PS4 a 'big evolution in game design, almost like 2D to 3D shift,' says FFXV director

PSU writes:

Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata shares his thoughts on the impact PS4 has had on the games industry

[johndoe11211]

That's a pretty strong statement to make. I'm no dev so I can't say if it's true but judging from the graphical jump from last gen to this gen I would tend to agree more than disagree. After looking at killzone, infamous, driveclub and the order, it would be hard to argue.

[vishmarx]

the order,for a year 1 game looking near cg is a HUGE technical leap,
i can only imagine what SSM's and ND's last games will look like

[360ICE]

The Order was mind blowing.

I do think this generation is going to peak earlier, though. PS3 was a 599$ heap of impossible architecture. PS4 is more affordable and more traditional.

[Timesplitter14]

even more important than what they'll look like is what they'll play like.

Let's hope they don't play like The Order

[nowitzki2004]

OMG Uncharted 4 on PS4. Cant wait. I will go hibernate until Dec to wake up and find out its delayed :(

[nix]

Apart from the graphical leaps, what i found amazing is the game load time. And everything is so smooth and swift.

[Kumomeme]

atleast 10x amount of memory assest leap from last gen..and lot of game starting to look like prerendered or cgi..atleast 2000 years cgi...
realtime cutscene become trend,open world..
last gen 35million poly per character already impressive..this gen..above 60million poly is commons...ffxv had 100 million poly,infamous ss 120,ryse 85(although at beggining should have 150)..quantic dreams dark sorceror in early ps4 devs kit also around 69million poly...
not mention more better and realistic animation due to more bone per character..and dx11 features really shines compared to past gen dx9...

[joab777]

I don't think the technological leap was that big. In a way, I'm glad b/c we will reach that graphics plateau earlier and begin focusing on gameplay etc.

Yeah. Games look better, but I feel like it's an extension of last gen, in which devs can make games look and play as they orginally envisioned.

[johndoe11211]

Show me a single console game last gen that came anywhere close to driveclub and the order. Just one.

[Kumomeme]

it was big...if you see last year gdc presentation of infamous,ryse...and compared to last gen..it was huge leap...texture size,assets,physics,100 millions of poly per character (uc3 was around 35m)...realtime cutscene become trend..it was huge leapt

[UltraNova]

Two moments that stack with me.

The change from 2D to 3D> Going from a Genesis to N64 playing Mario 64 was without a doubt the most WOW moment in gaming tech for me.

And laying eyes on the original Motorstorm on an HD tv for the 1st time...my oh my HD really threw it out of the park for me back then especially coming from those god awful CRTs!

So this gen IMO wasn't even close in terms of that WOW factor I described above, however I can certainly appreciate the immense increase in crispness, fidelity, better (miles better) color management and advanced engine assets. All these elements combined surely show the true extent of the upgrade from last gen.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

That's goof to hear. I believe the PS4 has a bright future ahead. It has enough power to deliver jaw-dropping experiences. Driveclub was just a start of graphical power and smooth and seamless gameplay serving each other.

I just can't wait for all the PlayStation Devs to finally jump to next gen. This gun b gud

[MegaRay]

That because SE skipped PS3, focusing only in PSP/3ds/ps2 and mobile. Of course he'll feel like a big evolution.

Not saying there isnt, but I dont think it could be compared to the jump from 2d to 3d or SD to HD. Hope developers prove me wrong tho

[KOIMOJO]

The thing is, from a design perspective sd to hd wasn't that big. Being at a lower resolution made things on ps2 like ffxii actually huge and pretty impressive from a design perspective. On PS3 a lot of the power went to getting the overall resolution and character models/texture resolution up to snuff. I feel like this new jump is almost completely going to design. The margin of getting better in the graphics department isn't huge but the worlds they are making are next level. That's why we are seeing so many games go open world, they aren't having to sacrifice detail to do it anymore.

[LegoIsAwesome]

"I really feel that this challenge to create something that could not be done on any platform other than PS4 can only happen with the latest cutting edge consoles of the current generation.”

Then how did FFXV manage to come out in xbone and pc then?

[Timesplitter14]

The PS4 is not a game nor does it influence game design in any way compared to other similar products

I'd make a statement like this about Steam, which allows riskier, more experimental games to have access to a wide audience. But the PS4? It's a basic console like the X1

[Mega24]

They make it sound like it's something out of this world, they only moved into the typical x86 architecture. Nothing new here.

[IIZANGETSUII]

Not even close

[masterfox]

I agree on that statement, but haters as always gonna hate, most people people forgot that last gen resolutions was 720p and even in some cases below that, not to mention the detail was comparable to a PC game in low settings, but this time with the PS4 almost 90% of the games are in full HD, 60 fps and comparable to a PC game in ultra to high settings, sorry I can't say the same for the xbone or Wii U.

Not only with the PS4 you are getting the full experience of a 1000 dlls PC, you are also saving yourself from the headaches of the buggy/glitchy games that almost 90% PC games have.

[Timesplitter14]

You're talking about graphics, resolution and framerates. You must be in the wrong comments section since this article is about game design.

I'd really be curious to hear what kind of game design opportunities the PS4 opens up compared to, let's say, a PC or the X1

[KOIMOJO]

I don't think he is actually saying the ps4 great moreso than pc and xb1. I'm guessing he was asked specifically about the Ps4 so that's how he answered but if you read the end of the article it sounds like he is referring to this whole new gen of consoles.

Also this kind of confusion happens a lot in translation.

[Mega24]

Lol, $1000 dollar PC can outperform a PS4 in every multiplatform game. You must be hallucinating, given that BF4/Hardline run in medium to high settings on PS4 at 900p and unstable 50 fps. My current built PC can run BF4/HL at 1440p 50 fps ultra, at $1050 (counting shipping and handling). Get informed before you spew nonsense like that.

[Str8Chaos74]

PS4 can't even do 1080p 60 fps on it's own exclusives. A $1000 PC runs circles around it. I like the PS4 and own one, but I use it only for exclusives and sports games. Anything multi platofrm is much better on a decent PC.

[Mega24]

@Str8Chaos74 Same, I love my exclusives on PS4, I've been raised by them, since the PSone era and Snes. I love console exclusives, but to praise this machines as if they we're something amazing, its just wrong. Building a PC is way easier to build and maintain than people make it out to be.

[jambola]

Why is it wrong to praise "this machines" as if they "we're" something amazing?
is the second most powerful pc int the world not amazing because there is a better one?

[AudioEppa]

This is why I don't care about gameplay first, I have adapted to many different ways i can press the buttons on a controller, so I know what works and what doesn't, so I don't care about any innovative in that department, can it be improved on? Yeah, but graphics in high fidelity is something that has yet to even begin to reach its full potential and that's what I want to see with my ps4 games and beyond. Beautiful art direction, super attention to detail, lifelike animations and ai.

Games like second son, the order, rime and uncharted 4 an some others are why i still love gaming now and for it's future potential.

[Sgt_Slaughter]

Then stop making statements like this and prove it.

[jambola]

or they could do both?

[Hoffmann]

Says the director of a game thats made for both the PS3 and 4 and PC.

[Spotie]

Cuz there are never differences between the same game on different platforms, right?

[NoctisPendragon]

FF XV is not on the PS3 and couldnt be on the PS3 (the final game at least).

[Hoffmann]

Oops my fault, I actually read FF XIV!

[DoggyBiscuit]

I disagree with Hajime Tabata comments but I still love my PS4 though

[WizzroSupreme]

It's compounded by the difficulty of working on increasingly constricting deadlines and annualized franchise cycles. Square Enix's in a very unique position of having started on FF XV long before these systems were released and they've surely got a leg up on understanding them after all this time.

FF XV might just be the new-gen game to beat if it uses all of the graphical power we've seen from The Order and Uncharted 4 all in a 40 hr. epic.

[Gwiz]

So.. Going from sub HD to HD that's going towards sub HD again.
Aha 2 dimensional 3D approach,yes SIR!!!!._

[bomboclaat_gamer]

900p is big evolution lol

[NoctisPendragon]

He is not just talking about graphics , but whatever ...
They couldnt do things (very important things) on the ps3 for FF Versus XIII but now they can do them on the ps4 .

[KOIMOJO]

People obviously don't understand what he is referring to when he talks about design... Idk why I still look at the comments on this site, everyone wants to talk about frame rate and resolution when game DESIGN is much more interesting.

[Moldiver]

the shift from 2D to 3D brought about new genres and features not possible in 2D. The shift to game play that was beyond the simple X-Y axis brought about everything to date in gaming since the 90s. Dont expect such a leap from the PS4. It (much like the x1) are simply more powerful iterations of the last 3 console generations. They push more polygons on screen with more post effects.That is what they are. That is what they do. So no big evolution will be happening on PS4. Its not even happening on PC with cutting edge, range topping SLI linked GPUs. So this guy is being a bit delusional.

Holographic tech/VR is the next step, and both existed in gaming before the sony playstation in any iteration.

[NoctisPendragon]

He is not only talking about graphics , why does everyone thinks gaming evolution = graphics ?

In FF XV you are theoretically able to fight with Titan(at his real size) vs an other giant summon in a big metropolitan city while destroying everything around you .

And all without any QTE (like in the demo).

Let's not forget about vertical fighting and IA controlled NPCs (and not a scripted IA).
All of those things in a seamless open world game.

If FF XV achieves what they promised (or even more ) we could call it "a big game design evolution " like he said .
Graphics arent everything .

[Moldiver]

I never said graphics were everything. I clearly spoke about the types of gameplay advanced that happened from 2d to 3d , like open worlds, and three dimensional movement within them. THAT is what I am talking about and you seemed to ignore all of that in your response. Just to harp on about the same old binary,gameplay VS graphics debate. Dont be so trivial. We are talking about REAL steps forward in immersion and interaction. New styles of gameplay that simply would not be possible a generation prior. Not simply rendering bigger monsters( or a titan) in real time. Thats just more of the same poly pushing with effects that I said is all we will see from these consoles,and adds NOTHING to gameplay. Especially no real forward step in how games are played.

[gamernova]

I agree that the Ps4 is a great console but calling it 3D is insulting considering how irrelevant 3D is lol If you are going to call the ps4 anything, call it VR.

[jambola]

Who called it 3d?

[gamernova]

In the article and the title. It made the analogy that the ps4 is advanced by comparing 2D to 3D and I honestly do not find 3D impressive at all. Not like virtual reality, anyway.

[jambola]

yeah, but using an analogy is not calling it 3d

[gamernova]

I assumed that anyone with an average intelligence could come to that conclusion based on my word choice. You're making me feel like I am in court and I am being cross examined. You take this site kind of seriously, huh? Lol

[iNFAMOUZ1]

rolls eyes
here we go again, next headline, ps4 is god himself in tech form
its not even that good of tech, neither is xbox one, generations behind

[Wonderful101]

I love this jokes, gold comedy.

[stragomccloud]

Um.... no. No it isn't. Not even the slightest. Not even if you went from PS3 to a hardcore gaming PC. Words can not describe the feeling of going from 2D to 3D.

[magiciandude]

In my opinion, it feels more like a big devolution in game design, almost like 3D to 2D shift given a huge focus on indies as a result of Sony cutting corners in game development...

[jambola]

I don't know why i'm replying to such an obvious troll, but why do so many people seem to think indie games somehow hinder the development of unrelated games?

[Badassbab]

Totally disagree. The jump hasn't been nowhere near that big especially for PC gamers. Current gen can't even handle 1080/60 in most games without sacrificing graphical quality. And for the love of all things holy and mighty can PS4 fans stop banging on about how good Driveclub looks. It ONLY looks amazing in the rain. All other times it looks meh to good.