It’s now common knowledge that the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are being built on x86 architecture—a structure that is far more accessible for developers, and is similar to PC architecture compared to the CELL processor used in current-gen systems. Alienware general manager Frank Azor commented on the increasing similarities in a recent conversation with PCGamesN , saying that “A lot of the innovations and things that are proven on the PC are making their ways onto consoles.”
“You’re installing games now instead of running them off the disc, because that’s the right thing to do; you’re downloading games digitally, which we’ve been doing on PC for years; they’re integrating certain TV aspects and stuff, well, ten years ago we started experimenting with media center,” Azor continued. “The consoles are looking more and more like PCs every day.”
Azor’s opinion reciprocates the prevailing notion of what it means to be a next-gen system, and that the PS4 and Xbox One are making greater strides in compatibility and accessibility than in raw hardware horsepower.
Source: Gamespot