“Back in the DOOM era of game development, high-speed graphics were coded at the register level (basically in machine language). Then, as development moved from DOS to Windows and code started being done through APIs, game development became more abstract and higher-level. Carmack remembers a frustrating time when there were literally 20 different graphics chips that game makers had to code for, but nowadays there's only two to worry about. While coding through these layers is sometimes easier, it can also be frustrating. Carmack often finds himself wondering if a mistake was "my fault, the drivers fault, or the hardware's fault?"

But the Xbox 360 was designed to have a very thin API layer. In Carmack's words, he can "basically talk directly to the hardware ... doing exactly what I want."

Here Carmack heaped praise on the decisions that Microsoft has made with the Xbox 360. "It's the best development environment I've seen on a console," he says. Microsoft has taken a very developer-centric approach, creating a system that's both powerful but easy to code for. This is in contrast to Nintendo, Sony, and (formerly) Sega, who generally focused on the hardware.

Carmack ruminated on how throughout history consoles have swung back and forth between providing high-end hardware or development tools. Until the PS1 came out, nearly everything was done at the register level, but Sony's first console shipped with tools to help speed the development process. This was in opposition to the Sega Saturn, which was very powerful but nearly impossible to efficiently code for. Then, with the release of the PS2, Sony flip-flopped: the PS2 had much more complicated hardware and you basically had to program it at the low level again. Then along came the Xbox, which didn't have low-level access but was way easier to program.

Carmack looks forward to what's coming up. "It'll be real interesting to see how this next generation pans out," he said. This time around, the Xbox 360 is coming out sooner and is easier to program; will it be enough to supplant Sony's market lead?

Read the full article at Gamespy.com