How good will PS4 version be you think...?

[Axidrain]

either way its gonna get the same dx11 benefits on the ps4

[amnie]

wasn't the official answer to the dx11 quesion that they would have a 'tuned down' version of it? basically some benefits of it, but not all? *scratches head*

either way I don't expect much at all, basically the ps3 version with slightly better graphics and a means to communicate with at least some other players :P

[Delsus]

PS4 is a DX 11 console so it Xbox one.

Source? DirectX belongs to Microsoft who would charge well over the odds for Sony to use Dx (possibly pricing them out of the market) Chances are it will be using the most up to date version of OpenGL.

[Shioban]

PS4 is a DX 11 console so it Xbox one.

Nope.

The Playstation uses OpenGL, DirectX is a Microsoft distributed and licenced set of APIs, therefore it's not used very often for PS3/4 development, it's easier just to go with OpenGL for the most part.
HOWEVER, the PS4 is changing that, the hardware makeup has completely changed this time making it substantially easier to code for the PS4 meaning more developers might butcher around with DirectX11 instead of OpenGL.

With the OpenGL/DX11 update for PS4/PC

All the things Square Enix have at their disposal for use are;

•General performance improvements through hyper-threading options,
•Higher Quality/Stronger Shadow/Light Casting
•Higher Quality Screen Space Ambeint Occlusion (SSAO)
•Better multi-core processor support
•New shader rendering types/options
•Transparency rendering/filtering/sorting improvements
•Dynamic LoD based Tessellation (Water included)
•Improved Animation Smoothing
•Parrallax Mapping (Occlusion)
•Improved Ray-traced Local/World Reflection/Refractions
•Dislacement Mapping
•Much better particle rendering performance (I.E more particles) that can even cast shadows.

BUT MOST OF ALL

DirectX 10/10.1/11 supports Hardware Based Anti-Aliasing with Deffered Rendering which is the real-time lighting/shadows system FFXIV uses.
Currently FFXIV uses FXAA (Fast Aproximiation Anti-Aliasing), as due to the way (if I recall correctly) the way DirectX 9 renders the Z-Depth the hardware based anti-aliasing is defeated leaving an odd/unintended effect, therefore Square Enix dropped Hardware based Anti-Aliasing support. This issue was fixed in DirectX 10 onwards, it makes HUGE difference to the game when you can use hardware based anti-aliasing as opposed to a software based filter overpass.

Hardware based transparency Anti-Aliasing also makes a huge difference.







All of this being said, Square Enix clearly aren't going to use all if even half of these, but they are options avaliable for use at virtually no performance cost to the players that can garner improvements such as these.
Most are easily added as a toggle, and easily added in as 'optional extras'.

[ChiefCurrahee]

Direct X belongs to Microsoft, it CANNOT be on a SONY console. It'll be an alternative to it.

No, PS4 can use DirectX 11. But it also offers tweaks to DX11

Microsoft might own the DXapi and license it out for use. Microsoft has firmly established their product as the industry standard for development tools.

SONY could have made their own API but run the risk of creating another PS3 situation where developers ran into trouble coding, and the console quickly gained the reputation as being difficult to program for. SONY might have to pay Microsoft in licensing fees, but SONY makes their console more attractive to developers by offering an environment they are already familiar with. Which leads to faster dev times, reduced costs and simultaneous ports between platforms.

At a presentation at the Game Developers Conference today, Sony Senior Staff Engineer Chris Norden went into greater technical detail on some of the PlayStation 4's underlying hardware...
Sony is building its CPU on what it's calling an extended DirectX 11.1+ feature set, including extra debugging support that is not available on PC platforms. This system will also give developers more direct access to the shader pipeline than they had on the PS3 or through DirectX itse

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/03/sony-dives-deep-into-the-ps4s-hardware-power-controller-features-at-gdc/

[ObliviousFool]

Have they made a date yet when we can expect FFXIV on PS4?

[Elazu]

Direct X belongs to Microsoft, it CANNOT be on a SONY console. It'll be an alternative to it.

Blu-ray belongs to Sony, Xbox One can't have a blu-ray drive.
Skype belongs to Microsoft, PS Vita can't have Skype.

...Oh, wait.

[Shioban]

Have they made a date yet when we can expect FFXIV on PS4?

February/March.

[Feyniphia]

Blu-ray belongs to Sony, Xbox One can't have a blu-ray drive.
Skype belongs to Microsoft, PS Vita can't have Skype.

...Oh, wait.

MS will still ask lots of moolah for it. Be ready. :P

[Shioban]

MS will still ask lots of moolah for it. Be ready. :P

Well of course they are.

For example Sony's collaboration with other companies to create the blu-ray drive that pretty much /sold/ the PS3 originally in some cases, is now making money off of Microsoft who're adopting a blu-ray drive for their console.

It's a common trend, companies end up having to simply share components/software/licences and eat the cost, especially if there is no alternative.

However in the case of DirectX11 the """cost""" can be avoided through OpenGL.