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SOURCE: http://www.gpriceshop.com/top-developer-confirms-nobody-using-ps3-to-full-capacity
I
am aware I am likely to get flamed for this as due to an NDA (non
disclosure order) I am unable to name the developer or the game he was
working on, but I still think it is worth discussing.
Recently I travelled to see the preview demo of a hugely anticipated
game coming out later this year. Once we had viewed the demo (which was
interestingly given on Xbox, usually developers choose PC) we were
allowed some one on one time with the technical guy to talk about the
development of the game.
I
am not claiming to be a tech head in any way but I was interested in
what I had been reading about developers not using the PS3 to it’s full
capacity. As these guys had just developed an all new engine it seemed
a fair question to ask him. My question was put like this
“A lot of people say that game developers are not using the total
capacity of the PS3. What have you guys done, if anything, to try to
use the full potential of the machine in this new engine design and in
this game”
His answer, transcribed from my dictaphone was this
“I do not think we will use the full potential of the PS3, no other
developer has done so far. It is new technology and a different
structure than we are used to working with. But I think we have used
the PS3 very well. We have used SPU’s, the small processors,
effectively.”
My follow up question was
“ So hand on heart, you would not rather play the game on Xbox 360 than PS3?”
Answer, “No, they are basically the same”
Now
we all know there could be a world of difference in that basically, but
I did get the feeling he was being sincere. On a show round of the
studio we had we got a chance to see the game being played side by side
by game testers looking for bugs and they did, graphically at least,
look very similar.
On the one hand you could see this as points in the PS3’s favor. On
far less than its full capacity the PS3 is able to compete rather well
with the Xbox 360. A grand claim to be able to make and Sony executives
always sound a little smug when they discuss this.
But
my question is, if developers are never going to use the PS3’s full
capacity as we all know has been indicated by Sony’s President of
Worldwide Studios Phil Harrison, then what does the the theoretical
full capacity count for?
Surely, it is a bit like an athlete who always runs fourth claiming
that his body has the best potential to win gold if only there were
more hours in the day for him to train?
Then
again, perhaps we are asking ourselves the wrong question. Maybe it
does not matter if the PS3 ever uses its full potential so long as it
does get to the point where gameplay takes a substantial leap forward.
There are claims for example that once utilized properly the PS3
will allow a huge sand box style world to actually age, have permanent
damage, and dead bodies will never disappear.
Can
the tech heads put us straight, is a substantial leap forward in
gameplay imminent from this much lauded system? Are we ever going to
see the PS3 leave the mark people say it is capable of or is all this
famed potential to be wasted?
I
am aware I am likely to get flamed for this as due to an NDA (non
disclosure order) I am unable to name the developer or the game he was
working on, but I still think it is worth discussing.
Recently I travelled to see the preview demo of a hugely anticipated
game coming out later this year. Once we had viewed the demo (which was
interestingly given on Xbox, usually developers choose PC) we were
allowed some one on one time with the technical guy to talk about the
development of the game.
I
am not claiming to be a tech head in any way but I was interested in
what I had been reading about developers not using the PS3 to it’s full
capacity. As these guys had just developed an all new engine it seemed
a fair question to ask him. My question was put like this
“A lot of people say that game developers are not using the total
capacity of the PS3. What have you guys done, if anything, to try to
use the full potential of the machine in this new engine design and in
this game”
His answer, transcribed from my dictaphone was this
“I do not think we will use the full potential of the PS3, no other
developer has done so far. It is new technology and a different
structure than we are used to working with. But I think we have used
the PS3 very well. We have used SPU’s, the small processors,
effectively.”
My follow up question was
“ So hand on heart, you would not rather play the game on Xbox 360 than PS3?”
Answer, “No, they are basically the same”
Now
we all know there could be a world of difference in that basically, but
I did get the feeling he was being sincere. On a show round of the
studio we had we got a chance to see the game being played side by side
by game testers looking for bugs and they did, graphically at least,
look very similar.
On the one hand you could see this as points in the PS3’s favor. On
far less than its full capacity the PS3 is able to compete rather well
with the Xbox 360. A grand claim to be able to make and Sony executives
always sound a little smug when they discuss this.
But
my question is, if developers are never going to use the PS3’s full
capacity as we all know has been indicated by Sony’s President of
Worldwide Studios Phil Harrison, then what does the the theoretical
full capacity count for?
Surely, it is a bit like an athlete who always runs fourth claiming
that his body has the best potential to win gold if only there were
more hours in the day for him to train?
Then
again, perhaps we are asking ourselves the wrong question. Maybe it
does not matter if the PS3 ever uses its full potential so long as it
does get to the point where gameplay takes a substantial leap forward.
There are claims for example that once utilized properly the PS3
will allow a huge sand box style world to actually age, have permanent
damage, and dead bodies will never disappear.
Can
the tech heads put us straight, is a substantial leap forward in
gameplay imminent from this much lauded system? Are we ever going to
see the PS3 leave the mark people say it is capable of or is all this
famed potential to be wasted?