PS4’s High GPU Performance Allows Optimization & Experimentation, API Allows Strict Process Control

If you haven’t seen it by now, Techland’s Dying Light looks good. Really good, especially on next gen consoles like the PlayStation 4. GamingBolt had a chance to speak to several individuals at the development studio, and asked about their thoughts on the PS4’s GPU  and especially about the lack of bottlenecks compared to the PS3.

Senior engine programmer Tomasz Szalkowski offered his take, stating that that “PS4 is a truly fantastic piece of hardware! Its high GPU performance comes from the API, which allows a strict control over all processes, and facilitates optimization and experimentation. Obviously, with greater control comes greater responsibility, for example for correct synchronization between processing units.

“A modern GPU, an adequate API and a unified GPU/CPU address space let us develop new algorithms and techniques that simply weren’t possible before: a ShaderModel5 hardware working with DX11 was limited in terms of capabilities comparing to how the hardware actually could perform, and many things were beyond control. Now the GPU alone is fast enough to not only render high quality visuals at 1080p, but it can also take on some task of the main processor. The first presentation of Dying Light for PS4 is just the taste of what the Chrome Engine 6 can do on this console!

In our analysis we observed that the PlayStation 4 consists of 20 compute units, two of which are redundant to increase yield, and 1152 shader processors which should place it comparatively between AMD Radeon HD 7850 and 7870. That is quite a boost in power for a gaming console.

Dying Light is also slated to release on Xbox One, PC, PS3, PS4 and Xbox 360 in 2014.