Xbox One developer explains why splitting RAM is beneficial

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The decision to split the Xbox One's 8GB of RAM into three separate parts is one that will result in a stable environment, innovation and multi-tasking, according to one of the system's main developers.

Xbox director of development Boyd Multerer recently spoke to OXM about the system's architecture and the reasons why roughly 3GB of the 8GB RAM is set aside for entertainment apps, system-wide Kinect features and communication tools.

"The next generation gamer is not necessarily the gamer I was when I was getting into gaming," Multerer told OXM.

"There are real differences, real changes that have happened since we began the last generation.

"There are phones, there are tablets, the whole way that people interact and that they live with devices has fundamentally changed. I walk around with a phone all time, everybody I know walks around with phones. The expectation of the next gen gamer is that these things are just there.

"It's a rapidly changing ecosystem of applications that sit on a rapidly changing ecosystem of devices - fundamentally different to the consoles of the past."

Multerer explained that many of today's gamers are multitaskers, and that the aim was to provide the ability to multitask on one system so they don't have to switch TV inputs or use tables or phones instead.

"They're sitting watching a movie and they're texting all the time," he said. "I just didn't do that! It's not part of my life, right. But it's part of theirs. They don't even think about it, of course they're connected to their friends. Of course they're using services, of course they're being social. They're going through these large experiences and they're constantly multitasking."

It's important to make this section of RAM completely separate, Multerer said, because making it flexible could have resulted in problems. Games could crash if another app pushes the demand beyond 8GB, so limits were set on each segment.

"We have to be extremely careful and offer up a very predictable environment to the game developers to get the best games on your console," he said.

Multerer concluded by suggesting other uses for the section of RAM dedicated to apps, giving an example of a game adding its own social app so that players could switch between the game and the app on the fly.

"You start thinking of it like 'ah, okay, the game developer could really focus on the 3D world, focus on the art and the money they put into it, have this look beautiful'," he said, "while working with a set of apps over here that allows us to have different surfaces, hook into social systems, to add value beyond the 3D world of the game, flip back and forth quickly between them.

"And you end up with a vibrant, changing world that can handle the innovation and the pace of change over on the internet, all the start-ups, that sort of stuff - but can still work with the games, that need the predictability, that need the optimization, that need to make sure they're spending their money on the right things."

Microsoft previously explained that the Xbox One RAM would be split into three areas - a section dedicated to games, another Windows-based section dedicated to apps and a smaller section controlling multi-tasking operations.

Last week Microsoft's Phil Spencer confirmed that indie developers are likely to have full access to the Xbox One's RAM and features such as Kinect support.

Posted:
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/421380/xbox-one-developer-explains-why-splitting-ram-is-beneficial/

Comments

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IlcamorristaPosted:

As long as the noise i low and the game runs fine its perfect!.

ExoticWolfsPosted:

MW2-Rush As long as it runs great, without the game crashing. It's all good!


Yeah, as long as anything runs good or works good, it is all good. :D

CokesPosted:

MW2-Rush As long as it runs great, without the game crashing. It's all good!


It definitely shouldn't crash if they are doing this.

KatsumiPosted:

Mohombi I won't bother as long as it won't ruin any of the gaming experience. ;)


On the contrary i think Microsoft is trying to improve it through doing things such as this.

KatsumiPosted:

MW2-Rush As long as it runs great, without the game crashing. It's all good!


Hopefully despite the splitting of RAM, games will still run pretty well on the Xbox One. If they do then i don't mind at all

CokesPosted:

It's not really a big deal to be honest. People think it's so good.

EvoVIIIPosted:

I like how they are doing this. I think its a good idea.

-VisionPosted:

By the time this comes out 16 will be enough and 8 will be terrible

CayPosted:

Bacuda
thomas137911 This is a great idea. No xbox one game will use anywhere near 8gb of ram. This means the console should run smooth no matter what you do.


You can't say that before it's been released really, but in a way you're right, because now Microsoft have completely removed the potential of using 8 GB of RAM.


Well look at the Xbox 360. At first the graphics where not as good as they are today, over time developers will be able to utilize more RAM to their advantage, so you can't really say that games will never be able to use 8gb of RAM.

HuntersModsPosted:

ItsByJoss Getting real tired of microsoft's **** :/ better buy ps4


Just because ps4 got more ram for games means your going to buy it? The games for xbox are going to be designed around using 5gb for games so they wont lag at all and will run smoothly plus look at the ps3, worst security going, worst dashboard ever and the community is mainly immature kids. And at the moment i only have a ps3 but i will be definitely getting the xbox one cos the amount of things that have happened with ps3 i trust ms more