A while ago, IGN uploaded a pair of direct-feed trailers for the next-gen title Armored Core 4, one trailer
running on PS3 hardware, the other on the Xbox 360. Without revealing which one ran on which console, we asked our
readers to take a blind taste test and compare the two side by side and tell us which one struck you as having the
graphical upper hand. The results are in, and so, as judged by Joystiq readers, which Armored Core trailer is
graphically superior?
As you can see, 39% of those polled found the second trailer to be more impressive than the first. And which console did the second trailer belong to? Perhaps suprisingly, it was the Xbox 360. Of course, as many of you were keen to point out, these were pre-rendered trailers; they don't imply anything about the graphical prowess of either system. Instead, let's change tack and take a look at what this means from a game developer's standpoint.
By all accounts, the PlayStation 3 absolutely should have more graphical horsepower than the Xbox 360. It's been in development longer, is being released several months later, features a next-gen optical drive, and will cost approximately two limbs and a virgin princess. If that's the case, then why doesn't the PS3's copy of the trailer reflect the benefit of its hardware? We've already seen gorgeous real-time renditions of Unreal and Metal Gear Solid 4, so we know it has the capacity to blow us away, at the very least.
However, we’ve also heard varying reports that the PS3 will be notoriously difficult to program for. This makes little difference for exclusive titles such as Metal Gear and Killzone, but could mean everything for games spanning multiple consoles. How many developers will be willing to spend the time and effort—speak nothing of the resources—of taking a game built for the Xbox 360 and bringing it to fully realize its potential on the PS3? And let’s not forget Nintendo, who are reportedly making ease of development one of their top priorities. If this is true, then what’s to stop developers from initially creating a title for the Revolution and merely porting it to the 360 and PS3 with some minor tweaks, enhanced textures, and an improved framerate? We all know that the PS3 has potential, but just how many developers will be bold enough to turn that potential into reality?
