All eyes are focused on the new generation of consoles and what those systems can bring to videogames. Don’t rule out the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 though, because there’s still plenty that can be done with them, according to tech guru John Carmack.
Speaking to Wired in a pretty extensive interview, the now-fully-time Oculus Rift tech guy says that there’s “so much you can still do” with the 360 and Ps3.
“There’s so much you can still do on the previous console generation. The 360 and PS3 are far from tapped out in terms of what a developer could do with them, but the whole world’s gonna move over towards next-gen and high-end PCs and all these other things,” he said.
“Part of me still frets a little bit about that, where just as you fully understand a previous generation, you have to put it away to kind of surf forward on the tidal wave of technology that’s always moving.”
Carmack says it’s something that happens every generation though; just as people really really get to grips with hardware, a new generation of hardware comes along and the cycle is repeated.
“That’s something that we’ve struggled with in every generation. And now I at least know enough to recognize that some of my internal feelings or fondness for technology that I understand or have done various things with usually has to be put aside. Because data has shown over the decades that that’s usually not as important as you think it is.
“Although I keep making new arguments where now we can say that we’re past the knee of the cost-benefit curve in terms of what we get with graphics, and people are saying that with the next-gen consoles, that okay, they look better but they don’t look nearly as much better as the previous generation. So does that mean people will stay happier with the current things? And I could make that argument with a straight face and play for it, but it’s probably going to be wrong,” he added.
He’s probably right though. Look at something like The Last of Us, or Beyond: Two Souls. though it’s obvious that they could look better it’s really quite remarkable how good they look on such aged hardware.
Last Updated: December 11, 2013
iAmWeasel
December 11, 2013 at 11:32
Carmack is an old fart who’s riding on his legacy, and is out of touch with modern development.
iAmWeasel
December 11, 2013 at 11:33
And he likes making eye-catching statements.
Kensei Seraph remembers Madiba
December 11, 2013 at 11:36
It seems that he’s not the only one.
ALKi1234
December 11, 2013 at 11:59
Just look at GTA V…. there are moments in that game when your struggling to accept it’s running on them old tech consoles. Not to mention the mammoth that is The Last Of Us(which got robbed from game of the year b.t.w).
Johan du Preez
December 12, 2013 at 09:45
Really you are aware he just finished developing the ID Tech 6 engine? Before he left ID Software. The nex engine will use Voxel in a Octree and wil again change the face of gaming just like Doom 3 introduced per pixel lightning.
Evey time Carmack makes a engine he advances the entire industry as he brings new technology to the table.
You have no clue what you are talking about and in fact it looks like you are out of touch with the gaming industry.
Kromas
December 11, 2013 at 11:39
Okay Carmack. Explain this to me. I have what you would call a top of the range high spec PC with the very latest toys installed in it. If my PC slogs at 23FPS in Metro:Last Light everything turned on to max, how the hell is your 360 gonna render even the most basic game coming on 2013/2014.Stop saying stupid stuff and work on getting my damn Rift to me.
Note: Yes I know PC games are not always fully optimized and metro is a beast of a game and an exception to the rule but my point is still rather valid.
Umar koeksisterRpgFan
December 11, 2013 at 11:42
He is talking about consoles, and that the consoles itself still has untapped potential, he is not saying it will render better graphics…..
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:42
Great now I want koeksusters!
Umar koeksisterRpgFan
December 11, 2013 at 11:43
So do I lol .. badly , with tea
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:43
tea! SIES! have coffee a real mans drink!
Unavengedavo(aka. MadeYouLook)
December 11, 2013 at 11:44
I was under the impression that beer was a real man’s drink?
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:44
not at work!
Unavengedavo(aka. MadeYouLook)
December 11, 2013 at 11:46
But we have beer every Friday around 16h00 at work… They even supply it 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
December 11, 2013 at 11:47
I remember those days. Sometimes we’d have to go get more around 6/7pm lol
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:48
Bloody hell who do you work for? SAB
Unavengedavo(aka. MadeYouLook)
December 11, 2013 at 11:49
LOL, nope 😛
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:49
I want a job like that crack open a beer before ending work!
LesMossel
December 11, 2013 at 11:48
Beer good.
Umar koeksisterRpgFan
December 11, 2013 at 11:44
Men? brutes drink coffee. Sirs drink tea
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:44
Tea will make you rust!
Umar koeksisterRpgFan
December 11, 2013 at 11:45
Tea will not make me rust, however tea with RUSKS are delicious
LesMossel
December 11, 2013 at 11:48
Only if it’s Rooibos, that English filth is disgusting!
Umar koeksisterRpgFan
December 11, 2013 at 11:50
HOW DARE YOU!!………hmph!
LesMossel
December 11, 2013 at 11:52
Oh I dare! You dont even know!
Alien Emperor Trevor
December 11, 2013 at 11:50
At the robot at N1 City, R20 ‘n pakkie!
Umar koeksisterRpgFan
December 11, 2013 at 11:51
The robot? do they sell it on the street
Alien Emperor Trevor
December 11, 2013 at 11:59
Yes, there’s an old guy who’s been selling there for years. They’re actually pretty good.
Umar koeksisterRpgFan
December 11, 2013 at 11:59
Wow, that’s a first, need to check this out!
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:51
I want that malay koeksuster @umarbastra:disqus Umar you know what I am talking about
Umar koeksisterRpgFan
December 11, 2013 at 11:53
Fo sho I do, The sugary ones with aniseed in…YUM YUM!
Kromas
December 11, 2013 at 12:00
I could sub GFX for Object Capacity. If a 360 tries to load even half the world objects of ARMA 3 it would most likely crash. Not saying you could still get some great games out of it but as far as optimization is concerned they have hit a wall.
Umar koeksisterRpgFan
December 11, 2013 at 12:06
Again, no comparison is being made. If you look at Uncharted 1 for example and then compare it to The Last of Us, you would never have said that console could create such graphics. but it is not being compared to next gen or PC. He is comparing current gen consoles to itself but just at different timelines
Kromas
December 11, 2013 at 12:23
I agree with that but he actually says that the old consoles are far from tapped out and I completely disagree with him about that. They are on the way out if you want to do useless things like Fish AI or 150000 object loads regardless of how you optimize it.
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:42
They have ways of getting more than what you would think out those old consoles… Yet again the same will happen with Ps4 and Xbone.
Kromas
December 11, 2013 at 12:05
I agree but eventually you have to give up. I think GTA5 just barely crosses that line every now and then and eventually you will get to 10 min loading screens (like the XBone ironically 😛 )
Alien Emperor Trevor
December 11, 2013 at 11:42
Because it’s not (just) about the graphics. The graphics jump isn’t as big sure, but the real difference will come in more detailed, interactive worlds. Just look at a game released 7/8 years ago – sure the graphics aren’t as good, but what really stands out is how empty levels can be. They’re basically floor, walls & a bit of ceiling or sky – and not much else.
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:43
now they full of life!
Alien Emperor Trevor
December 11, 2013 at 11:49
Exactly, and imagine how much they’ll be able to put in the new ones after a few years.
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:51
prob physics everywhere hell prob have grass that can be cut by swords and dynamic burning from explosions in fps games! have individual bricks with PHYSICS! I cant wait!
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 11:56
I want games to look like this
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
December 11, 2013 at 12:06
sheesh… 2fps on the Bone720 and 15fps at 1080p on the PS4.
Kromas
December 11, 2013 at 12:20
They forgot the Real Virtuality engine.
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 12:22
what is soo impressive about that?
Kromas
December 11, 2013 at 12:58
Oh crap. Wrong trailer. 😛
TiMsTeR1033
December 11, 2013 at 13:08
still not that impressive.. but I see the huge open spaces which is sweet!
Kromas
December 11, 2013 at 13:25
Well it is not the most beautiful but Ill try to explain it like this.Frostbite 3.0 can generate round about 150-200 physical trees on any map (taking BF4 stats) before you encounter heavy loading times and lag.The rest of the trees you see is is backdrop and not physical objects. This also cause some issues with map size and thus you get about 20 square km sized maps and not a whole lot bigger unless its desert. ARMA2 uses RV3 and that could load up the most famous map, Chernarious, in seconds with about 30000 trees over 227 square kilometers.That is one of the biggest things about RV.Also it has the most advanced bullet drop and bullet hit physics of any engine. RV4.2 or the Take On series of games has the most realistic aircraft as well.RV4.3 however is a completely reworked RV4.2 and is essentially now an MMO engine made exclusively for the use in DayZ standalone.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
December 11, 2013 at 11:57
Oh Carmack…. sigh! It’s not the size of your dongle, it’s what you do with it that counts.
HvR
December 11, 2013 at 12:26
I think Carmack got stuck with a micro SD card.
Stanley Watson
December 11, 2013 at 12:08
If those consoles are “far from tapped out”, just think how much developers should be able to tap out of the PS4/XBone that is so much more powerful, and much easier to understand – so the learning should be much shorter as well.
Christopher Shafer
December 11, 2013 at 13:52
Honestly, I think they’ve pretty much reached the limits of what they’re capable of. I mean, maybe I’m alone but play a demanding game and observe. It was time to upgrade, no doubt.
Avithar
December 12, 2013 at 17:44
i plan to keep my 360 (out dated or not) one day i will choose the Xb1 or Ps4 but until i grow tired of my game collection.
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
December 12, 2013 at 17:50
I don’t see myself selling my old consoles, so even though I’m getting a PS4 tomorrow, and for the next few weeks, I’ll probably gorge myself on nextgen goodies, my PS3 and X360 will still get some attention. It’s not the end for last-gen. Shucks, even my PS2 still gets love, and Grandpa PSOne as well.