http://ps3.ign.com/articles/762/762108p1.html


Fans of the Elder Scrolls series have always loved the flexibility the franchise afforded them during their adventures, but when the eagerly awaited Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was released last March, even they were astounded by its depth. Players could literally choose their own adventure within the massive game, which offered over 200 hours of play. Characters could be customized in various ways, and it was easy for gamers to make powerful magic users, fighters, thieves or other classes as they attempted to close the gates of Oblivion. For PC and Xbox 360 gamers, it was a match made in RPG heaven. Fortunately for PS3 owners, Oblivion will soon be descending upon the system. We got the chance to play the latest build of the game today, and we came away with new impressions from the land of Cyrodiil.

Apart from the initial scale of Oblivion, which was simply huge, Bethesda Game Studios augmented the adventure with eight downloadable plug-in features. Items like the Horse Armor download seemed much more of a minor adjustment than a significant addition to the gameplay. Others like the Orrery or Mehrunes' Razor provided separate locations for players to battle through, collecting experience and valuable items. Unlike the PC and 360 versions, the PS3 edition will not feature all eight of the currently available plug-ins for the game. They may find their way to the PlayStation Store at some point in time in the future, but they will not be added into the version as a "PS3 Collector's Edition" or a special copy of Oblivion. Instead, the title will only include the recently released Knights of the Nine side quest, as you attempt to recover lost artifacts of the Divine Crusader and restore glory to the order of warriors.

PS3 owners will get their own taste of Oblivion this March.
Players of the PC or 360 version of the quest know that only those characters who don't have any infamy associated to their name can begin the pilgrimage to start the Knights of the Nine quest. However, there have been a few changes made for the PS3 version. Characters can now immediately set out on their pilgrimage to the Wayshrines of the Divines as soon as they exit the sewers at the start of the game (which served as a tutorial). This immediately lets you bypass having to track down the rumor about the attack on Anvil Chapel and start on your quest for righteousness.

The PS3 version of Oblivion isn't a simple port of the game either, although players who have picked up the 360 version will be very familiar with the control scheme. For one thing, the PS3 version has been optimized to take advantage of the Cell processor and hardware that the system offers. As a result, the game runs a lot faster than the 360 build. Entering dungeons or buildings results in a load of 3-5 seconds, compared to the 7-10 seconds or longer for the 360 version of the game. Similarly, the amount of framerate drops or hitches that cropped up in the wilderness as you accessed a new area on the 360 have been substantially reduced on the PS3 version. There is a plan to completely eradicate these issues as the game nears release, as well as fixing a number of bugs that were present in the other builds. Kiss the item duplication glitch goodbye.

Visual textures are much sharper in the PS3 version of the game.
The visual presentation of Oblivion has also been significantly enhanced. While it was a beautiful title on the 360, far off environmental details often displayed low resolution textures. This has been fixed with new shaders dedicated to rendering the foreground cleanly with sharper details, so rocky landscapes now have craggy appearances instead of smooth, non-distinct surfaces. While there is still a fair amount of pop-in that occurs (which can't be helped due to the size of the world), the draw distance is farther than the 360 version. As a result, screens from the PS3 version should approach those from high end PCs running Oblivion, which is an impressive feat. We'll have more on Oblivion soon, but for now, check out these new screens.

lets hope it sells enough for them to release downloads for it, I'm sure it will

I think I'd be surprised if it WASNT running better. Hell its been what??

A YEAR now since it was released on 360..




Common sense would lead me to believe any thing further developed a year should be better.

Thats good to hear that devs will use the added power of the PS3 to make games look better and load faster.

I am surprised that they are able to up the resolution and Detail while decreasing the load times. This is also suprising given the Slower maximum transfer rate fo the BD-rom.

I wonder if its due to the fact that the PS3 has a hard drive in every machine. Whereas only some 360s have hard drives.

Good to hear that it runs a lot faster than the 360 build and also sports better details. edit Plus playing on quiet system in itself is a nice bonus :)

This is good news -can't wait to play it again. :)

Based on some of the rhetoric in this forum, I think a lot of people are surprised that it will play better than the 360 version.

I also think its humorous that some of the usual suspects are still going to try and twist this into something negative.

I think I'd be surprised if it WASNT running better. Hell its been what??

A YEAR now since it was released on 360..

Common sense would lead me to believe any thing further developed a year should be better.

Why? It's not like the 360 code just magically runs on the PS3. I'd bet a good portion of that year was spent redoing original game code just to run on the PS3. I, for one, am glad and appreciative to see some refinements.

Based on some of the rhetoric in this forum, I think a lot of people are surprised that it will play better than the 360 version.

I also think its humorous that some of the usual suspects are still going to try and twist this into something negative.

To be fair though, the game has been in development on the PS3 for longer than it was on the 360 if I'm not mistaken.

I'm not taking any sides here -I love both my 360 and my PS3. It's all about the games really, but that might be a consideration in the cause for increased performance. Who knows what they've done as far as performance enhancements with the various engines (GFX, sound, Physics, Etc).

To be fair though, the game has been in development on the PS3 for longer than it was on the 360 if I'm not mistaken.

I'm not taking any sides here -I love both my 360 and my PS3. It's all about the games really, but that might be a consideration in the cause for increased performance. Who knows what they've done as far as performance enhancements with the various engines (GFX, sound, Physics, Etc).

Doubtful. Companies don't usually develop for two different platforms simultaneously unless they plan to release the game simultaneously. Since the games are more than a year apart you can almost be certain that Bethesda is using 360 code is a base for the PS3 port. That's how ports work.

To be fair though, the game has been in development on the PS3 for longer than it was on the 360 if I'm not mistaken.

I'm not taking any sides here -I love both my 360 and my PS3. It's all about the games really, but that might be a consideration in the cause for increased performance. Who knows what they've done as far as performance enhancements with the various engines (GFX, sound, Physics, Etc).

Hard to know. They definitely started developing the 360 version a long time before even the 360 was released. Even so as far as I know this isn't being built from scratch for the PS3 (would love to see that) but merely a conversion to the PS3 from the previous code.

Doubtful. Companies don't usually develop for two different platforms simultaneously unless they plan to release the game simultaneously. Since the games are more than a year apart you can almost be certain that Bethesda is using 360 code is a base for the PS3 port. That's how ports work.It's worth pointing out that the dev team has been using the Gamebryo middleware to create the world of Oblivion. Although they're certainly doing a great deal of programming to optimize and tweak the game for the PS3, they should be able to take just about all the models and environments from the 360 game and re-export them easily. Can't say much on the programming side, since I'm not a code-head.

:cool:

Good news for the PS3 but let's be honest here , the PS3 needs this type of stuff to start happening more often just to overcome all the bad press thus far . If the PS3 can at least equal the 360 on the dual platform titles then sales will certainly increase and the lackluster launch will soon be foregiven .

----- Jason

It's been mentioned by Bethesda that the shader optimization done to make the PS3 version currently look better will be available for the 360 via an update. Also, the load times were addressed and significantly improved (as well as the framerate) in a previous update.

So, Oblivion looking a lot better on PS3 has nothing to do with PS3's Cell and RSX?

The visual presentation of Oblivion has also been significantly enhanced. While it was a beautiful title on the 360, far off environmental details often displayed low resolution textures. This has been fixed with new shaders dedicated to rendering the foreground cleanly with sharper details, so rocky landscapes now have craggy appearances instead of smooth, non-distinct surfaces. While there is still a fair amount of pop-in that occurs (which can't be helped due to the size of the world), the draw distance is farther than the 360 version.

On the last 1up show they mentioned that this shader technology is also applicable to the 360 version. They said that 360 owners will get this fix via a game update. In regards to shaders longer dev times benefit both systems.

Cool, well we'll just have to see if the 360 version gets its frame-rate fixed as well.

On the last 1up show they mentioned that this shader technology is also applicable to the 360 version. They said that 360 owners will get this fix via a game update. In regards to shaders longer dev times benefit both systems.

I wouldnt count on that!

Does the PS3 version use AA? I hear it does not. Some are also suggesting that the add-on will improve the 360's version and the PC's version as well with some or all of the new effects the PS3 version is getting.

Score one for the PS3, no buts about it. The system has been out for all of what? 2 or 3 months. News like this should really reassure people that the games are coming.

I thought I had read somewhere that Bathesda was having issues relating to the PS3's memory? is this not an issue now?

I guess blu-ray data transfer rates are also not a problem.:)

Beth had some problems with the slow speed of the BD drive, but figured out a way to work around it that seems to actually make it work faster than the dvd drives on the 360. I think the combination of putting multiple copies of data on a BD disc to lessen seek times is a great idea coupled with the inclusion of a hard drive in every PS3 means that games like this can be sped up quite a bit in the loading department. The game looking better is also wonderful news, although it seems it was just the work of some updated shaders that are also going to appear on the 360 and the PC. However, at least it doesn't look and play worse like some of these other multi-platform games. I hope more developers will work to get the PS3 running these games better instead of just doing a hack port job and throwing out there in the market.

I guess blu-ray data transfer rates are also not a problem.:)

Bethesda was very clear that BR transfer speed was a problem and that they were working on a solution to it.

I wouldnt count on that!

I'm pretty positive it will happen, like I said earlier, check out the last 1up show they sounded confident it would happen also.

IGN says not all the shaders will be ported. Some are optimized for PS3 hardware and will not make it to other platforms. I don't have enough post to include the link.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/762/762882p1.html
However, certain optimizations that take advantage of the system's hardware will remain exclusive to the PS3 version of the game.

The advantage that single layer DVD has over BD is over rated. And dual layer really doesn't have any advantage. Don't get me wrong, I congratulate Bethesda for there accomplishments, but BD has gotten a lot of bad and misleading press regarding its transfers rates and how it will effect games this generation.... BD has a CONSTANT data transfer rate of 72 megabits per second no matter where the data is on the disk, while DVD has a VARIABLE transfer rate of between 52 to 128 megabits per second. Luckily Oblivion is on a single layer DVD, as the load times would of been even worse for the 360 since the speed would drop down to a peak of 85 megbits per second if it was on a dual layer DVD.

"The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion PS3 Impressions
The Xbox 360's best role-playing game will finally hit the PlayStation 3 in March with a few technical enhancements to make up for its tardiness.
"

http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6165505&om_act=convert&om_clk=multimodule&tag=multimodule;picks;story;6

Controlwise, Oblivion is essentially unchanged from the Xbox game. In fact, coming straight from a hands-on session with the 360 version of Shivering Isles, we were able to start playing Oblivion on the PS3 with nary a tutorial or explanation of the controls.

The real enhancement is in the visuals and, to some extent, the loading times. The game seemed to have a slightly smoother and more consistent frame rate than it did on the Xbox, though the difference wasn't enormous, and it seemed to us that the textures looked just a tad sharper. More obvious (and confirmed by Bethesda) was an improvement to the game's texturing over large distances. Remember how the original Oblivion had a line set an arbitrary distance in front of the player beyond which ground textures turned into kind of a muddy mess? That's all taken care of now, thanks to a new custom pixel shader. The effect is only noticeable outdoors--though it's more accurate to say the effect is not noticeable if you've never played a previous version of the game--but it's a nice addition nonetheless.



I swear I'm coming to stores this time, honest!
Oblivion will make extensive use of the PS3's hard drive by caching multiple gigabytes of data, which seemed to help with load times from what we saw. Bethesda's Pete Hines also commented that recent reports of data duplication on the PS3 Oblivion disc have been exaggerated, and this technique isn't different from the similar strategy that was employed in the creation of the Xbox 360 game last year. Lastly, it's unclear if or when the PS3 will see the Shivering Isles content that's on the way to the PC and Xbox, though with a burgeoning PlayStation Network and plenty of unfilled hard drive space, it's not hard to imagine the expansion can be made available to PS3 owners somewhere down the road.

I was listening to a 1upYours podcast just the other day (I think it was their last podcast of 2006), and they mentioned Oblivion for PS3, and Shane Bettenhausen was talking about the reason for Oblivion taking so long on PS3, and he claimed that it was having some serious frame rate issues. Of course, this was back in late December, but after hearing that, I thought...."Hmm. Maybe I'm not going to want to even rent Oblivion for the PS3 now".

But maybe things have changed drastically since the last time the 1up guys have seen a build of it.

I was listening to a 1upYours podcast just the other day (I think it was their last podcast of 2006), and they mentioned Oblivion for PS3, and Shane Bettenhausen was talking about the reason for Oblivion taking so long on PS3, and he claimed that it was having some serious frame rate issues. Of course, this was back in late December, but after hearing that, I thought...."Hmm. Maybe I'm not going to want to even rent Oblivion for the PS3 now".

But maybe things have changed drastically since the last time the 1up guys have seen a build of it.

Or maybe 1up just like to rag on the PS3.

This is good news -can't wait to play it again. :)

Or maybe 1up just like to rag on the PS3.

Shane Bettenhausen is like the biggest Microsoft-hating, raving Sony fanboy on the planet. :p

So what about the shaders or optimizations? Rumors were released stating that everything in the PS3 version of the game would migrate over to the 360 or the PC, which kicked off a screaming match on boards about which version was ultimately better. According to Hines, the shader functionality that would re-render the low-res textures would inevitably make its way to the 360 build and PC in future updates. However, certain optimizations that take advantage of the system's hardware will remain exclusive to the PS3 version of the game
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/762/762882p1.html


PS3 FTW :D

I just cant belive this, I mean one good thing happens to PS3/Sony - the whole community comes out slamming it. Or before it comes out the community slamming it? Is PS3 that bad? the other system was a JOKE When it came out, it took M$ a year to get back on its feet, during launch the X360 did not have any of the stuff we getting.

We are getting constant updates, games that are starting to look better than X360, oh wait 1080p became a reality... and etc. Yet all i hear is this freaking bastards talking smack, or bringing their insecurites. So what if the game lives up to the hype and all that it was promissed including the native 1080p support? What else will you find?

IF you guys dont mature up, it be sad but I will have to ignore a bunch of you?

I wonder do you see me go to the XBOX forums and kill their Excitment? I DOUBT IT!

I'm glad to hear that a developer is actually putting some effort into a PS3 port. Thus far, most 360 to PS3 ports have been a mess. The architectures are quite different and just getting your 360 code up and running on the PS3 is going to yield poor results.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Software
Release Date: February 2007
Genre: RPG

What to Expect: One of the biggest, most ambitious role-playing games of the year comes to the PlayStation 3 with full 1080p HD support and the all-new sidequest, "Knights of the Nine." But even without this fresher content, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion would still be an engaging experience. Following the aftermath of the assassination of Cyrodill's beloved king, Bethesda's original storyline is one of betrayal, heroism and selflessness as Oblivion's players embark on a quest of uncountable gameplay hours packed with fully customizable characters, an advanced NPC AI system, and more side-missions than you can shake a steel sword +2 at. Cancel all your appointments before taking this one on.

LINK (http://ps3.ign.com/articles/755/755571p1.html)

Now that scaling is used in the PS3, I am wondering if it will be 960x1080P or 1920x1080P.

I wonder do you see me go to the XBOX forums and kill their Excitment? I DOUBT IT!

I have a PS3 otherwise I wouldn't post here. You do have a 360, right?

Not everybody who takes a realistic view in this business is out to troll you and upset you.

It is very cool that Bethesda is putting some real effort into this port, which often doesn't happen with third-party cross-platform titles. Even when there is no 1080p, even if the 360 gets an upgrade patch as well, that still won't take anything away from this effort. Oblivion is a great game and it is great that they are working hard on this port. Enjoy it!

I have a PS3 otherwise I wouldn't post here. You do have a 360, right?

Not everybody who takes a realistic view in this business is out to troll you and upset you.

It is very cool that Bethesda is putting some real effort into this port, which often doesn't happen with third-party cross-platform titles. Even when there is no 1080p, even if the 360 gets an upgrade patch as well, that still won't take anything away from this effort. Oblivion is a great game and it is great that they are working hard on this port. Enjoy it!


No I dont own a 360! Yet I dont bash it either, and you wont see me in the XBOX forums. Anyway I am only deffending whats mine. However, I give you a hand friend since we share the same opinion when it comes to "even if it comes out in 720p" the game should be fun! < and that is what matters.

What would suck, if the game never came to PS3, and I had to upgrade a PC to play it. Or buy a X360 for just one game... IMO perhaps one day, I'll own all three, but last gen the two non sony machines were collecting dust since i played more on PS2.

I just cant belive this, I mean one good thing happens to PS3/Sony - the whole community comes out slamming it. Or before it comes out the community slamming it? Is PS3 that bad? the other system was a JOKE When it came out, it took M$ a year to get back on its feet, during launch the X360 did not have any of the stuff we getting.

It's part of the internet the micro-inspecting of each and every issue. It seems to me the PS3 is a fine machine which someday I may own, content will drive that decision. But at the same time if people are trying to pursue the truth, talking about this subject isn't bad if you keep it reasonable. To show the 360 isn't perfect I think anybody can really really slam the 360 in its reliability, it sounds like one of the faultiest consoles if not thee faultiest console ever created. I can see myself with a PS3 by next Christmas. But that doesn't change possible truths that PS3 Oblivion doesn't use AA, which is a sizeable hit to me and that several of these improvements will be coming to the 360 and PC. Those two have been reported as well so imo it's fair game to mention. That's all, yeah it's a bit sad the world just isn't a positive place all of the time, animosity on the internet even brings out more of the negative because of it's nature.

Now if it has 1920x1080 rez. that would be note worthy for sure. Definitely a tad skeptical on that. That would definately make AA a less of a need.

It's part of the internet the micro-inspecting of each and every issue. It seems to me the PS3 is a fine machine which someday I may own, content will drive that decision. But at the same time if people are trying to pursue the truth, talking about this subject isn't bad if you keep it reasonable. To show the 360 isn't perfect I think anybody can really really slam the 360 in its reliability, it sounds like one of the faultiest consoles if not thee faultiest console ever created. I can see myself with a PS3 by next Christmas. But that doesn't change possible truths that PS3 Oblivion doesn't use AA, which is a sizeable hit to me and that several of these improvements will be coming to the 360 and PC. Those two have been reported as well so imo it's fair game to mention. That's all, yeah it's a bit sad the world just isn't a positive place all of the time, animosity on the internet even brings out more of the negative because of it's nature.

Who said AA was not there? I don't see anyone mention it besides the speculators? People who guess, and people who get nervous when something good comes out in Sony's camp, I can care less for it...

In reality its all about the games, hopefully the competition is there, and we as gamers enjoy only the best. ALL THREE CAMPS!

The reason people have used their is no AA is the chipset they use inside of the PS3 (and I'm not one saying this is gospel) cannot use HDR and AA at the same time and Oblivion is using HDR. That is their basis, which is a bit PC centric because on the PC that is true, however the PS3 for all they know may not live by the same exact rules. I did mention POSSIBLE truths, it isn't slam-dunk factual to me either.

The reason people have used their is no AA is the chipset they use inside of the PS3 (and I'm not one saying this is gospel) cannot use HDR and AA at the same time and Oblivion is using HDR. That is their basis, which is a bit PC centric because on the PC that is true, however the PS3 for all they know may not live by the same exact rules. I did mention POSSIBLE truths, it isn't slam-dunk factual to me either.


PEOPLE SAID? People Say a lot of things... Have you noticed half of our population is sheep? :confused:

I know that pretty much all NVIDIA chipsets released support FULL AA. PC and PS3 are two completly different things. RSX is comparable to PC Nvidia cards, but features more features under the hood. So how can you belive someone elses opnion is my question?

Now, when it all comes down to it. RESISTANCE SUPPORTS HDR & AA so i dont see why OBLIVION CANT? Explain that? :mad:

Yeah "people said" and I was clear with that. Sony says stuff to and it should always be right and guess what? It's usually a feel good answer lie. I didn't say "I believed" I used "Possible" stop putting words into my mouth that I didn't use. I reviewed what I wrote and was clear on where I got the info and that it isn't definite, you are going to have to live with that. As you mention Resistance supports AA and HDR am I to believe you? You are just "people" to me as well, I have other usernames from those other people to. However not to be a stickler like that I will take that as considerable information (Resistance uses AA and HDR) and if you are correct great! I have no problem learning the true facts of it. Again I never said anything I wrote about this as "TRUE FACTS", imo all of it is hearsay about Oblivion, even the stuff you believe in regards to it because it is still unreleased. I get all of this.

I was listening to a 1upYours podcast just the other day (I think it was their last podcast of 2006), and they mentioned Oblivion for PS3, and Shane Bettenhausen was talking about the reason for Oblivion taking so long on PS3, and he claimed that it was having some serious frame rate issues. Of course, this was back in late December, but after hearing that, I thought...."Hmm. Maybe I'm not going to want to even rent Oblivion for the PS3 now".

But maybe things have changed drastically since the last time the 1up guys have seen a build of it.

I just posted the link before your post. The framerate is better on the PS3 version as well as the textures being sharper on the PS3 version.

it was expected

I read the IGn hands on with Oblivion on the PS3.

The PS3 version looks noticeably better in the visual department (sharper textures and detail due in part to new shaders they have developed, less load times, and much reduced framerate problems in wide open areas when running (they plan to have the stuttering completely eliminated by final release)).

They mentioned nothing about 1080p or lack of AA. In the end it doesn't matter because they said visually it should be up to par with a high end PC when it's all said and done. So who cares about AA if it's sharper textures and detail visually.

The whole 1080p thing is a little premature to be judging Sony on. I feel the PS3 is capable of native 1080p with lots of on screen action and special effects running IF the console is maximized. But it won't be maximized for a few years. A few years......

Before the end of this consoles life you can expect a FPS cranked up at 1080p, but don't hold your breath in the near term.

Not to slight the PS3 but lets be honest here. Its NOT going to look like a "high end" PC. A high end PC today has more invested in the video cards (Certainly they do not consider a single video card system to be high end today) than the PS3 costs with twice the memory per card than the PS3 has for video.

Yeah "people said" and I was clear with that. Sony says stuff to and it should always be right and guess what? It's usually a feel good answer lie. I didn't say "I believed" I used "Possible" stop putting words into my mouth that I didn't use. I reviewed what I wrote and was clear on where I got the info and that it isn't definite, you are going to have to live with that. As you mention Resistance supports AA and HDR am I to believe you? You are just "people" to me as well, I have other usernames from those other people to. However not to be a stickler like that I will take that as considerable information (Resistance uses AA and HDR) and if you are correct great! I have no problem learning the true facts of it. Again I never said anything I wrote about this as "TRUE FACTS", imo all of it is hearsay about Oblivion, even the stuff you believe in regards to it because it is still unreleased. I get all of this.

I played the game, I own the console you have to belive me when I say it, unitll you own a PS3 then we can talk about it! However if you do, then my friend wait for the game and be done with it... Judge it then, don't speculate! Simple? INDEED!

Not to slight the PS3 but lets be honest here. Its NOT going to look like a "high end" PC. A high end PC today has more invested in the video cards (Certainly they do not consider a single video card system to be high end today) than the PS3 costs with twice the memory per card than the PS3 has for video.

It sure will, a HIGH END PC is considered an 7900GS, GTX, 7950GT and Up. Even the SLi powered rigs! So just to clarify one thing for you a 256MB GTX 7900 can render and run Oblivion on a pc with a lof things turned up @ 1920x1080. However, it all depends on the ram and how much of the foot print the actuall OS takes! On a console its a different story!


GT 4 on PS2 was @ 1080i? Yet everyone said that system cant do it....

Not to slight the PS3 but lets be honest here. Its NOT going to look like a "high end" PC. A high end PC today has more invested in the video cards (Certainly they do not consider a single video card system to be high end today) than the PS3 costs with twice the memory per card than the PS3 has for video.


I was just referring to the IGn article that said basically: They thought Oblivion would run on the PS3 like it would on a high end PC.

They were not saying that the PS3 would perform as well as a high end PC in general. That's a pretty fast moving bar to keep up with! They only meant that Oblivion on a high end PC would run about the same on the PS3 when all is said and done.

But today's super high end PC's could run Oblivion maxed out EASY and have much muscle left to spare. Oblivion is not coded to push the latest cutting edge PC's to their performance max.

Basically Oblivion will look as good on your HDTV via the PS3 as it would on any computer.

They were trying to quantify the visual and performance improvements the PS3 version currently has over the 360 version. As a reference, Oblivion looks better on a high end PC than on the 360.

Bethesda was very clear that BR transfer speed was a problem and that they were working on a solution to it.
lol... you keep going and going and going... I already explain why PS3 loading times WILL be better... and here it is - they are better.

lol... you keep going and going and going... I already explain why PS3 loading times WILL be better... and here it is - they are better.



" Bethesda's Pete Hines also commented that recent reports of data duplication on the PS3 Oblivion disc have been exaggerated, and this technique isn't different from the similar strategy that was employed in the creation of the Xbox 360 game last year."

I was just referring to the IGn article that said basically: They thought Oblivion would run on the PS3 like it would on a high end PC.

They were not saying that the PS3 would perform as well as a high end PC in general. That's a pretty fast moving bar to keep up with! They only meant that Oblivion on a high end PC would run about the same on the PS3 when all is said and done.

But today's super high end PC's could run Oblivion maxed out EASY and have much muscle left to spare. Oblivion is not coded to push the latest cutting edge PC's to their performance max.

Basically Oblivion will look as good on your HDTV via the PS3 as it would on any computer.

They were trying to quantify the visual and performance improvements the PS3 version currently has over the 360 version. As a reference, Oblivion looks better on a high end PC than on the 360.
I am not so sure about that... Good thing about console enviroment is that you end up being able to optimize it to the maximum because all of the hardware is the same.

What exactly is top end PC? Quad SLI with Quad core CPU?

It is hard to optimize for everything, from 6200 to 8800 cards, from Nvidia to ATI, from AMD to Intel. At the end, games for consoles are a lot more optimized, especially considering that most of the game sales are on the consoles, not PC.

I think developers lately have been really really lazy when it comes to PC game optimizations. Ability to turn off certain options doesnt really help at all.

the rumors of BD transfer rates causing problems with next generations games are spread by people who are pissed off that Sony is "forcing" the BD movie format on us....

On the last 1up show they mentioned that this shader technology is also applicable to the 360 version. They said that 360 owners will get this fix via a game update. In regards to shaders longer dev times benefit both systems.

How do you do updates if you don't have a HD?

How do you do updates if you don't have a HD?

Very good question.

I don't know ANYBODY with a 360 that doesn't have a HDD. Not a single one.

Secondly, I'm pretty sure Oblivion on my PC outperforms the PS3 version, and with more detail, and I consider my rig mid to high end (I never drop below 60FPS, even outdoors with the draw distance tweaks, settings maxed, 4xAA and HDR)... But it's most likely on par with the average gaming PC today.

GT 4 on PS2 was @ 1080i? Yet everyone said that system cant do it....

If I recall correctly, GT4's 1080i was actually 540 lines field-rendered with the horizontal resolution doubled. Also, 1080i in GT4 has detail loss compared to 480i/p in order to keep the framerate up.

I don't know ANYBODY with a 360 that doesn't have a HDD. Not a single one.

Secondly, I'm pretty sure Oblivion on my PC outperforms the PS3 version, and with more detail, and I consider my rig mid to high end (I never drop below 60FPS, even outdoors with the draw distance tweaks, settings maxed, 4xAA and HDR)... But it's most likely on par with the average gaming PC today.

Yet, MS continues to make the core Xbox360. Just because you don't know anyone that doesn't have a HDD in their Xbox, doesn't mean everyone does.

Let's wait until the game actually comes out before you make decisions.

Umm I thought the PS3 version wasn't going to have the add-on stuff? Thanks, Nothru...

" Bethesda's Pete Hines also commented that recent reports of data duplication on the PS3 Oblivion disc have been exaggerated, and this technique isn't different from the similar strategy that was employed in the creation of the Xbox 360 game last year."
what is that supposed to mean? Since IGN just told us that 360 load times are 2x slower than PS3 load times, which is what I was reffering to.

You can simply better optimize PS3 because of 25/50 GB BD's and standard hard drive.
This is where there difference comes between PS3 and 360 - standard high end features mean that developers can use them all the time.

what is that supposed to mean? Since IGN just told us that 360 load times are 2x slower than PS3 load times, which is what I was reffering to.

You can simply better optimize PS3 because of 25/50 GB BD's and standard hard drive.
This is where there difference comes between PS3 and 360 - standard high end features mean that developers can use them all the time.

I think I remember that before the 360 came out it was Bethesda who talked about not being able to depend on a stock internal hard drive for caching data etc...Purely from memory, they said that they would still make it work but it wasn't a positive. I don't know how or if they intend to use the PS3 drive but if they are able to utilize it in the manner they wanted, I'd venture they'd be on board with saying it helps load times. I guess the flip side was their original ding on the BR drive and having to keep data at convenient locations to help in that aspect, who knows.

Personally, I know everyone with a modded Xbox just installed Morrowind on the harddrive and it made vast improvements. Plus it gave you the ability to use some of very cool the PC mods (then they broke a lot of the mod compatibility when they made the Game of the Year edition with the expansion packs - dumb).

Umm I thought the PS3 version wasn't going to have the add-on stuff? Thanks, Nothru...
Where has there been an article that contradicts their earlier statement that the PS3 version would not have Wizard's Tower, Theive's Den, or Mehrune's Razor etc.? They also said they didn't know if or how they were going to offer it for download over the PSN network or if the memory constraints would allow them to add data to such an expansive game after the fact.

Where has there been an article that contradicts their earlier statement that the PS3 version would not have Wizard's Tower, Theive's Den, or Mehrune's Razor etc.? They also said they didn't know if or how they were going to offer it for download over the PSN network or if the memory constraints would allow them to add data to such an expansive game after the fact.

it won't right out ofthe gate, as they haven't had time to work with the PSN. My guess is they'll look into it once the game has gone gold.

Even with this news, I just justify buying this as I already have the 360 version. It would have to be leaps and bounds better.

oblivion should look better on the system that has an extra 6-12 months of development time. what should be alarming to ps3 fanboys is that sony is quickly running out of multiplatform games where they will enjoy an extra 6-12 month development cycle over the 360...

oblivion should look better on the system that has an extra 6-12 months of development time. what should be alarming to ps3 fanboys is that sony is quickly running out of multiplatform games where they will enjoy an extra 6-12 month development cycle over the 360...
do you have any proof of that? afaik, oblivion was developed on the PC and 360 simultaneously and would be ported to the PS3 after. i don't think it got any extra development time, and like i said before, the extra development time was probably needed just because of the complexity of the hardware. we don't really have to worry either... the dev tools will mature soon enough and developing games for the ps3 will be made easier.

much reduced framerate problems in wide open areas when running (they plan to have the stuttering completely eliminated by final release)


If this is true, then that would be Awesome! I played Oblivion a bit on the 360 when it first came out, but stopped playing after awhile, because I became afraid that it would end up dominating my life and that I wouldn't have any time to play other games. So, I didn't get too far into it, and revisiting it on the PS3 wouldn't be a bad thing at all. I'm still a bit worried that it would consume all my free time though, lol.

It's clear to me which version of Oblivion is going to be the best... the PSP version!!! 272p FTW!

It's clear to me which version of Oblivion is going to be the best... the PSP version!!! 272p FTW!
nope... it will be Wii version, at 272p, because Wii owners care about gameplay and not the graphics :-).

do you have any proof of that? afaik, oblivion was developed on the PC and 360 simultaneously and would be ported to the PS3 after. i don't think it got any extra development time, and like i said before, the extra development time was probably needed just because of the complexity of the hardware. we don't really have to worry either... the dev tools will mature soon enough and developing games for the ps3 will be made easier.


you're not serious, are you? its common sense
oblivion 360 release date: march 20, 2006
oblivion ps3 release date: march 13, 2007

it doesn't take a year to port a game to the ps3. if it does, then the hardware is in more serious trouble than everyone first thought...

you're not serious, are you? its common sense
oblivion 360 release date: march 20, 2006
oblivion ps3 release date: march 13, 2007

it doesn't take a year to port a game to the ps3. if it does, then the hardware is in more serious trouble than everyone first thought...

The PS3 is brand new architecture. To look better and run faster is a good job by the devs learning PS3.

you're not serious, are you? its common sense
oblivion 360 release date: march 20, 2006
oblivion ps3 release date: march 13, 2007

it doesn't take a year to port a game to the ps3. if it does, then the hardware is in more serious trouble than everyone first thought...


Wait a minute. Would you please provide a link where it states that they have worked on the PS3 version for 1 year.

And then post a link where it also states what they used that year for besides a simple port which you stated doesn't take a year.

Post a link where it states that what exactly Bethesda did to optimize the performance of the PS3 hardware.


I doubt you will post any links.

PORTING a game from the PC/360 code (which is closer to each other) to the PS3 is not about showcasing the power of the cell.

PORTING a game to the PS3 is about makiing the code WORK on a different architecture.

Every semi informed non fanboy knows that as graphics engines are built FROM THE GROUND UP for hardware then the hardware is pushed in a performance sense.

Stop trolling with "weak launch ports" as your bait.


Oh yeah, and I'll wait for those links to where it says any of the launch games were rebuilt for the PS3.

you're not serious, are you? its common sense
oblivion 360 release date: march 20, 2006
oblivion ps3 release date: march 13, 2007

it doesn't take a year to port a game to the ps3. if it does, then the hardware is in more serious trouble than everyone first thought...

Dude stop creating fake assumption's, last year I was at GDC speaking to Bethesda Softworks PR for their SPEEDTREE Tech used in the game, and at the time he mentioned the game was exclusive for PC and X360 and no PS3 plans yet. After a while it was introduced for PS3.

So to correct you on that statment of your's it simply means that they are working on code that is being optimized for PS3. :)

Explanation of the PS3 version VS the 360/PC version:


Shack: Can you offer any insight into how much of that was made possible by the PS3 hardware versus simply the additional development time?

Pete Hines: It was entirely due to extra development time. It's not like the PS3 can do this and the others can't, it's actually something we were considering doing for the other platforms as well. We specifically did it here because we had some time and one of our graphics programmers said he could do it.

http://www.shacknews.com/extras/2007/020807_petehines_1.x

Looks like the 1up yours podcast just answered the question as to which version to buy. 360 all the way.

The visual optomizations ARE coming to the 360. The load times might be better with the ps3 version, but they may not be noticable. The new pack may not come with the PS3 version due to size that needs to be in memory. It may never come with it.

Seems like the 360 version is the way to go to keep the game updated.
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/10/oblivion-downgraded-for-ps3-not-happening-on-wii/

Looks like the 1up yours podcast just answered the question as to which version to buy. 360 all the way.

The visual optomizations ARE coming to the 360. The load times might be better with the ps3 version, but they may not be noticable. The new pack may not come with the PS3 version due to size that needs to be in memory. It may never come with it.

Seems like the 360 version is the way to go to keep the game updated.
http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/10/oblivion-downgraded-for-ps3-not-happening-on-wii/

But see, since the 360 doesn't have a stock HDD in the core system, it's pointless. :rolleyes:

But see, since the 360 doesn't have a stock HDD in the core system, it's pointless. :rolleyes:

True enough. Most people have the more expensive unit anyway.

But see, since the 360 doesn't have a stock HDD in the core system, it's pointless. :rolleyes:

Why is it pointless? Is it impossible to buy a HDD for a 360? How many Oblivion owners have a HDD?

Why is it pointless? Is it impossible to buy a HDD for a 360? How many Oblivion owners have a HDD?

Sorry if I was confusing, I was being sarcastic- earlier in the thread, when someone mentioned updates, someone else said, something to the effect of, "what if you don't have a HDD?", and some others agreed. I made the statement that nearly everyone I know has a HDD on their 360, but got the response that it doesn't matter since MS still sells a HDD-less core system.

I understand that the Oblivion expansion for the 360 is being sold online only. This means only HD owners can play it and therefore it would be reasonable for Oblivion to use some additional HD caching to improve performance.

The engine that Oblivion uses is called Gamebryo

http://www.emergent.net/index.php/homepage/products-and-services/gamebryo/gamebryo-features

Gamebryo has been upgraded to better support the multiple processing cores on the Cell for PS3, and 360. As a result, it'll be interesting to see if the expansion for 360 improves on the original graphically in the same way that the ps3 version does.

Explanation of the PS3 version VS the 360/PC version:

Shack: Can you offer any insight into how much of that was made possible by the PS3 hardware versus simply the additional development time?

Pete Hines: It was entirely due to extra development time. It's not like the PS3 can do this and the others can't, it's actually something we were considering doing for the other platforms as well. We specifically did it here because we had some time and one of our graphics programmers said he could do it.

http://www.shacknews.com/extras/2007/020807_petehines_1.x


thank you.

look guys, i want the best possible version of any game i buy too. i'm fortunate to own both consoles. but don't try turning this oblivion is better on the ps3 into a "see, the ps3 is more powerful" debate, because it's a deeply flawed argument. they had more time to work on the ps3 version, period, and any logical person would EXPECT the ps3 rev to therefore look better. as i said, the problem for irrational ps3 fanboys is that going forward, the VAST majority of multiplatform games will launch simultaneously, therefore erasing these perceived advantages...

I doubt you will post any links.
Stop trolling with "weak launch ports" as your bait.


Oh yeah, and I'll wait for those links to where it says any of the launch games were rebuilt for the PS3.

incorrect. see above

Dude stop creating fake assumption's, last year I was at GDC speaking to Bethesda Softworks PR for their SPEEDTREE Tech used in the game, and at the time he mentioned the game was exclusive for PC and X360 and no PS3 plans yet. After a while it was introduced for PS3.

So to correct you on that statment of your's it simply means that they are working on code that is being optimized for PS3. :)


incorrect. see above

we shall see won't we.

we shall see won't we.


what you'll see is that regardless of platform (pc, 360 or ps3), oblivion is a great game. its a win-win for everyone

thank you.

look guys, i want the best possible version of any game i buy too. i'm fortunate to own both consoles. but don't try turning this oblivion is better on the ps3 into a "see, the ps3 is more powerful" debate, because it's a deeply flawed argument. they had more time to work on the ps3 version, period, and any logical person would EXPECT the ps3 rev to therefore look better. as i said, the problem for irrational ps3 fanboys is that going forward, the VAST majority of multiplatform games will launch simultaneously, therefore erasing these perceived advantages...
i'm not saying the ps3 is more powerful than the 360... i know both systems are pretty much on par with eachother. i'm just saying that the extra development time was probably needed simply because the hardware in the ps3 is so complex and new, and this to me is logical. the ps3 dev tools are less mature than the 360's and the ps3's hardware is so much more complex that it takes more time to get the same result (at this point). but like i said before, once the dev tools mature, it will be easier. the complexity of the ps3 is probably why we're seeing all these delays. but again, you shouldn't be worried as this is not a trend that will continue in the future.

there were so many people saying the ps3 version would be inferior to the 360 version, and honestly, i felt the same way. this is why it's good news, at least for me, that the ps3 version turned out so well. if this was a year into the ps3's release, then i wouldn't be surprised.

To be honest with you guys, when I bought my PS3 I was expecting the games to be head and shoulders better than the Xbox 360. So far, this has not been the case.

Are you guys getting excited by a PS3 version being slightly better than the 360? For me, slightly better is a big disappointment.

Welp, looks like the PS3's memory is the limiting factor for Oblivion, but not for the 360:

Story (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/10/oblivion-downgraded-for-ps3-not-happening-on-wii/)

When we learned that the PS3 version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion would not feature the majority of downloadable content found on the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game, it was a blow to fans of horse armor everywhere. This weeks episode of The 1UP Show (02/02) provides the follow-up hook as Managing Editor Garnett Lee relays a juicy bit of info from Bethesda. As it turns out, it's due to a memory limitation with the Playstation 3 itself.

Bethesda simply could not find a way to load every piece of downloadable content without affecting the performance of the game. Considering that the Xbox 360 can pull off this feat without a hitch, it looks like the $1 billion dollar gamble has paid off again for Microsoft. Bethesda will still be looking into getting that content available for PS3 users, though how and when this will happen is currently unknown.

As for the PS3 version of Oblivion trumping the 360 in the visuals department, it just so happens that the new shader techniques applied to the PS3 will also be worked into the 360 version of the game. And thus, they are equals once more. Unless you want some horse armor. In which case, you're boned.

Finally, Shacknews sat down with Bethesda's VP of Marketing, Pete Hines, and questioned their plans beyond the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. When it comes to waggling your remote in Oblivion, "It's not really going to run on a Wii for example, but if it could we would put it there. Our philosophy is to make a game and make it available to as many people as possible."

...

Welp, looks like the PS3's memory is the limiting factor for Oblivion, but not for the 360:

Story (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/10/oblivion-downgraded-for-ps3-not-happening-on-wii/)

Already debunked amigo. Sony-hate sites aren't the best source of info. They selectively (and in one case falsely) put the info you quoted. Here's the truth, right from the developers themselves:


Rumors were rampant about the reasons behind the lack of downloadable content. Other websites have reported that the justification behind the missing missions and features was due to technical limitations of the console. According to Hines, nothing could be farther from the truth. There were two specific reasons behind why items like the Orrery and Mehrunes's Razor will not be included within the PS3 version of the game. First of all, there was a concern about the balancing of the game and initially giving players access to a thieves den or a wizard's tower immediately at the start of the game."There was no good way to incorporate these features into the game as soon as it started because it didn't make sense," Hines said. While he didn't rule out the possibility of some of these side quests or features making it into the game, it wouldn't necessarily be as soon as the game hit store shelves.

In fact, the other reason why the downloadable content for the PS3 version of the game isn't included isn't solely because of the technical limitations of the system. Instead, it's because the designers haven't actually tested the PlayStation Network Store and the mechanisms for delivering content to systems. Considering that the development team has been spending a large amount of time making sure that the game transitions over to the PS3 well without the numerous bugs or glitches that plagued the PC and 360 versions of the game, working on the store was definitely a low priority on their list when it came to dedicating additional resources to that feature. But it is being worked on, and it will be coming at a later date.

So what about the shaders or optimizations? Rumors were released stating that everything in the PS3 version of the game would migrate over to the 360 or the PC, which kicked off a screaming match on boards about which version was ultimately better. According to Hines, the shader functionality that would re-render the low-res textures would inevitably make its way to the 360 build and PC in future updates. However, certain optimizations that take advantage of the system's hardware will remain exclusive to the PS3 version of the game.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/762/762882p1.html

...and if you still don't believe it, here's the video interview with the developers themselves debunking the ridiculous rumors:

http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/857/857879/vids_1.html

Already debunked amigo. Sony-hate sites aren't the best source of info. They selectively (and in one case falsely) put the info you quoted. Here's the truth, right from the developers themselves:



...and if you still don't believe it, here's the video interview with the developers themselves debunking the ridiculous rumors:

http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/857/857879/vids_1.html


It's almost not worth it. The Xbox fanboys are so rabidly ANTI SONY that they won't let the truth stand in their way. SONY makes great products. Awesome tv's, camera's, etc.

The playstation 3 is amazing, and I am enjoying it immensely. There is so much I love about it. I really enjoy it AND my 360. Another amazing machine.

If you are criticizing the PS3 every chance you get at this point in time (so soon after launch), you are a fan boy.

"The PS3 lacks functionality XYZ........No good games.........." Blah Blah Blah.

Every console matures and adds functionality over time in this gen. The 360 is a much better machine than it was at launch. Launcg games always suck. It's like you all have never lived through a launch before :eek: .

Stop drinking the kool aid. Either Buy a PS3 and "join the dark side", or quit trying to piss in someone else's pool......and you're fresh out of chlorine. (Die Hard 2). Pretty soon after owning one, you will start to see the wonders of this box. I know, I was defending the 360 when thats all I owned. Now that I own both I truly love them both and realize that I was biased against the machine I didn't own.

Fanboys in two years will be saying, "the games are starting to look maybe a little better, but the cell was supposed to cure world hunger, so in that sense the PS3 is a flop. It didn't exceed the 360 by a margin that justified the hype. Plus it's a year newer machine....It better be a little better in the visuals department." Guaranteed.

To be honest with you guys, when I bought my PS3 I was expecting the games to be head and shoulders better than the Xbox 360. So far, this has not been the case.

Are you guys getting excited by a PS3 version being slightly better than the 360? For me, slightly better is a big disappointment.
if you were expecting that, you will be sadly disappointed in every multiplat game.

sony did hype their machine to be head and shoulders above the 360, but unfortunately, it is not.

that is NOT why i bought a ps3, however... i bought it for the games and the features. im a huge DMC and GT fan and i also love god of war, SOCOM and MGS. add to that, i love the new series, like motorstorm, resistance, uncharted, heavenly sword and eight days. then of course theres the multiplat games.

as far as features, i like how the HDD can be easily changed, i like how its a blu-ray player, i like how its got an internet browser and i also like how it looks, physically. there are other things i like about it that the 360 already has.

To be honest with you guys, when I bought my PS3 I was expecting the games to be head and shoulders better than the Xbox 360. So far, this has not been the case.

Are you guys getting excited by a PS3 version being slightly better than the 360? For me, slightly better is a big disappointment.

At $400 (360) vs. $500 (PS3), with quite a bit of the budget invested in the Blu-ray drive, you should expect them to be equal from a gaming hardware standpoint.

Already debunked amigo. Sony-hate sites aren't the best source of info. They selectively (and in one case falsely) put the info you quoted. Here's the truth, right from the developers themselves:

...and if you still don't believe it, here's the video interview with the developers themselves debunking the ridiculous rumors:

http://media.ps3.ign.com/media/857/857879/vids_1.html

Thanks for the link... much appreciated.

It's almost not worth it. The Xbox fanboys are so rabidly ANTI SONY that they won't let the truth stand in their way.

That goes both ways. ;)

Frankly I'm staggered by people on an adult forum who are so attached and carried away by some stupid gaming console that they can't think clearly and two groups form the basis for some rediculous fanboy war with open animosity and posting. Play it, discuss it, have fun, immerse and enjoy yourself but it's just a game.

I honestly wish that accurate ages were magically visible for everyone here. I'd like to confirm my suspicion from the irrational idiocy and zero knowledge of home theater that we've picked up a number of teen gamer brats somewhere along the line. The behavior, level of knowledge, personal attacks and the apparent inability to think for oneself or accept others' opinions is disgraceful.

To be honest with you guys, when I bought my PS3 I was expecting the games to be head and shoulders better than the Xbox 360. So far, this has not been the case.

Are you guys getting excited by a PS3 version being slightly better than the 360? For me, slightly better is a big disappointment.
if slightly better means twice as fast when loading levels, then yes, PS3 is slightly better

:-)

That goes both ways. ;)


Oh, I completely agree. Both consoles rock IMO. I think the 360 is more refined right now, but I like the potential and some of the current features of the PS3 more. Also I am more excited about the first and second party exclusives on the PS3. Just my opinion. Course I will be getting Halo 3 :D .

I just can't stand the folks that feel the need to attack the technical performance of the PS3 based upon rushed crappy ports.

To be honest with you guys, when I bought my PS3 I was expecting the games to be head and shoulders better than the Xbox 360. So far, this has not been the case.

Are you guys getting excited by a PS3 version being slightly better than the 360? For me, slightly better is a big disappointment.


Uh, this happens to every port. It has been happening for the past two generations.

Frankly I'm staggered by people on an adult forum who are so attached and carried away by some stupid gaming console that they can't think clearly and two groups form the basis for some rediculous fanboy war with open animosity and posting. Play it, discuss it, have fun, immerse and enjoy yourself but it's just a game.

I honestly wish that accurate ages were magically visible for everyone here. I'd like to confirm my suspicion from the irrational idiocy and zero knowledge of home theater that we've picked up a number of teen gamer brats somewhere along the line. The behavior, level of knowledge, personal attacks and the apparent inability to think for oneself or accept others' opinions is disgraceful.

I agree. ;)

To be honest with you guys, when I bought my PS3 I was expecting the games to be head and shoulders better than the Xbox 360. So far, this has not been the case.

Are you guys getting excited by a PS3 version being slightly better than the 360? For me, slightly better is a big disappointment.

You are proof that Sony's marketing works, but you're also a victim of it. PS3 owners are now like Classic Xbox owners. PS3 ports will sometimes be a tad better in some slight way or a tad worse, and sometimes months late to the party. This is the same poison the Xbox suffered against the PS2.

The PS3 and X360 are about equal in power. Don't let Sony or Microsoft marketing fool you. There's a ton of great tech articles online showing just how close it is between them. (google em)

The reason to own a PS3 is Blu Ray and exclusive games. The reason to own an X360 is Xbox Live and exclusive games. Ports are just the bread and butter they share.

Cynn that sig of your's should speak for everyone, then I assume the war will be over :p

You are proof that Sony's marketing works, but you're also a victim of it. PS3 owners are now like Classic Xbox owners. PS3 ports will sometimes be a tad better in some slight way or a tad worse, and sometimes months late to the party. This is the same poison the Xbox suffered against the PS2.

The PS3 and X360 are about equal in power. Don't let Sony or Microsoft marketing fool you. There's a ton of great tech articles online showing just how close it is between them. (google em)

The reason to own a PS3 is Blu Ray and exclusive games. The reason to own an X360 is Xbox Live and exclusive games. Ports are just the bread and butter they share.
i agree.

You are proof that Sony's marketing works, but you're also a victim of it. PS3 owners are now like Classic Xbox owners. PS3 ports will sometimes be a tad better in some slight way or a tad worse, and sometimes months late to the party. This is the same poison the Xbox suffered against the PS2.

The PS3 and X360 are about equal in power. Don't let Sony or Microsoft marketing fool you. There's a ton of great tech articles online showing just how close it is between them. (google em)

The reason to own a PS3 is Blu Ray and exclusive games. The reason to own an X360 is Xbox Live and exclusive games. Ports are just the bread and butter they share.
I guess for you, loading times will have to be 10x better for it to matter :-).

Fact is that due to hard drive, BD drive, 6axis, free online and HDMI included standard on every PS3, Sony has big edge, as long as developers exploit it. Even port as Oblivion has 2x faster loading than 360 version, you can imagine what would games truly developed for PS3 have...

I guess for you, loading times will have to be 10x better for it to matter :-).

Fact is that due to hard drive, BD drive, 6axis, free online and HDMI included standard on every PS3, Sony has big edge, as long as developers exploit it. Even port as Oblivion has 2x faster loading than 360 version, you can imagine what would games truly developed for PS3 have...

I would have thought people would care more about the PS3 versions better framerate as well, though I do agree the loading is atrocious on the 360 version.

http://spong.com/detail/editorial.jsp?eid=10109516&cid=&tid=&pid=&plid=&page=3
SPOnG: Okay, back to the game! Some of the optimisations you've made on the PS3 version, you've said, are going to make their way over to the Xbox 360 and PC versions [via updates] at some point in the future.

Pete Hines: Yeah, there's a few things we've done that are non-platform specific that may be applicable to the PC or the 360.

SPOnG: But some at the same time will be PS3-specific?

Pete Hines: Yeah, quite a few of the optimisations done for this version are specific to the way the PlayStation 3 is designed, in the way it processes information… so those optimisations wouldn't be applicable to the other versions.

SPOnG: Why do you think the blogosphere seems to be so down on Sony? With a lot of gaming websites seemingly taking every opportunity to knock Sony for the slightest reason right now…

Pete Hines: I don't think it's necessarily a Sony thing. I think when you see a little bit of smoke, then you tend to get a lot of people running in that direction shouting fire! I mean, Sony clearly had some bumps in the road getting the console out. And certainly, you have a certain group of fans - namely the Xbox fans - who are going to take any opportunity to knock the other guys at Sony and say "our console's better"…But at the end of the day, it's the internet. You have to take most of it with a very large pinch of salt… anything you read or hear on the internet
There certainly were a lot of rumors regarding Oblivion.

The Power of 3

First and foremost, Oblivion on PS3 is the most complete version to date. It includes all the updates Bethesda have released so far, so all the extra locations, bug-fixes and gameplay tweaks that PC and 360 owners have had to download piecemeal, we get built-in from day one. What’s more The Knights of the Nine expansion pack, designed especially for PlayStation 3 and featuring a whole new set of quests, comes fitted as standard.

Gameplay-wise Oblivion remains unchanged from either of the existing versions. The storyline is still the same, the voice acting is still that mixed bag of bizarre shared dialogue and on and off accents, and the action still revolves around first- or third-person swordplay, magic and thievery. Where the PS3 version shines like a mithril breastplate is when it comes to graphics and speed.

Whatever platform you play Oblivion on it will look awe-inspiring, but playing in High Definition on PS3 wins out over both PC and 360. Unless you have a PC monitor bigger than your TV and a high-end graphics card capable of dealing with such a screen, exploring Tamriel on a large HD display can’t be beaten. Every blade of grass, every pock-mark on the goblin’s face and every ripple on the water’s surface sing out of the screen at you making you want to stop and just enjoy the visual symphony going on around you (of course, the goblin may have stabbed you to death by now, but at least you’ll die happy).

Even when compared to the HD display put out by Xbox 360, PS3’s rendition of Oblivion’s jaw-dropping countryside is considerably crisper and richer than its soft focussed rival.

http://www.psu.com/node/7943

Anyone have any screen shots? I think we need some comparison pics...

http://www.beyond3d.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38405

They have done some comparisons

http://medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/screenshot_175026.jpg

http://medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/screenshot_175025.jpg

http://medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/screenshot_175045.jpg

http://medialib.computerandvideogames.com/screens/screenshot_175044.jpg

Difference is obvious... + faster loading + better fps

Damn the PS3 shots look a lot better!

Glad to see a game is actually turning out better on the PS3 for a change. I hope having to wait more than a year for minor graphical improvements isn't the norm.

PS3 textures look sharper, looks like anisotropic filtering on ps3 but only trilinear on 360. Does one have HDR lighting and the other doesn't or something, that lighting looks very different

HDR Bloom is used in both version's I belive...

HDR Bloom is used in both version's I belive...

There's no such thing as "HDR Bloom". There's HDR, and there's Bloom.

Bloom can produce a similar effect to HDR, but it doesn't look as good, especially in Oblivion, IMO.

I'm sure both versions use HDR. I think the 360 simply does lighting differently than the PS3. Evident in Fight Night 3.

There is no HDR in PS3 FN3. It is just bloom.

There is no HDR in PS3 FN3. It is just bloom.

Ah, so that would explain why the lighting wasn't as good...

It looks like the devs for FNR3 had to make a few graphical sacrifices to make the fighters look better.

I haven't seen any screenshots that show off lighting in the PS3 version of Oblivion, but I doubt the devs would omit HDR, and then claim the game looks better than the 360 version.

There's no such thing as "HDR Bloom". There's HDR, and there's Bloom.

Bloom can produce a similar effect to HDR, but it doesn't look as good, especially in Oblivion, IMO.

I'm sure both versions use HDR. I think the 360 simply does lighting differently than the PS3. Evident in Fight Night 3.


What you mean there no HDR Bloom? Its HDR with full effects, or only Bloom effects. Get your story straight!

# High Dynamic Range. This is a lighting procedure designed to emulate the way that light levels in the real world vary over an enormous range. This is mostly achieved by the use of floating point textures and render targets (as well as using the appropriate lighting algorithm); integer formats do not offer the anywhere near the same range of values. Although visually better, the use of floating point formats can result in a large performance impact on some graphics adapters.
www.futuremark.com/community/hardwarevocabulary/


# HDR can stand for* High dynamic range imaging (digital imaging)*

"Bloom (sometimes referred to as Light bloom) is a computer graphics shader effect used by computer games.

In high dynamic range rendering (HDR) applications, it is used when the necessary brightness exceeds the contrast ratio that a computer monitor can display."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom_(shader_effect) ;)

You just proved me right...

Bloom and HDR are two separate things. Bloom is sometimes used alongside HDR, but they are two separate effects. There is no "HDR Bloom".

To take a pice of the same wiki article you referenced:

"A common misconception is that a game that uses a bloom filter uses HDR. This is untrue, however, as blooming is often used alongside HDR, but is not a component of HDR."

Actually, I always thought bloom and HDR were separate things because bloom was the 'it' graphics effect before HDR. The wiki explains that Bloom can be used along with HDR but is not part of HDR:

"A common misconception is that a game that uses a bloom filter uses HDR. This is untrue, however, as blooming is often used alongside HDR, but is not a component of HDR."

So...I think it's a matter of misusing terminology, i.e. HDR Bloom.

Edit: whoops beaten to the punch line!

LOL ; ) I guess so : ) I stand corrected, but what I ment to say its used along the HDR in case your PC cant handle the full effect :)

You know there is this tv i seen last year at GDC06 it was based on LED tech that had HDR built into the monitor. It was from BrightSide? ( I have to double check though... ),anyhow the picture of Gladiator playing was outstanding! Especially on the armor, sadly the first screen was about 40K :eek:

the link http://www.engadgethd.com/2005/08/05/brighter-lcd-technology-from-brightside/