Why is the leap from Console to PC so large?

[hak4fun]

If PS4 runs on X86, why is it so much work to get a PC game working on console, and vice versa. I would think it would just be reoptimizing.... 

Call me stupid, I might be. Just thought I would ask.

[ShadowCaptain]

If PS4 runs on X86, why is it so much work to get a PC game working on console, and vice versa. I would think it would just be reoptimizing.... 

Call me stupid, I might be. Just thought I would ask.

 

its not really that much work, its either lazy developers, or devs being paid to either not port the game, or to rush it out without any work

[jayctech]

If PS4 runs on X86, why is it so much work to get a PC game working on console, and vice versa. I would think it would just be reoptimizing.... 

Call me stupid, I might be. Just thought I would ask.

Difficulty is reducing as console architecture gets closer to PC architecture.

[JoaoPRSousa]

its not really that much work, its either lazy developers, or devs being paid to either not port the game, or to rush it out without any work

Pretty much answered already.

[Jade]

x86 is runnable on x64 OS and hardware. They just don't want to port it.

[No Nrg]

Only thing I can think of is that with consoles, you are optimizing for one set of hardware.

 

With the PC hardware market being so segmented, developers have to optimize for endless combos of hardware from the low end all the way to the elite.

[Giganizer300PRO]

If PS4 runs on X86, why is it so much work to get a PC game working on console, and vice versa. I would think it would just be reoptimizing.... 

Call me stupid, I might be. Just thought I would ask.

It's made so that the game company and the manufacturer (Sony, Microsoft...) makes more money, as you would only have to pay for the game once if you could play it on both devices. It's how the modern world works.

You could make your own way to "re-write" the game (or whatever) to play it on PC and a console without having to buy another version for each device, but then, they'd just call you a pirate or find some legal hole to silence you and make more money doing it.

[CoolaxGaming]

People are too lazy...

[ZuluSamus]

True, optimization on console is MUCH easier than on PC...

Still, Glorious PC Master Racee

[Giganizer300PRO]

People are too lazy...

Not really...

Developers are paid to be lazy, but marketing managers just want to make more money.

[hak4fun]

x86 is runnable on x64 OS and hardware. They just don't want to port it.

 

 

Pretty much answered already.

 

 

Difficulty is reducing as console architecture gets closer to PC architecture.

 

 

its not really that much work, its either lazy developers, or devs being paid to either not port the game, or to rush it out without any work

 

 

If PS4 runs on X86, why is it so much work to get a PC game working on console, and vice versa. I would think it would just be reoptimizing.... 

Call me stupid, I might be. Just thought I would ask.

Next question. Why can't we just stick a console game into our PC? Is it compiled differently?

 

Only thing I can think of is that with consoles, you are optimizing for one set of hardware.

 

With the PC hardware market being so segmented, developers have to optimize for endless combos of hardware from the low end all the way to the elite.

That is a good point.

[Bazinga!]

#PCMASTERRACE

[Jade]

Next question. Why can't we just stick a console game into our PC? Is it compiled differently?

 

That is a good point.

Different libraries for different OS'. Orbis (the OS the PS4 runs) is based on Unix. Windows typically doesn't support Unix stuff and vice versa (yes, there's WINE, but it's buggy most of the time.)

[ShadowCaptain]

Next question. Why can't we just stick a console game into our PC? Is it compiled differently?

 

Yeah think of the PS4 as Mac OSX, you cant just install iMovie on Windows, its different, even though the hardware is the same

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

It's because they are paid.

[-TesseracT-]

The OS is different.

[hak4fun]

Different libraries for different OS'. Orbis (the OS the PS4 runs) is based on Unix. Windows typically doesn't support Unix stuff and vice versa (yes, there's WINE, but it's buggy most of the time.)

 

Yeah think of the PS4 as Mac OSX, you cant just install iMovie on Windows, its different, even though the hardware is the same

Okay, so if someone were to "recreate" the PS4's operating system. Could you? are those libraries out there, and available?

[Jade]

Okay, so if someone were to "recreate" the PS4's operating system. Could you? are those libraries out there, and available?

Absolutely nothing is stopping you. Laws, maybe, I don't know the formalities, but it'd be a ton of work.

[ShadowCaptain]

Okay, so if someone were to "recreate" the PS4's operating system. Could you? are those libraries out there, and available?

 

Potentially, but there would be no point, because the PS4 game does not have the options to change graphical settings, the game is optimized before shipping 

 

example, a console game runs at 720p - only 720p textures are stored/loaded for the game, since there is no point having 1080p ones

 

the game has to be made scalable for it to work properly on pc hardware

[hak4fun]

Absolutely nothing is stopping you. Laws, maybe, I don't know the formalities, but it'd be a ton of work.

 

 

Potentially, but there would be no point, because the PS4 game does not have the options to change graphical settings, the game is optimized before shipping 

 

example, a console game runs at 720p - only 720p textures are stored/loaded for the game, since there is no point having 1080p ones

 

the game has to be made scalable for it to work properly on pc hardware

Hmmm... yea thats true. Unless they were console exclusives then it might be worth it.

It would be a fun project though.

[ShadowCaptain]

Hmmm... yea thats true. Unless they were console exclusives then it might be worth it.

It would be a fun project though.

 

if you say so

 

Personally I am just gonna buy a PS4 and ONE for the exclusives

[hak4fun]

if you say so

 

Personally I am just gonna buy a PS4 and ONE for the exclusives

I find great fun in projects that people say are too difficult to be worth it.

[GoodBytes]

OS emulation/translation is more than difficult (mostly due to the lack of documentation on the back-end, which I can assure you both Microsoft and Sony won't give).

As mentioned, WINE (run under Linux Windows made executable) barely runs software properly. And Windows has been out for how many years? And same for WINE project? As you can see, its extremely difficult.

[bambibanners]

If PS4 runs on X86, why is it so much work to get a PC game working on console, and vice versa. I would think it would just be reoptimizing.... 

Call me stupid, I might be. Just thought I would ask.

 

 

I Suppose the easiest answer for this is market share, and after sales support.

 

The programming gap between consoles and PC,  as has been quite rightly stated before in this thread, is constantly Reducing, with Console hardware becoming much more similar to PC in recent Generations, (both the Xbox and PS4 use a modified AMD APU).

 

But the simplest answer may just be one of money, if you were a large company looking to make the most profit, wouldn't it make sense to aim your products at a large consumer base, who will readily pay £50 (UK) per game (this is proven year after year with each release of COD/Halo etc.

 

 

You also have to think of support,  its much easier for a company such as EA to support their customers when probably 80% of their customers are using 1 of 2 possible hardware configurations, as opposed to the literally thousands of configurations possible on PC.

[hak4fun]

I Suppose the easiest answer for this is market share, and after sales support.

 

The programming gap between consoles and PC,  as has been quite rightly stated before in this thread, is constantly Reducing, with Console hardware becoming much more similar to PC in recent Generations, (both the Xbox and PS4 use a modified AMD APU).

 

But the simplest answer may just be one of money, if you were a large company looking to make the most profit, wouldn't it make sense to aim your products at a large consumer base, who will readily pay £50 (UK) per game (this is proven year after year with each release of COD/Halo etc.

 

 

You also have to think of support,  its much easier for a company such as EA to support their customers when probably 80% of their customers are using 1 of 2 possible hardware configurations, as opposed to the literally thousands of configurations possible on PC.

True. I just don't understand if they have tons of people on PC waiting for a game, and willing to pay for it. They won't atleast try.