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[specialguy]

Interesting post by interference on B3D about the audio hardware

http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1731360&postcount=2964

The SHAPE audio block and processing cores are really quite powerful (it's probably the closest thing in the actual hardware to the silly 'special sauce' claims).

Theoretically, they can free the main CPU from processing audio entirely - which is quite a benefit given games can use as many as 3 of the 6 CPU threads on 360 for audio.

Nevermind it also handling Kinect MEC and voice recognition which previously consumed CPU time from the game as well (as bkilian said above).

The SHAPE audio block alone is more than 100GF (though it can't really be counted that way since it's not general purpose FLOPS). The alpha kits had an extra 8 CPU cores to emulate the sound block but even that wasn't enough processing power so they never implemented the emulation
That's also where some early rumours of Durango having a 16 core CPU came from.

I don't think the PS4 has similarly capable fixed function audio hardware, so this helps compensate for the extra CPU core that's reserved on Durango.

 

[Syphon Filter]

what part did bungie do better than 343? It felt like a Halo game to me

not like halo,try the multiplayer and see.

 

[Satchel]

I think people forget that a decent portion of Halo's success was right place, right time. There was no competition for it on consoles.

The population has dwindled since 3. Most shooter fans just flat out aren't interested in a shooter that relies on power weapon whoring with shields and that require map memory.

People have moved on. They want to kill people quickly, and know that shooting first results in death.

343 needs to make SWAT the main playlist.

 

[DEADEVIL]

not like halo,try the multiplayer and see.

Absolutely like Halo.

 

[fi3rypho3nix]

Interesting post by interference on B3D about the audio hardware

http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1731360&postcount=2964

Well... if true it is somewhat special sauce. Maybe just a packet of it though.

I am not overly concerned with FLOPS. If feel that it will be so close to PS4 in that regard that it will make little difference.

 

[StevieP]

*shakes head*

For sake of competition, I hope this is all bullshit.

It most definitely isnt. Can you blame them, though? Think about when the Xbox actually started selling respectable numbers finally.

 

[RoboPlato]

Interesting post by interference on B3D about the audio hardware

http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1731360&postcount=2964

PS4 does have it's own audio hardware too but I don't think it's nearly as powerful as Durango's. All the vocal recognition stuff they're likely going to be doing with Kinect really needs it. I hope some of the vocal stuff from the Natal tech demo makes it into Kinect 2. That was the coolest thing about it.

 

[Maximilian Kolbe]

Only the ones in bold are developed by first party studios, actually — with the first four being after the Twisted Pixel acquisition in 2011.

edit: but to be fair, Microsoft has a very strong portfolio of IP. It's just a shame that a significant chunk of it is not really used anymore.

Ugh what's the point of first party or not if it still publish by MS

 

[fi3rypho3nix]

I think people forget that a decent portion of Halo's success was right place, right time. There was no competition for it on consoles.

The population has dwindled since 3. Most shooter fans just flat out aren't interested in a shooter that relies on power weapon whoring with shields and that require map memory.

People have moved on. They want to kill people quickly, and know that shooting first results in death.

343 needs to make SWAT the main playlist.

Well for me, what I want is a Halo game that caters to single player and sticks to the simple formula Evolved nailed. That is what made it popular. Great mechanics and AI made the game IMO.

 

[ThisWreckage]

Right, that must be why Black Ops 2 sold like 20 million copies, and Assassins Creed 3 sold better than previous Assassins Creeds...because they have been milked to death.

Your argument simply doesn't hold up, and it simply comes from someone who clearly doesn't care about Halo.

You're confused. An IP can be milked despite it selling well. Nintendo has done this for years. Cash cows are are almost always milked.

 

[Maximilian Kolbe]

*shakes head*

For sake of competition, I hope this is all bullshit.

Well Don Mattrick's gaming experience is a lot more than Kaz or Iwata

 

[ThisWreckage]

I believe that bkillian post. Every company sees dollar signs. That's what they're in business for. But Microsoft clearly shifted focus and attention in a different direction during the second half of the 360 console cycle. The optimist says that they did such a thing to extend the generation, but the pessimist says that they're shifting focus to chase Wii-like success. I honestly felt like they somewhat (not fully) abandoned the hardcore gamer. People will point out that Kinect was a success, and that's true, but if you're a hardcore gamer I'd be concerned.

 

[DEADEVIL]

I think people forget that a decent portion of Halo's success was right place, right time. There was no competition for it on consoles.

The population has dwindled since 3. Most shooter fans just flat out aren't interested in a shooter that relies on power weapon whoring with shields and that require map memory.

People have moved on. They want to kill people quickly, and know that shooting first results in death.

343 needs to make SWAT the main playlist.

Lol. What are you talking about? Do you even play the game? Swat IS on the main playlist.

Millions play each and every Halo, the series is never going to be on the level of Halo 3, because this isn't 2007 anymore and Halo isn't the only show in town.

Call of Duty is the biggest selling franchise period. Hands down no question. But no other shooter comes close to doing Halo numbers on the system.

I believe that bkillian post. Every company sees dollar signs. That's what they're in business for. But Microsoft clearly shifted focus and attention in a different direction during the second half of the 360 console cycle. The optimist says that they did such a thing to extend the generation, but the pessimist says that they're shifting focus to chase Wii-like success. I honestly felt like they somewhat (not fully) abandoned the hardcore gamer. People will point out that Kinect was a success, and that's true, but if you're a hardcore gamer I'd be concerned.

Nah. Why would an actual 360 hardcore gamer that is actually playing those hardcore games be concerned?

MS released the biggest hardcore games time and time again alongside the biggest hardcore games that 360 gamers love that weren't exclusives.

It's simple, both Sony and MS chased the casual market with motion control devices, and MS gets flack because they were more successful at it.

Kinect didn't stop any Hardcore game from releasing, but it did broaden the MS library and helped the 360 have it's best years in it's history late in the gen cycle.

Next gen they will do both just like Sony. Nope no concern

 

[Satchel]

Lol. What are you talking about? Do you even play the game? Swat IS on the main playlist.

Millions play each and every Halo, the series is never going to be on the level of Halo 3, because this isn't 2007 anymore and Halo isn't the only show in town.

Call of Duty is the biggest selling franchise period. Hands down no question. But no other shooter comes close to doing Halo numbers on the system.


There are other games that 360 gamers play besides Halo every week.

When you launch in September and Call of Duty launches two months later then more people are playing the game. When you launch one week prior to the biggest Call of duty yet, then guess what, people are going to spend more time playing the game where they prestige 5-15times over.

In my opinion, 343 didn't start off Halo 4 with every multiplayer bell and whistle, but fast forward and Halo 4 is exactly how it should have been from launch.

But, if H4 is supposedly dead because less player are playing it then the previous games then when you apply that to EVERY franchises last outing then your going to see a bunch of Zombies.

I mean they need to make SWAT THE main, if not only playlist.

SWAT is the only mode Halo has that perfectly blends the best bits of Halo and CoD.

its quick like CoD but still relies on skill and eventually, map memory like Halo.

 

[HigherLevel]

You can't say nobody wants the kind of shooter that Halo is since Reach and 4 both still sold incredibly well. They aren't retaining their players though because the quality isn't what it was with Halo 2 and 3.

 

[GoofsterStud]

Interesting post by interference on B3D about the audio hardware

http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1731360&postcount=2964

I haven't heard something like that since the Sega Saturn.

Powerful Sound Processor...doom to the PSX!

>.>

 

[fi3rypho3nix]

I haven't heard something like that since the Sega Saturn.

Powerful Sound Processor...doom to the PSX!

>.>

Get that crap out of here.

 

[DEADEVIL]

I mean they need to make SWAT THE main, if not only playlist.

SWAT is the only mode Halo has that perfectly blends the best bits of Halo and CoD.

its quick like CoD but still relies on skill and eventually, map memory like Halo.

I respectfully disagree. Keep it optional. But Swat rules!

There is nothing wrong with variety in the playlist and making Halo more accessible.

But, the cool thing is Halo is Halo and COD is COD.

The franchises co-exist perfectly on the 360, COD is simply the Big Dog, but it doesn't take away from the Halo franchise at all. Most hardcore 360 gamers play them all.

 

[enzo_gt]

thruway (or anyone else in the know), how valid do you feel the launch lineup rumours are? The ones The Verge, Kotaku, etc. all posted in a day but Paul Thurott received before and hesitated to publish?

I remember a lot of hinting going on for PGR5 before but all these new rumours (rumour?) suggest a Forza title, which sort of conflicts with the idea of a new PGR as I can't fathom them launching both with Durango. Does that or that source sound fishy?

Apologies if this has been clarified already.

 

[Reiko]

I haven't heard something like that since the Sega Saturn.

Powerful Sound Processor...doom to the PSX!

>.>

It's not like SEGA had powerful hardware already....

 

[Maximilian Kolbe]

thruway (or anyone else in the know), how valid do you feel the launch lineup rumours are? The ones The Verge, Kotaku, etc. all posted in a day but Paul Thurott received before and hesitated to publish?

I remember a lot of hinting going on for PGR5 before but all these new rumours (rumour?) suggest a Forza title, which sort of conflicts with the idea of a new PGR as I can't fathom them launching both with Durango. Does that or that source sound fishy?

Maybe they just saw a racing game and "5" so someone said it's PGR someone said it's Forza
I think we will know what it is at E3

 

[enzo_gt]

Maybe they just saw a racing game and "5" so someone said it's PGR someone said it's Forza
I think we will know what it is at E3

I hope we know on the 21st, I think highlighting a first party racing title is a given.

At this point, I have no shame in saying I'll suck e-toes for PGR5 details D;

 

[TheUnsunghero26]

I think people forget that a decent portion of Halo's success was right place, right time. There was no competition for it on consoles.

The population has dwindled since 3. Most shooter fans just flat out aren't interested in a shooter that relies on power weapon whoring with shields and that require map memory.

People have moved on. They want to kill people quickly, and know that shooting first results in death.

343 needs to make SWAT the main playlist.

Halo 3 was the most played game on Live from 2007-2009. Reach was 2nd most played in 2010 and 4th in 2011.

 

[SpartanN92]

343 needs to make SWAT the main playlist.

Dear god man!

I am so glad you aren't part of the 343 matchmaking team.

 

[GavinGT]

How the hell does that math work out?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=503054

I'm guessing it's partially because Halo 3 and Reach were more hyped up among the midnight launch crowd, whereas Halo 4 sold to a less frenzied audience. Maybe they saddled retailers with tons of extra copies. I don't know, but it's Microsoft's own figure.

 

[BladeoftheImmortal]

Is there ever going to be a new Crackdown? I'd buy a Durango for that.

 

[DEADEVIL]

How the hell does that math work out?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=503054

So you use an NPD thread to claim the math doesn't work out worldwide?

I'm guessing it's partially because Halo 3 and Reach were more hyped up among the midnight launch crowd, whereas Halo 4 sold to a less frenzied audience. Maybe they saddled retailers with tons of extra copies. I don't know, but it's Microsoft's own figure.

Wait what? You came up with that because Halo 4 sold 3.2 in November instead of the 3.3 than Halo Reach and Halo sold in September of those years?

The game sold .1 less even though it was on sale only 1 week before the 7.5 million selling Black Ops 2.

Is this the supposed failure that people are trying to paint?

Is there ever going to be a new Crackdown? I'd buy a Durango for that.

Not at launch.

I'd love a Next gen C3 as well, but the detractors ate C2 alive, if anything maybe down the line. But it's hard to see MS green lighting that project over potentially bigger new IPs.

 

[GavinGT]

So you use an NPD thread to claim the math doesn't workout worldwide?



Wait what?

I think he was expressing doubt that Halo 3 and Reach were able to sell .1 million more in NA in half the time, yet Halo 4 is now the best selling Halo worldwide. I took for granted that he understood he was posting inadequate proof.

EDIT: I'm not trying to paint a narrative of failure. I was just trying to theorize how sales ended up higher after the slow start in NA. Your reasons were better, so thank you for bringing them up.

 

[Iced_Eagle]

Is there ever going to be a new Crackdown? I'd buy a Durango for that.

I wish, but I doubt it. That would be megaton status if it happened.

According to Dave Jones, the designer of Crackdown, Crackdown 1 only broke even. Crackdown 2 sold even less, so it potentially went in the red (1.7m to 1.1m). The game was still good, but I did think Crackdown 1 was better.

I would love to see it happen. The gameplay of Crackdown is addictive. I can still hear the sound of the orbs... Maybe if they somehow could get Dave Jones to work on it, but it looks like his companies are busy doing mobile games and cloud gaming tech.

Maybe they could do a repeat of what they did with Crackdown 1 and include a beta invite to Halo 5 MP. It definitely got more people to play the game and experience the awesome that was Crackdown, even if they bought it for the chance to play Halo 3 early.

 

[GavinGT]

I wish, but I doubt it. That would be megaton status if it happened.

According to Dave Jones, the designer of Crackdown, Crackdown 1 only broke even. Crackdown 2 sold even less, so it potentially went in the red (1.7m to 1.1m). The game was still good, but I did think Crackdown 1 was better.

I would love to see it happen. The gameplay of Crackdown is addictive. I can still hear the sound of the orbs... Maybe if they somehow could get Dave Jones to work on it, but it looks like his companies are busy doing mobile games and cloud gaming tech.

I'm sure they expected lower sales, given that the sequel didn't come with a Halo beta. I could see Crackdown 2 breaking even, since they re-used the world from Crackdown 1 (just crapped it up and added some stuff) and probably a lot of the code base/assets.

 

[SpartanN92]

Maybe they could do a repeat of what they did with Crackdown 1 and include a beta invite to Halo 5 MP. It definitely got more people to play the game and experience the awesome that was Crackdown, even if they bought it for the chance to play Halo 3 early.

I look at it like this: I paid $60 for a beta and it came with a free game.

And it was entirely worth it!

 

[enzo_gt]

I wish, but I doubt it. That would be megaton status if it happened.

According to Dave Jones, the designer of Crackdown, Crackdown 1 only broke even. Crackdown 2 sold even less, so it potentially went in the red (1.7m to 1.1m). The game was still good, but I did think Crackdown 1 was better.

I would love to see it happen. The gameplay of Crackdown is addictive. I can still hear the sound of the orbs... Maybe if they somehow could get Dave Jones to work on it, but it looks like his companies are busy doing mobile games and cloud gaming tech.

Maybe they could do a repeat of what they did with Crackdown 1 and include a beta invite to Halo 5 MP. It definitely got more people to play the game and experience the awesome that was Crackdown, even if they bought it for the chance to play Halo 3 early.

I think next gen will allow for the refresh of a lot of strong IPs Microsoft holds, should they choose to go that route, but it looks like they're going to have quite a few new IPs too.

Crackdown I feel is a strong IP, but at times I feel like it's only something hardcore audiences care for. I'm kind of surprised either broke 1 mill TBH. Maybe that's what MS needs most; a title just for the core alone, but I don't really even know how to guesstimate the likelihood of Crackdown returning. I think we'll see it from a different studio, but I really just hope they change more in 3 than what we got going from Crackdown 1 to 2.

 

[Alcander]

This thread depresses me. I've been mostly a 360 gamer this gen, and I'm really excited for what MS will bring on the OS level (say what you want, the 360 OS is leagues ahead of anything else out there). I seriously believe that the durango will bring some disruptive changes for console OSes.

That said, if they don't have the games to back it up, I'm going to be let down. I'm not a huge fan of a lot of the PS staples (killzone, infamouse, GoW), but its hard to deny that they're at least trying to cater to our tastes.

Also, Durango better have some solid ass hardware. I mainly only use my PS3 these days for video because my (admittedly ancient) 360 sounds like a fucking fighter jet when I turn it on, and feels on the brink of death these days. I'm pretty confident after playing around with the surface for a while, though, that MS has gotten much more capable when it comes to hardware design.

 

[Krilekk]

I hope we know on the 21st, I think highlighting a first party racing title is a given.

At this point, I have no shame in saying I'll suck e-toes for PGR5 details D;

A new PGR would obviously be a better visual showcase than a new Forza. Racing tracks are bound to look boring.

 

[Satchel]

Is there ever going to be a new Crackdown? I'd buy a Durango for that.

id buy 8 of them.

 

[Recon]

id buy 8 of them.

No you wouldn't.

 

[Satchel]

No you wouldn't.

You sure?

I never said day one. Over the course of 7 years, I've bought 8 360s, so its possible. I still own 5.

 

[NemesisPrime]

Is there ever going to be a new Crackdown? I'd buy a Durango for that.

That would be really, really sweet. Kickstarter?

 

[SpartanN92]

Would have been better if Microsoft had turned Halo into a brand and instead of constantly churning out FPS titles we eneded up getting another RTS, the canceled MMO, and Peter Jackson's Game.

Just sayin'

That thing is sitting in a vault somewhere.... Oh the missed opportunities.

 

[Recon]

You sure?

I never said day one. Over the course of 7 years, I've bought 8 360s, so its possible. I still own 5.

0.o Why does anyone need 5 of the same console? I apologize, I misjudged the insane dedication some have. I own 0 consoles, can I have one?

 

[JimmyRustler]

I think people forget that a decent portion of Halo's success was right place, right time. There was no competition for it on consoles.

The population has dwindled since 3. Most shooter fans just flat out aren't interested in a shooter that relies on power weapon whoring with shields and that require map memory.

People have moved on. They want to kill people quickly, and know that shooting first results in death.

343 needs to make SWAT the main playlist.

Please... like we need one more shooter trying to be CoD.
Halo has issues, but this is certainly not one of it.

 

[Satchel]

0.o Why does anyone need 5 of the same console? I apologize, I misjudged the insane dedication some have.

I'm a sucker for LE consoles.

I've bought 4 PS3s as well and still own 2.

 

[Recon]

I'm a sucker for LE consoles.

I've bought 4 PS3s as well and still own 2.

Ah, I wasn't thinking LE consoles. I was thinking about 5 plain ass x360's chilling in your house for no reason lol

 

[Krilekk]

That thing is sitting in a vault somewhere.... Oh the missed opportunities.

Or it never existed. There's so much vaporware at E3 just to show off. Peter Jackson here, Agent there.

 

[KidBeta]

PS4 does have it's own audio hardware too but I don't think it's nearly as powerful as Durango's. All the vocal recognition stuff they're likely going to be doing with Kinect really needs it. I hope some of the vocal stuff from the Natal tech demo makes it into Kinect 2. That was the coolest thing about it.

Do we know anything about the audio hardware in the PS4 yet?. Doesn't Sony themselves make audio processors, and the PS Vita contained pretty powerful dedicated audio hardware so I see no reason why the PS4 wouldn't they should be able to get it cheaper then others.

 

[c0de]

Do we know anything about the audio hardware in the PS4 yet?. Doesn't Sony themselves make audio processors, and the PS Vita contained pretty powerful dedicated audio hardware so I see no reason why the PS4 wouldn't they should be able to get it cheaper then others.

No but I think we can expect that MS is utilizing audio way more than Sony which could result in more capable hardware. Unless we know better we only have what b3d told us and it sounds extremely capable.

 

[flipswitch]

Do we know anything about the audio hardware in the PS4 yet?. Doesn't Sony themselves make audio processors, and the PS Vita contained pretty powerful dedicated audio hardware so I see no reason why the PS4 wouldn't they should be able to get it cheaper then others.

PS4 will feature Beats audio. There I said it.

 

[KidBeta]

No but I think we can expect that MS is utilizing audio way more than Sony which could result in more capable hardware. Unless we know better we only have what b3d told us and it sounds extremely capable.

I haven't seen a indication of this yet, the user at b3d does mention its powerful but has no details on the ps4 setup so I see no reason to think the ps4 will be less capable until we some information saying otherwise

You guys know Sony is a audio company too right ?

 

[El_Chino]

I haven't seen a indication of this yet, the user at b3d does mention its powerful but has no details on the ps4 setup so I see no reason to think the ps4 will be less capable until we some information saying otherwise

You guys know Sony is a audio company too right ?

Yes but everyone is assuming that microsoft has more powerful audio hardware because of the next kinect and what not.

 

[c0de]

I haven't seen a indication of this yet, the user at b3d does mention its powerful but has no details on the ps4 setup so I see no reason to think the ps4 will be less capable until we some information saying otherwise

You guys know Sony is a audio company too right ?

So you assume Sony is as capable as the chip in Durango until proven otherwise? Because they build audio-chips doesn't mean the chip will be capable as the Durango's.
MS builds Visual Studio and DirectX, yet some people see an advantage in dev-tools by Sony...