Xbox 360 vs. PS3 Spec Analysis

[Vampyr]

Originally Posted by Null

as far as graphics, there 'may' not be a big difference, thats not where the extra power lies. you will notice it in other things tho.

I'm most interested to see how the extra power is used for Artificial Intelligence.

But I agree with Link...I don't think the differences between the 360 and the PS3 will be large enough to account for a tremendously noticable effect.

[Solid Snake]

But I agree with Link...I don't think the differences between the 360 and the PS3 will be large enough to account for a tremendously noticable effect.

I think you mean Solid Snake, not trying to toot my horn or anything.....

Also I wouldn't want Link miss represented.

[GameMaster]

I think your avatar is confusing everyone

But remember kids, if it doesn't shrug and walk away, then it's not the real Link!

[Solid Snake]

That's what I was thinking, I'm just trying to show support for all my favorites by having the name Solid Snake, the avatar of Link, and the signiture of Joanna Dark.

I will try to find a different link or Zelda picture for my Avatar so I will no longer confuse anybody.

[gekko]

While I am not the tech expert, I do read things and pretend I understand it. From what I've learned:

1) Cell processors are extremely powerful when used with more than one. They are designed to do work in 2, 4, 8, and even 16 processor machines. PS3 has 1, and won't be getting nearly what they should out of the processor.

2) Cell processors do single-precision floating point operations, so while Sony boasts huge FLOP numbers, so while they try to say it's 27 times more powerful than PCs in floating point calculations, it really ends up being 2.7 times more powerful.

3) From everything I've read on multi-core processors, there's no advantage except for heat. Since making faster 90nm chips was becoming way too hot, they instead put in multiple lower-clocked cores that ran cooler, so higher speeds were achieved.

But like I said, I am not the tech guy. If you need any more explanation than what I gave, fine the original article and figure it out, because I know no more. There are so many factors that need to be considered, unless you're a complete tech nerd and know the exact details of PS3 and Xbox 360's setup which you can't tell from paper specs, it means nothing.

What I do know...

Xbox 360 and Revolution both use PowerPC CPUs and ATI GPUs. PS3 uses Cell CPU and nVidia GPU. Despite the power, PS3 has the hurdle of difficult development to overcome, where Xbox 360 and Rev both use similar processors, which makes for much smoother ports. Something to think about.

[Perfect Stu]

Originally Posted by gekko

Xbox 360 and Revolution both use PowerPC CPUs and ATI GPUs. PS3 uses Cell CPU and nVidia GPU. Despite the power, PS3 has the hurdle of difficult development to overcome, where Xbox 360 and Rev both use similar processors, which makes for much smoother ports. Something to think about.

Can you elaborate on that? Developers have been saying how surprisingly easy PS3 is to develop for...

GI: What can you say are the differences between developing for PS2 then developing for PS3?

Mark Rein: Everything.....

GI: In what sense?

Mark Rein: The PS2's emotion engine had our developers learning a new language of programming to begin development on a game. The PS3 uses OpenGL which we've been working with for decades, and the Cell architecture is accessible using C++ which is already a widely known programming language.

GI: What do you think the future is for Playstation 3?

Mark Rein: Things can only get better from here. All the developers we've been speaking already love the architecture and the language PS3 is using, and they can't wait to utilize the cell chip further.

[MuGen]

I'm starting to realize how endless this arguement will be.

Consider having X360 and PS3 both being able to port games to each without a single slight of difference in graphics and framerate. That's a good revelation and while I support PS3, I wouldn't mind both consoles being equal.

[gekko]

Originally Posted by Perfect Stu

Can you elaborate on that? Developers have been saying how surprisingly easy PS3 is to develop for...

Right now it's marketing, not reality. You'll hear people like Hideo Kojima say how easy PS3 is to program for, expecting you to not realize that the people being interviewed don't write code, but rather design games.

Developers expressed their concerns learning a new type of processor that handles information differently than what they're used to, and now they magically love it? No. It takes time to code a game, and it takes time to develop an opinion on the PS3, good or bad.

Wait until you hear real programmers talking. Look to the IGDA or GDC for real opinions from the guys writing the code, not IGN and EGM for the guys running the company.

Not saying 360 or Rev is great, but PowerPC is a more common processor than Cell, and most programmers would have prior experience with it.