Possible reason why consoles are lasting so much longer - bits

So I recently heard someone (they work in Silicon Valley) saying that the PS3 and Xbox 360 both run on a 128 bit architecture and therefore this gives them a lot of untapped processing potential.

Their argument was basically since PC's are limited to CPUs and Operating Systems that can only manage 32/64 bit, their overall abilities to compute data are more limited.

Now of course, much of this is offset by the fact that the hardware around the 64bit architecture of a PC is usually much more advanced; but in your mind, does the 128 bit format of consoles give them an edge in not truly competing with the PC, but in keeping up with them for far longer than they were supposed to have been able to?

If this is true, then it is perhaps another reason why "console optimization" is such a large factor, because though consoles have poor hardware by today's standards, the system can actually handle more data from that hardware due to it's 128 bit nature. This in opposition to PCs, which have far superior hardware but are bottlenecked in a way by the 64 bit architecture.

Does this idea/theory have any plausability in your mind?

TLDR Version: Is the 128 bit architecture of "modern" consoles propping up their now low/mid end hardware and allowing them to keep up with the world of PC gaming?

Console gaming's superior.

Makes sense. I always knew the dedicated OS and architecture was a big advantage for consoles and why this generation has lasted six and a half years already with new games still coming out. Look at Witcher 2 for example for Xbox 360.

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There has yet to be a true 128 bit processing system beyond the FPUs and Vector Units in various processing systems.

The Emotion Engine could accept 2 64 bit instructions as a 128 (hence "128 bit") but was still processed as 64 bit IIRC. Xenon and Cell are build around 64 bit instructions and integer processing.

FPUs, Vector Units, and the like have needed huge growth in capability in recent years, hence their rapid increase in width. Intel's Core line has 256 bit wide AVX units. The rest of the processor itself works in 64 bit though (with a proper 64 bit OS of course).

[QUOTE="R3FURBISHED"]You need to be level 10 or higher to create a thread in System WarsMagescrew

Apparently you need to be level 32 or higher to be a troll as well.

Don't be mad that your thread is gonna get locked. Dem's the rules :(

Not level 10 GTFO

[QUOTE="R3FURBISHED"]You need to be level 10 or higher to create a thread in System WarsMagescrew

Apparently you need to be level 32 or higher to be a troll as well.

Not level 10 GTFO

BPoole96

I just read the rules thanks. Feel free to lock this then, I got a few decent answers at least.

And it seems to me that this rule is meant to keep out trolls and imbeciles, both of which I see more in a reply such as yours than in a thread like mine, but so be it. Good day.

[QUOTE="R3FURBISHED"]You need to be level 10 or higher to create a thread in System WarsMagescrew

Apparently you need to be level 32 or higher to be a troll as well.

I don't know if it's architecture as much as the budgets this gen, and everyone trying to make back their money. jg4xchamp