PS3 vs. Xbox 360 ports: The cold, hard truth

[qzak]

This is a couple days old, but I couldn't find it posted anywhere. The link takes you to the whole article. I'm just posting the conclusion, because it points to a trend we've been hopeful for: the industry seems to be heading in the direction of PS3 as lead platform for development of multiplatform games.

http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/features/164668.shtml

While we can't definitively name one console as having better multi-platform releases across the board, there's a clear winner among these four games: PlayStation 3 beats the Xbox 360 handily. Call of Duty 4 plays nearly the same on both systems, differing only in superior online integration on PlayStation 3. With Devil May Cry 4, the game is all-around better on PlayStation 3 (despite the horrendous installation process). Burnout Paradise emerges as decidedly better on Sony's system thanks to EA Criterion's decision to make it the leading version of the game. The exact opposite is true for Assassin's Creed where Xbox 360 beats out its PlayStation 3 counterpart visually.

Judging by what we've seen with these recent games, you may be better off picking up PlayStation 3 versions of high-profile multi-platform games for the time being. The notion that PlayStation 3 ports are inherently inferior to Xbox 360 simply doesn't hold water these days. Some games do perform worse on Sony's console--Blacksite: Area 51 has been plagued with performance issues, for instance, and The Orange Box suffers from groan-inducing load times and chugging framerates.

These issues are slowly being addressed, though, as many publishers are starting to churn out multi-platform releases with an eye for the PlayStation 3. LucasArts recently announced an initiative to make the PS3 their leading platform for development, joining a growing wave of developers seeking to improve multi-platform games heading to Sony's console. With any luck, this movement will result in better performance for all gamers, Xbox 360 and PS3 alike. For now though, just enjoy fragging terrorists, crashing cars, and slicing demons in half on your PlayStation 3.

[Diresu]

At least the devs are finally following in criterions footsteps.

[ddaryl]

another nail in the Xbox 360 coffin IMHO...

I'm going to say it so here it is...."I told you so"

I can honesty say I saw this coming frm the begginning. Sony always starts off slow out of the gate with software and that is beacause they create innovative hardware that takes some time to get rollin with. Once devs' get rollin and Sony gets there libraries out there the hardware capabilites trump MS software out of the gate abilities...

By this Xmas the PS3 will have a quite few games that'll show off the PS3's superiority as a gaming console... It won't be much of a debate from there.

[Raitei]

i can possibly understand devil may cry, and surely Burnout...

but cod4? isnt the online meant to be jesus in a box on the 360

[Viper]

Xbox looked better last gen. Did it kill your experience any then?

The X vs P battle of which can look marginally better if you squint front and center at a $5,000.00 HDTV has seriously lost ground on the enthusiasm meter.

Instead of detailed debate with fact and reason, we're getting a playground mentality of my dad can beat up your dad.

Neither shines above the other graphically so harping on the insignificant minutia is an exercise in throwing eggs against bricks.

[Diresu]

Xbox looked better last gen. Did it kill your experience any then?

The X vs P battle of which can look marginally better if you squint front and center at a $5,000.00 HDTV has seriously lost ground on the enthusiasm meter.

Instead of detailed debate with fact and reason, we're getting a playground mentality of my dad can beat up your dad.

Neither shines above the other graphically so harping on the insignificant minutia is an exercise in throwing eggs against bricks.

And yet the people that should be blamed for it more then anyone are the sensationalists gaming "press". They do nothing but fuel this crap.

Personally though, I believe the difference will eventually be visible and worth discussing, though for right now its as you say, minuscule at best.

[jaxmkii]

the larger differance isnt in the screen shots

but the fact that after 2 hours of play you start to feel like the 360 games are a tom and jerry loop.

something that can't be shown in a 48second vid or 200+ screen shots.

[Viper]

Hey, Tom and Jerry kicked ass. Screw these pansy ass cartoons of today with these super happy fun time fluffy creatures.

[Sephiroth_VII]

Hell yeah!

[yoshaw]

Hey, Tom and Jerry kicked ass. Screw these pansy ass cartoons of today with these super happy fun time fluffy creatures.

QFMFMFMFMFMMFMFMFMFT!!

[ddaryl]

Xbox looked better last gen. Did it kill your experience any then?

The X vs P battle of which can look marginally better if you squint front and center at a $5,000.00 HDTV has seriously lost ground on the enthusiasm meter.

Instead of detailed debate with fact and reason, we're getting a playground mentality of my dad can beat up your dad.

Neither shines above the other graphically so harping on the insignificant minutia is an exercise in throwing eggs against bricks.



but I really don't believe that the power of the systems should be measured in graphical terms. I think the PS3 is going to come out ahead of the Xbox 360by a nice chunk, especially exclusive PS3 games, but won't leave the 360 completely in the dust... However all the other parts to games like physics, AI etc.. will be considerably better on the PS3's exclusive games, and this will be very noticeable as we get into 3rd and 4th generation games.

[TimmyJ]

Games such as Resistence 2, I think, have already started on the path to showing us the advancements, graphical and otherwise, that have and will be made on the PS3.

One of the best looking games to date, especially from Insomniac, that manages to take the number of players in an online, console game and take it up a notch (or 30 ;) )

Possible on other platforms or not?

[OG_Monkey]

who made this article, a monkey!?...no pun intended

[qzak]

who made this article, a monkey!?...no pun intended

If you read just the summary, you might think they were just speculating wildly or stating their unsupported opinion. The full article does go in depth into the four multiplat games and why they come to the conclusion they did.

[LaLiLuLeLo]

OG Monkey doesn't read. He doesn't even do his homework without our help!

[Segitz]

Hmm...

a "casual gamer" friend of mine asked today, if all 360 users now have problem, because HDDVD got canned^^ I find this actually quite funny and it explains a little bit, why the 360 now sells a wee bit less than the PS3 (if only 10 percent of the potential buyers think twice because of this, it makes all the difference in the world... Mr. Freeman^^)

[OG_Monkey]

OG Monkey doesn't read. He doesn't even do his homework without our help!

lol...and here i was about to make a Conic Sections thread, Algebra 2 sucks :(

Hmm...

a "casual gamer" friend of mine asked today, if all 360 users now have problem, because HDDVD got canned^^ I find this actually quite funny and it explains a little bit, why the 360 now sells a wee bit less than the PS3 (if only 10 percent of the potential buyers think twice because of this, it makes all the difference in the world... Mr. Freeman^^)

Some article about this article (http://www.thebitbag.com/2008/02/29/fanboyism-in-journalism/)

[frosty]

OG, that is not sony's comments on the article.

[the boney king of nowhere.]

this whole debate is pointless, it's only hardcore gamers who notice any differences.

[OG_Monkey]

OG, that is not sony's comments on the article.

shhhhhhhhhh!

well cover blown

[frosty]

this whole debate is pointless, it's only hardcore gamers who notice any differences.

Unless features are compromised due to the differences (such as content being left off the 360 version due to disk space issues).

[D3adcell]

I don't think this was any indication of the 360 having its 'nail in the coffin' or the PS3 blowing it away in any means. I don't even find some of the stuff to be true.

Online integration: Impressively, there aren't that many differences between the two versions of the game when it comes to online play. Call of Duty 4 essentially plays the same on both, but it's important to note the technical differences. First, Xbox Live displays the number of players logged into the game, ala Halo 3, whereas that information isn't available on the PlayStation 3 version. Second, getting into a match takes practically no time at all on PlayStation 3 and they're remarkably stable. Peer-to-peer networking over Xbox Live can yield unstable matches, although the experience was pretty good overall. It is worth noting that patches are required before heading online with the PlayStation 3 version that aren't needed when playing on an Xbox 360.

So they are saying that patches are needed on the ps3 version for it to run the way it does. The 360 also has a patch on the way its just not out yet, it is supposed to fix the hosting. Right now the only problem is that when a host leaves the game the match ends, but its going to fix that and choose a new host etc with the patch. So it's not saying that version is any better or anything just already been patched. Right now the patch for the 360 version has been sent to microsoft and has to go through testing or whatever. Though I don't think thats showing any superiority of one over the other.


Then on DMC4 they are saying that its better because the six axis feels more at home for the game. Though on COD4 it said it controls better on the 360 and saying they look graphically the same.

So I guess this can be the "PS3 no longer getting shitty ports" confirmation, we knew that would happen. Though its not indicating that the PS3 is going to blow the 360 out of the water or that ports are better on it or anything.

[LiquidEagle]

Not yet at least :-p

[Viper]

Sorry fellas, but phenomenal increases in the industry just don't happen that way. It's almost like some of you expect the X360 to just stand perfectly still on the development end.

Might the PS3 versions end up slightly better? Possible but the only indication we have of that is the same hit and miss quoting and fanboy rambling we've had for years now. Not exactly a bankable prognosis.

I think you guys are going to find that the 2 systems remain neck and neck (with minor variations due to developers of course) on multiplats.

[Diresu]

Sorry fellas, but phenomenal increases in the industry just don't happen that way. It's almost like some of you expect the X360 to just stand perfectly still on the development end.

Might the PS3 versions end up slightly better? Possible but the only indication we have of that is the same hit and miss quoting and fanboy rambling we've had for years now. Not exactly a bankable prognosis.

I think you guys are going to find that the 2 systems remain neck and neck (with minor variations due to developers of course) on multiplats.

Multiplatform games have never been a good way to show of the best of the system anyway, just because of their nature. So in that sense I do agree. Unless the meaning of multiplatform development changes and devs actually try to use all the features of each system. That however has not happened yet and I doubt it will.

[Viper]

Well my point being that is what this thread is about....how much better PS3 multiplatform titles will begin to look over the X360 versions of which I don't think we'll be seeing the big difference that we saw last generation.

[Diresu]

Well of course not. The systems are much closer to each other this gen then last.

[venomv]

I think the point of the article is simply that the PS3 is starting get less crappy ports (well, we hope), none of the differences in the games mentioned (from the article, I have only played one of those games, and only on the PS3) are major differences, and most come down to preference. And that is cool with me.