For their next generation GPUs, currently codenamed Arctic Island, it sounds like AMD might be looking at skipping the 20nm silicon fab process, and skip straight ahead to 14nm, which future proofs them for a good while, if this report on TechPowerUp is to be believed. Their current GPUs use a 28nm silicon fab process, for reference.

What is unknown yet is whether they will stick with TSMC- TSMC has so far failed to implement its 20nm node for other GPU vendors, and AMD might not want to stick around with someone whose process is less than guaranteed to work. Of course, if they do decide to switch, it is unknown who they will go with. The only other vendors who have achieved 14nm nodes at a mass production capacity are Intel and Samsung, and both are direct competitors to AMD.

Keeping aside the matter of logistics for a minute, though, it sounds like the Arctic Island GPUs will be incredibly advanced, and enough to endear them to PC gamers looking to switch over from the currently beleaguered Nvidia. The first Arctic Island GPU is currently codenamed “Greenland,” a large GPU that will implement the most advanced stream processor design that AMD has had yet. “Greenland” will implement HBM2 memory, which offers 57% higher memory bandwidth at just 48% the power consumption of GDDR5, meaning that if this performs as intended (and is widely adopted), the rift between the level of performance offered by PCs and consoles will be widened even further than it already is.

It sounds like an exciting time is ahead- stay tuned to GamingBolt to keep abreast of all developments.

Warframe was one of the first game to achieve parity in resolution for the PS4 and Xbox One versions. What’s your take on the differences between the Xbox One and PlayStation 4?

The PS4 and XB1 are more alike than in any previous console generation. They both have essentially the same architecture with some variations and trade-offs in how the architecture was implemented.  Each work great with our controller support and as we add new content so often with large updates every 4-6 weeks, we continue to get more and more familiar with the tech to continue improving the new content our gamers play.

Was the Xbox One’s eSRAM really a pain to work with?

The ESRAM was quite easy to work with. The issue is the limited size of the ESRAM (32MB) and deciding what should go in there. Currently we are using it for high-traffic render targets which pretty much fills it up. There are some scenarios where the ESRAM is used in a more dynamic manner which will be complicated by efficiently transferring data in and out of ESRAM as well as the associated synchronization issues which we do to gain better performance but in general it’s pretty straightforward.

Warframe ran at 1080p and 60fps on the PS4. I find that interesting since not even Sony’s 1^stparty studios are able to do that with their AAA games. What is your secret to this success?

Well, it wouldn’t be a secret if we told you 😉  We have a tremendously talented and experienced team who has been through all the console transitions since PlayStation 2 and the first Xbox so that historical knowledge really helps us hone in on what we need to do to get things running quickly.  Plus our engine was constructed to find errors and inefficiencies quickly in addition to the manual testing we do. Every little bit helps.

In our last interview, you were pretty happy with the PS4’s GPU. But within six months of the new consoles launch, AMD and Nvidia both launched GPUs that were way ahead than what is found in PS4 and Xbox One. Do you think the GPUs in PS4 and Xbox One will become obsolete as we go further in the new console cycle?

This has been the case with every console cycle. Even though the GPU’s in the PS4 and XB1 will fall behind in raw power to the most current PC GPU’s, it is offset by the fact that the consoles are a static target and it gives developers time to extract the maximum performance possible.  Static architecture allows us as a developer to focus on performance improvements thus benefiting the end user.  So with every update, they get better and better.  Imagine what Warframe will look like 3 years from now on the same system?  We’ll have unlocked most of the tech magic by then.

Warframe was initially developed for the PC version in mind. If you guys ever work on a new project in the future, do you think you will be keeping a consoles first approach?

Warframe is a special case since it occurred during a console transition year.  We didn’t have access to the next gen hardware at the time it was being conceived so by default the PC came first.  We were however, always keeping the consoles in mind during development as we received hardware spec information and planned for the changes it would require to transition the game over.  I don’t know that we’d necessarily choose one over the other next time around, ideally it’s simultaneous.

Microsoft freed up the Kinect GPU reservation in the June XDK. In your opinion how important was that update?

It is minor for us since in most cases we are CPU bound.  We disable Kinect during the course of our normal gameplay thus freeing up the 4.5% GPU power, but from our performance reports, this gave minimal gains.

Though it’s often been maintained that a console is capable of outputting stellar visuals even when it’s years past obsolescence, previous generation devices released a time when they were still considered cutting edge. When the Xbox One and PS4 launched, they were already considered outdated next to the latest and greatest gaming PCs.

But does that mean either console’s GPU is actually outdated? GamingBolt spoke to Digital Extremes senior programmer Ron Janzen, who has worked on Warframe (available on both consoles), about the same. Given that AMD and Nvidia have long since released GPUs better than those found in the Xbox One and PS4, does Janzen believe either console’s graphics processing unit will become outdated further into the next console cycle?

Janzen stated that, as with the PS3 and Xbox 360 (and even the generation before those), “This has been the case with every console cycle. Even though the GPUs in the PS4 and XB1 will fall behind in raw power to the most current PC GPUs, it is offset by the fact that the consoles are a static target and it gives developers time to extract the maximum performance possible.

This is pretty similar to the current conundrum facing smartphones. Though plenty of Android devices feature octa-core chipsets and several gigs of RAM, the sheer range of devices makes it difficult for app developers to extract the best performance or build the best looking game. Better optimization means better performance and a static range of devices helps achieve that.

“Static architecture allows us as a developer to focus on performance improvements thus benefiting the end user. So with every update, they get better and better. Imagine what Warframe will look like 3 years from now on the same system? We’ll have unlocked most of the tech magic by then.”

It’s been seen time and time again. The Last of Us: Remastered may look great but it doesn’t compare to what we’ve seen of Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End till now. Likewise, as impressive as Forza Motorsport 5 was, Forza Horizon 2 already looks more impressive despite releasing a year later on the Xbox One. What are your thoughts on all of this? Let us know in the comments.

In between all the debates about 1080p/60 FPS, which console is better than the other and PC GPUs, the importance of power over optimization is still a worthy topic. White Paper Games’ Pete Bottomley, who is working on bringing Ether One to the PS4, recently spoke to GamingBolt about developing on Sony’s console versus working on the PC.

On being asked about his thoughts on the PS4’s GPU and whether it can rival high end PC GPUs with the proper optimization, Bottomley said, “I honestly don’t know too much about the hardware side of things. My guess would be that since GPU’s are constantly being released and updated for PC’s, it’s only natural that they will outperform a PS4 at some point. I don’t think that really matters though.

“If you look at what Naughty Dog did with The Last of Us at the end of the PS3 generation it goes to show just how much you can squeeze out of a system with very clever people on your team!”

It’s an interesting thought – one that’s been repeated ad nauseam in this generation. Namely, that power isn’t everything – it’s also about who wields it best and how. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

The Xbox One will begin shipping without Kinect from today onwards and thanks to decoupling the motion camera, the console will now benefit from a 10 percent GPU gain with a recent June firmware update.

Speaking to Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, Xbox One division head Phil Spencer talked about games which would benefit the most from the GPU gain.

“I think about games like Sunset Overdrive, that’s going to take advantage of the June [software development kit]. And they’re going to use the increased capability that lowering the reserve will have to actually make a more vibrant and alive gameplay space, so that’s where they’re going to invest.

“Even our friends at Bungie, and I’ve been spending a lot of time down there, they’re going to pick up the June SDK update for Destiny, and they’re going to up the resolution of Destiny based on this change. So I think it’s just a great time for us.”

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Avalanche Studios head of research Emil Persson recently spoke about DirectX 11 low-level shader optimization for both the Xbox One and PS4, especially with concerns to the render output unit or ROP, which explains how many pixels can be output per clock. He talks about how the PS4’s GPU can handle a 64 bit path until bandwidth issues arise while explaining why the Xbox One will need to stick to a 32bit path. Both consoles’ GPUs were compared to the ATI Radeon HD7970, which can handle a 128bit path.

“As hardware has gotten increasingly more powerful over the years, some parts of it has lagged behind. The number of ROPs (i.e. how many pixels we can output per clock) remains very low. While this reflects typical use cases where the shader is reasonably long, it may limit the performance of short shaders.

“Unless the output format is wide, we are not even theoretically capable of using the full bandwidth available. For the HD7970 we need a 128bit format to become bandwidth bound. For the PS4 64bit would suffice.”

“On the XB1, if we are rendering to ESRAM, 64bit just about hits the crossover point between ROP and bandwidth-bound. But even if we render to the relatively slow DDR3 memory, we will still be ROP-bound if the render-target is a typical 32bit texture.”

Thoughts on the above? Let us know in the comments.

Industry insider Pete Dodd revealed some interesting information via Twitter. After all the leaks and rumours regarding Xbox One exclusives like Halo 5 and Halo 2 Anniversary, Dodd said that we won’t be seeing games running at 60 FPS and 1080p resolution any time soon.

Dodd first talked about the UI and stated that, “I talked to so many devs who said the UI was a mess. They did a great job pulling it together.” This was the case even though, “It crashed a lot of debug units right up till launch. System launched…Stable UI.”

He also made sure to clarify that when it comes to graphics, “Cloud won’t help with rendering. Not for half a decade at minimum. As for 1080p/60fps – not anytime soon but tools will improve.” When asked if freeing up the GPU for more usage – as indicated by an 8 percent gain in usage for developers – helps, Dodd stated, “A little. Card is still weak. Worst decision they made making the box. Kinect is expensive so they went with a cheap gpu.”

Dodd did say that the problem isn’t the amount of RAM, as indicated by a user who believes the console should have had 12 GB DDR3 RAM to compete with the PS4’s 8 GB GDDR5 RAM. “The problem isn’t the amount, it’s the speed. Plenty of room to store 1080p textures, just not enough speed or power to output it.”

What are your thoughts on the same? Let us know in the comments below.

Industry insider Pete Dodd revealed that the Xbox One may be receiving more GPU usage in the coming months. While the console currently reserves 10 percent of its GPU, that may soon be reduced to 2 percent quite soon.

Talking on Twitter, Dodd stated that, “10% reserved gpu getting turned into 2% soon. And with that, I’m on my last bar leaving Puerto Rico. See ya soon if St. Thomas has sprint.

“Gpu for that certain system had 10% reserved. 8% video. 2% voice. Voice will remain. That video 8% will be up to devs. As it should be.”

Microsoft had earlier increased the clock speed of the console prior to release, and reserved 10 percent of the GPU for the OS and Kinect. With this being reduced to 2 percent, developers will have even more access to power for development. What are your thoughts on this development? Let us know in the comments below, as well as whether Sony will have anything to worry about.

The PlayStation 4 is less than a day away from launch in North America, but issues have been popping up left and right. One user reported his console being bricked, requiring a removal of the HDD and re-insertion to fix it. Now another user has uploaded a video which shows the UI overlapping within the interface. Check it out above.

While it’s advised to check your HDMI cable, what’s seen in this video seemingly goes beyond that. A leaderboard-type of screen can be seen overlapping on a Trophy screen. Would that be possible if it were an HDMI problem? It may also be a GPU issue, with the user stating that within one hour of receiving the console from Taco Bell, the GPU has failed. This follows other complaints from those who have received their consoles as prizes but are facing issues.

Hopefully Sony can look into these issues sooner rather than later. But it couldn’t have come at a worse time, as the PS4 will launch on November 15th in the United States. What are your thoughts on the same? Let us know below.

But since consoles use custom architectures, developers will always find ways to implement unique solutions and make the console version stand out. This won’t happen on day one and just like the current generation consoles, it will be a few years before game developers really start taking full advantage of the underlying architecture.

We recently interviewed Chris Cobb who is the co-founder of Rag Tag Studio. The studio is currently developing Ray’s The Dead for Windows, Mac, Linux and PlayStation 4, which has the player leading a zombie army. As a developer who is working on PC as well as the PlayStation 4, we decided to ask him about his thoughts on the PS4’s GPU and whether it will stand the test of time rather than becoming obsolete over just a few years.

“I suppose it depends on your definition of obsolete. With the lifespan of consoles approaching 10 years, there is no doubt that within a few years PC GPUs will run past what the PS4 ships with. But as has been proven with the PS3, the more time developers spend with the system, the more they’ll get out of it. I’m sure toward the end of the life cycle games will not be able to compete with their PC counterparts, but they should be close enough for all but the strictest graphics snobs,” he explained.

He also believes the DualShock 4 controller feels great and they intend to use the Share button and the touch pad functionality of it.

“The controller feels great in the hands. I think Sony did a great job of keeping what everyone has loved about the DS for 3 generations now, but still giving it an nice face-lift for this fourth generation. There is something to be said for not messing with something that works just fine. We do intend to use some of the new PS4 features, including the touch pad, and the social aspects of the system like the share button. We aren’t quite ready to reveal just how yet,” he added.

Share your thoughts in the comments section below. The PlayStation 4 will be launching in North America on November 15th and in Europe on November 29th.