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How Xbox One's operating systems work - why splitting the RAM is good for developers and gamers

Xbox One offers a total of eight gigabytes of RAM, a stupendous leap over its predecessor's 512 MB - but around three gigabytes of this is set aside for entertainment apps, system-wide Kinect features and communication tools like Skype, which run in parallel to games. Naturally, this has provoked a certain amount of upset among those who'd rather each and every byte of memory was set aside for the sole, exclusive purpose of (e.g.) rendering every fold in Batman's cape.

dirigiblebill3916d ago

I guess much of this also applies to the PS4's RAM-splitting too?

MariaHelFutura3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

Of course it does. The next argument will be the games.

http://forums.digitalwarfar...

PS4
http://gamer.blorge.com/201...

Xbox One
http://www.engadget.com/201...

Then it will go back to the RAM and how the older ddr3 is better than the newer gddr5.
http://www.amd.com/us/produ...

How every anyone tries to spin it, it's simply not true.

pedrof933916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

This is clearly an answer to the Ps4 3.5 gb rumour.

However Ps4 will always be superior on this matter.

hennessey863916d ago

My god will you just go away

dirigiblebill3916d ago

It says they spoke to MS about it shortly before Xbox One's announcement, so no.

nick3093916d ago

20 in the first year, 15 x1 in the first year, not that big difference, still getting both.

sobotz3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

Here we go again, tried to spread lies again huh?

PS4 has 20 exclusives, not 30 exclusives

And we don't know if it's gonna be indie, or triple-A games.

And for your information, Titanfall, Garden Warfare, Project Spark, Kinect Sport, Fantasia, Minecraft doesn't count as "Xbox One exclusive", it will come to PC and 360 too.

Ryse, Dead Rising 3, Sunset Orverdrive, Quantum Break, Halo, Forza5, and Killer Instinct. That's only 7. 8 games more left.

My point, more "exclusives" games will come such as Fable IV, Banjo, Crackdown 3, new Gears, and maybe Halo Wars.

Moreover, I thought you guys saying Quality > Quantity? what happened?

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NewMonday3916d ago

5G is OK, more can be used with turning off multitasking, but the bottleneck is the low bandwidth. 32mb of ESRAM is not enough for high resolution textures.

Firan3916d ago

You act like GDDR5 is better than DDR3 at everything. That alone proves your ignorance. Both have their cons and pros. That's why DDR3 is used in CPUs and GDDR5 is used in GPUs.

Animal Mutha 763916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

An Xbox related article and you are second poster. What is your insecurity regarding Xbox that you feel you need to list pro Sony points at every opportunity? Especially odd given that most of us know the PS4 will likely be the more powerful in terms of hardware.

Why can't you accept that each console will be different in some areas, similar in others and that they will likely both sell well on their own merits?

You seem hell bent on discrediting MS and the Xbox brand as some sort of lone crusade to convert the masses to your system of choice.

Apart from being a bit sad I find it annoying to see your bias comments in so many articles especially any that discuss the xbox.

Please readers of N4G - we need rid of this person for the sake of sensible discussion and reasoned debate without irrational bias or prejudice.

On topic I'm glad that the systems resources are split into fixed allocations with control on any flexibility governed by the hypervisor. I don't want apps and games fighting each other for resources or paging files which could cause poor performance.

Thomper3916d ago

Maria the troll king, and the prince of copying links.....change the record.

DiRtY3916d ago

Sony announced the Last Guardian, Agent and FFvXII, too. Heck The Last Guardian even won awards at E3 2009!

Look how that turned out...

Foxgod3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

32MB of ESRAM is plenty for high res textures, because its a form of cache, it doesnt hold on to the data like normal ram, instead it functions as a bridge that pushes data around in high speed.

CYCLEGAMER3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

@maria

I really hope that you are doing this to expose n4g for what it is. I actually thought about doing this myself just to prove a point, but just didn't have the time or balls to do it.

You are awesome at being a troll. Thank you!

N4G fix your system!!

MariaHelFutura3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

K. Let's play.

MS talking about their specs.
http://www.ubergizmo.com/20...

GPUs
http://www.gamespot.com/for...
http://i.imgur.com/RbWsWvU....

Official Specs
http://i.imgur.com/Z4CvNT1....

The PS4 is powered by specs, not imagination.

Vames3916d ago

GDDR5 is not new, it's been around for years now. Furthermore, the tech behind it is based on DDR3. You console gamers are so behind the times, you know, classifying old tech as new tech lol.

tokugawa3916d ago

ffs mods where is the banhammer??????????????????

miDnIghtEr20C_SfF3916d ago

LMAO, this guy pretending to be a girl on N4G found an article so they could rip it with their first comment.

Have to love the people that go out of their way to find an article to put on N4Sony and try to rip on MS.

Classic.

3916d ago
Electric-flamingo3916d ago

Dude. Do you have a life at all?

xxxsiegezzz3916d ago

I'm getting ps4, but i'm also getting tired to mariahefuturas constant fanboy spec comments.
Could you just let it be??? Thanks!

IcicleTrepan3916d ago

Maria you try to incite a war in every thread. Just shut up already.

creatchee3916d ago

@Foxgod

"32MB of ESRAM is plenty for high res textures, because its a form of cache, it doesnt hold on to the data like normal ram, instead it functions as a bridge that pushes data around in high speed."

Finally, somebody who understands what eSRAM is used for. And nobody is claiming that it will consistently outperform the PS4's GDDR5 in graphics. The point is that it will put them on par or at least close to on par in terms of bandwidth.

imt5583916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

@Firan

You act like GDDR5 is better than DDR3 at everything. That alone proves your ignorance. Both have their cons and pros. That's why DDR3 is used in CPUs and GDDR5 is used in GPUs.

Yes, in PC's. But on the console is different situation.

Quote from NeoGAF :

"Both the Cell Processor and the ES RAM are there to compensate for a shitty decision. It was a stupid decision to go with RSX and DDR3 in terms of overall game performance.

ES RAM adds a level of complexity. How much complexity? I don't know, but engine's will have to be modified to take advantage of it, load times will be longer on Xbox One, and programmers will have to be clever in how they introduce you to new areas.

In other words, 8 GB of DRR3 is like bringing a Toyota Camry to a drag race. The ES RAM is a Nitrous boost. You have to decide when is the best time to use the Nitrous tank."

"Back to the discussion, comparing GPGPU and programming for the PS4 GPU to being the new SPU's is a bit of poor comparison. The SPU's had several headaches and complexities.

A better comparison would be: "Taking advantage of ES RAM and DDR3 on the Xbox One is the new SPU." From what I understand this is a technical hurdle and a headache all on its own. "

8 GB of GDDR5 is like bringing a Ferrari to the same race.

Back on the Eurogamer's ( Digital Foundry ) article about PS4/XO multiplatform game difference. That Leadbetter has no idea what he writes. I mean, he persistently compare PS4 and PS3. But the difference between PS4 and PS3 are huge, both on hardware and software.

Nocando3916d ago

Don't you have a job to go to, or something? Or is this your job?

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imt5583916d ago

@Nocando

I'm on vacation. And my job is to follow news about XO and PS4.

quenomamen3916d ago

Waaaaaaa, go away, we dont like your opinion or the fact that you have actual links to articles to back up what you say ! But since its much easier to hit disagree and cry instead of posting facts of our own, thats what we'll continue to do ! and we'll proove it even more by disagreeing and crying about this post even more whaaaaaaa! mom make them go away !

Cueil3916d ago

GDDR5 is DDR3 dirrivitive focused on bandwidth at the cost of latency

CrimsonStar3916d ago

lol whatever ur doing its not working the more u bash the xbox1 the better it looks , and the more I want it .

joefrost003916d ago

I notice the wording sony choose to use
They had a higher number of exclusives but did not say the first year like MS
They just said in development and MS already stated that all of theres were disc based games and sony have not made that distinction
Of course sony has more cause we dont know when they will be coming out dont remember them giving a time limit like MS did

gamertk4213916d ago

@imt. That's weird because my buddy played 3 XB1 games at Comic-con and none of them had ANY load time.

Spoons3916d ago

So, what is it? I distinctly remember you saying the PS4 was the better console because it had more ram. But now that the tables have turned having less ram for games is better? Do you realy have an opinion or do you just argue whatever you think will get you the most agrees at the time?

corvusmd3916d ago

Maria, even when you do get numbers right on Specs, what you DON'T get is how they are actually used and implemented, and how that actually translates to games...Sony fell into this exact same issue last gen, the Specs looked amazing on paper, but never really amounted to more in games. So far the biggest proof that your argument means nothing is that we can actually seem games running on the systems..and so far PS4 is getting stomped..and this is without cloud computing, and XB1 generally running at 60fps despite PS4 running on average at 25-30. Not to mention, it seems daily like PS4 specs are disappearing, and news for XB1 are getting better..like the best looking version of BF4 is on Windows 8 because it uses DX 11.1 ...which as far as consoles is exclusive to XB1...but don't worry, you have a faster hotter burning GPU...XB1 will just make sure that it's using its precesses more efficiently. Your arguments are old and tired...stop sounding so jaded and just enjoy games...Stop playing on paper..that isn't where video games are...either way both systems will perform roughly 10xs better than their predecessor...which already make amazing looking games...so really this argument just comes across as being a spoiled brat. (it does seem ironic to me that PS Fanboys usually argue that the PS4 is more powerful, then go straight to saying it's a "gamer console" because it supports indie games...doesn't that seem weird to anyone else? "We are more powerful so that we can play games like octadad and Killzone running at 25-30 fps and looks like Dishonored")

Gekko363916d ago

@MariaHelFutura I'm sure the Praystation 4 is going to be lovely and I'm sure that the Xbox One is going to be just as lovely for those that buy it.

Can I ask, what is it that compels you to use the "My dad is better than your dad" argument?

I decided to by an Xbox One because I think it is cool and I recon the features are bitchin!.

Nothing more, nothing less.

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saber000053916d ago

Judging from how many disagree from your post, I say that the XBOX fanboys will buy anything that has an xbox logo on it.

awi59513916d ago

@sobotz

Your a tard these kids are getting games from mom and grandmom so saying its not exclusive is just stupid. Pc is above the console wars. This is about console exclusive and most of these brats that are buying these games cant afford/ build a proper gaming pc. So pulling its on PC out your ass doesnt mean crap. Halo is on PC doesnt mean it doesnt mean crap on Xbox only.

WarThunder3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

Still.... PS4 uses a faster GPU.

X1 is using a entry level GPU
PS4 is using a midrange gaming GPU

http://i.imgur.com/RbWsWvU....

Its like comparing a HD7750 to a HD7850 on the PC. And HD7850 is way faster.

Like it or not fanboys, PS4 will be faster...

imt5583916d ago

@Cueil

"GDDR5 is DDR3 dirrivitive focused on bandwidth at the cost of latency."

Did you hear something about Onion and Garlic bus for avoiding latency in PS4?

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imt5583916d ago

@gamertk421

Yeah, it so weird there is no load times in demo's. Very weird.:) Funny, isn't it?

SonyPS43916d ago

Please keep your garbage to 127.0.0.1 thanks!

IanVanCheese3916d ago

I love that no-one noticed you are the person that actually added this article.

Keep on trolling my good woman/man.

Thunderhawkxbox3916d ago

U r the worse fan I ever seen in my life ill bet u ain't got tiny brain to think about stuff u saying like other Sony fans I'm not trying to be rude but r u 13 years old or wat ? Get ur act together Microsoft might not win next generation but they gonna win USA and UK they have got enough fans to buy their console. I do feel sorry for u the article hasn't got nothing to do with playstation 4 but u still have to say BS

clouds53916d ago

I don't get it, all that hardware comparing with consoles... Apart from exclusives the games will more or look the same anyway. And exclusives aren't good because of the graphics, usually.
In fact hardware battles have gone away ay because of consoles and that was supposed to be a good thing. Get a box don't even know what's in there, just play them games.
Now people are talking and fighting as if it was Radeon vs. Geforce all over again :-D
Hardware basically doesn't matter in the end with consoles. It's the games. Period. Has been the same every dann generation. Never has a console sold best because it had the best hardware, it's usually the opposite. (wii ;-))

MEGAxPAIN3916d ago

Dude shut the fuck up. Yes PS4 has a lot more exclusive but you are acting like all exclusive are blockbusters. There's no damn way i'm getting my PS4 for Knack. I don't care how few games it the system has just as long as the games are hardcore. Personally I think Xbox One exclusives are more hardcore. Games like Quantum break, Ryse, Halo, Titanfall, Dead rising 3, vs the PS4 infamous, Killzone, and The order 1986. So please do us all a favor and chug a cup full of blended dicks.

Pope_Kaz_Hirai_II3916d ago

Ignore them maria its just people pretending to be neutral and disagreeing.

gamer20133916d ago

XB1 for the win. More functionality, better games and superior online>>> a few more pixels and frames.

wtopez3916d ago

Hey Maria why is it that I never see you dropping PS4 specs on the PC section of n4g?

DragonKnight3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

I love how the PS3 split its RAM and was blasted for it, but now that the X1 is doing it it's the next big thing in gaming. LOL!

@TwistedReality: Can you prove that XB1's Live is superior to PS4's PS+?

dedicatedtogamers3915d ago

Maria, I should just stay out of it, but if you're so convinced that "teh blind fanboys" won't see your side, why keep trying? And it's not like you have to convince people that the PS4 is a good option. Why not make a blog about it and be done with it? Just a friendly word of advice.

FanboyCrusher3915d ago

What moron keeps giving you bubbles? Fix this system N4G staff, you you just condone trolling with this method.

FlunkinMonkey3915d ago

@DiRtY + 16h ago

"Sony announced the Last Guardian, Agent and FFvXII, too. Heck The Last Guardian even won awards at E3 2009!

Look how that turned out..."

O yes... You're right, they just pumped out 3 or 4 exclusive game of the year awards and will probably with The Last of Us.. Yea look how that turned out.

christrules00413915d ago

GDDR5 has latency but since it's unified memory the latency is cut in half. PCs do not use GDDR5 for system RAM because if the CPU and GPU try to access the system RAM at the same time it can only access 1% of the RAM. How can you compare GDDR5 and DDR3 when there literally is not a single machine that uses GDDR5 with unified memory?

That is not spinning it at all. It's just the straight up truth.

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Blaze9293916d ago

Even if the PS4's ram is superior, why do gamers think developers will cater to the system and take full advantage of it with multi-platform games?

Have we learned nothing this gen? Or is it the x84 that may make it easier to do now? If that's the case - then ok. But if a developer has to work extra for one version to be better than the next - dunno why you think we'll be seeing that instead of equals.

Groo3916d ago

I hear you bro, I use metaphors too much but I'll use vehicles as an example. on one hand we have a car capable of speeds excess of 200 mph, and right next to it we have another car capable of speeds up to 120 mph. If the max speed limits vary from 45 to 75, then whats the point of all the horse power if all vehicles aren't allowed to exceed the speed limit?

Thats one way i look at cross platform development, both consoles can do so much but games have to be as close to identical on both platforms.. It kind of handcuffs everyone to conform as far as cross platform titles go..

creatchee3916d ago

@Groo

An even better way of putting it is to say that the Xbox One is a Rally car and the PS4 is an Indy car. On straightaways, the PS4 Indy car has a top speed and acceleration advantage, giving it a lead. However, on turns and uneven surfaces, the Xbox One rally car has better performance and handling, giving it the lead.

Bottom line, both are good at different things, but neither has a big enough advantage to take a substantial lead over the other due to the track (games) being composed of different sections that require different talents.

thechosenone3916d ago

Did you mean x86? And yes, that's exactly the reason why.

FanboyCrusher3916d ago

That's the thing, it isn't really isn't superior. It's bandwidth at the cost of latency. The RAM is on even ground right now but later on when games get more demanding you'll see the GDDR5 start to suffer., and that's just how it is. As efficiency with the OS comes with time we can have more RAM available, but that won't be for a while for either machines.

quenomamen3916d ago

Intetesting point, but just like with every other thing that we buy either Cars, Dryers, Houses, Movies etc it will ultimately depend on the people making thr games, there great Devs who will always try and push the consoles to the edge like Bungie, Naughty Dog, 2Kgames, Bioware, Guerilla Games Etc. And there are the ones who pump out the same damn game every 2 years , Infinity Ward, Treyarch and probably now Respawn since they are the original Infinity Ward.

dedicatedtogamers3916d ago

"Even if the PS4's ram is superior, why do gamers think developers will cater to the system and take full advantage of it with multi-platform games? "

Because...that is what developers have done since the days of the NES. It's what they did for multiplats on 360, which is why a lot of 360 multiplats look and run noticeably better than the PS3 version.

This myth of "lowest common denominator" needs to die. Yes, of course devs are never going to match the graphics of an exclusive like The Last of Us, but third parties are competing against other third-parties (shock and awe!) and they want their game to look at good as possible. Developers typically used their XBox 360 version for showcase, and now devs are using the PS4 version of their games to showcase.

Khronikos3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

The amount of ignorance and just plain typing out numbers half you tweens clearly don't understand is just lovely. The PS4 GDDR5 RAM is simply MUCH better for its most important source and that would be the GPU. It works just fine for the CPU because they have added buses to communicate with it. Get your facts straight xbots. You don't win in this situation but it's funny to see you people dying to join the cult of the M$ lies. The latency is unremarkable in this case. A non-issue as Cerny has stated many times.

ehandlr3916d ago

GDDR5 Latency is a fallacy....

MRMagoo1233916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

just like a few ppl have mentioned, the latency involved with the gddr5 ram is so tiny its isnt a factor, it seems to me some xbone fans think that the rams are on even ground because of the latency but they arent even close the gddr5 is far superior to the ddr3 for gaming its not even funny.

ppl thinking that games wont be running better on the ps4 are only kidding themselves, they will run better and you wanna know why ? its because the ps4 is more powerful AND its easier to make games on, which means ps4 games will take less effort to make better than the xbone games then the effort it takes to make the xbone games in the first place.

If you xboners dont want ppl talking about the ps4 and saying its better just admit the fact it is better and dont argue the FACT in the first place. Its like arguing whether the sun is hot or not.

hardcorehippiez3915d ago

i'll tell you what exactly i learned about this gen. xbox owners would study multiplat differences and claim superiority over graphics over the smallest of things like blades of grass missing or shadows ect. now that the ps4 is supposedly better these same people are playing the graphics dont matter bullshit and crying foul when facts seem to be pointing at ps4 being better graphically . so what has changed . i couldnt care less though i'll be sticking with sony for the same reason i always have and that is that i like their franchises as i have been playing ps since it came about and i like what it offers.

christrules00413915d ago

And the same can't be said for Microsoft and the "infinite power of the cloud?"

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CuddlyREDRUM3916d ago

Gaming media usually goes along with what they think consumers and the hardcore gamer who goes to sites is thinking.

Sony needs to come up with an answer to all of this, one that doesn't redefine what an OS or memory is. I can't believe how PS4 fans have gone to thinking just like the Xbox One fans were right after E3.

StoutBEER3916d ago

Lol @sobotz Whatever helps them feel good about their purchase. That's all it is. Or they just ENJOY arguing like children, which is probably the case.

Godz Kastro3916d ago

And there he or she is again... Can someone post some PS news for Maria? Please? Unless the PS isnt as interesting as he/she thinks.

Cueil3916d ago

no... at least I would assume not... Microsoft split it up with vitural machines so that in itself makes things different

AngelicIceDiamond3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

"We find ourselves in a position where if we want to change the [Application Programming Interfaces] and make a bigger buffer or talk to a service that has slightly different requirements, and we need 10 more bytes of RAM - 10 bytes - some game is going to start crashing. We have to be extremely careful and offer up a very predictable environment to the game developers to get the best games on your console."

5 gigs for games is seriously plenty for games. Its funny how people forget we are gaming on consoles and not PC's.

Honestly, devs are working with 5 gigs on console instead of 512 or 256 MB of memory. That's a huge jump for console.

I'm glad MS is figuring out a good balance between devs and its OS system.

Software is MS forte after all.

Redgehammer3916d ago

Maybe even it's "thirte nine"?

dedicatedtogamers3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

As we've learned more and more about these consoles, I think what is going on is that both Microsoft and Sony are trying to be conservative. 5 to 6 Gigs of RAM for a console game is more than enough right now. Down the line? Perhaps the OS on both systems will shrink and both systems will get another half-Gig or a full Gig of extra RAM opened up for gaming.

Both companies want to make sure if the "other guy" or some piece of tech from outside the industry comes out with a must-have feature they can adjust (the limitations of last-gen tech are why, for instance, the PS3 was never able to get cross-game chat). What if the hand-having controls end up being a must-have feature? I'm not saying they WILL, but what if? Sony has a camera and I imagine they'd want to implement those features. It's far better to play catch-up than to not catch-up at all.

Now, here's the thing. Neither Sony nor Microsoft is going to admit "our OS is bloated right now, but it will get smaller later". Um, nope. They're going to talk it up and say how sleek and flawless it is and then LATER they'll say "hey, our flawless OS that uses 3 Gigs of RAM? Well, we made it even MORE flawless while also using less RAM and now an extra .5 Gig is available for gaming. Dun dun DUN!"

3-4-53916d ago

Regardless of how much RAM PS4 & XB1 have, :

Current Gen uses 512 mb of ram.

Think about that for a second people.

The Wii U, Obviously the weakest of the 3 next gen consoles, still has an increase of 4X what we currently have available to dev's.

Look at the games they've made on just 512 mb.

Too many people are being Tech Snobs about stuff that, in the long run won't even matter outside of maybe 8-10 games over the span of 10 years.

HammadTheBeast3916d ago

Well that's simplifying it. Which is great, considering 90% of the posters on this comments section have 0 clue about what they're talking about, and are pulling up links to random stuff which is irrelevant, or PR releases.

avengers19783916d ago

Isn't it common sense that both XB1 and PS4 will need some ram for there OS. They both do a lot more than just insert game and play it

ChrisW3916d ago

When a PC game states that its minimum RAM requirement is 2Gbs, you also have to consider the amount of RAM that is for the OS, which is constantly running in the background. OSs like Win7 require 1Gb for 32bit and 2Gbs for 64bit. So, if you're running Win7 64bit, you most definitely need more than the minimum 2Gbs in order to run the game smoothly.

The same absolutely goes for the next-gen consoles.

It's simple logic.

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CaptainofCrush3916d ago

The hypervisor enables developers to utilize up to 7GB.

Minato-Namikaze3916d ago

I dont really understand this. if they make a games that uses 7GB, what happens when the OS need more than 1 GB ram? does it crash? Why set aside 3GB if the OS really only needs 1GB? Can you explain to me how this works?

nick3093916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

Imo it will need from 1-2 gb of ram for the os, the explanation is that the games have their own ram, while the os has its own. It might need that much of ram to browse the web, use the psn store, download while playing , and all these multitasking features.

slimeybrainboy3916d ago

They will have some RAM set aide just for further improvements to the OS.

So say they limit games to 5GB now even though they are only using 1GB for the OS, because then they have 2GB RAM spare. They can add the feature without the game crashing. Last gen the PS3 couldnt add party chat because they had not saved enough RAM for the feature to be added.

Later in the console lifecycle they can optimise the OS' RAM usage, and can see that new features aren't coming and decrease the amount that is reserved for the OS and give more back to the games.

nukeitall3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

@Minato-Namikaze:

To answer your two fold question:

a) what happens when OS needs more than 1GB of RAM and none is available?

You are often given paged memory, which in essence means it is laid out on your hard drive or your consoles start to trash that is, it swaps the data back and forth between RAM and hard drive. This is obviously not good as it is extremely slow. So in a strict console, the OS will deny the game the memory. In essence, this will never happen, because the game is designed for a set amount of RAM in the first place.

That said, 4-5GB RAM dedicated to games is a huge amount, coupled with the hard drive acting like a cache.

b) Why set aside 3GB if the OS really only needs 1GB?

The short answer is to ensure that you don't run into the "PS3 cross game chat problem". That is, the PS3 OS used too much RAM (at 48MB RAM), and wasn't able to accomodate cross game or party chat. That is why the PS3 never got that feature.

So reserving RAM even though it isn't used is to accommodate unseen and unknown features in the future.

However, there is one thing more important than just the amount. It is intelligent use of memory. The Xbox 360 since the birth of the console always used 32MB RAM footprint. It can still accomodate cross game and party chat, while contrasting the PS3 whom uses 50%, and has fewer features.

In essence, the Xbox 360 had far more efficient memory use than PS3. Of course the need for future features is unknown, so it is reasonable not to give so much memory to games, especially when they still don't need it, and may never do.

I hope that answers your question.

Elit3Nick3916d ago

If you are in game, the OS shouldn't need much memory since it's not consuming a lot of resources. BTW the 3GBs of RAM is still a rumor, based off the assumption that the PS4 used 1GB for its one OS therefore the X1 uses 3GBs for its three OSs. The thing is, only one of the "OSs" is an actual full fledged OS, the other two are the snapping system, which won't consume any resources until you use it, and the other is the hypervisor, which allows the OS the use a smaller amount of resources when you are in game, or use more resources if it needs to do intensive work.

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Mikeyy3916d ago

Here we go with the hypervisor bs again...

Provide a link or just stop, this doesn't make sense. It doesn't fit it with how you develop video games on a static system were numbers are absolute.

PFFT3916d ago

A little bit more info on Xbox One Hypervisor.

http://www.giantbomb.com/xb...

DarkHeroZX3916d ago

The more I read it the more of a bottleneck it seems. First of all Hyper vision requires the use of of even more memory and CPU usage. Secondly while it could free up more memory they have to shut down more and more features to do so completely negating the multimedia box the X1 is being hyped up to be. I honest think MS should have kept gaming in mind first like Sony and Nintendo. Then if they wanted to turn the X1 into a multi-functional device they could have easily done so over time with firmware updates.

testerg353916d ago

DarkHeroX, I thought PS4 kinda does the samething. The OS takes a chunk of memory and the game can request for more if needed.

DarkHeroZX3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

Yeah but I thought the point of the X1 was to run the social functions seemlessly in the background. The X1 is just looking like a more expensive PS4 now. I mean what about the cloud? I thought this was suppose to make the X1 3X more powerful. Why would the they even need such a feature if cloud is the future?

CuddlyREDRUM3916d ago

You probably bought Google Glass?

Stop with all this nonsense.

XabiDaChosenOne3916d ago

I don't think you know what a hypervisor is....

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3916d ago
n4rc3916d ago

Great article.. I'm excited..

"Xbox One's gaming partition gets the "majority of the resources of the box", according to Multerer, and runs a "very thin" (that's to say, non-memory intensive) operating system - so "thin", in fact that games "pretty much sit right on top of the hardware", granting all but unfettered access to its capabilities. It gets the lion's share of the machine's processing power when games are playing, too - some 90%, "

Awesome

Gazondaily3916d ago (Edited 3916d ago )

I don't see anything wrong in what MS are doing here. Predictability, as they state, is really important for developers. They need to know exactly what they have to play around with.

But this is a balancing act on the part of MS as well. On the one hand, you're future proofing your console in terms of the myriad of apps and other OS processes that will make use of the RAM, but on the other hand, at the tail end of the generation, developers will inevitably want more RAM to play with and, or maybe 3 years down the line (like Mike Cerny hinted), you'll see the difference between the PS4 or X1 manifest itself in a more profound way.

But, I do think MS have done the right thing here. They did a great job with the OS on the 360 and the X1 seems to be carrying on that legacy here.

Convas3916d ago Show
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