Are we near the limits?

[VWarrior]

Well like someone else already said, the PS3 has a very unconventional internal architecture, one that requires more, shall we say "artistic" programming to take strong advantage of. Because of this relatively odd architecture with the multiple "helper" SPEs, there is really no such thing as a simple shoehorn method when it comes to truly effectively porting code from the 360's architecture to the PS3s.

If you build a game from the ground up to run on the PS3's architecture, then you can achieve great results, but if you try to shoehorn it in, then you'll probably run into performance issues (which i'll bet is why the visual detail was toned down).

Interesting you brought up the Saturn. I think a key difference with the Saturn was that, while the Saturn was relatively difficult to develop, I don't think it was so much that the architecture was complicated because of highly advanced engineering, but because it was, in a sense, a bit sloppily put together. The Saturn was really built to be a very powerful 2D game console, and for its time, it was very arguably the best at it. The 3D hardware was added in late in the engineering process because SEGA learned of the Playstation's 3D capabilities and they wanted the Saturn to be able to compete head-on with it. You could say the 3D capability was "shoehorned" into the architecture, which is what made it rough on the programmers.

[dkrause1971]

Can anyone confirm that the PS3 version will be a 360 port? I know sometimes games with have two separate teams now.

[Craigsca]

I thought both ports looked/were the same this year - is that not true? I'd get the 360 version, but I'm so sick of having a giant fan pointed at my 360 because of constant fears of yet another RROD.

[jamesda3asu]

I think I read somewhere that at the end of last year PS3 games where only running at 20% potential.

[Scott]

Yep, it was actually the end of 2006...http://kotaku.com/gaming/ps3/ea-game...wer-221137.php

[jamesda3asu]

what do you thin we are up to now about 40% maybe?

[Solidice]

neither system is close to their limits. it takes time to learn the system and the more advanced the systems get, the longer it will take to learn them.

[nstod]

Like I said earlier in this thread, the ONLY games that will come close to harnessing the PS3's capabilities are the games written specifically for the PS3. Same goes for the 360. However, game developers (like EA sports) will write a generic engine that can easily be ported to make more money. It just makes more sense to do it that way. The problem is that the games aren't as "pretty" as they could be.