XBox One allows the usage of its 7th core to close developers.

[GoodBytes]

Both the XBox One and PS4 have 8 core CPUs, but only 6 of them can be used by games.

Where in the case of the XBox One we know that 2 of them are used for the OS.

Based on new information on the leaked on the consoles SDK, the seventh processor core can be accessed for games, but only to close developers of the console.

This may explain why some games like GTA5 and Assassin creed Unity ran better on teh XBox One than on the PS4. However, enabling the 7th core for the game, will disable some console features, such as Game-specific voice commands and some Kinect camera features, and user voice recognition can cause the the the game to have trouble due the processing spike taken by the 7th core.

Source: http://www.winbeta.org/news/closer-look-leaked-xbox-one-sdk-reveals-elevated-developer-privileges-seventh-cpu-core

[dadasmithywinkle]

Is this how they plan to keep their consoles running well in the future? By unlocking cores as time goes on? 

[TopWargamer]

Good. Get rid of all of that crap and max out the performance/graphics for games for Xbox. Or ya know, let the people choose! If certain people want all of those addons, then they can add them on at the expense of lower graphics or lower FPS or whatever. And those who don't want those features can disable them and get better graphics or FPS or whatever. Come on Microsoft!

[Aniallation]

Just another signification of how much CPU power these consoles are lacking.

[Syntaxvgm]

Wait what?

Only for close developers?

Fucking why? It's underpowered enough as it is.

I used to remember all of the people bragging about the six core ps3 cpu when games didn't even use all of them. I think, if I remember right, 1 was dedicated to XMB, and one was, shit you not, security.

And it's still more powerful than the ps4's cpu if you can write code that leverages the cell arc correctly!

Fuck this console generation. Seriously.

[Aniallation]

Is this how they plan to keep their consoles running well in the future? By unlocking cores as time goes on? 

Well, they are AMD. Might as well put a "core unlocker" sticker on the games like Asus does with their mobos

[othertomperson]

That makes zero sense. It's not performing better for close developers, it's gimping itself for everyone else. Why would anyone buy this intentionally nerfed hardware?

 

*Says someone with an eight-core CPU with two cores fused off*

[Suffokation]

Console players don't care what there game looks like and how it performs, this isn't needed in other words.

If they cared how their game looked, they wouldn't be on console...

[Albatross]

I would PREFER performance and graphics over stupid, worthless features. If I wanted to "face time" with someone I would get a damn phone or something. It isn't Facebook, it isn't Twitter...it is a gaming machine! Or at least make it so players can choose—features or performance?

[Deletive]

Awesome, I really like how Microsoft is still trying to improve their console.

I might pick one up when there are more games.

[imthewalrus]

Is the Xbone OS really that heavy that it needs two full cores ? Maybe if the OS was more optimized we would probably see better performance. 

[TopWargamer]

Is the Xbone OS really that heavy that it needs two full cores ? Maybe if the OS was more optimized we would probably see better performance. 

Xbox One doesn't run one operating system - it runs three.

 

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-runs-three-operating-systems/

[imthewalrus]

Xbox One doesn't run one operating system - it runs three.

 

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-runs-three-operating-systems/

 

 

Wow, reading the article it actually made a lot of sense and changed my mind about my previous post. 

[Suika]

Is the Xbone OS really that heavy that it needs two full cores ? Maybe if the OS was more optimized we would probably see better performance. 

From my use of it, it has been a massive downgrade from the previous OS that the Xbox 360 used. It's difficult to navigate and use, especially without the Kinect's barely functioning voice commands. 

 

From a company that designs the most popular operating system in use, Xbox OS is... humiliating.

 

Honestly, I wish Microsoft would limit developers, Bungie as an example. Because Bungie decided that their broken updating system is better than straight updates through Xbox Live (it's not), a lot of players can't play Destiny for a short amount of time or at all, because the updating method in Destiny is so sloppy and inefficient that it creates an error that the user can't even fix themselves.

 

Honestly I'm starting to think this is genuinely the worst generation of consoles.

[TopWargamer]

Wow, reading the article it actually made a lot of sense and changed my mind about my previous post.

But anyways, the Xbox operating systems may require quite a bit of processing power, but apparently they don't need 2 full cores, hence why certain developers can make use of the 7th core on the Xbox One.

[Derangel]

From my use of it, it has been a massive downgrade from the previous OS that the Xbox 360 used. It's difficult to navigate and use, especially without the Kinect's barely functioning voice commands. 

 

From a company that designs the most popular operating system in use, Xbox OS is... humiliating.

 

Honestly, I wish Microsoft would limit developers, Bungie as an example. Because Bungie decided that their broken updating system is better than straight updates through Xbox Live (it's not), a lot of players can't play Destiny for a short amount of time or at all, because the updating method in Destiny is so sloppy and inefficient that it creates an error that the user can't even fix themselves.

 

Honestly I'm starting to think this is genuinely the worst generation of consoles.

 

2014 was just a bad year for games all around.

[Misanthrope]

Is this how they plan to keep their consoles running well in the future? By unlocking cores as time goes on? 

 

Hey, it worked for capcom with on disc DLC didn't it?

[Malandrix]

At first I thought "Wow, they're being good guys." Then I realized that they had put a restriction that they will only remove from people close to them?

 

Come on team XBone, what are you doing?

[Kingofpants]

At first I thought "Wow, they're being good guys." Then I realized that they had put a restriction that they will only remove from people close to them?

Come on team XBone, what are you doing?

Consoles have Low level acsess APIs, they really don't want people ducking around with the cores the OS is working on because you could crash or even brick the console . Thus - only trusted developers. They can't risk people buying Indi games on the marketplace and getting there console bricked.

[StingBull]

Remember how in the past all the power of the consoles were going into running the game rather than some background bollocks nobody wants.

[DeViLzzz]

Still waiting on a hardware revision for Xbox One.  I know it will never happen and thus I will not be buying this console.

[Dabombinable]

Still waiting on a console that is next gen, because the current consoles are no wear near next gen What happened to the older consoles that could actually game properly with non of the BS that's been stuffed into new consoles. All they need is to play games, play DVDs and BR discs-that's it. If people wanted all of the extra stuff that has been added, they'd use a computer where it actually makes sense (I still can't get over Microsoft launching it with emphasis on 'TV').{Rant over for now}

[dalekphalm]

Still waiting on a hardware revision for Xbox One.  I know it will never happen and thus I will not be buying this console.

Increased power would be bad for consoles. May as well just make a new console, because you'd be breaking backwards compatibility by revising the hardware with higher specs. The entire point of a console is unified hardware specs.

 

With that in mind, expect hardware revisions within a year or two, that will reduce cost and size of the console. AMD will get on a smaller process node eventually, and they'll cram the same stuff into a smaller, quieter, cooler case.

[Trik'Stari]

Oh look, more evidence as to why consoles need to go away.

 

A software platform for PC's would be more acceptable at this point.

[Briggsy]

Consoles have Low level acsess APIs, they really don't want people ducking around with the cores the OS is working on because you could crash or even brick the console . Thus - only trusted developers. They can't risk people buying Indi games on the marketplace and getting there console bricked.

 

Its hard to brick a potato. 

 

-----

 

all joking aside, A lot of lighting effects and visual improvements developed over the past decade are not that optimized. Everyone knows if you slap ENB onto Skyrim the performance tanks, but in truth a lot of modern games are being developed in the same way, with effects slapped onto them like layers if icing on a cake. Instead of finding a way to harness all the gpu cores, the cpu is stuck trying to juggle hundreds of tasks that it shouldn't have to. In my own limited opinion, I think the hardware is fine, it's the software that needs to start playing catch-up. Nvidia is pumping tons of money into Gameworks, and AMD have their own developer tools they are working on as well, but so far its been a wash for performance, as evidenced by every game that uses Gameworks thus far, although some of the effects are quite nice.