PS3's graphics will streak ahead of 360's in '09? But does it really matter?

OXCGN Writes:

"The Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 have been locked in a deadly battle for graphical supremacy since their respective launches. The multi-platform games have been an interesting aspect of the current graphical arms race, with video comparisons online grabbing a lot of attention and comments.

Despite the PS3's much talked about processing power superiority, the 360 versions have managed to hold their own and often have the ability to outshine their PS3 counterparts."

[- Ghost of Sparta -]

"Despite the PS3's much talked about processing power superiority, the 360 versions have managed to hold their own and often have the ability to outshine their PS3 counterparts"

Why don't we talk about the exclusives then? Heavy Rain, Killzone 2, MGS4, Uncharted, and Uncharted 2 graphically MASSACRED everything on 360.

[leeeeed]

Because there is no common ground. There's be nothing to compare. You need to stick to apples and apples to be fair across the board.

I fear that the long running use of the Xbox 360 as the dev platform being moved over to the PS3 for some new release games (*rumour* namely for Bioshock2) could see a swing in favour to the PS3 in quality of graphics...

[gaminoz]

@ Ghost of Sparta

Umm...the article I read DID talk about the exclusives in a different light....did you read it?

[ultimolu]

Seriously, read the article.

[Aaron Greenterd]

The Microsoft Xbox 360 uses cutting edge Unreal Technology to bring the latest death simulator to American males 16-34, something that the Sony Playstation 3 has not been able to obtain. And who needs these flashy new and unproven 1st party engines with all their fancy lighting and what not...

As long as impressionable young males can spray blood of their enemies while grunting in each other's ears, there will be no place for the ps3 in this World of America.

[lokiroo420]

sticky date comparing exclusives is apples to apples. comparing a port to its counterpart is retarded. multiplats were optimized for the box and then rushed to the ps3. if you can not look at a game and compare the look of it dont comment on articles like this.

[XboxOZ360]

And you wonder WHY ppl call your type fanbois . . really . . do try and at least 'reading things' before sticking your size 11 foot in your mouth . . . they say it's a new thing (reading, that is), but much easy to master once you've done it a few times . . .

[Immortal Kaim]

Why would you comment without reading the article? It actually states the exact same things you are winging about...

[leeeeed]

Thanks for your insightful comment :)

It's pretty bloody obvious why we can't compare graphics from different games. Each game is stylised differently. Comparing say Gears of War 2 to MGS4 is retarded. They are both stylised differently, are both aiming at a different point in the graphics scale and both stand for different things.

And to say that the PS3 ports look worse than their Xbox 360 counterparts is rediculous. "Rushed to the PS3"? Look at Bioshock, it was MONTHS and MONTHS until it hit the PS3 and your saying that the only reason why it didn't look as good as it did on the Xbox is due to the fact it was released based on a port? Puhlease.

How about YOU not comment on articles of this nature if all you're going to spew up is all manner of fanboyism in defence of your loved platform... :D

Oh, and Merry Christmas. :)

[cactuschef]

The article did a great job of not being biased, and did mention ps3 exclusives and talked about how great they looked.

[BrianC6234]

It's funny to see a 360 site talk about this. I doubt most third party developers are really trying to push the PS3 when they make multiplatform games. They just make the game the same on both platforms. Like you said, look at first party games. So far most on both consoles have looked close but the 360 had a one year head start. Starting next year I think we'll see all the big PS3 games that will show the true power.

What will be interesting is what third party developers do then. Will they keep making lazy ports for the PS3 or will they want to make the best game they can? The games that really push the PS3 will sell a lot better.

[PimpHandHappy]

whats even more telling is this

YOU NEVER HEAR THEM SAY THE PS3 HAD A COUPLE LOOK BETTER

its always
the 360 has held its own and had a few games look better

i can name 4 big games that look better on PS3!
add in the fact i know 2ppl without a hdmi port and it blows doors off! Its not even close

but no

its always how the 360 "holds its own"

it doesnt 'hold its own" when it comes to exclusives and features offered in a PS3

Edit: No i didnt read it. I looked at the web site...read a couple post...WE already know a game worked up for the PS3 will outshine 99% of anything. PPL want to say it doesnt matter because the Wii is kicking such a$$....i find that stupid. Its very simple. The Wii came onto the market at a impulse price!

[Immortal Kaim]

Are you bloody serious, you didn't read the damn article did you. It clearly states

"Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is an amazing feat in terms of graphical performance. It is the subtle things that elevated Kojima’s masterpiece above the 360’s offerings. From the dust that licked the camera to the fluid movements of Old Snake’s ever increasingly frail body, MGS4 is still the pinnacle of console graphics."

What the F does that mean then.... Jesus Christ... people don't read.

@ PIMP: Okay so you didn't read it... How about read it then come back and add something to this discussion.

[leeeeed]

For a site that never gives credit to superior titles or features of the PS3, why on earth would they (as an Xbox 360 themed site) give GOTY 2008 to MGS4?

*cough*

[jwatt]

That was a good read and i think 2009 is going to be an interesting year for gaaming.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[cherrypie]

Gears of War 2 is the best looking Console Game ever, even Jaffe has said this.

Please, dont be RIDICULOUS.

[fishd]

@ppl who copare multiplat games together

RE4 on my pS2 looks better than The PC version,is my PS2 more powerfull than a high end PC?

Bully runs perfectly on pS2,but it is terrible on 360,Is my PS2 more powerful than 360?

[Danja]

what ppl fail to understand is that devs are never gonna make a multi-plat game and make one version looks better than X they want to sell there games on both platforms not to alienate there buyers into thinking that they are giving preferences or shafting them , so most 3rd party games will always look similar no matter how powerful a system is over the other.

but the PS3 does have the crown in graphics when it comes to exclusives and 2009 will only just seperate the PS3 even more from the 360...as for Alan Wake I haven't seen a video of the game running on the 360 hardware yet say much about it...

[N4360G]

Yes it does,period.

[StephanieBBB]

nuff said.

[TheUsedVersion]

I'm getting really sick and tired of people who do not even read the article before commenting. C'mon read the freaking article.

[Traveler]

Put it this way, good graphics don't make a game great, but they do make a great game even better. :)

[Sarcasm]

It's a pretty unbiased article.

But the "Does it really matter?" part is questionable.

When the PS3 had shoddy multiplatform titles and no exclusives that pushed the system. We get "haha nyah nyah the PS3 cant do Gears and the graphics suck!"

Now that the PS3 is starting to show stuff the 360 wishes it can do, all of a sudden "Does it really matter?"

[Immortal Kaim]

When did that site ever laugh at the PS3's misfortunes? In fact it looks like it has always supported the 'competition' as much as the Xbox...

[fishd]

Oh the irony,if an exclusive PS3 game looks a lot better then anything that 360 has to offer,who cares,it doesn't matter

But if the 360 version of a multiplat game has 3 pixels more than the PS3 version,it does matters,ZOMG PS3 SUX...

And if anyone thinks visual doesn't matter,then what the fukc is the point of these so called 'next-gen'??!!

we entered into next gen to have more polygons,better textures,etc.PERIOD

[r3xmund1]

When the 360 has better graphics its time to bring out the PS beating sticks...

When the PS3 has better graphics, "it doesn't really matter"

funny that.

[SkyGamer]

I really think that if MS would stop using unreal 3 engine so much and make their own engine, we would see better looking exclusives. The Xenos is better than the rsx and the cell has a higher floating point than the tri-dual thread-core Xenos. nvidia shows that a good gpu will always trump a cpu in terms of graphical power. You could use the core i7 with integrated graphics andthe game would not be playable but you use a dual core, or even a high end p4 with a monster gpu and you can run the game well.

Besides you want one game a gen or several a gen. True mgs4 is nothing short of amazing, but if you look at the time, manpower and money that went into the game, was it worth it and will all games sell that well? kz2 can be the greatest looking game but if no one buys it, will the company go the way of free radical and factor 5? 2009 will be critical as the economy will probably be at its worst. Is it smart to invest in all these first party games that you don't get out maybe one title a generation and if it flops, where will the company be?

There are a lot of variables but one thing remains certain, pc's will still continue to dominate!

Imagine a Core i7 with tri-sli gtx 295! Ouch. Would scream circles around both X360 and ps3 combined!

[Jazz4108]

@Ghost of Sparta -
What I find funny is of your list of exclusive ps3 games, only 2 of them have been released. Who are you Nostrodamaus?

and by the way can you read?

[Bubble Buddy]

Above: What I find funny is that almost all exclusive 360 games released I can play/will play on PC.

[majorsuave]

"Unfortunately the core market places a huge emphasis on graphical prowess"

I guess this is the reason why the Wii rapes both M$ and Son¥ in terms of sales.

[uie4rhig]

same old stupid fanboyismic arguments!! stop just enjoy your fvcking games and either buy more consoles or don't.. don't trash the other consoles.. period!!

[Elven6]

The thing with Microsoft first party titles is they never push the system in terms of graphics like how Sony does. Sure their is Gears but for the most part that's it, other studios should focus on photo realism as well.

What Microsoft needs to understand is things have changed since the last generation, third party exclusives are a dying breed, you can't expect third parties to "push" your system anymore.

[CViper]

The arguments have always been around, every generation there has been a nintendo system involved, or some other new gaming device.

There are two types of "gamers" here folks, People that buy the wii. Which is in the same exact regard as people that buy say, and Iphone. Or the first karaoke machines. I don't want to say gimmick, because that is always used to disparage the Wii. But its a popular electronic device. Graphics will never matter as long as its fun to people. But those people are not gamers like us. As it is always said, graphics alone is never fundamentally more important than the "fun" the game provides. But as usual, 360 fanboys love to pretend that when the PS3's graphic discussion is tossed around, it means literally JUST graphics and no gameplay at all. This just needs to end. Good gameplay is always more important. Developers know that, pS3 owners know that, 360 owners know that, and all gamers know that.

Its pathetic and everyone knows exactly where all this graphics debate is coming from. Its from the 360 fanboys who know damn well the 360's hardware isn't pushing game development forward as the PS3 hardware is, and 2009 is here a lot sooner than 360 fanboys thought it would be. Killzone2 is unopposed, and even more so when you consider the only graphical 360 title is the UNREAL ENGINE. Its a beautiful game, but its not going to drop anyones jaws because of how close to CGI it looks. It has amazing design. But thats where it ends. A more interesting article would be can good design trump great technical achievement and rendering engines.

But we all know it doesn't. People brag about Gears Graphics being "GRAPHICS KING" and they talk about the detail(lol normal maps) And all the stuff going on screen, the lush lighting blah blah. That isn't art design. Its engine hardware. Don't bother talking about that, then pretend graphics don't matter. Because thats exactly what Killzone2\MGS4\UNCHARTED\Motor storm2 improves upon, Lighting, Detail, Models, Surface Shaders, Realtime Motion Blur etc.

The PS3 has damn near photo realistic games (Gran Turismo P & Motorstorm 2) with amazing lighting and detail thats second to none. The 360 doesn't have a single thing that comes close. Sony has always pushed the technology forward and developed amazing visuals along with amazing games. This generation is no different. No one is saying that the 360 isn't going to be able to maintain with inferior game visuals, it will just be the place to buy ports and pc/360 exclusives that will definitely perform better than PS3 ports, but they will not be technically superior, or graphically superior than the PS3 exclusives which is why you buy the console in the first place. The PS2 has done a fine job with ported popular games, as the 360 will with 360/PS2/PS3/WII Ported games.

Its going to be very interesting to see how Microsoft can keep the question silenced about why the 360 has no games that look like MGS4/Killzone2/Uncharted/GranT urismo in the coming years. Multiplatform games have all hit the wall of potential, and that potential is a mix of an engine of GTA4-Fallout3-Bioshock-Burnout -Unreal Engine variation. Remember, we are developing for the lowest common denominator, the CORE HDDless 360. Thats all games are going to look like, and thats all games have looked like since about late 2006-2007. There will be improvements in optimizing engines, but there will never be a multiplatform game that can run with an exclusive ps3 title. Not only do developers not have the education that the exclusive devs have, they dont have the budgets/incentive to push a port in favor of one console or another to where the difference is night and day. Their job is to make an equal game for all platforms. Not to use all of the cells and have killzone2 on the ps3, and dig dug on the 360.

The PS3 has drifted away from the 360's capabilities. Its just up to Sony on whether or not they really start advertising that fact. I think they are going to try and let the games speak for themselves.

Graphics are never more important than gameplay. But having amazing games + second to none visuals is what the PS3 is delivering, and will continue to deliver in 2009.

You can pretend that as a 360/PS3 console owner, that they dont matter to you, and that you are happy with the level of improvment from Unreal Engine Gears1 to Unreal Engine Gears 2, and thats fine. People will be enjoying the PS3 exclusives for what they are.

[MorganX]

The only PS3 games in my opinion that leave Xbox in the Dust are WipEout HD leaving all arcade games behind, and Heavenly Sword. The only asterisk is the PS3 couldn't really handle all that Heavenly Sword threw at it.

Doesn't matter how good it looks if it doesn't flow like butter. Dropped frames ruin the prettiest graphics when they're in motion. I'll believe one of the current next-gen consoles can leave the other far behind when I see it, without any dropped frames. I do think the PS3 has the most upside as devs learn to fully utilize the Cell's DSPs. But Xbox also has 3 full CPU cores that are probably underutilized. I say, for the most part, no one leap frogs the other in 2009 unless it involves capabilities tied to Blu-ray and the PS3's superior high-def audio. We'll see, 2009 is only days away.

[cmrbe]

The article is being blunt honest. No bias or anything like that. It says stuff that people know is true but due to their preference in this console war won't say them out loud. The article also raises some pretty good questions.

It's true we have seen PS3 games graphics improve dramatically from 1st gen to second and now they are set to improve further in 2009 while we have seen very little improvement for x360 games since Gears 1. Lets be honest here. Fable 2, NG2 and Halo 3 really aren't that great graphically and these are some of x360 top games. We see it and we know the truth and i commend the author for saying it out loud. However. It is also true that MS haven't announced any of their secret titles which might be able to compete. Lets wait for them.

The question about weather graphics will matter is a very good question to ask. Last gen the graphical edge the xbox had over the PS2 obviously didn't matter so now the author is now asking that question again. Will graphics matter this time around?. As i said before the wii example this gen is not applicable as i believe the wii is mostly appealing to a different market. My 60 year old mother as well as my 36 year old sister have already bought a wii simply because its easy to play and fun. The only game they play is wii sports tennis. I am sure that my family is not an isolated incident.

In the end i believe graphics won't really matter overall with regards to this gen console war similar to last gen. What will matter in the end is varied exclusives games that appeals to a broad range of gamers. This is how Sony won two gens in a row. Even without graphical gems like GOW1 and 2,MGS3 and SOTC. The PS2 would have still won because of the broad collection of games it has.

But as i said before. Graphics however will matter alot to hardcore gamers like us. We always want to see an improvement from 1st gen games onwards. For example. If after the 4th year and games still look like year 2 games. As a hardcore gamer i would be very disappointed. I am sure you guys feel the same.

Again. Kudos to the author of this article.

[DaTruth]

Xbox fanboys: "Oh, graphicz doezn't matter". Bioshock releases on PS3- Xbox Fanboys:" Did u zee the texturez on teh big daddy, LOLz teh cell". Suddenly graphics matter.

[CViper]

But then they pretend exclusives don't exist.

So cute.

But good thing this site is admitting it. You have others that still honestly believe the multiplatform Unreal Engine is technically superior to exclusive big graphic PS3 titles.

[Sharingan_no_Kakashi]

Unless they are both made on different engines designed specifically for each console. Its well known the 360 ports don't do well on the ps3 because the ps3 has unique architecture that has to be handled delicately. UE3 especially. ps3 ports do well however on the 360 because if its ability to incorporate many styles of development. (props to MS for that) To be fair you have to compare exclusives. And not something like mgs4 to gears of war. Pick two games that are similar to each other. Two games that aim for the same style of graphics and design. Unfortunately, ps3 and 360 exclusives are quite different. I mean unless you wanna compare Resistance 2 to halo 3 (they are both pretty similar in design) but that wouldn't be fair because of their release dates. Ninja Gaiden Sigma to Ninja Gaiden 2 would be fair I guess. Not sure if ng2 was built off of the sigma engine though. Honestly, one can argue that because of the ps3's almost endless depths of power that its capable of far better textures.

[Godem]

agreed, although I still think I will get Resident Evil 5 on the 360, because Xbox Live is great!

[Aaron Greenterd]

Xbox Live is the pinnacle of human existance. Gone are the days of just "playing a game." Now, whenever you turn on your Microsoft Xbox 360 console, you get bombarded with messages, friend requests, and party invites.

You WILL feel popular and needed, just like the other puppets...er consumers that have boosted their status, ego, and well being by having an Xbox Live membership...

And it can be yours for $98 per year...

[NaiNaiNai]

or you could take the mighty psn, and you know, log in, no ones on, you cant ever seem to join a match with friends, when you finally get in, the match is over and you have to hook back up again, by searching for each other. nothing quite like the psn experience, cost is 0$ but the price of you sanity is much more then any dollar amount.
-nai-

[XboxOZ360]

I don't know where the heck you're getting your XboxLIVE from mate, but you're being ripped off majorly . .Even here in Australia it's a RRP of $AU79. and most sell it for less due to competition . . . which basically works out to around $AU0.22 cents a day for the year . .

@ Aaron Greenterd Below:

And it's statements like that that keep fanboi wars going . .seriously mate . . . I'm on a bloody pension, and I don't mind shelling out $AU0.22 cents a day for the service I get on Live, even if I only use half of it . . .

Once PSN starts charging for its services, which it will have to do in due course, in order to raise funds, then you'll be saying something different. Even Sony have said they may well have to cut areas they are losing in and incure fees in order to gain a foothold once again. So yu get what you pay for in the end.

They cannot continueto not charge for items, which you have to do anyway if you want 'extras" etc, , which I would pay for anyway. As I personally do not expect a free ride when so much has been ploughed into a service.

You MUST remember, they are NOT there to simply GIVE things away to YOU.

They (MS/Sony?Nintendo) are in BUSINESS. Meaning, at the end of the day, you are simply a customer who will pay for your goods or services in order for that business to move forward. Fail to pay or charge, and you lose $$, which means your shareholders lose confidence, which means they jump ship, which means they (Company) starts slipping down a very slipper slop. Which I might add, Sony gaming is currently doing. Hense the call for cost cutting measures and reduction of areas that do not pull profits.

[Aaron Greenterd]

Yes, my figure is a bit high, but that is to make end users like you feel as if you got a deal.

As long as you think I'm the one getting ripped off, then I've done my job.

[Why o why]

Another good article btw:)

[SL1M DADDY]

They have gone the route of micro transactions and Home is exactly that. Not only are companies able to put their own stuff in Home for a fee, but they charge for it and then Sony takes their cut. Doing this enables Sony to keep the PSN free and my guess is as Home gets better with time, we will see a huge amount of money flowing to Sony through Home and the transactions taking place. Believe it or not but there are a ton of folks that love to decorate virtual worlds and pay for club subscriptions online.

[MorganX]

I'd gladly pay $49 for the Xbox Live! experience, community and performance on the Playstation. Sometimes you get what you pay for. There's a lot wrong with the Xbox 360 platform, Xbox Live! and $49/yr subscription are NOT among the things wrong.

[RocknRolla]

As long as the games on the Xbox 360 are fun to play offline and online it doesn't really bother me that the PS3 will have graphics better than the 360 in 09.

Sure good graphics are a must in todays world.. Even if all games offer the graphical quality like FC2 ,or Gears of War 2 than im a happy chap.

[MorganX]

Probably my all-time favorite game on PS3 or Xbox is Dead Rising. It's graphics were, OK, 6.5/10. So I agree, gameplay is most important. Having said that, I would prefer Dead Rising 2 on the PS3 with hi-def audio and 10/10 graphics using all the PS3's media processors.

[ThanatosDMC]

Same here, but i want more "fatality moves" like the disembowler.

[Lord Vader]

PS3 exclusives should have great graphics. They only take 4 or 5 years to develop with a $30+ million budget. = ROFL

Just remember: Gears 1 & 2 were both developed & released for less than the price tag of KillZone 2 & BOTH games released before KZ2. = LMAO

Most graphically impressive games this gen for me = Gears, MGS4, Bioshock (360 version), & Uncharted. I'd say a machine that cost twice as much as 360 from the former #1 gaming console + the power of teh cell + bluray... wow, PS3 should be blowing 360 away graphically....

But it's not...

Love my PS3, but I don't find the cell to be more powerful on any level than the 360's GPU, not to mention 360's design & memory use is better = look at multiplats.

[rucky]

It's actually a nice written article. I'm actually afraid of what the Wii is doing to the industry. It's a perfect example how the casual audience can dominate the hardcore gamers. I'm just hoping Microsoft and Sony won't abandon us cause of the Wii's success.

[gaminoz]

I'm not sure the Wii is even still considered as a gamers platform, so really it isn't in competition with the 360 or PS3.

I don't think too many studios will debase the 360 and PS3 to the 'casual only' level and we'll still see top titles for gamers that may also now be a bit more accessible for 'emerging gamers' released.

The Wii audience is different.

[Chicken Chaser]

Right now ..Killzone holds the crown for best looking game in 09 ..but those are sony's big guns and there nothing big announced yet for the 360...Halo 3 ODST is running the Halo 3 engine ..so its not fair to compare ..the only big title looking as good is ALAN WAKE ...so right now...they do look better..but we still need to wait and see everything coming in 09 first

as for the " does it really matters? " question

Yes and No ...Graphics are always a plus ..but i don't think it leads to winning ...why? ...The Wii is the current leader and by no small margin

Also this remind me of the last gen gaming ... Xbox 1 had better graphics ..and no one cared ..Everyone said Gameplay> Graphics.... and now it looks like the only thing a lot of fans care is graphics

wonder why that didn't happend with the ps2 and xbox

[gaminoz]

I was all excited about Killzone 1 too...and it was overhyped average shooter material. I'll wait until I play the game before I decide if it is the best thing since sliced bread. Videos aren't going to do it for me this time.

Heavy Rain does look great though...I just hope it plays great too.

[XboxOZ360]

Well, for those games we've 'seen' . .I'll be getting a sneak at one of THE best and longest running 1st party titles early in the new year, which basically STILL has over 2 million "active" users . .and it's said to be "gobsmackingy beautiful . . (if that's ever a word).

From our list of almost 350 games heading our way in 2009/10 ( http://oxcgn.com/x360-game-... 360 and PS3 (primarily aimed at the 360 for our site naturally and will cop a full update over the christmas break ready for 2009), there's many in there that will challenge the ones we know of, and some that will be working at testing BOTH platforms to the fullest.

SO while we know of the games announced or being shown off, there's some corkers that will make us wonder which console to buy .. Thing is, it really shouldn't matter, so long as you're a "gamer" underneath, the games are the things that matter, not so much the platform they are presented on.

Sure, I support the 360, as it gve me the best all-round choices and options that suit me .. .and for a price I can afford (the 360 now is the cheapest console on the Australian market, if not globally) and is now running at a small profit for each unit sold. But it allows me a great choice of games and genre's . . .

Which, for gamer, is all that really matters. Visuals are the icing on the cake, and a nice icing at that.

[Traveler]

Great post, XboxOZ360. I have both consoles and I love them both. For me it is all about the games. If the game is good, I don't care what console I am playing it on. And the graphics between the two consoles are obviously very close to equal anyway. Certainly far closer than say the PS2 and original Xbox. So, the graphics on either console are perfectly fine and the main thing it comes down to is the gameplay.

[ultimolu]

Interesting article.
Some good points.

[Whoooop]

Personally it matters, not because it would "make the PS3 better than the 360" or because it would sale more if marketed well... blah blah

Simply because I love visually stunning games and it makes me enjoy them more.

I'm more than happy with the visuals the PS3 has offered this last two years and I really can't wait to experience 2009's visuals.

[XboxOZ360]

If there was a game that could steer me to spending the huge amount (still $AU699 here) it is Heavy Rain. Have always said that, and it will have to wait until that game surfaces, which - could make it in 2009, then again, it's not uncommon for major games of this calibur to be shifted .. Cough cough Alan Wake, MGS4 etc.

Which is perfectly fine with me. As I prefer a game be sorted first and foremost, rather than be finished quickly simply to meet a deadline. Fans screaming or not . . they need to learn to wait . . either that, or be satisfied with half finished games . . .

Each platform will make moves forward in 2009, some you will be expecting, some you just won't. I know of one game on the 360 that will definitely have ppl sitting down going wtf when it's released. A first party title naturally . . so it could be a bit of tit-for-tat in 2009.

[Immortal Kaim]

Interesting article indeed. I do agree that Gameplay > Graphics applies in most cases, yet with something like Heavy Rain I think the amazing graphics lend themselves to the immersion of the experience. Can't wait for it.

[XboxOZ360]

I seruously do not hink "exc;usives" willbe THAT important in the following years, as more and more developers through their publishers see that having their games run on multiplatforms is a much more viable idea now.

Especially in the current climate, which isn't going to just disapear over night. It will take a few years to iron out, in which time, several developers will have had to close their doors for good. Or join up with the 3-4 major publishing houses in order to stay alive. Houses which normally do do Multiplatform games.

now even Apple is coming onto the scene with agreements signed with Ubisoft, Activision, THQ, EA etc, so that's another platform to add, one that has a HUGE mobile audience.

Sure, there will always be 'certain exclusive' titles for the "big boys" - but not as many as there was once before. As I've said before, Many games can look great, but play lousy, or they are reasonably good in all areas, but not great overall.

As both machine progress, so will their technology internally. The 360 is due for 2 more motherboards before they release the next iteration of the main hardware with the Valhalla Motherboard - which supports the 'new' Unified GPU/CPU and several other changes which will need a basic change of the whole motherboard, but not change the games it can, or can not play . . All current and earlier games will still be fully functional, but have significant improvements visually.

We have just had or are having Jasper being placed in units now/early '09, with Opus coming in 2009 proper, with the high possibility of Valhalla coming in early 2010 (rumoured late late 2009/1st Qtr 2010)

If this is true, which it seems quite likely to be so, then by the end of 2009, the 360 will have moved further ahead and be pegging the PS3 yet again. Which will then be followed by Sony's PS4, which ideally will appear not too long after the x720 ships . . .

So as you can see, it's a bit like a game of Leap-Frog . . no one really rules, the focus simply shifts from one to the other for a period, before developers find more ways to work with what they have.

[Chicken Chaser]

good article man

here's my point of view

People seem to think that a gaming console is 100% responsible for a game graphics...leading to fights about how the ps3 games look better or the 360 games look better ..and the famous " this is not possible in X- sytem " or " The (****) system can't run this game ". Its all about developers and most important Game Engines. Now days there's so many companies using the kinda old but popular Unreal Engine 3 , even big games like Gears of War 2 . People jump right off to the conclusion that a game looks better than another one just because of what they see..people do not seem to understand whats behind the game. Right now games like Killzone 2,Uncharted 2,Heavy Rain and Alan Wake are the leaders in the graphics department but does it make the other system maxed out or outdated? No, why? because most of those games are running on new built from the ground engines specialized for a particular console. People need to wait for new games with new engines and built by good developers to see how new games are going to stand up against others and not jump and say that Halo 3 : ODST looks bad , because its clearly running on old engines and you can't expect more.Why do people think Left 4 Dead Graphics are not impressive compared to new games? because Valve engine is old. We know what games are looking the best right now ..so now we need to wait for each console to announce their big guns to see how they manage with other tittles. I can't say that PS3's graphics will streak ahead of 360 in 09 because aside from Alan Wake ..i haven't yet seen any other big game coming for the 360 in 09 powered by a new engine and from a good developer..but when that happens ..i think that will be the right time to talk about graphics. How can someone say that a game looks better when there's nothing else in the same league to compare. We need to be more understandable and fair as gamers.

[rhood022]

While I agree with your statement about the hardware and third-party publishers and developers moving away from the exclusive, the first-party exclusive will still be an important part of defining the consoles of future generations. And as long as Sony maintains it's first party studios and a) buys out it's second party or b) continues to publish their work then Sony will always have a leg up on total available content and unique IPs.

I mean, it wouldn't make since to have multiple consoles on the market with marginally different specs if the games lineup is essentially the same. And the "timed-exclusive" or the exclusive DLC isn't going to be enough to justify the need for multiple consoles. So in the future, the first-party exclusives will become a major factor in what people purchase and, atm, Sony is poised for the next generations because it continues to grow it's holdings.

[PotNoodle]

I think you mean, third party exclusives will be rare. Exclusives will ALWAYS be important.

It is what mainly sets a console apart from the rest, and unless microsoft starts building up their first and second party support to a much larger scale they will find themself either paying out ALOT to get some third party exclusive games or will just have to settle for exclusive content and or face their console having a small amount of exclusive games to shout about.

Sony own the most internal studios and are in partnership with a good number of second parties, Nintendo have their own internal studios that always do well. Microsoft have little in terms of internal studios, they need to focus on building them instead of buying exclusive DLC all the time, secure the future microsoft, secure the future.

[XboxOZ360]

True in many regards, but as Sony said very recently, like in the last 14 days or less . .they will clearly be looking at underperforming areas of sections within its structure,and if they aren't pulling their weight $$ly, then they 'could' face the chop . .Just like any major company right now.

If you're running at a loss at every unit by a huge margins, internal studios not selling the required numbers, or have the attachment rates required to keep shareholders satisfied, then you really have to look at cutting loses and either combining areas or studios or eliminating them completely.

Bit like plugging up a sinking ship. Yes, the number of 3rd party exclsuives will almost disappear, if it hasn't already . .allowing main publishing houses to move forward and not rely on sales of one platform to move them ahead.

With digital delivery becoming even more desirable from the majors now, they both will be making changes as to how they deliver content. And doingit digitally saves Hundreds of Millions per year.

Do not be surprised to see some sony development studios 'merge or fold' (re-position) during 2009. You only have to take a real business look at the situation to know they are NOT in a good position atm.

From all the 3 majors, they are the ones hurting the most. They are the one with the lowest attachment rate, which drives software sales, irrespective of what anyone says. It's what they survive on, NOT hardware sales.

So if those sales are weak, their hardware weak, their cash reserves weakening, they had around $US32,bil late last year, but not sure what the current stockpile is. When you compare that to MS's Cash reserve of in excess of $US30bil, and Nintendo rising alarmingly, you can see the pressure they (Sony) are under from shareholders. WHo are the ones that dictate what happens, not you or I.

Of all the sections within SOny, the gaming section is the only one running in the red, and has been for several years. Sir Howard Stringers job, when he was brought on board, wsas to salvage Sony from going under (do a google to find out more). He has done that job, with the exception of the gaming area.

Mainly because he was disobeyed by one very determined and disobedient employee . . .Ken K . . Who simply wanted to build his baby at any cost, as he saw himself as head Of Sony Which he was not.

That has cost them dearly, and still is. Stringer has stated that the PS3 will never turn a profit in its lifetime (do a google to find out more) and that the nest generation will be the one to pull them out of the slumps. But, as he stated, things will defintely need to change in that area, and cuts will be made if they are required.

Again, remember, google is your friend.

[Mutley416]

That is a good question...Will it matter...to the People who PWN on a PS3...Yes it does!!!

[pickle1234]

waittill mass effect 2 comes out. Mass effect one was easily one of the best looking games

[ikiru3385]

dunno about one of the best looking games. gameplay was great, but it was glitchy as well.

[Traveler]

I loved Mass Effect and after Uncharted it was one of my favorite games this gen. I think it looked great--especially the character models and how great they animated in conversations. I think Mass Effect 2 will look awesome as well.

[Aclay]

The only reason why a lot of 360 mutliplatform games may "outshine the PS3 counterpart" is because many 3rd party developers are just barely scratching the surface with the PS3 and are more used to 360 development. Multiplatform games is not a true test of a console.

As far as Alan Wake goes, I'm not sure if the screenshots shown were from the Xbox 360 version or the PC version. If the screenshots were from the PC version, then obviously the 360 version will not look as good.

When it comes to graphics this generation, YES, I think that it does matter. Last generation the Xbox had better graphics than the PS2, but the PS2 had TONS more games and last generation in my opinion, it was about which system had the most games, and clearly the PS2 had it hands down. This generation, most games are multiplatform, and to make a console stand out in the long run this time around, I think that superior graphics will play a big part in that.

Epic Games themselves said that they believed the 360 was "reaching it's limits", and when it comes to graphics, I don't really expect the 360 to be able to produce anything a lot better than Gears 2.

Now if it ever gets to the point where nearly every 3rd party multiplatform game on the PS3 comes out with graphics like Killzone 2 or Heavy Rain as more 3rd party developers start utilizing the PS3 and get used to the system, then hell Yeah, graphics will definantly matter even more then.

[pshizle]

360? clearly in game and not in engine...

http://xboxmovies.teamxbox....

trailer premiered during Max Payne

[Immortal Kaim]

Got a Link for Alan Wake trailer mate?

Cheers for the Trailer mate, looks amazing

[Traveler]

Yeah, that does look amazing.

[power of Green]

@#1
Heavy Rain is just QTE mixed pre rendered video. KZ2's visuals are over hyped although KZ2 is more justified compared to the other games you mentioned, that were passed long ago lol.

Ferarri challenge, Alan Wake, WarHound, Mass Effect 2, Ninja Blade will most likely beat most games.

Multi platform games have already beat most games PS3 fans boast about. To name a few, games like RE5, Farcry2 etc.

[Whoooop]

lol

I thought you were in treatment... Skipped a meeting?

[plain rice]

I think the power of Green smudges in your eyes are seriously blinding you from reality. Ferrari Challenge, Mass Effect 2, Ninja Blade? Are you serious?

[leeeeed]

I hope there are other sites that follow the lead set by OXCGN. There's no need for fanboyism anywhere. We all game and that should be all that matters.

Maybe we'll start to see some fence sitting PS3 sites or even better, a pro Xbox 360 article!

We'll see...

Good job OXCGN on this article.

[bee2427]

agree 100%.. look the website started an actual intelligent conversation, i haven't seen one of these in years where gamers are showing that they are not just fanboy zombies. If only this could have happened 2 years ago. But it does piss me off that it took this long for xbox fans to finally give any credit to the ps3 but now they see the 2009 line up and so 2 years later we can finally lay down our guns and share a common love for next gen games. There was no need for any of this, people really need to just grow up and get a life and enjoy what they enjoy without putting what others enjoy down.

[Gun_Senshi]

I'm not here to read the article, nor comment on it

I'm here to say

Lulz PoG has only 2 bubbles left

[PimpHandHappy]

your Garbage

your list is funny

not one of those games will hang with KZ2

not one of those games will hang with God of War

not one of those games will hang with GT5

not one of those games will hang with Heavy Rain

so no graphics dont matter unless like most gamers they do....so yea it matters
over time the list of great looking exclusives will be very very long

[leeeeed]

Ignorance is bliss.

Wow - considering this is a pro Xbox 360 website publishing an article praising both camps, you're really doing a good job at making yourself look like an idiot...

We get it, PS3 has some good titles coming, but no one really cares. We're all gamers so why don't you act like that instead of a child who just dropped their ice cream.

Merry Christmas ;)

[n4gzz]

I have noticed that this site usually put up very fair articles.

"Graphic, Does it matter ?"

It does matter but Obviously, gameplay is more important.
But I will take graphic plus gameplay anytime over gameplay and no graphic.

Most third party games will be better on 360 though. They just follow where the money is.

[Silvia007]

my PS3 in the long run has better graphics than my 360? I care why? When you have both systems folks, it doesn't matter one bit. You guys have too much energy.

[power of Green]

The wonders of PS3 are always boasted year after year as coming next year lol.

The 360 has high production value titles too! although you won't know about them untill around release(MSFT doesn't have to talk).

[funkysolo]

I saw Too Human trailers in E3 05, Mass effect was shown 2 years before it got release, Hell even alan wake was shown in e3 05, where's alan wake? Please spare us this wait crap, because my first year with the 360 I was playing games that I could play on my PS2...what great exclusive where on the 360 only and not anywhere else, none they were all ps2 ports...Since I bought my PS3 I have bought 30 games, how many games have you bought for your 360 in the 3 years, I bet i bought more 360 games than you have and I didn't play it that much

[Steelspawn]

I think the PS3 will have it's day. But I see that a few years away, I am happy with what the 360 provides as a consumer.

[cmrbe]

good points, logical and fair. It is true that up coming PS3 exclusives like KZ2 and HR especially looks to seperate the PS3 from x360 graphically in 2009 but it is also true that MS i am sure also has unannounced titles for 2009 that might be able to compete but they must be some pretty amazing titles to compete though.

As for weather graphics will matter in this console war cycle. Its hard to answer that question now. The author has a good point with regards to the x360 and PS2 but the difference is it was mainly the PS2 exclusives and a variety of them that really made the PS2 standout last gen. The comparison to the wii is not applicable though as the wii is mostly appealing to a completely new market.

I believe it will all depend on how big of a difference in graphics. If in 2 years time the difference between the PS3 and x360 graphically is huge then graphics will matter. If not then it won't matter much.

In then end i believe this gen will be decided on varied exclusives that appeal to a broad range of gamers. Graphics is a bonus but in the context of the console war it normally always appeals to the hardcore segment.

anyway. Kudos to the author. Nice to see good and unbiased articles on this console war.

[Traveler]

Personally, I don't think the difference will ever be "huge". It's true Gears 2 looks only a little better than the first one, but it is also true that based on what we have seen so far Uncharted 2 looks only a little better than Uncharted 1 (Uncharted is my favorite game this generation, BTW).

Developers have told us over and over that the two consoles are much closer in performance than the PS2 and Xbox were, so I am not going to hold my breath expecting vastly better graphics on the PS3. But when games look as good as Uncharted, Gears of War, MGS4, and Killzone 2 do you think I really care?

[cmrbe]

but they could still be noticable. We shall see.

The main disadvantage for MS is their lack of 1st parties. I am sure that MS could dev another game engine that could equal or better games on the PS3 but the problem is they have only few. This was one of Sony's major advantage last gen as well as this gen. Last gen the PS2 was inferior to the x360 graphically but Sony had ND,Poly and Santa Monica which produced games that were better than x360 games graphically.

As for uncharted 2. We have only seen a teaser and sofar its a big improvement from the last one imo. Posters from Neogaf posted direct scans and anyone that played Uncharted 1 would have seen some major improvements in environments especially.

[Traveler]

I agree that Microsoft's biggest deficiency is their lack of first and second-party development studios. This results in a better line-up of exclusives for the PS3.

As far as Uncharted 2 looking much better than Uncharted, I am not sure I see it. Believe me, I am the biggest fan of Uncharted and I have played through the first one several times, but I didn't see a huge improvement in the graphics based on the Uncharted 2 trailers. I mean, I do see some improvements and of course when we see more of the game there might in fact be significant improvements, but so far it looks to be only a marginal improvement. But my point is, I am perfectly happy with the graphics even if they stay the way they are now.

[Traveler]

I don't understand why he acts like MGS4 looks better than Uncharted. In my opinion, it is the other way around. MGS4 looks great, but Uncharted looks better.

[Chicken Chaser]

I'll post again if someone care

People seem to think that a gaming console is 100% responsible for a game graphics...leading to fights about how the ps3 games look better or the 360 games look better ..and the famous " this is not possible in X- sytem " or " The (****) system can't run this game ". Its all about developers and most important Game Engines. Now days there's so many companies using the kinda old but popular Unreal Engine 3 , even big games like Gears of War 2 . People jump right off to the conclusion that a game looks better than another one just because of what they see..people do not seem to understand whats behind the game. Right now games like Killzone 2,Uncharted 2,Heavy Rain and Alan Wake are the leaders in the graphics department but does it make the other system maxed out or outdated? No, why? because most of those games are running on new built from the ground engines specialized for a particular console. People need to wait for new games with new engines and built by good developers to see how new games are going to stand up against others and not jump and say that Halo 3 : ODST looks bad , because its clearly running on old engines and you can't expect more.Why do people think Left 4 Dead Graphics are not impressive compared to new games? because Valve engine is old. We know what games are looking the best right now ..so now we need to wait for each console to announce their big guns to see how they manage with other tittles.I don't think Consoles get maxed out..but engines do. I can't say that PS3's graphics will streak ahead of 360 in 09 because aside from Alan Wake ..i haven't yet seen any other big game coming for the 360 in 09 powered by a new engine and from a good developer..but when that happens ..i think that will be the right time to talk about graphics.How can someone say that a game looks better when there's nothing else in the same league to compare. We need to be more understandable and fair as gamers.

[Mitch_Cumstein]

For as powerful as some argue the PS3 is, you'd think it would at least have the versatility of matching the 360 in multiplatform games. Instead we have multiplatform games using the 360 as lead and the PS3 struggles, horribly in some cases, just to match the 360 version.

Then in games like Mirror's Edge, and others using the PS3 as lead, the difference is nil or even improved on the 360 version.

Then I look at developers releasing their second games on PS3 and very little improvement has been made from their first go round. Example being Insomniac Games and Resistance 2. Many expected a significant upgrade from Resistance one just from the simple fact Insomniac were so called, and I quote "experts on PS3 development". They even consulted others on PS3 development. But the thing is R2 doesn't look as good as the FIRST GEARS of War, and comparing it to GEARS 2 is an insult to Epic Games. Gears of War 2 is the best looking console game released TO DATE PERIOD.

Epic Games created the first Gears which garnered high praise for visuals. "set the bar for HD console gaming". Critics and haters speculated Gears 1 was the peak of the 360's performance capabilities, but Epic said other wise and delivered on that promise in every way with the gorgeous visuals of Gears 2.

Now, guess what? The critics and haters said "ok, Gears 2 has maxed out the 360". But, again, Epic Games says otherwise.

So who am I to believe? Given Sony's trend of over hyping EVERYTHING from Ridddddddgggge Racer to Home, and one unfullfilled promise after the other, its impossible to believe anything coming from Sony and their loyal sheep these days.

[GarandShooter]

'Gears of War 2 is the best looking console game released TO DATE PERIOD.'

Well that's just your opinion, and an examination of your posts clearly shows your mindless bias. However, a website that supports the XBox360 has the following to say:

'It is the subtle things that elevated Kojima’s masterpiece above the 360’s offerings. From the dust that licked the camera to the fluid movements of Old Snake’s ever increasingly frail body, MGS4 is still the pinnacle of console graphics.'

Let me re-post that last piece for you: 'MGS4 is still the pinnacle of console graphics.'

Now, who do you think holds more credibility?

[BillGatesMom]

Ps3 will have the best graphics... Add blu ray storage to the mix and the glitchbox360 is over with... Just do yourself a favor and throw it in the garbage... Make sure it doesnt catch the garbage on fire however.

[Sergeant Osiris]

to hate on M$ and their despicable business practices just remember that for many kids out there WHO ARE NOT PART OF THIS SILLY CONSOLE WAR, this is a very unfortunate situation. Regardless of wether they bought from M$, Sony or Nintendo they were expecting a next gen gaming experience. Don't stoop to the level of M$'s paid trolls and become just as hated as they are. We as PS3 owners have to show that we are better than that and only have the interests of TRUE GAMERS in mind.
Then the only ones coming off BIAS and HATEFUL will be the xbots on here. and that my friend is all the rope they need.

[sephy 9 2 5]

is just repeating old talk.

We haven't seen Alan Wake running on a 360. Rage/RE5 are multi-platform games and RE5 has terrible textures. So unless Microsoft's game division is funding the development of a graphical powerhouse and there hasn't even been a rumor of that (like say the BBC PS3 game nonsense), then they have an obvious problem going into next year.

You can't make games to compete with Killzone 2 and Heavy Rain in a year or so. You would have had to have been thinking about that beforehand.

[DJ]

PS3 has a big edge in basically every department, from AI to physics. Not surprising, considering how high-end the hardware is compared to the Wii and 360.

[cyclindk]

All it takes is high-end developers/publishers willing to invest the time and money to produce high-end games... don't really know why Sony let those multiplat devs get away with so much.

Maybe they figured devs would just figure it out, at least Sony has been tutoring them now though.

[Ichiryoka]

This whole leading thing is starting to get annoying. Everyone talking about which console is leading.

I have to ask does everyone really sit there and tell themselves yeah my console is leading because of this or my console is leading because of that, while they are playing their games?

I thought thats what mattered, pushing a console to its limits with GRAPHICS and GAMEPLAY. Although I have not played killone 2 yet, looking at some of the videos online like the special delivery video on gametrailers, watch that in HD and tell me that game won't have great gameplay. Also look at the position holding video of killzone 2 at gametrailers, now thats intense.

For now all I'm looking for the 360 to do is bring me those exclusive rpgs like Mass Effect 2 and Star Ocean 4, while the PS3 brings me things with amped graphics and great gameplay such as Uncharted 2 God or War 3, you know the rest. Anyway yeah point is I couldn't care less about this leading thing as long as I get to playgreat games.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Been saying this for 2yrs and the 360 still outshines.

[GarandShooter]

An XBox360 website has been claiming graphical superiority for the PS3 in the upcoming year for two years now? Try looking at the link and reading the article. Here's some outshining for you, directly from the article: 'MGS4 is still the pinnacle of console graphics.'

I guess 'xboxoz360gamer.com' is a Sony fanboy site.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

This is N4G, know how many fake pro Playstation and Xbox sites have been linked to this site? After the three years of comming to this site, it's about as many as the comments in this thread.

Nice try, like the PS3, nice try.

[funkysolo]

The first time I played gears I was like whoa, this looks awesome....but then I played Uncharted and couldn't beleave how good it look and ran. Gears animation is good but Uncharted is so much fluid and detail. Trust me play gears on the same TV and then play uncharted on the later levels and graphic wise gears doesn't come close to uncharted. what helps gears is the artistic direction, with all the building falling apart and torn down world, but if gears was to be set like before emergence day you would see how terrible the textures are. We all know PS3 is more powerful, it's just up to the developer to take advantage of it. Killzone2 is a prime example of what the 360 will never do. 360 is still good as long as you like their exclusives, I just prefer the ps3 exclusives more otherwise i would still own a 360 even though of it's flaws

CHICKEN CHASER
The 360 has been out for a year longer, where's that game engine? It's not a 3rd party developer to show the power of you console it's a 1st party like Halo, fable....By your logic the 360 should have a new engine since it's been out longer and that's not the case, it's falling behind, and only thing supporting it is 3rd party game engines..Just look how advance the uncharted game engine is, Uncharted2 has me more excited than Killzone2 because the trailer is realtime and trust me when I say this, I couldn't tell the difference between the cutscene the 1st time i played uncharted and I would just be watching my guy get shot because I thought it was still the cutscene. It's crazy

[Chicken Chaser]

again ..its not about what a system can do ..its about developers and engines.. how do you know if a system can't run good looking games like killzone when we haven't seen a new game running on a new engine to prove otherwise

[cyclindk]

Seriously, it was difficult going from Uncharted to MGS4 (or any other game for that matter) because I was so used to the ultra-fluid animations and new what to expect from the MGS series animations (though great, they are the standard rigid MGS style animations).

I can't wait to see Uncharted 2 just to find out if the animations are EVEN smoother.

[cyclindk]

I say, the Wii is NOT a part of the 360/PS3 equation. Hardware sales don't directly correlate with software sales on a one-to-one basis; the attach rate for software for 360 and PS3 are far higher than with the Wii and I believe PS3 is slightly higher than 360.

[tall8420man]

mabey if they could any developers to makes some games for the dam blu ray player. I thought it was a game consol. Cnet still has it as the best blu ray player.

[GarandShooter]

The sad part is you probably believe the tired, worn, stupid, false rhetoric you spout.

[outlawlife]

graphics =/= gameplay

truth.

[creeping judas]

GT5P has hands down the best graphics of any racer out there, but it plays like crap.

Forza2 has some of the worst grpahics of any racer out there, but it plays amazing.

I will go with gameplay any day over graphics.

[Gun_Senshi]

Guess you are a kid that like Arcade racers then :)

And a grown up man w/o license and car living in mom's basement

[bunbun777]

Yes yes take the high road -- separate the fools from the gamers---

we all can say gameplay is supreme......

but....

what if you can get both?

[outlawlife]

unfortunately you rarely get both

if a game looks amazing often it ends up being a disappointment either in the actual gameplay or the game ends up being less than 5-6 hours long and makes you wonder why you paid $60 for it

just a few years ago games were $40-$50 and double the length than we get now, honestly i think developers are relying on flash over substance a bit much lately

it takes a lot of time and effort to make a game look truly spectacular ad with only limited resources at a developers hands they often make sacrifices in areas they should not

i much prefer an okay looking game that is fun(left 4 dead,forza 2) to an amazing looking game that weren't as fun as they should be(gears 2, resistance 2)

[THELANDOFSAND]

I personally have seen very few titles that are better on either console. Most games are so high budget now that they HAVE to go multi-platform to cover development costs. Thus things get standardized- the main differance seems to just be the graphic engine used in various titles- Source, Unreal 3... these are where the differences lay, not in hardware.

[yanikins111]

<kicks back and relaxes>

can you imagine the flaming if a playstation website admitted that the ps3 wasnt as graphically advanced as the 360?

Good journalism btw. Good article, non-fanboyish. well done.

[artzm]

I don't think gaming for most people is about how the graphics look. When I play a game graphics help, but if the gameplay sucks I don't care about the graphics I'm simply not going to play. I also think that online service is huge for many people now, and some people are willing to pay for Xbox Live because they feel it offers a superior service/community to PS3's PSN. Some people feel the other way and like PSN's community, can get enough from the services, and like that it's free.

Huge Xbox fan myself and will admit most PS3 pics I have seen look better than most Xbox pics. But the difference in the graphics wasn't large enough to get me to pickup a PS3 instead.

[gaminoz]

Well I have to admit that when I see a Wii game I do groan at the 'basic' graphics. Graphics are important to me. So far though I'm yet to be convinced that the PS3 will really shoot ahead.

Time may prove me wrong, but for now only Uncharted and MGS4 have any 'wow' claim for me. OF GAMES ACTUALLY RELEASED.

[Ichiryoka]

That YOU even stated that, "The difference in the graphics WASN'T large enough to get me to pickup a PS3 instead." But we can all admit that it is now.

And @ Gaminoz; Time WILL prove you wrong. It's inevitable. You can't change it, I can't, noone can.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Well,

Most people believe XBL is better than the PSN because that's what every media outlet and Gamestop employee will tell you...or at least the one's who haven't touched a PS3 since November 17th, 2006.

The PS3 will own this year because of the new games and reborn franchises...as well as new innovative features. It's not just hopping along. Gaming is about adventure and fun. If you can't feel something from a game...whether it be pure bliss or depression...it's a great feeling. We're all human. It's human to feel. That's what gaming is.

[sennasnit]

I think you are right, i'm currently obsessed by Everybody's golf:World Tour, not exactly a graphical powerhouse but unmatched gameplay, and for PS3 the online element is superb. I do like fancy graphics, something to wow my 360 owning friends, which i've done with uncharted and WipEout. However gameplay is the king, without that there's nothing.

[Gun_Senshi]

so PoG Do you like this site?

Personally I don't like it at all but everyone is entitled to his opinion.

Oops you got no bubbles to answer me :D

[Rs]

Good read.. Ever since MGS4 came the PS3 graphical standpoint has changed for the best. PS3 now got everything that a gaming console could ask for.

[importfighter]

X box is Garbage,,360 owners know its TRUE but not want to admit it

[NewZealander]

thats a bold statement, as an xbox 360 owner i dont believe the 360 is garbage, i dont think what you said is TRUE, but thats my opinion, maybe you shouldnt make a statement on behalf of all 360 owners.

despite the hardware problems 360 is still selling well, just imagine if they never had the problems they did, it would be a whitewash.

i have nothing against either console and the compition is great, just dont bring up the wii, thats not even hi def so its competeing tith the ps2 as far as im concerned.

[Capt CHAOS]

Thanks for your words of wisdom.

They sounds more like words of jealousy.

By the time devs get the hang of coding for the PS3, the next xbox will be out and likely all the games will upscale to give better graphics and frame rates, as the original xbox games did on the 360.

Either way, Don't know the 360 because it's done increadibly well and MS have learnt alot from it. As I'm sure Sony have from the PS3.

[cmrbe]

that is not needed. This is one of the better articles i have seen on NG4 for quite some time.

Its almost christmas anyway.

[gamfreak]

Lol, oh please, everyone in the (universe) knows PS3 is a beast when talking about quality, graphic and hardware, crapbox is nowhere near it.... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Stop lying to yourself who ever you are....!!!!!!! Ha hahahahahahaha.

[Shane Kim]

Im kinda tired of that talk as well. Why is media that afraid to tell the truth? I mean it is fúcking clear as daylight that PS3 is the more powerful console. Just look at the exclusive games. No xbox game comes even remotely close to PS3 games.

[YouNoob]

and obama will get a divorce and get married again with george w. bush.

an overpriced blurayplayer will always be an overpriced bluray player.

[PopEmUp]

You sound really stupid when you open your mouth. Nothing stay with the same price when it first reach out to the market, and no one is that stupid to even think that it will stay with that same price forever. I guess the xbox community is a bunch of 14 years old after all

[Firstkn1ghT]

I thought it was supposed to do that in 2008??? :/

[rebelxs]

To answer the question..no it doesn't really matter in the slightest.It only matters to fanbois for bragging rights.99% of the titles are pretty close on both systems and both produce some pretty sweet graphics.PS3 may have a few first party titles that outshine the 360 but what are we talking about 3 or 4 games people.

[monkpunk1]

By an x box website that knows things are changing... The graphics on ps3 are steadily getting better and better and the exclusives are not holding the system back like third party games.

[Ps_alm3k]

Now Everybody lets talk about games shall we.......
What are you looking forward to in 09...?

[Immortal Kaim]

Killzone 2, Resident evil 5, SF4, FFXIII, Halo Wars, Alan Wake, Heavy Rain, Dragon Quest 9, White Knight Chronicles...

Um heaps more, what about you.

[tk]

MS is a software company. Their toolchain and compilers is better optimized than the Sony toolchain. Simply a fact of life. Sony uses GCC (modified) for PS3 - which is not the best optimized compiler - although it will do the job. As the toolchain gets better - so will the speed of many elements improve. There is still improvements made to the x86 compilers in terms of optimization - and how old is that platform? Just one of the things with a new platform. Takes time to get the tools right.

[omodis420]

Blah blah blah boo. X-mas is coming soon.

BIOSHOCK and CALL OF DUTY WORLD AT WAR!!!!!!

Be a gamer not a nerdy fanboy.

[Jdoki]

The article fails to consider one thing...

If the PS3 starts seriously thrashing the 360 in terms of graphics, MS have a simple answer...

They launch their next console...

The chances are we're going to see the Next Xbox by late 2011 (possibly earlier). And although graphics are starting to plateau the newer tech in the Next Xbox will improve quality.

So, does it matter? Not really, MS have their bases covered even if it means early launching yet another console.

[GarandShooter]

And I hope MS does. Then I hope Sony one ups MS. Then let the cycle repeat. This level of competetion can only benefit us as gamers.

[Redlight]

It's just another poorly written piece that's full of assertions and opinions rather than facts. The downside of blog/fan sites is that anyone can dress their ill-informed views up as 'news' or 'feature' stories.

[starbuck]

Does graphics matter so much to me.
In a single player game Id say they matter about 40% as if the story is not there then I'll loose interest.
In a multiplayer game it doesn't matter at all. To my suprise the best game and by best I mean the most fun Ive had goes to Left 4 Dead and those graphics really aint the best out but its a well balanced "fun" game. If you get your kicks by paying £40 for a game to walk around doing nothing but look at the shadows on a well mapped nats butt then fair enough but I like my hard earned cash to mean something.

[Jdoki]

I agree, it really depends on the game.

For example I love games like Chrono Trigger which had an awesome story but were fairly simplistic in their graphics (even if the art direction was awesome). The graphics didn't matter so much. But having said that, graphics can really help tell a story.

The days of obvious linear story telling through text boxes are numbered. With good graphics so many more nuances can be told through actions rather than text (or even audio) explanations.

Take a game like Obivion (or even Fallout). It really destroys the immersion when the player and an NPC just stand rigid opposite each other talking. That's where (even) better graphics will help create better stories and add more emotion to games.

But you are right - in some games graphics are really not important as long as they are 'fit for purpose'.

[Droid Control]

... But i do own a PS3 and 360.

Can PS3 leap ahead?

Yes. Will it be next year? Doubtful. i think in the next 2-3 years it might, but by then, won't M$ have released the Xbox 720?

[Shane Kim]

I hope you're aware that GT5 (hopefully) and KZ2 will be out next year.
If you can link me a game that looks even close to KZ2 on xbox I'll shut my mouth.

[Jager]

2 Disagrees and no links? Damn Kim, you got em in the Corner now!

[prof16440]

i think it would b best 4 gaming if the ps3 was used as the lead console by devs

[mastiffchild]

that's the biggest point to come out of a serprisingly unbiased article(considering the site it's from). PS3 exclusives are starting to really look the bees knees and if devs want to keep their games looking as good(or as near to as poss)as them then using the PS3 as lead dev platform is best for us all(look at Dead Space and ME etc)and Take Two (supposedly) doing this for Bioshock's sequel/prequel is evidence that devs are waking up to this way of working.

As for people saying graphics aren't important(or that important), while I personally agree(I enjoyed NMH on Wii more than most games this year and it's no graphical tech beast), most people do seem to care or we wouldn't keep getting these daft comparisons from GT/GS and the like(often without PS3 settings being optimised(allegedly)-so it seems to be very important to someone in the industry). But as long as the developers get the best results for us all as gamers(and I firmly feel using PS3 as the dev platform helps multiplats on both systems)surely it's a win/win, no?

Anyway, kudos to the site because it's easy to be one eyed when working for a platform specific site/mag.

[Magic_The_Celt]

When you think of it Sony have the highest of grounds when it comes to graphics in 2009

i mean seriously

Killzone 2:
Best looking Game iv ever seen and if you dont agree to that nobody can deny its astounding

Heavy Rain:
Insane detail, pretty much the whole point of the game was to push the PS3's limits and to what we think is possible in face capture and motions

GT5:
Most realisticly insane racing game ever made, close to photo realistic

Uncharted 2:
What can i say? just insane texture detail and imense lighting not to mention the smooth body motions and face of nathan.

LMAO its kind of ironic isnt it? the Xbot losers always say 360 has better graphics

And yet a PS3 exlusive (MGS4) wins the official graphics of the year haha.

[Mars Attacker]

LOL! Didn't they say the same thing about 2007 and 2008? By the time the PS3 finally starts living up to its potential the 720 will be out.

[LTC]

"PS3 finally starts living up to its potential the 720 will be out."
Killzone 2, Uncharted 2, Heavy rain, Gt5 and GOW3 all say hi.
I dont see the 720 comming out in 2009 do you?

[twoface]

why do you so look forward to 720? tired of 360 so soon?

[Raw711]

Xbox 360 was last week outsold by everything except Game Boy as PS3 sales make a charge for Wii's typically huge lead.

This follows the September 360 rush, as gamers eager to snap up some Halo 3 action pushed sales of Microsoft's console above that of Wii.

But on the week ending 21 October, European 360 sales settled at 37,000 - bottom of the current-generation list by a fair shot.

Meanwhile, here recent PS3 price cuts, which saw the launch of a cut-down 40GB PS3 for £299 and the 60GB model slashed to £349, has launched PS3 sales to a touch over 64,000 in the same week, falling just 6,000 sales short of Wii.

[Raw711]

720...LMAO..ps3 got a lifespan till 2014...microsoft charge you for EVERYTHING!!!!! ps3 only working a 45%of its true power...3shitsy..2009-10-11-12 ps3...
one thing i do wanna see though..is where ps3 players can play 360 players,and pc players..who would be the greatest gamers..wha you think?

[Amnesiac]

You know it's good journalism when they can't even get the grammar in the title right.

[jlemdon]

but the Sony fanboys talk about there exclusives like MGS4,Ucharted series etc. How can you compare an exclusive game if that's the case?!?!?

[Jdoki]

Yeah, it can be tough. But I don't think comparison of exclusives should be dismissed out of hand.

I often see talk of Uncharted looking better than Gears. In terms of art direction that is hugely subjective. Also you could argue what makes it a comparison worth making - For example do we compare Uncharted to Gears because both are third person games with a cover system?? Sounds pointless to me.

But... and it is a big but...

Most people judge image quality not by the 'science' behind it, but by what they actually see.

The lighting effects, the attention to detail effects (dust, fog, shadows etc),

From this they can make a generalised comparison rather than a specific one (such as resolution or texture quality). If the general consensus is that Uncharted is better than Gears (or vice versa) then in the eye's of that individual no talk of resolution, anti-aliasing etc can prove them wrong! and if the majority of epopel think the same way, then conclusions can be drawn.

[a_cold_soul]

Game play > graphics
Xbox360------Ps3

[Neurotoxin]

Didn`t they say that would happen in `08? Lol

[LiquifiedArt]

I asked "Tell me there is not a Media Bias against the PS3?"

- Bro: "Oh yea there definetly is."

- Me: "Its cause of price, its always been because of price."

- Bro: "Well yea, but also Sony are the Top dogs and regardless of what people may 'think', the Playstation brand is recognized WORLDWIDE as the premiere videogame console. When your #1 people will always gun for you to fail."

That small conversation basically explains it all. The PS3 has a Great 1st party Exclusive line-up and a variety of games the xbox will not have. Sony always pushes creativity and New IPs and i'll ALWAYS be a Sony supporter.

:)

P.S. Yes graphics matter.

[Shane Kim]

Yup that sums it up. Tell your brother I think he is a smart guy :P.

[emitsomla]

PS3 will never have superior graphics than 360. It is physically, technologically, and logically impossible. The PS3's graphics card is inferior to the 360's, so the graphics edge will always go to the 360. The PS3 has superior processor, giving it the ability to have more things going on in a game (animation, video playback, etc..), but better processor does not equal better graphics.

[Shane Kim]

HAHAHAHHA....buh buh buh, it cant'z rightz? I meanz what aboutz Xenonz?
Xen0nz iz teh bestz0rz rightz? WAAAAH.

[Jager]

You do know the Cell works with the RSX for Graphics? Still waiting for that 360 game that looks better then KZ2....

[Primetimebt]

The only game that has set the bar for is Gears and nothing else. I'm still waiting for these 360 superior graphics that tops Gears?

Gears of War<?????

Uncharted<MGS4<Killzone 2< Heavy Rain< God of War 3< Gran Turmiso< ETC.

[Vin Diesel]

"blah blah blah blah, the 360 is better, blah blah blah"

[Parappa The Rappa]

I loved you in Boiler Room.
You are truly one of the greatest action stars of our Generation.
I will be camping out in front of my local theater, anticipating the release of the new Fast & The Furious movie. Welcome back.

[Vin Diesel]

You, sir, have just won yourself some good feedback.

[Parappa The Rappa]

HE TOUCHED MY BUBBLES!
*passes out*

[MUNKYPOO]

lol!

[pangitkqb]

Considering its source it was a fair assessment of gameplay vs. Graphics. I own both systems, and it does seem that certain PS3 titles are moving visually beyond the capabilities of the 360. That's nice, but doesn't change the fact that Microsoft's box is still capable of great visuals and that the platform still offers many tantalizing exclusives. The obvious answer, as always, is to own both systems and get all the best exclusives. I have spent the Christmas season playing Resistance 2, Fable II, Little Big Planet, Fallout 3, Gears 2, Far Cry 2, and CODWAW. Its nice to not have to miss out.

In the end, PS3 exclusives like Uncharted 2 and Killzone 2 will set the system apart visually, but I will still love many games exclusive to the Xbox 360. Seriously, save your money and get both systems.

When it comes to the gameplay vs. Graphics argument, my answer is "Yes, please!" Obviously developers should aim for top performance in both.

[felidae]

i like the PS3 but i sold it after MGS4 and LBP and i would never buy one again.

i'm not a fanboy - i just think the XBox 360 is the overall better gaming system - no matter how good Uncharted 2 and KZ2 look.

[Parappa The Rappa]

not really. the 360 is/has-been doing great with multiplat titles. And most of its exclusives has been a lot of fun to play and have sold very well. when the PS3 start doing things better, in terms of games(exclusive and multi-plat), online services, and overall more to offer(besides bluray)----im sure it will matter to people, and you'll see millions of consoles sold every month. Hell, a price drop would probably only help things move along faster. But until all those things happen, it will never be where the 360 is now.

[felidae]

exactly!

[emitsomla]

PS3 will never have superior graphics than 360. It is physically, technologically, and logically impossible. The PS3's graphics card is inferior to the 360's, so the graphics edge will always go to the 360. The PS3 has a superior processor, giving it the ability to have more things going on in a game (animation, video playback, etc..), but better processor does not equal better graphics.

[Oner]

Uncharted
Uncharted 2
MGS4
Killzone 2
GT5P
and quite a few more, all say HI and beg to differ...

http://img209.imageshack.us...

http://i247.photobucket.com...

http://m2.n4g.com/8/Comment...

http://i34.tinypic.com/huhh...

http://i36.tinypic.com/29bk...

http://i36.tinypic.com/2cep...

You seem to be stuck on the graphics card specifically for some reason. On the 360, yes undoubtedly the card is a little bit more powerful but the PS3's architecture allows it to use the Cell & SPU's to do MORE than just standard computational duties thus better graphics capabilities. No matter what you may beleive this is fact & truthful...something of which cannot be ignored.

No little disagrees can change that ;)

[MUNKYPOO]

the ps3 also uses PFM

[jetlian]

your wrong! only good pics are cutscenes the one with drake aiming at the wall shows how limited the textures are. gears is king of textures period!

now people maybe attracted to UC/mgs4 colors but its not on or above gears level

http://www.thehdroom.com/Ge...
http://www.thehdroom.com/Ge...

killzone 2 textures can compete they lack detail but the images are crisp

[Raw711]

just watch then!! i suppose you've been into the future!! animation,video playback,all those things you've just stated are reliant on the graphics card dumbarse! ,mgs4 has laready proved it...hmm your 3shitsys system,is a console tha developers test games on..umm eg:(360) alone in the dark (ps3 inferno) we get a revamped,bug fixed game because were patient gamers!!
if microshaft hadnt of jumped into the console market..wha would u be playing now?..ive been a sega,sony fan since the beggining of time..and its fair to say,sony are the only one's to compete with the biggest richest company in the world..and lol...there already struggling to think of original games for 09..bye

[emitsomla]

SONY screwed up choosing that sorry ass NVIDIA graphics card. That is my point of attack, the weakest link in the PS3, sony's weak ass graphics card. I'm not waiting for shyt, cuzz it won't happen. You could wait and watch, but you and every other PeeStation3 fanboy will be waiting for a hopeless dream, filled with sony's lies and propaganda. Keep wishing... oh yeah animation is more on the programming/processor side not the graphics card... TARD!

[ReTarDedFisHy]

I'm sorry but your logic... Jesus, man go back to school. Or if you're still in it, go flunk a grade.

Since you're really dumb I'll put it as simple as I can:
RSX - 128-bit graphics processing
Xenon - 64-bit graphics processing

This is most obvious in HDR lighting. The RSX can output full 128-bit HDR lighting, whereas the ALMIGHTY XENON can only render 64-bit lighting. Are you sad yet?

Edit: Hold on a sec... you DO know that the Cell processor works with the RSX right?! LMAO! Please LEARN MORE before you start bashing! LMFAO!

[emitsomla]

ReTarDedFisHy, you are retarted, and dumb as sin... if you are going to fake like you are intelligent and know what you are talking about, get xbox's gpu name right. xenon is the cpu, xenos is the gpu Dumbass. Look retard and try to read, I know it's hard for you:

The Xenos uses newer technology, it runs a 128 bit, and it is the superior graphics card, you freaking retard... What's sad is that you probably believed the retarted shyt that you wrote... but you are the only one, dumb dumb dumb!!!!

GPU Transistor Count
-PS3 - RSX transistor count: 300.2 million transistors
-Xbox 360 - Xenos transistor count: 337 million (232 million parent die+105 million EDRAM daughter die)

GPU clock
-Xbox 360 - Xenos clocked at 500 Mhz
-PS3 - RSX clocked at 500 MHz

GPU video memory
-Xbox 360 - Xenos: 512 MB of 700 Mhz GDDR3 VRAM on a 128-bit bus
-Xbox 360 - Xenos: 10 MB daughter Embedded DRAM as framebuffer (32GB/s bus, multiplied by 8 thanks to multisampling unpacking for an effective bandwidth of 256 MB/s, the internal eDRAM bandwidth)
-PS3 - RSX: 256 MB GDDR3 VRAM clocked at 650 Mhz on a 128-bit bus
-PS3 - RSX: 256 MB of Rambus XDR DRAM via Cell (with latency penalty)

Triangle Setup
-Xbox 360 - 500 Million Triangles/sec
-PS3 - 275 Million Triangles/sec

Vertex Shader Processing
-Xbox 360 - 6.0 Billion Vertices/sec (using all 48 Unified Pipelines)
-Xbox 360 - 2.0 Billion Vertices/sec (using only 16 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
-Xbox 360 - 1.5 Billion Vertices/sec (using only 12 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
-Xbox 360 - 1.0 Billion Vertices/sec (using only 8 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
-PS3 - 1.1 Billion Vertices/sec (if all 8 Vertex Pipelines remain)
-PS3 - 0.825 Billion Vertices/sec (if downgraded to 6 Vertex Pipelines)

Filtered Texture Fetch
-Xbox 360 - 8.0 Billion Texels/sec
-PS3 - 13.2 Billion Texels/sec (if all 24 Pixel Pipelines remain)
-PS3 - 11.0 Billion Texels/sec (if downgraded to 20 Pixel Pipelines)

Vertex Texture Fetch
-Xbox 360 - 8.0 Billion Texels/sec
-PS3 - 4.4 Billion Texels/sec (if all 8 Vertex Pipelines remain)
-PS3 - 3.3 Billion Texels/sec (if downgraded to 6 Vertex Pipelines)

Pixel Shader Processing with 16 Filtered Texels Per Cycle (Pixel ALU x Clock)
-Xbox 360 - 24.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using all 48 Unified Pipelines)
-Xbox 360 - 20.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 40 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
-Xbox 360 - 18.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 36 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
-Xbox 360 - 16.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 32 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
-PS3 - 17.6 Billion Pixels/sec (if all 24 Pixel Pipelines remain)
-PS3 - 13.2 Billion Pixels/sec (if downgraded to 20 Pixel Pipelines)

Pixel Shader Processing without Textures (Pixel ALU x Clock)
-Xbox 360 - 24.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using all 48 Unified Pipelines)
-Xbox 360 - 20.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 40 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
-Xbox 360 - 18.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 36 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
-Xbox 360 - 16.0 Billion Pixels/sec (using 32 of the 48 Unified Pipelines)
-PS3 - 26.4 Billion Pixels/sec (if all 24 Pixel Pipelines remain)
-PS3 - 22.0 Billion Pixels/sec (if downgraded to 20 Pixel Pipelines)

Multisampled Fill Rate
-Xbox 360 - 16.0 Billion Samples/sec (8 ROPS x 4 Samples x 500MHz)
-PS3 - 8.0 Billion Samples/sec (8 ROPS x 2 Samples x 500MHz)

Pixel Fill Rate with 4x Multisampled Anti-Aliasing
-Xbox 360 - 4.0 Billion Pixels/sec (8 ROPS x 4 Samples x 500MHz / 4)
-PS3 - 2.0 Billion Pixels/sec (8 ROPS x 2 Samples x 500MHz / 4)

Pixel Fill Rate without Anti-Aliasing
-Xbox 360 - 4.0 Billion Pixels/sec (8 ROPS x 500MHz)
-PS3 - 4.0 Billion Pixels/sec (8 ROPS x 500MHz)

Frame Buffer Bandwidth
-Xbox 360 - 256.0 GB/sec (dedicated for frame buffer rendering)
-PS3 - 22.4 GB/sec (shared with other graphics data: textures and vertices)
-PS3 - 12.4 GB/sec (with 10.0 GB/sec subtracted for textures and vertices)
-PS3 - 10.0 GB/sec (with 12.4 GB/sec subtracted for textures and vertices)

Texture/Vertex Memory Bandwidth
-Xbox 360 - 22.4 GB/sec (shared with CPU)
-Xbox 360 - 14.4 GB/sec (with 8.0 GB/sec subtracted for CPU)
-Xbox 360 - 12.4 GB/sec (with 10.0 GB/sec subtracted for CPU)
-PS3 - 22.4 GB/sec (shared with frame buffer)
-PS3 - 12.4 GB/sec (with 10.0 GB/sec subtracted for frame buffer)
-PS3 - 10.0 GB/sec (with 12.4 GB/sec subtracted for frame buffer)
-PS3 - additional 20.0 GB/sec when reading from XDR memory (with latency penalty)

Shader Model
-Xbox 360 - Shader Model 3.0+ / Unified Shader Architecture
-PS3 - Shader Model 3.0 / Discrete Shader Architecture

[ReTarDedFisHy]

The PS3's Cell and RSX work in harmony. It's not like the Cell and/or RSX work alone. What are you saying? The Xenon is oudated, even with the xenos it can't compare with the Cell and RSX.

I realized that the XenoS (you happy?) was capable of 128-bit but did I bother editing it out? No, because my main point was that it has half-assed HDR lighting.

You're telling me that the Xenos is "miles ahead" of the RSX, so tell me why the 360's games are already capped at Gears? Why don't 360 exclusives look as good as PS3 exclusives? Why are multi-plats looking better on PS3 now?

I'm sorry, but you're full of crap. You hit me with a copy/paste from Wikipedia and expect that to do all the talking. You're saying that the PS3 won't get ahead of the 360 in terms of graphics, simply because the Xenos beats the RSX in specifications? Is that right? Can a GPU run CPU intensive effects? No. So basically, you're expecting the Xenos to miraculously carry everything on it's shoulders? The Cell and the RSX work perfectly together.

[Graphics Whore]

Funny how PS3 is 'technically' weaker and is producing more eye catching games, maybe it's magic pixey dust?

[Oner]

I have to agree with some of the earlier comments on page 1 where there seems to be some back peddling or a bit of preemptive downplay going around as of late on some gaming sites. I guess when the shoe is on the other foot people don't want to or like to hear it...funny how that works.

Additionally why is it that most articles (even if they praise the PS3's graphics capabilities in a half assed way) never discuss one little point...how you can have it ALL ~ Graphics, gameplay, physics, animation, storyline & game length! Which is partially possible on the 360 but more so on the PS3 because of more processing power and disc space to offer that much more, not limiting what is possible.

[emitsomla]

Those games look really good. But I think you missed the point of my post... For graphic comparison reasons, let us use games that come out on both systems (that are not ports) and then compare them graphically. Games like UTIII, look better on Xbox 360, but might perform better on PS3. All of the exclusives you mentioned, if they were to be multi-platform, would look better on Xbox 360 because of it's superior graphics card and memory. But they should perform better and have a lot more features on the PS3 because of it's superior processor and disk space. The PS3 has an inferior graphics card than the Xbox 360, and that is just a fact (inferior graphics card = inferior graphics). Sony hoped that the CELL would make up for their poor choice of NVIDIA's graphics card, but they missed calculated.

[Oner]

How can you say to use multiplatform as a base for comparison? That's like putting an Enzo against an F1 car then putting the same street tires on both and on top of that saying you can't go faster than 100 mph on a track. You are not using what the better car is capable of by restricting it to some sort of weak attempt to make things "even".

They are both very good in what they do, just that there is no comparison between the 2 when used at their MAXIMUM capabilities. So ultimately you are not representing the real truth by hindering one to fit a "purpose". If the PS3 can outperform the 360 in AI & Graphics using the best of the best on BOTH systems that is a pretty clear indication and obviously shows who comes out on top.

But I will playcate what you said for a minute...If you want to talk multiplats why is it that titles like Fallout 3, Dead Space, Oblivion and many others look better & play equal or better on the PS3 anyway? I know why, because the devs put the proper time into making a proper game. It has nothing to do specifically with a more powerful "graphics card"...it's about a more powerful usage of the whole system together in culmination to make a better end product. You are still stuck on somehow the graphics card is the be all end all for comparisons when it is not. You are the only one miscalculating things here (no doubt about that), because you fail to see past that limited point of view that is untrue of what is indicative to actual proof.

The point is that exclusives show what each is possible and capable of. The REAL powerhouses that show their standings, so like I said above, there are LOTS of titles that beg to differ and reflect how it really is. Plus there are MANY more on the way that support my point (Heavy Rain, GoW3 etc).

And again no disagrees can change those facts.

[GarandShooter]

@emitsomia

Why don't you tell us what data is sent to the graphics card on a 360, how much processing takes place there, then explain why pre-processing can't be used by the cell before the data is sent to the video card, to create similar or better results. In other words, maybe you could back up your so called 'facts' with facts...er, data.

[emitsomla]

Once again you missed my point... Using non-exclusive titles to compare graphic capabilities will give us a more accurate and reliable source to work with when comparing the two machines. Non-exclusive will by no means limit the capability of either system. But to try to come up with a conclusion, while graphically comparing two totally different exclusive games is not an accurate source. Different games means different art styles and lighting technique, it will be difficult to determine which game looks better. Some people are attracted to the art style of MGS4 to GeOW2... Some people believe the opposite. With the two system being so close in capabilities, the best way to determine what system is graphically superior is to analyze the same game on each platform. Let's compare the games you have provided: Oblivion ps3 is superior in graphics, but the devs had an extra year to work with to sup the game up a little. Fallout, not even, I've played both versions on the same t.v. with the same settings, and the 360 is superior graphically. Dead Space absolutely not, same as Fallout, I played both versions and Xbox comes out on top graphically. I am stuck on the graphics card, because the article is about graphics. Your theory is lacking logic. You are suggesting you don't need a superior graphics card to produce higher quality graphics.

[Oner]

You really are blind to the real facts and can't see past that huh? Here I'll make it as clear as I can (once again)

The PS3 can produce better graphics and environments because of the hardware inside of it. Ram, BD, GPU, CPU & SPU's COMBINED make this fact. There is more to it than just a "graphics card" which represents factual reality.

Also if my theory is lacking logic, how is it that the PS3 can produce higher quality images & graphics? <-- FACT...You just won't/can't admit I am right and my logic is true.

Edit: you know what have a read on this post 1 or 2 pages back ~ http://www.n4g.com/Redirect... then maybe JUST maybe you will get it.

[emitsomla]

Nice try at perpetrating like you know what you are talking about, but I really don't have any idea of what you are trying to ask... Data is sent to the graphics card from the processor and data is processed there; that is just how a system works no matter which system it is. But do you seriously believe that the RSX (256 mb of memory) can process data better and/or handle more information than xenos (512 memory) found in the 360? Remember we are comparing graphics, and when it is all is said and done, it is the graphics card which determines the quality of graphics, not the processor. The RSX is inferior to the Xenos. It is inferior in terms of memory, and in terms of calculating power. Also, the Xenos architecture is far more superior than the RSX, in fact NVIDIA is now creating graphics cards based off of ATI's xenos technology. Get your facts straight.

[emitsomla]

PS3 RAM>? Ok you, really have no clue. You have biased facts and refuse to analyze both systems unbiased... rediculous. At the end of the day 256mb @ 3.2 is 256mb of RAM no matter how you cut it. 512mb is superior. Like I said, you have no clue.

[Oner]

Wow! That confirms it...You have absolutely no idea what in the hell you are talking about. I'll take XDR Ram ANY DAY over off the shelf ram

256 @ 3.2 GHz ----> 512 @ 700 mhz

Done & Done.

[SprayandPreycom]

since the system came out a year later than 360... question is why has it taken them this long to start to have better graphics though ? of course the reason why the 360 has sold more consoles is also because it has a whole extra year of being on the market... i love common sense dont you.... (not that im making any of it)

[Sheddi]

Its obvious that 360 should have come 1 year later because of all the failure rate and so on. 360 was rushed.

[SleekDeF]

if you watch tv and you dont know much about games like your grandparents, parents, or just dont know anything. you look at the graphics point blank.

[OGharryjoysticks]

It's funny how there are not many 3rd party games made specific for the PS3, but then one of them (MGS4) winds up being touted as one of the best games graphically. To me this is funny because I know Sony thinks the world of the game studios they have in house, but there is just something about 3rd party games that makes me wonder what type of games would the PS3 produce if 3rd party game companies really tried to design and release a PS3 game without an intention of porting it in the future?

[likedamaster]

No offense, but I've been waiting for the PS3 to top 360's graphics since 2006... still waiting.

[Jager]

Shoulda stopped waiting... MGS4 won. VGA best Graphics award.

[ReTarDedFisHy]

MGS4 won both Spike's VGA's Best Graphics and GameSpot's Best Graphics.

Also, if you're talking about Multi-platform, you can stop waiting because of Burnout: Paradise and Dead Space, which are only a couple. ESPECIALLY Dead Space which looks miles better than the 360 counterpart. Due to what I said to emitsomla ^^^

The lighting in that game... <3
Especially that retina-scorching HDR

Edit: Oh yeah, you could've also stopped waiting in the 2007 holiday with Uncharted.

[bestbacon]

You need to realize that its already been disputed that the ps3 has superior graphics, its just that he believes that the graphics don't make for EVERYTHING in a game.

Despite the fact that in 2006 we may have had dozens and dozens of graphics comparison's, that's all beyond us now... sheesh.

[media73]

ha ha ha now that is funny, ps3 has 1, yes ONE decent game coming. Its been a blu-ray player only for me, and its dusty at that. Complete waste of money.

ps. home was poop, all that time trying to log in and for what? a cash in..

[Iceman100]

Wasn't that system supposed to do that from the start? ps3 is on it's last legs, and when final fantasy fails it's done.

"disputed that the ps3 has superior graphics" what does that matter when the system is in last place?, and for that matter if it's not superior then the game sucks right sony?

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

halo 3's visuals >>> anything on ps3

[Ldubbz]

So many people on here will kill u for saying that, but I also agree that Halo 3 is one of the best lookers out there. Just look at the screen shots that people post from Halo 3...ridiculous. The HDR is STILL the best in any game yet, and it runs smooth as butter, with the best textures on any console game yet (IMHO).

While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, you get an agree from me....though saying it trounces everything on PS3 is purely opinion, and Im not familiar enough with MGS4 to refute that....COD isnt too shabby either...

[house]

really dude halo 3?? thats a nice game but when you put it up with mgs4 its nothing trust me i am not trying to be an ass but really halo 3 is nothing when you put it up to uncharted and mgs4

[Xi]

Lets see what microsoft has to offer in 2009.

Then see what those games actually look like when they're released.

I still doubt anything will be released in 2009 that one system can do and the other cannot. I bet killzone 2 could be done on the 360 if a team was given the same budget and time.

[MiztaToungueTwista]

yes it will matter.

[Highatus]

Both consoles have seen great graphics as of late, yes the PS3 was struggling in the beginning because it was new to devs. now its turning around.

I'm glad i have both consoles to enjoy all the great games they have to offer.

As for graphics and do they matter? In a way because it helps with player immersion, whether it be realism, or surrealism, the better it looks can have a major draw in factor here. But, I have played many games were graphics weren't really needed. Think of the Snes or Genesis, Chrono Trigger one of my all time favs had poor graphics but didn't need them because of everything else it has to offer. Now with that said we are no longer living in a time where 32bit graphics are peak, if this were different and where running off of the tech today the game would be alot different i presume.

Good article.

[evrfighter]

wrong...256 video memory in the RSX has it's limit...The cell or any cpu does not have the power to take over the worload of texture rendering. You can sit there and pretend the cell can do anything. But in the tech world it's an old technology. I will admit again that for it's time it was a technological wonder. However that wonder will always be held down by the bottleneck that is RSX.

Truth be told and realistically. The PS3 probably won't see graphics any better than mgs4 and kz2. Decent graphics for a console, I will give it that but far short of what your probably thinking it can do.

It's just impossible for a 256mb 7800gt which is the RSX do much more than kz2 which doesn't even compare to Crysis. As it stands its already showing its age with kz2, as another ps3 user pointed out to me. Kz2 runs only around 30fps with 2xAA @ 720p which is a low resolution in this day and age. Short of developing future game with no AA and having to look at jagged edges all day, KZ2 will be ps3's peak in terms of graphics.

[Ldubbz]

Graphically between PS3 and 360 its a wash; both have great lookers that either side could claim as being 'the best'. As far as the future goes, both machines have plenty of potential.

Simply looking at the processors on paper, the CELL is indeed more powerful. But put into actual practice the two processors are pretty much equal. People tend to forget that the 360 is a 3-core processor, with each core capable of running two threads at once, and its built specifically for gaming, whereas the CELL is not. And of course the GPU's arent even a competition really, with the 360's GPU being a full gen ahead of the PS3's.

Its safe to say that both machines still have plenty of juice in them and we will continue to see great looking games pushing the tech every year. but make no mistake; NEITHER machine will EVER be able to run a game like Crysis at full tilt. So just keep that in mind and you ll be good.

[AngryTypingGuy]

Graphics do put the icing on the cake and help immerse you in the game more, so they are important. However, game play is the number one most important aspect of a game.

What makes a console good first and foremost is its game library. If I prefer Halo and Gears over PS3 exclusives, then I'll stick with the 360, regardless of which has better graphics. If you like MGS4 and LBP, then stick with the PS3.

The original Xbox was the undisputed graphics powerhouse last gen, but the PS2 had [what most people would call] the best library of games. If graphics were that important, then all of those PS2 owners would've ditched their PS2's for an Xbox. They didn't however, because of all of the great game franchises available on the PS2.

Now, many of those great games that helped define Sony's library advantage can be found on the 360 (YES!). Sony no longer has the clear lineup advantage. In fact, many gamers, like myself, prefer MS's library to Sony's. In terms of graphics, the 360 has outperformed the PS3 for most of this gen, but the PS3 may have more potential for the future. The PS3 has some amazing looking exclusives coming out. Considering that the PS3 was supposed to blow the 360 out of the water from day one, the 360 is quite an impressive machine.

But is it too little too late for the PS3? The PS3 has amazing looking games here and there, but for the most part, the PS3 and the 360 are still graphically on par with each other. If a day comes where every PS3 game is hands down better looking than anything the 360 can offer, it won't be until the next generation has arrived anyway. Then, the whole argument will start all over again.

Bottom line, it's all about whichever console you think has the better games, and better overall package, period.

By the way, it is disturbing how some of you Sony fanboys do seem to have an emotional relationship with Sony. Hey, I like the 360, but I know the MS are a bunch of pricks who would nickel-and-dime you to death every chance they get. If you don't think Sony is the same way, then you're naive.

[Xbox is the BEST]

systems are far from maxed out. You are right graphics don't make a game or break it, gameplay is what matters. And the PS3 library gets owned it that department.

http://www.liveleak.com/vie...

[Figboy]

but i find it funny how graphics are suddenly no longer important and "don't really matter," when the tables are noticeably turning, but god forbid a GOOD game like Resistance fell short of Gears of War two years ago...

i think, after seeing titles like Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and Little Big Planet (even Resistance 2 has some phenomenal visuals; they just aren't consistent through 100% of the experience, but at least 80% of the game is visually jawdropping) have already proven that the Playstation 3 is a beast with graphics, and surpasses the 360. ESPECIALLY when developers code the Cell and RSX TOGETHER, and properly.

the system is optimized for streaming data, ie, texture data. the console is capable of some amazingly high resolution textures (just check out Uncharted's texture work: phenomenal).

titles like Killzone 2, Heavy Rain, and even inFamous. those games look to set the bar even higher than games like MGS4 and Uncharted have done. not to mention Uncharted 2 looking amazingly better than it's predecessor in every category.

i've yet to see an Xbox 360 title not crutching against Unreal Engine 3.

i would absolutely LOVE to see a 360 game have an engine built from the ground up to push it's graphics processor, and CPU to it's limits.

so far, the PS3 has gotten more than a handful of games that push the hardware, but practically ALL first and second party PS3 titles have an engine that was built from the ground up to utilize the PS3's strengths. Heavenly Sword, Ratchet and Clank Future, Uncharted, GT5, Little Big Planet, MGS4, etc, all use their own engines, tailored specifically for their game, and they look amazing, and rank as the best looking console games of this generation, hands down.

the 360 is still in love with UE3. in the end, that will hurt the console. especially as UE3 ages (it's already 3+ years old).

even built from the ground up engines like Fable 2 fall short (i'm watching my fiance play Fable 2 right NOW, on our 40" 720p Samsung, and the game just isn't visually impressive. it's a very enjoyable game, and there are a few "that's pretty" parts, but overall, character animation, texture resolution, lighting, and character models are very sub-par for this generation).

Gears of War is Unreal Engine 3. Bioshock is Unreal Engine 3. Mass Effect is Unreal Engine 3, and so on, and so forth.

i want to see more exclusives using their own engines (is Alan Wake using it's own engine? i can't remember. that game looks amazing, and i'd like to see more like it).

[V3L0CiTY]

to me graphics dont make me decide between a game or a console. its just how good the game is and if its fun or not... sure the graphics are a great addition but i wouldnt mind them if i was going to buy one... the ps3 will only win because of its free online imo

[willwsu]

Graphics will not help a machines situation. The Xbox 1 and Dreamcast are testaments to that. Games are why the PS2 dominated and why the 360 is besting the PS3(at the moment). Heck, the Wii is smashing everything and has the weakest graphics of this generation hands-down.

[Raw711]

*Ryu Stage Music*

[Rageanitus]

Im a ps3 fan and I own a ps3.... and all I can say is console fanboys are too close minded.

The xbox 360 essentially has a x1900 ati card and the ps3 has a 7800 or 7900 nvidia video card... What does that mean they have very similar features and performance.

Console fanboys should get real and realize that they are essentially the same gen video card. Yes the cell does have some neat architecture that allows to do gpu instructions.... but the fact of the matter is it will not make that much a difference. Sorry but there is a limitation because of the ram. Not saying the xbox is any better.... it might be a tad worse in THEORY but realistically most developers develop from a pc background and the xbox has made the transition a tad easier. This is why most multiplatform games look better on the xbox.... because they program with the xbox in mind first and port it over to the ps3.

[Raw711]

but is killzone 2 co-op split screen???????????

[smurfie4]

No it doesn't have co-op.

[Si-Pie]

Ive seen some fantastic looking and great playing games on both machines. I think people should just appreciate what developers do and how great the games are today! I appreciate it more because from when I was younger we had graphics like that on the Atari 2600, C64 etc and yet I still enjoyed them! In fact some of the games back then are much more fun to play than some of the games today despite lacking in graphics. Games today though are so much more advanced than back then on both the PS3 and 360 alike so when people I know argue over which is best I just say appreciate them both because they are both worlds apart from what I used to play back then!

[-Neon-]

It just won't.

[SprayandPreycom]

there never good enough just like everything else in life .... :[

[kewlkat007]

then we could see how they push them individually....

If you only look at regular exclusives, you really can't know if the same could be done on the other platform...

At the end of the day it's not graphics that sells games or makes a company successful....yes just look at Nintendo.

[bobdog626]

It,s up to the Dev,s to take advantage of there system .The more they work with it the Better they will get.The 360 Will hang with the Ps3 for a Long Long time plus the Price is Right.

[FxckOSX]

perplexed 360-fanboys quoted "john carmack said" anytime.

hey c'mon
did he showed any proof about it for us?

I interesting it
and show me now.

[alwayzbusi1]

360 fanboys believe the multiplatform titles that look better on 360 are beyond the graphical capabilities of the PS3?

Does this also mean the multiplats that look better on PS3 are beyond the capabilities of the 360?

Of course not. The truth is, multiplatform titles are well within the limitations of BOTH consoles. The differences between them are only due to software programming (portITIS) not hardware. This goes both ways and is the reason multiplatform comparisons hold no weight with the logical mind. It's like a Ferrari and a Lambo going 80mph and somebody says "which car is going faster at 80mph?". The only way is to compare exclusives, until a company makes a multiplaform title that takes advantage each console's unique strengths. But don't hold your breath on that one.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

but all I can say is it's about time in 09 that Im going to see my system do stuff that I expected at launch... cause the cell and blu-ray were implemented at launch right?... bout time my games will look how I've been wanting them too, now game purchases for my PS3 will finally be justified for me.

Maybe Im just too picky!

[hiphopgamer619]

the xbox 360 is a beast ps3 just cant cut it lets face it

[alwayzbusi1]

PS3 owners could never dream of graphics as good as Forza 2. We're just stuck with GT5p looking all photorealistic and all... wait

[addnewman]

Before i get bashed by the fanboys i just want to say no IMO i dont think it matters that much games don't need that extra boost in graphics you can look at games that aren't graphically enhanced like okami a game that doesn't use the unreal engine or any engine like that but is still breath taking

[Mire]

Just what id expect to hear from fanboys, of course graphics matter that's how systems improve ,if we all had your attitude then the ps2 and xbox will still be around because graphics don't matter. Like seriously stupid article ever made.

[RedVsBlue]

Graphics mean nothing to the casual gamers & the fan boy group is not large enough to ensure an exclusive games success. So no in the end graphics don't matter. If Graphics mattered then the PS3 would be outselling the 360 everywhere on all fronts