Epic exec equates PS4 to "a really perfect gaming PC"

Unreal Engine 4

Epic Games Vice President Mark Rein stated support for Sony's PlayStation 4 console in an interview with CVG . Understandable so far, but then out comes this comment: "The kind of stuff that Sony announced it's doing, the level of convenience and things like that shows it's making a really perfect gaming PC." Well, then .

Rein focuses specifically on the console's 8GB of GDDR5 RAM as a trump card, and notes the limitations set by 32-bit operating systems. "I think it's a very smart move on Sony's behalf to build this sort of enhanced PC architecture and then put so much in it," he says. "When you think about Windows, even Windows for most people is tied to about 2GB of addressable memory space. This really opens up beyond what most PCs can do, because most PCs are running a 32-bit version of Windows. It's like giving you the world's best PC."

Though Rein is correct in observing how much memory 32-bit programs can play with, things get fuzzy when it comes to how many gamers still use a 32-bit system. A look at the Steam Hardware Survey shows over half of Steam's entire userbase has the 64-bit version of Windows 7 installed, with a majority using at least 4GB of RAM. Really, memory isn't an end-all magic bullet for hardware , and instead of "the world's best PC," I see the PS4 a step up for console gaming, and a better counterpart to PCs as opposed to a rivalrous enemy.

Omri Petitte

Omri Petitte is a former PC Gamer associate editor and long-time freelance writer covering news and reviews. If you spot his name, it probably means you're reading about some kind of first-person shooter. Why yes, he would like to talk to you about Battlefield. Do you have a few days?