Consoles have set the pace for video game development for many years. This began to become a reality with the Xbox 360 and PS3, was established with the PS4 and Xbox One, and reaffirmed with the PS5 and Xbox Series X-Series S, which represent the current generation of consoles and They are the basis of all video games which are developing.

The fact that the game is developed on the basis set by the consoles has very important implications because it ultimately means The technical basis and fundamental pillars of a given game cannot exceed certain limits, because it could work horribly wrong with said consoles or end up being outright incompatible.

This can be appreciated without going into complex technical details. For example, consider the differences that exist between a cross-generational game developed for PS4 and PS5 like Cyberpunk 2077 in its original version, and the differences that Cyberpunk 2077 introduced in its version 2.0, an update that eliminated the limits imposed by the old generation of consoles and optimized it for the current generation.

As time went on, the consoles also got closer and closer. to PC-like design and architecture. This approach was consolidated with the PS4 and Xbox One and was repeated with the PS5 and Xbox Series It is easier than ever today, thanks to the drop in prices experienced by some components.

However, we must not fall mistakenly thinking the console is a PC. This is not true, because although they use similar components and have a similar design, they are actually different systems that offer different uses. The console is optimized for mobile games and does not offer the same capabilities or the same level of support and features as a PC.

PS5 is unique, it’s not a cheap PC

In a recent interview, head of design and architecture responsible for the PS4 and PS5, Mark Cerny, delved into this topic, saying that the PS5 was not designed to be a budget PC and that it still offers very solid value in relation. price/performance ratio compared to the current PC. You are correct that the mentioned console is not a PCand also that it has offered attractive value since its launch.

At the PS5 hardware level Not equal to a cheap PC, in this Černý is right, because with a cheap PC we could not create a configuration similar to this console or push current games to the same level of graphic quality, fluidity and resolution. However, it should be taken into account that the console is ultimately a closed and limited system, namely Sony hasn’t been completely honest about the PS5’s capabilities at the time of its release.

I can give many examples, but the most famous ones were the famous “8K resolution” and talk about ray tracing as if this system is actually capable of working with this technology without any problems. Nothing could be further from the truth, PS5 is a console designed for 1080p or 1440p at best and ray tracing is too big for it. Even with all that on the table, it still offered interesting value at €500, which was its launch price.

Consoles contributed to also support the use of more advanced APIssuch as DirectX 12 and Vulkan in games and adoption of SSD as standard It was also possible thanks to the current generation, but it repeats what we saw with the previous generation, the braking effect due to the limitations of the current generation of consoles, which, as I said, are the basis of video game development.

Ray tracing helped differentiate between consoles and PC in terms of performance. As I said, this technology is too big for current consoles, but even a modest GeForce RTX 4060 is able to smoothly move games with ray tracing and maximum quality, which shows that A console will never be a PC in the end, and the truth is that it is not a problem because it is clear nor does it aspire to be.