth, youre not trolling i guess that logic doesnt work around here.

[LambOfLucifer79]

Thank you.

[Flutterby]

Yes like someone has already pointed out , the only thing history has shown us is Sony always beat MS. It's nothing to do with power otherwise it would be the trend we see but we don't.

Ps2 vs Xbox = Sony won with weaker hardware.

Ps3 vs Xbox = Sony won with more powerful hardware.

So far all we can see here is Sony wins

Add to that so far PS4 vs xbone = Sony winning with more powerful hardware.

Can you see the pattern?

Take it back to PS1 and Sony still won against everyone else.

[aragon]

@ flutter but by the internets logic the stronger hardware should win? right or better multiplats with higher resolution? what about the wii? xbox 360 multiplats ran better 80 percent or more of the time even tho the ps3 was powerful, but people still supported the ps3 even tho the frame rate sucked or the res sucked compared to the 360 on multiplats, its only this gen ive seen so much boasting about power wow i would think that all gamers are 12 nowadays with the fanboy childish mentality lets have fun,ps if you guys cared so much about power youd be talking about 1440p and 4k and liquid cooling and double titan cards.

[Flutterby]

Odd because I do have a corsair liquid cooler on my i7 and I have 680s in sli. I don't get your point, and you saying the "res sucked" or "frame rate sucked" on the ps3 compared to the 360 is kind of odd because there was only a tiny difference between the games back then, if you think the ps3 having 700p and the 360 having 720p meant the ps3 res "sucked" what on earth do you think of the xbone when it is doing 720p and the ps4 is doing 1080p?

Even after all that what the hell does that have to do with my point, it wasn't anything to do with power the point was that Sony wins no matter what against MS.

I also find it amusing you say I am a PS guy lol for a start I am not a guy and secondly as I have stated plenty of times before I play mainly on pc so if I am anything I am a pc fangirl.

You will find this gen very hard if you assume anyone with something negative to say about MS or Xbone is a ps fanboy. Most devs like the ps4 more are they ps fanboys ? The ps4 is pretty much double the sales of the xbone are they all ps fanboys? Or are they just people looking at the console logically and seeing that the ps4 is the better console?

Anyway that's all rhetorical because you just jump on the only ps fanboys dislike the xbone bandwagon anyway instead of giving actual real reasons and debating with facts.

Oh and by "internet" logic the ps4 will win because that's all Sony really does against MS, but you will find any person that is non-biased will come to the same conclusion. Sony is just the stronger gaming brand world wide.

[aragon]

@ flutter when did i call u a male? u r suppen else no point arguing with you. PS u ever wrote a letter ? PS dont worry be happy

[liquidhalos]

Read the article dude, sheez. This ones really tripped all the angry fanboys up. This isn't that type of article at all, Just bloody read for a change instead of constantly looking for a damn fight over nothing.

[Angeljuice]

Lol, this is ridiculous. It's an article about how the latest consoles perform particle/lighting calculations and it breaks down into yet another pissing contest.

This time it was started by overly defensive MS fans screaming 'foul' because PS4 is mentioned in A MULTI-CONSOLE ARTICLE (I mean how dare they)? But I know that just as many if not more threads get derailed by Sony fans who can't resist having a dig at every opportunity.

The thing is that a key piece of information (read ammunition) has been overlooked for petty point scoring.

Unite against the common enemy!!! The next time a PC elitist says something like "your consoles are no different to mid-range laptops" you can link to this quote from the developer;

"Wronski also explained that both PS4 and Xbox One have advanced GPU architectures, providing several custom extensions and capabilities that aren’t available on PC, but they’re based on the AMD GCN architecture, which makes optimization more complex than in old generation consoles."

People know your true enemy and fight the good fight, we are all *console brothers-in-arms* our true enemies are the PC elitist, short people and tuna fish sandwiches. These are the ones that deserve our mindless teasing and relentless re-hashing of the same old sentences.

--Troll Over Beethoven--

Sorry, but if we're all gonna talk pointless crap, lets make it original at least (or we could all just debate the topics raised in the articles without getting juvenile).

[AndrewLB]

r2ob- You're forgetting one very important thing. Sony took a loss on every ps3 they sold from launch day till sometime in 2012.

Oh.. and there were 60 MILLION more Xbox 360 games sold worldwide than PS3 games. I know a ton of people who never even used their PS3's for gaming. It had a great blu-ray player at a price far lower than any competitor... and Sony lost big bucks on every one of them.

And lastly, there is no way on earth the PS3 will outsell the PS2.

[Hicken]

My, god, man. You were just looking for a reason to rag on the PS3- or any PlayStation, I wager- and found some nonsense.

You may wanna try two or three years earlier for when the PS3 became profitable. Well, you probably won't WANT to, as you're not looking for the truth.

Second, an extra year+ of sales, plus a system that veritably devoured discs can rather easily cut into that 60 million. I know people who bought 3+ copies of the same game because the 360 put a nice ring around them. Oh, that's also retail-only, I'm betting; the PS3 had much higher digital sales than the 360, which would also eat into the disparity rather heavily.

And lastly, r2oB never said anything about the PS3 surpassing the PS2. He spoke specifically about the 7th generation; wouldn't anybody with a semblance of common sense come to the conclusion that by "highest worldwide numbers" he was referring to the PS3's generation, where it currently sits in second, but seems to have to selling pace to surpass the Wii before it's no longer being sold?

Sometimes, fanboyism makes you unable to use your good sense, or unwilling to deal with reality. You should probably get some help for that.

[malokevi]

Article is written as though the author was desperately trying to conceal a strong bias, and doing a terrible job of it.

[Biggest]

Nah. That's just the way you read it. It has something to do with the way you process information.

[ILive]

Lmaoooo!! That was Hilarious!

[FlunkinMonkey]

Haha, very good.

[yewles1]

"Wronski also explained that both PS4 and Xbox One have advanced GPU architectures, providing several custom extensions and capabilities that aren’t available on PC, but they’re based on the AMD GCN architecture, which makes optimization more complex that in old generation consoles."

Que?

[MasterCornholio]

There was a man called Noah who herded two of every animal to his boat and beat the crap out of them.

Que?

[mysteryraz11]

why is it more complex?

[Stunmonk]

Lol
I must thank all of the people complaining about the article without even reading it. Makes my day to see such X1 lovers bashing the ps4 just because it is mentioned.
For future reference try reading the article, then maybe, just maybe you will not make fools out of yourselves.
It is an interesting article. You should read it.

[Whitey2k]

So there saying that the gpu on x1 is weak? They said on that site that the fog was done by using the x1's cpu why the fog was using the gpu on the ps4

Interestingly enough calculating it at double the resolution didn’t multiply the cost by two, but raised it only to 1.6 ms.
While unfortunately a comparative table wasn’t provided for the PS4, according to Wronski, Sony’s new console can handle the calculations asynchronously, using the asynchronous compute feature of its GPU (the ability to perform complex calculations on the graphics chips instead of executing them on the CPU).

[Flutterby]

They are saying what most pal have been saying for a while now , when games start relying more on gpu compute the gap will widen between the consoles.

[kingPoS]

Who knew that something most people take for granted in real life could be so difficult to emulate digitally. Shadows, depth, illumination, reflection they truly do matter don't they. Mix that up with certain atmospheric light conditions and it starts to become life like. Makes you appreciate a good engine and the hardware that's subsequently used to make it all happen.

Gateway MT6706 2008

[ananas]

I have 40 years I did not go to such forums and I am a player in the last 30 years, and I tried almost all gaming platform..
I've never been a fan of Xbox or PS or PC, Amiga, Atari, Sinclair .. but in the past 2 weeks, we see the behavior of these groups, and yes I'd rather xbot...

i have both consoles because i gamer... and i love games...

[liquidhalos]

What is wrong with you? Did you read the article??? Its not bashing Xbox at all, its not praising PS4 either. Its just an Assassins creed panel talking about the different approaches to creating effects used on both the PS4 and Xbox One. You owe some people here an apology mister. Shame on you for trying to stealth troll when there was no need to do so. Shame on you.

Bubs down for trolling. And i hope others see this and follow suit

[ananas]

what is wrong with you.. ?

i just reading comments ... in all discusion...

shame on me? hmmm ok... :)

[liquidhalos]

@ananas

No, you're not just reading comments your trying to troll. You're taking an interesting article about 2 different approaches to the same ends and somehow managed to turn it into a fanboy thing. So yes, Shame on you for trolling. You don't fool anyone.

[AnEwGuY]

ananas, reach back and touch your head...then check your hand for blood. Based on the gibberish you just posted, I'm afraid you might have fallen and hit your head.

[ananas]

about this i am saying... :)

hmmm i have right... :)

thank you...

[liquidhalos]

This just goes to show what a troll you are. What a fantastic waste of your bubbles. Oh and being rude, childish and barely literate does not make you right. It just makes you pathetic.

[Angeljuice]

I sense that English isn't his first language (neither is reasoning by the look of it).

[Bobets]

You rather be an Xbot? you ARE an xbot to begin with....XD

[mochachino]

"Wronski also explained that both PS4 and Xbox One have advanced GPU architectures, providing several custom extensions and capabilities that aren’t available on PC, but they’re based on the AMD GCN architecture, which makes optimization more complex that in old generation consoles."

Can't wait to see what devs can do in the next few years. Hard to imagine games like Infamous looking bad (or unimpressive) in 3 years.

[josephayal]

The PS4 is the ultimate gaming machine

[memots]

dat fog

[MNGamer-N]

Volumetric Fog. That's the reason I play games. I just stare at the fog all day. Matter of fact, each game I buy the trophy for fog staring is the first to pop every time.

[Mugen_mind]

We all can't play dumb what is going on. We know that Sony built a stronger system just like they did with the PS3 last gen but since XB360 came out a year earlier all the devos found the xb360 easier to program for and the PS3 cell chip difficult. People bought multi plats games on xb360 and exclusive on PS3. Sony has learned from their mistakes from last gen and made a powerful system that is easier to develop on. So I feel like the tables have turned multi plats & exclusive will be on PS4 and MicroSoft will just be for TV & exclusive.

[stumpa]

Yawn