• PlayStation 4 8GB Memory = 4.5GB Direct + 1GB Flexible + 2.5GB System OS

    // Gradly // blog, Consoles, Games, Leaks, News, PS4, Rumors, Sony, Tech. No Responses

    PlayStation 4 8GB Memory = 4.5GB Direct + 1GB Flexible + 2.5GB System OS

    PlayStation 4 8GB Memory = 4.5GB Direct + 1GB Flexible + 2.5GB System OS

    In the wake of recent rumors, and outrage, regarding PlayStation 4′s Direct and Flexible memory, Sony has issued an official statement about the console’s RAM debacle:

    We would like to clear up a misunderstanding regarding our “direct” and “flexible” memory systems. The article states that “flexible” memory is borrowed from the OS, and must be returned when requested – that’s not actually the case.

    The actual true distinction is that:

    • “Direct Memory” is memory allocated under the traditional video game model, so the game controls all aspects of its allocation
    • “Flexible Memory” is memory managed by the PS4 OS on the game’s behalf, and allows games to use some very nice FreeBSD virtual memory functionality. However this memory is 100 per cent the game’s memory, and is never used by the OS, and as it is the game’s memory it should be easy for every developer to use it.

    We have no comment to make on the amount of memory reserved by the system or what it is used for.

    By not commenting on the amount of RAM reserved by the system or available to developers, Sony might implicitly confirm the previous figures.

    Eurogamer, originally reporting on the PS4′s memory, now thinks that there is 4.5GB of Direct RAM available to developers, along with OS-controlled 1GB of memory, therefore the amount of memory the games will have 100% access would be 5.5GB leaving 2.5GB reserved for the OS.

    We understand that this is a 1GB virtual address space, split into two areas – 512MB of on-chip RAM is used (the physical area) and another 512MB is “paged”, perhaps like a Windows swap file. But to be clear, of the 8GB of GDDR5 on PS4, our contention is that 5GB of it is available to developers.

    The good news is that the amount is static and not dictated by OS functions as we stated in our original post, making it a lot easier for developers to work with.

  • Microsoft Reveals Xbox One Self-publishing Plans

    // Gradly // blog, Consoles, Gadgets, Microsoft, PS4, Sony, Xbox One No Responses

    Microsoft Reveals Xbox One Self-publishing Plans

    Microsoft Reveals Xbox One Self-publishing Plans

    Microsoft will not only allow indie developers to self-publish on Xbox One, but it has confirmed that every Xbox One console can be used for development.

    Xbox corporate VP, Marc Whitten said:

    “Our vision is that every person can be a creator. That every Xbox One can be used for development. That every game and experience can take advantage of all of the features of Xbox One and Xbox LIVE. This means self-publishing. This means Kinect, the cloud, achievements. This means great discoverability on Xbox LIVE. We’ll have more details on the program and the timeline at Gamescom in August.”

    However, dev kit functionality will be added at a later date so it will not be available at launch.

    Microsoft is already undergoing major sweeping changes to its Xbox One policies, after the always-online and DRM debacle. Today’s announcement comes in response to Sony‘s aggressive push to support indie developers for the upcoming PS4 console.

  • Play Digital PS4 Titles Anywhere and As You Download

    // Gradly // blog, Consoles, Gadgets, Games, PS4, Sony, Tech. No Responses

    Play Digital PS4 Titles Anywhere As You Download

    Play Digital PS4 Titles Anywhere As You Download

    Sony has revealed that PlayStation 4 will allow players to play digital games on any console. Neil Brown, Sony’s R&D senior team leader, said at Develop that users will be able to go to a friend’s house, log into their account, and play any title.

    According to Brown:

    “You can visit your friends house you can log into your account and play any game from your digital library, which is good. But how useful is that if it takes half a day to download the game you want to play? With Play As You Download you get much quicker access to at least the first section of the game so you can start playing quicker. So this makes a digital library a practical option in the real world.”

    “A similar system also works on Blu-ray, chunks are automatically copied to the hard drive in the background. This means that after the first few minutes your game can rely on having faster read speeds from the hard drive. Which provides a better experience for players, and this is a completely background process for the player. They don’t have to wait for anything to install before playing the game. The game will launch as soon as the disk has been put in the drive.”

    Via OPM

  • Quantic Dream’s ‘The Dark Sorcerer’ E3 PS4 Tech Demo

    // Gradly // blog, Consoles, Funny, Games, Humor, PS4, Sony, Tech., Trailer No Responses

    The Dark Sorcerer

    The Dark Sorcerer

    Sony has released the full uncut version of Quantic Dream‘s PlayStation 4 tech demo video, dubbed The Dark Sorcerer: A Next-Gen Comedy. The demo offers a look at what can be achieved on the new console. Quantic Dream is yet to announce a true PS4 game title.

    The tech demo running in realtime 1080p on PS4:

    Watch the cool demo, starring the same old man from Sony PS4 reveal, below: