Most Halo fans would agree that the PC version of Halo was completely bastardized and ruined by gearbox. It had/has so many glitches, and extra items that weren't in the xbox version (which also served to destroy Bungie's carefully orchestrated BALANCE, which is one of Halo's biggest accomplishments).

The PC version basically sucked. View

...and it was MS's fault. My new ACER laptop is running Vista x64, but comes preloaded with a bunch of ACER bloatware that is only compatible with 32 bit processing. I didn't know that, at the time (figuring that the company I bought the computer from would probably not install incompatible software) and tried opening one of those programs. The computer crashed to blue screen.

I've since uninstalled that program, and haven't had the blue screen issue again. View

"For the longest time, my friend could not install any programs (including internet security) without permission from his sister's account. The only solution was making every user on their computer an administrator. Wierd crap."

Obviously his sister was the computer's administrator, and since he was trying to install a new program he required an administrator's approval. This isn't weird at all. In fact, it's pretty obvious - that's what administrator vs. standard user accounts are MEANT for, afterall. Try working at a large company and installing a program on your computer without administrator access and see what happens.

The simple solution is exactly what your friend ended up doing. If everybody on the computer is meant to have equal access and ability to install stuff, then give them all administrator rights. Doesn't get much more simple than that. View

The only things Japanese people care about is spikey-haired, metrosexual, pedophile protagonists with girly voices and horrible dialogue. Well, that or dating simulators because they're too sad to have a real life and a real girlfriend (like the majority of N4G). View

Pretty weak. View

I meant "yawn" to the entire Sony conference as a whole (hit reply by mistake). This was only marginally better than Nintendo's...

Socom will probably be pretty cool though.

Otherwise... <yawn> View

<yawn> View

...will actually end at 07:07:07am Pacific Time (Bungie's Time Zone).

2pm? Pffft. Give me a break. Nobody cares about Europe. View

I'm just here for the lulz... View

I was a bit worried yesterday before I popped my copy in since it was being reported that this is a PS3 & 360 problem. But I went home and everything ran smoothly. Same for everyone else on my friends list that got it (20+ people).

I haven't personally heard much of anyone having issues with the 360 version aside from the usual grumblings that happen when ANY new game is released. "OMG! Halo 3 is causing RRoD!" "OMG! Gears of War is causing RRoD!" "Gears of War broke my xbox!" etc. It's all just faulty hardware and has nothing to do with the game. Not saying that's the case here... I just don't think the 360 is having widespread problems with this game. View

Xbox Live was never down. PSN was down. View

WTF is going on? When the original post from Beyond3D about the PS3 version not being native 720p was posted as a story - it failed approval. The SDF was in here screaming bloody murder about the source being from forums and against N4G posting guidlines.

...now, the exact same forum is used as a source to post a story, and it's APPROVED?! Wtf?!

This site is so broken and poorly moderated it's not even funny anymore. View

From what I understand, Sony only provides the 'common link' for developers to tie the online portion of their game to (unless the game is first party - then they provide everything). Third-party developers are solely responsible for the setup and maintenance of their own servers (and any and all costs associated with that).

Essentially what Sony is doing is passing the cost of running an online network over to the developers, hence the service being free for the users.

There's advantages and disadvantages to this, of course. Advantages being that the service is free and developers have 'unlimited' freedom to do what they want with their own servers, amongst others. The disadvantage, however, is that it costs developers money so they are generally going to try to find the cheapest way to run the online portion of their game (whether that is leasing servers from Gamespy, for instance, or owning your own). Reliability, and the benefits of having a homogenous service that 'plays nice' across all games (no matter who makes them), etc, are also issues. View

That's how I see it too. The PS3 has a filtered effect to soften edges and it also adds some grit. The 360 version is more crisp and sharp (due to AA and no upscale?) - you can most easily see this on facial expressions and detail on background textures. Either way, they both look great. View

Good to hear! I'm planning on pulling off some epic heists and drive-bys with my boys tonight. View

Microsoft stated last week that they doubled the capacity of XBL during that shutdown last Monday, so I'm hoping things will continue to run smoothly. I still have about 6 hours to go before I'll be logging in for the first time and I'd like to test out some multiplayer tonight!

As for the PS3 issues, it's anyone's guess. Reports last week said that Rockstar is using Gamespy servers for GTA4...? View

How about we tone down the hyperbole a little bit, shall we?

"FAR less pop ups"

-- I don't recall reading any reviews that said the PS3 version has *FAR* less pop ups. Fewer pop ups? Yes. But try to cut the exaggerations down to a minimum, ok?

-- As for framerate, it's funny that people keep quoting that IGN review, "...framerate drops AND (particularly on the 360) pop-in..." Does everyone just ignore the little word 'and' between the portion of the sentence referring to framerate and pop-in? The review is clearly stating that both versions suffer from occasional framerate issues, and the 360 has more noticeable pop-in.

-- Finally, would you not expect a game that is running at a lower resolution to have better framerate, less pop-in, etc? I don't understand why you find this so surprising? Typically, when you turn down the resolution on a game, you're reducing the load on the hardware. You get the same results when you remove AA. Try loading up a game on your PC at highest resolution and AA settings. How's the performance? Now reduce the resolution and remove the AA. Notice the boost? Why is it, then, that the PS3 runs at a lower resolution, with no AA, and only manages a minimal boost in performance over the 360 version running at a higher resolution with AA? Wouldn't you expect a huge improvement in framerate, for example? The PS3 is pushing about 1,000,000 (23.4% less) pixels than the 360 is, per frame. The reduction of loading times and pop-in is most likely due to the installation as opposed to processing power.

It comes down to the machines having radically different architectures; just because something works for the 360 doesn't mean it'll work for the PS3, and vice versa. If anything, the fact that Rockstar was able to get the two versions so alike on two completely different sets of hardware speaks to the talent of their studio. One might expect a huge boost in performance after reducing the resolution and AA, but we know this isn't the case. Why? Perhaps the PS3 is doing SOMETHING ELSE behind the scenes, like filtering/upscaling, because that's what works for THAT console. Big deal.

Watching you guys fight about miniscule details is hilarious. What's even more hilarious is the amount of 'damage control' (as if there's any damage to control) and energy is spent on trying to cover up fact. I don't care about which console you prefer, or what game looks better to reviewers or anyone else. I just care about pointing out the facts.

EDIT:

As for which actually looks better, I don't know because I haven't seen either in action. But from these comparisons, it looks like the 360 holds up pretty well against the supposedly 'superior' PS3 version:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum... View

Actually, it's looking more and more like the PS3 doesn't use any anti-aliasing at all... just filtering and upscaling.

"this?
http://img294.imageshack.us...
no AA, just filter and upscale"

http://forum.beyond3d.com/s...

It seems like Rockstar was unable to get the game running on par with the 360 version at the same resolution (360 runs true 720p w/ 2xAA) so they downscaled it, removed AA, and applied a good filter.

It looks like they got pretty nice results from doing so, of course. The final product looks nice. But that doesn't eliminate the technicalities... only the "PS3 version looks better because it's technically superior" arguement is eliminated. View

The fact that you even have to start your comment by stating "I'm not an xbot" and end it with "P.S. I love my ps3" goes to show how pathetic this site had become. You shouldn't have to "shield" yourself from the onslaught of rabid Sony Defense Force morons for stating a fact.

630p doesn't make the game inferior, it makes it DIFFERENT. That is all. Christ.

Bubbles up for you for not being a blinded idiot. View

There was a story posted about it, but it failed approval because the Sony Defense Force made sure to spam/lame report it to death since the story link was to a forum post at Beyond3d.

...the ironic thing is that the *very same guy* who made the 630p GTA4 PS3 discovery also made the Halo 3 640p discovery *on the exact same forum* and THAT story was posted (and approved) here on N4G. That Halo 3 story later went on to accumulate almost 300 comments and hit 1220 degrees.

***
Here are the links to the stories in question:

Halo 3: http://www.n4g.com/xbox360/...

GTA 4: http://www.n4g.com/NewsPend...
***

So yes, the PS3 version runs natively at 1120x630p and the 360 version runs natively at 720p. That means the Ps3 has almost 1,000,000 less pixels on screen at any given moment (or 23% less) than the 360 version.

That's not necessarily a bad thing - a lower resolution could free up resources, allowing a developer the ability to increase anti-aliasing, for example. COD4 was only 600p and it looks fantastic. Halo 3 was 640p and it looks great, too.

...It does throw a wrench into the 'PS3 version looks better because of technical superiority' arguement, however. The game is running at a lower resolution. Fact. View