Video Games

PS5 and Xbox Series X will be more like PC, says Valve founder

This week we learned a lot more about technical specifications of the next generation of consoles: PS5 and Xbox Series X. One of the things that caught our attention was that both consoles have very similar graphics and processing capabilities. According to the founder of the Valve company, Gabe Newell, this makes video game consoles like Play Station 5 on devices very similar to Windows PCs and, therefore, much closer to the "distributors of games and entertainment" than machines designed solely to live unique gaming experiences.

An architecture that is good for developers and consumers

According to Newell, the architecture of these systems is good for developers because they don't have to worry as much about choosing between a console, a PC or a mobile device. The PS5 and Xbox Series X have very similar designs, both GPU and CPU, so developers don't have to worry as much about support and compatibility between devices.

«These questions seem to be less relevant. Previously, support for consoles, computers or mobile phones was much more than one percent of the total development budget, so these decisions had a huge impact on how the industry would invest in the game. future. I think that’s less important nowadays,” he said.

A basic CPU

"I am fully convinced that Current consoles are devices that offer the entertainment experiences that their users expect.. That's great. It's good for those involved in video game development because they now need to make fewer risky bets, which are out of control. Everything is converging around similar projects, based on a basic CPU and a high-performance GPU. "If you're a software developer, you don't have to worry about it, because you know it will work for everyone," he added.

Newell's comments are in line with what Atsushi Inaba, head of Platinum Games, thinks about the PS5 and Xbox Series X. He said that these consoles are basically the same. "Alright. And with this, what I would like to convey is that things will change faster, the graphics will be better and maybe it will be easier to move with less waiting time… That is good for the consumer.

However, there can also be a horizontal and less innovative creation process. But it's more of the same, especially when compared to previous generations. It's not harmful or super innovative at all," said Inaba.

The PS5 and Xbox Series X will be launched at the end of the year, with no price forecast yet.