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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Xbox 360 vs PC
Xbox 360 vs PC
2008-02-09, 1:05 PM #1
So, what really is the difference between the two?

I've been reading up on "The Force Unleashed", and it looks awesome, but as has been mentioned a million times, it's not for PC.

I just wondered since they were making it for the 360, why it would be so different/difficult to make it for the PC. The controller? I simply don't know anything about consoles and coding for them versus coding for PCs.
"Harriet, sweet Harriet - hard-hearted harbinger of haggis."
2008-02-09, 1:10 PM #2
The Xbox 360 is a PC in disguise. It runs a stripped down version of Windows and games are built with DirectX. Porting it to the PC would be pathetically easy.

No, LucasArts is just :downs:

They somehow found it to be a good idea, however, to hire a 3rd party developer to create separate, watered down versions for the PS2, Wii and PSP. :suicide:
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-02-09, 1:11 PM #3
They'd probably get much higher sales on the 360 than PC.
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2008-02-09, 1:21 PM #4
Originally posted by Tracer:
They'd probably get much higher sales on the 360 than PC.


What's your point. As Emon said it would definitely be worth it monetarily.
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2008-02-09, 1:32 PM #5
They probably want to maximize PC sales by avoiding it being stereotyped as "consoled", so they'll release it 8 months later with a bonus map.
2008-02-09, 1:33 PM #6
Yeah, there's no doubt they'll eventually release it for the PC.
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2008-02-09, 2:31 PM #7
Originally posted by Emon:
The Xbox 360 is a PC in disguise. It runs a stripped down version of Windows and games are built with DirectX.
By that same logic, your Smartphone is also a PC and Brian's home computer is a server.
2008-02-09, 3:05 PM #8
Well, technically, they are...aren't they?
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2008-02-09, 3:49 PM #9
Well, technically, any purpose-built device with a microprocessor in it can be reprogrammed to fill another purpose. The Xbox 360 is designed for entertainment and not for general-purpose computing. The fact that it "runs Windows" and applications are written for it using a well-documented and familiar game development API is secondary to this fact. Furthermore, the hardware in the Xbox 360 is completely different than either of the commodity personal computer platforms and even with extensive software modification its processor does not have certain key elements which make modern personal computer use possible.


So no.
2008-02-09, 3:56 PM #10
i always knew my smartphone could play 360 games!
gbk is 50 probably

MB IS FAT
2008-02-09, 3:58 PM #11
My computer just served me lunch.
2008-02-09, 5:07 PM #12
Originally posted by Jon`C:
By that same logic, your Smartphone is also a PC and Brian's home computer is a server.

I didn't mean it that literally...only that the abstraction provided by DirectX should make things much easier than porting from say the PS3.

They are making it for virtually every platform except the PC. Even the platforms that would probably be much less profitable than the PC.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-02-09, 5:20 PM #13
Stupid LucasArts, First they shaft everyone with Rogue Squadron sequals and now this.
What ever happened to the cool 90's era LucasArts?
2008-02-09, 5:54 PM #14
Originally posted by Emon:
I didn't mean it that literally...only that the abstraction provided by DirectX should make things much easier than porting from say the PS3.


Except that it's not actually DirectX. For instance, state and device are assumed and cannot be lost. That's a lot of work you have to do.
2008-02-09, 6:03 PM #15
Originally posted by Obi_Kwiet:
They probably want to maximize PC sales by avoiding it being stereotyped as "consoled", so they'll release it 8 months later with a bonus map.


This doesn't strike me as that great an idea. If they were to release a PC version on the same day as the 360 version, they'd only have to promote the game once and would be able to capitalize on the promotion for sales to both markets.
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2008-02-09, 6:10 PM #16
Originally posted by Jon`C:
Except that it's not actually DirectX. For instance, state and device are assumed and cannot be lost. That's a lot of work you have to do.

More work than developing it for the PS3? :/
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-02-09, 9:10 PM #17
Originally posted by Emon:
I didn't mean it that literally...only that the abstraction provided by DirectX should make things much easier than porting from say the PS3.

They are making it for virtually every platform except the PC. Even the platforms that would probably be much less profitable than the PC.


Virtually every platform also runs on the same architecture, PowerPC. 360, wii, PS3.

The PPC architecture is to PC's x86 as Mac OS9 is to Windows XP. Not compatible.
2008-02-09, 9:24 PM #18
CPU architecture isn't the same as an operating system. At all.

That should be far abstracted from the developer. Do you think they write games in assembly? Compilers exist for a reason.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-02-09, 10:01 PM #19
Originally posted by Emon:
CPU architecture isn't the same as an operating system. At all.

That should be far abstracted from the developer. Do you think they write games in assembly? Compilers exist for a reason.


You missed the comparison completely.
2008-02-10, 3:53 AM #20
A lot of companies that produce multi-platform games have middleware set up that lets them say in their editor package "compile and run this game on the wii devkit". The actual console tends to be abstracted away as far as making the game is concerned.
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2008-02-10, 8:12 AM #21
Originally posted by Obi_Kwiet:
They probably want to maximize PC sales by avoiding it being stereotyped as "consoled", so they'll release it 8 months later with a bonus map.



Which, undoubtedly, will be freely available on Live ala KotOR.

It's simply a money issue, I'm sure. Release the easier to develop 360 version at the higher price point and console volume. I imagine Microsoft gives the developer incentives that offset what LEC will have to pay them. When the title ceases to be profitable it may see a PC release at the lower PC price point.
"I would rather claim to be an uneducated man than be mal-educated and claim to be otherwise." - Wookie 03:16

2008-02-10, 9:12 AM #22
Originally posted by Cool Matty:
You missed the comparison completely.

No I didn't, you just don't know what you're talking about. (less so than me! :scared:)
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-02-10, 9:13 AM #23
Originally posted by Emon:
:scared:)

oh fail :smith:
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-02-10, 7:35 PM #24
No, I did get it right. You didn't. OS9 = PPC. WinXP = x86. You fail. Please go home.
2008-02-10, 7:43 PM #25
WinXP = IA64. :colbert:
2008-02-10, 8:15 PM #26
CM, the reason applications built for WinXP are not compatible with OS9 is not the architecture, it's the various APIs available on those operating systems. The compiler takes care of the target architecture, the developer rarely needs to worry about it.

And as Detty pointed out, it would already be abstracted by the developers themselves when targeting multiple platforms.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-02-10, 8:32 PM #27
Originally posted by Jon`C:
WinXP = IA64. :colbert:


We don't speak about that ******* child of horrible driver support. :p
2008-02-10, 8:39 PM #28
IA64 isn't x86-64.
Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.
2008-02-10, 8:49 PM #29
Originally posted by Emon:
IA64 isn't x86-64.


Point. I need sleep, I blame that.

Regardless, neither are PPC :p
2008-02-10, 9:19 PM #30
Originally posted by Emon:
IA64 isn't x86-64.


Windows XP was released for IA-64.

I don't think it had poor driver support considering the fact that only one system integrator ever manufactured Itanium machines.
2008-02-10, 9:31 PM #31
Originally posted by Jon`C:
Windows XP was released for IA-64.

I don't think it had poor driver support considering the fact that only one system integrator ever manufactured Itanium machines.


I had IA64 confused with x64. Emon was clarifying. :eng101:

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