Surprise! Playable PS3 Code Not as Super Fantastico as E3 Demos!

[fitbabits]

From Computer Games Online (http://www.cgonline.com)

Link (http://www.cgonline.com/content/view/1027/) to story.

Written by Matthew Gallant

Thursday, 21 July 2005
Sony held a press event recently called the PlayStation Meeting, which is awesome I think because it doesn't mention bombs exploding, or skateboards, or any of the other usual imagery from the strange and annoying land of marketing. It's refreshing. And they had playable code.
The code was from the Gundam game, which had also been shown in a non-playable, total eye candy form at E3. IGN has a couple of video clips, along with the clip that was shown at E3. Loads of comparing and contrasting fun!

Somewhere along the way all the color was drained out and the lighting effects got gimped, along with all the nifty dust, smoke, and muzzle flash effects. Even so, the framerate still is a bit choppy. Now, of course it looks pretty good compared to the current generation of games already, and it's going to look better and run smoothly when it actually ships next year, but will it get anywhere near that E3 video? Enough to sell a $400 PS3? Wait a sec before you answer— whenever I'm trying to stifle a perturbed, E3 hype-induced yawn, it makes it hard to hear what someone's saying.

Have at it, fanboys!

[StrifeSnake13*]

also note that the game used no middleware and dident use much of the cell CPU,

The demo doesn't use any physical calculations. Such calculations, which will add effects such as wind and smoke, will make use of the Cell's seven SPU processing units. The game in its current form uses just the main Cell processor (minus the SPUs) and the system's graphics chip.

Bandai pointed out that developer Beck created the demo from scratch, without the use of middleware. It's unclear if Beck hopes to continue along this fully independent development path, or if some of the powerful PS3 middleware tools will be incorporated in the final rev of the game.
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/635/635525p1.html

[snubber]

PS3 suxorz! blah blah blah blah!!!! Xbox rulez t3h cozzmos!!@ blah blah blah blah!!!!!

[Evil Avatar]

PS3 suxorz! blah blah blah blah!!!! Xbox rulez t3h cozzmos!!@ blah blah blah blah!!!!!

I think the Xbox 360 "rulez" just by the default fact that you are going to be able to own one and play the games six months to a year before the PS3 comes out.

[Phades]

PS3 suxorz! blah blah blah blah!!!! Xbox rulez t3h cozzmos!!@ blah blah blah blah!!!!!

That kind of reply never gets old!! And it's just as funny as the first time!!

[Cha-Ka]

Kids! You can pertetuate this thread from home by following these easy steps:


<baseless fawning over console A>
<obligatory rebuttle defending console B>
<repeat as needed>

[KNOTE]

The IGN video of the Unreal 3 demo gives a very good illustration about what the NExt gen consoles are all about. Specifically, I mean when the demonstrator turns off the lighting and shaders. You can see the actual assets are nearly identical to current gen assets. Thus, the power of new cosoles lies in these two features. Also of note is Gabe Newell's quick post on NextGen.biz about multi-threaded game engines. It seems to me that this new gen of consoles will have a steep learning curve, but that also means that we should get significant improvements over each sucessive game-generation on each platform as developers experience grows.

[Phades]

I still think it looks pretty cool. When you consider how obviously early it is, it's not bad. It's likely going to improve by leaps and bounds before it's finished.

[Zanzibar]

Heh. Not much to say. Nice detail, bad framerate, crappy colors and terrible particle effects. As a developer, there's no fuckin' way I'd show this to anyone though. Particularly how much of a step back this is from the E3 footage.

Any Sony fans who gleefully bitched about the X360 Perfect Dark Zero stuff must be hanging their heads in collective shame right now.

[Doomsday]

Wait, people are surprised that a Gundam game is turning out to be mediocre? This is news?

[NACIONAL]

PS3 suxorz! blah blah blah blah!!!! Xbox rulez t3h cozzmos!!@ blah blah blah blah!!!!!

Actually, I kind of hate this kind of posts....

About the thread: I think that we have almost a full year (when PS3 arrives) before we can see pulished games... lets see if the game looks the same than now.

[StrifeSnake13*]

Heh. Not much to say. Nice detail, bad framerate, crappy colors and terrible particle effects. As a developer, there's no fuckin' way I'd show this to anyone though. Particularly how much of a step back this is from the E3 footage.

Any Sony fans who gleefully bitched about the X360 Perfect Dark Zero stuff must be hanging their heads in collective shame right now.

I dident think they were that bad considering it's early in the development process, it used no middleware, and it barely used the cpu at all.

[TrackZero]

Wait, people are surprised that a Gundam game is turning out to be mediocre? This is news?

Yeah, exactly....................................oh, wait you said Gundam GAME......

[Zeal]

I'm so sick of hearing about the damn Unreal 3 engine. That's what people mention on account of not having any next-generation games to reference.

I'm just not impressed with any next-generation content I've seen so far. Everything looks slightly better if not worse than this generation's games.

Also, Killzone was already confirmed to be running on a shitload of workstations, so that doesn't count. The final game will look nothing like that, I give my word.

We need to see something really impressive being played hands-on.

PS3 suxorz! blah blah blah blah!!!! Xbox rulez t3h cozzmos!!@ blah blah blah blah!!!!!
Oh, and there should be a filter that instantly bans people who post non-contributive bullshit like that.

[bKangy]

Yeah, if Killzone 3 actually looks like that, I will send Evil Avatar one of my fingers, packed in ice, so he can take a photo of them as proof and post it here.

[Phades]

I was being sarcastic. Some people seem to have no sense of originality in their sense of humor or just posting. Two of the posts that always seem to show up are the obligatory "OmG PS3 SUXXORZ!" and the "This is news?" posts. Both are stupid. The first is just old and the second just needs to shut up and move on.

Actually, I kind of hate this kind of posts....

About the thread: I think that we have almost a full year (when PS3 arrives) before we can see pulished games... lets see if the game looks the same than now.

[bobbler]

Any Sony fans who gleefully bitched about the X360 Perfect Dark Zero stuff must be hanging their heads in collective shame right now.

If you look back at the threads a good majority of the people bashing them were Xbox fans (of course a majority of this site is so it would be hard not to). I remember getting attacked for defending the game back then (by an xbox fan I believe) -- hypocrisy is a common trait on forums.

I think the disappointment people had with PDZ was more that Rare was supposed to show something amazing (like they used to always do) and didn't. Being disappointed over a Gundam game isn't exactly in the same vein as PDZ -- was anyone actually looking forward to a Gundam game? This is probably why this thread doesn't have that many posts -- not many care about this game, while many people had high expectations for PDZ.

PS: The smoke in this game looks sexy. Sadly thats about all at the moment.
PPS: Pledging allegiance to any single system is as dumb as it gets.

[NACIONAL]

I was being sarcastic. Some people seem to have no sense of originality in their sense of humor or just posting. Two of the posts that always seem to show up are the obligatory "OmG PS3 SUXXORZ!" and the "This is news?" posts. Both are stupid. The first is just old and the second just needs to shut up and move on.

I know you were being sarcastic..... but the post made me angry anyway...

[jacktion]

Anyone that expected the E3 videos to be what the launch titles would be, are idiots. I know that sentence wasn't constructed very well but the point remains. Just because your new console can push 80 gazillion polygons does not mean your animators have received a similar upgrade. Nor has your creativity increased. We are going to get the same views in the same first person shooters with the same stiff and awkward animation. Games are going to look mostly the same with better textures and particle effects. So get used to it.

Are these 400 dollar textures?

[Twigz'N'Berries]

Heh. Not much to say. Nice detail, bad framerate, crappy colors and terrible particle effects. As a developer, there's no fuckin' way I'd show this to anyone though. Particularly how much of a step back this is from the E3 footage.

Any Sony fans who gleefully bitched about the X360 Perfect Dark Zero stuff must be hanging their heads in collective shame right now.

Ok, seeing how this game could have anywhere from 7-16+ months of development, it is way too early to get excited about it and claim victory for 360 over one video. The article stated that the SPE's hadn't even been touched on the video & middleware wasn't used either. Which makes me think a few different things:

1) The game is obviously going to get better looking
2) The SPE's are not as easy to program for. If not, why wouldn't they have been tapped to handle some of the workload already?
3) This game still looks better than some of the games for 360 that are a few months away (launch date Nov 4 is 105 days away...better get enhancing on those graphics.

I've already pre-order my 360 and will probably enjoy playing it. I wasn't planning on touching the PS3..but now, depending on the price, I may have to pick up one of those mini barbecue grills.

[StrifeSnake13*]

Ok, seeing how this game could have anywhere from 7-16+ months of development, it is way too early to get excited about it and claim victory for 360 over one video. The article stated that the SPE's hadn't even been touched on the video & middleware wasn't used either. Which makes me think a few different things:

1) The game is obviously going to get better looking
2) The SPE's are not as easy to program for. If not, why wouldn't they have been tapped to handle some of the workload already?
3) This game still looks better than some of the games for 360 that are a few months away (launch date Nov 4 is 105 days away...better get enhancing on those graphics.

I've already pre-order my 360 and will probably enjoy playing it. I wasn't planning on touching the PS3..but now, depending on the price, I may have to pick up one of those mini barbecue grills.

Thanks you Twigz'N'Berries, that was one of the most logical post's I've seen in a while.

Also you brought up a good point about the SPE's, it seems that sony is trying to fix the problem,
"Transmeta will be offering an SPE optimizer and software that will allow developers to effectively program for the Cell processor and its seven SPEs. The tools will allow Statistical Process Control (SPC) simulation on PCs, and it will also let programmers debug and tune their programs with runtime info. Transmeta's tools will be shipped to developers in Q4 2005. "
article (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/22/news_6129611.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6129611)

the only problem is that it wont be avalible until Q4 of this year.

[mister_slim]

Based on what I've seen thus far, the Xbox versions of Path of Neo and Black will look as good as the average 360 and PS3 launch games.

[Kefkataran]

I think the Xbox 360 "rulez" just by the default fact that you are going to be able to own one and play the games six months to a year before the PS3 comes out.

Meh. Who cares? I mean I'll probably end getting a 360 eventually, but the fact that it's out before PS3 really isn't that big a deal to me, as long as I have other games and stuff to keep me busy during the wait, which I do and always will.

[Kelegacy]

Meh. Who cares? I mean I'll probably end getting a 360 eventually, but the fact that it's out before PS3 really isn't that big a deal to me, as long as I have other games and stuff to keep me busy during the wait, which I do and always will.

I'll still be playing PS2/XB/GC games way past the PS3 release, too. I'll pick up a system a year or so after launch, but right now, even as a Sony lover, I'm more interested in the Xbox360, ultragay name aside. It's because I havent seen too much info about the Sony releases of games yet, but once I see screens for a Final Fantasy 13 or hear of a new slew of RPG's and adventures coming out, I'll be just fine. Also, a hefty price tag will make me wait. 300 is too much for me right now, for either system, because I have too many other games to play for this CURRENT generation. I cant just jump ship.

[Kefkataran]

even as a Sony lover, I'm more interested in the Xbox360, ultragay name aside. It's because I havent seen too much info about the Sony releases of games yet

Weird thing for me is that I'm actually most excited about the Revolution and, of course, I haven't seen shit about that yet. Still. Heh.

[Twigz'N'Berries]

Thanks you Twigz'N'Berries, that was one of the most logical post's I've seen in a while.

Also you brought up a good point about the SPE's, it seems that sony is trying to fix the problem,

article (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/22/news_6129611.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6129611)

the only problem is that it wont be avalible until Q4 of this year.


Good post, good link...

The SPE thing is a bit of a problem. If the PS3 makes their promised launch date of Spring of 2006 then the developers will have limited time to take advantage of the SPE optimizer. On the other hand, the 360 developers just received their Beta kits and have less than 105 days to meet game completion date for the launch...assuming the launch date is Nov 4.

The sad thing is, the PS3 launch games I have seen appear to be graphically better than the Xbox360 launch games...and they have 7-16+ months to keep working on it. I think MS rushed to get their product to market first (which I totally agree that they needed to do) and just switched some games that were in development for the xbox to the 360. Now they are trying to go back and optimize those games for the 360. The games just look mediocre right now...some anyway.

Plus, in an article posted by SS13 (another useful post) it gave us the fact that the beta kits were late in coming to the 360 developers. That doesn't bode to well for the launch date, even though every developer says they are still on track. Hopefully, this is the case. The developers in the article stated their games would have looked much better had they had access to the Beta kits.

Oh! But tomorrow we should see new screenshots and movies from the MS games summit in Japan. Should be an interesting weekend.

[Testcase]

Wait, people are surprised that a Gundam game is turning out to be mediocre? This is news?


Yeah, exactly....................................oh, wait you said Gundam GAME......

You both go to hell. You both to hell and YOU DIE!!!