Finally, a PS3 hands-on report (which is unfortunately still lacking in title-specific details)
Kikizo is claiming that they've gained access to "three PS3 developers in multiple territories,"
which--of course--means that they can't say anything about the games in
development without jeopardizing the jobs of
their confidential friends. They were willing to talk about the current working state of the PS3, however, so here are
a few highlights of what they had to say:- The hardware's close to final, but still hasn't squeezed into those empty PS3 cases yet. An alleged senior developer is quoted as saying: "I think to fit everything that Sony wants in there AND leave space for a 2.5 inch hard drive, the machine would have to grow. The models they're showing off are way too small for what they want."
- Upgraded controller or games media? Well, "developers are designing games with the familiar DualShock 2 controls in mind," and they're "programming the game as if it will be written for a 10-speed DVD drive" (so as not to "affect load time"). The situation may change in the future, but that's the reality for these devs right now.
- Games oughtta be more immersive thanks to the PS3's supposed ability to handle "more stuff simultaneously" as "a machine barely superior to Xbox 360." For this small system gap to widen, "...Sony will have to make available to [devs] libraries and new routines... something they've been severely lacking at so far."
- For reference, "current playable
content" looks more like Fifth Phantom Saga than
Killzone or Motorstorm,
but MGS4-quality
graphics are looking more and more possible (which is probably a good thing), while
launch titles may resemble "nice Xbox 360 material" like Dead or Alive 4 and Gears of
War.
These are exciting times for Sony fans, however, despite any shortcomings described in this "PS3 virginity-busting experience." The graphics are coming along, and the system's beginning to stand tall beside its next-gen rivals. Online's still a wild card, and the tech could be pricey, but we can't wait to finally see some games in action.
[Thanks, Ravi & Mike]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Hiro Protagonist @ Feb 11th 2006 9:52AM
Of course Sony are keeping quiet.
They don't want any of their ideas stolen by their competitors again!
gizmondo_hater @ Feb 11th 2006 10:03AM
white ps3, white psp, white revolution, white ds, white xbox 360, white PC, white ipod, white skin, i love white consoles!!! ...
No gizmondo. I hate it.
B @ Feb 11th 2006 10:06AM
The faster DVD drive is interesting.
Danny Boy @ Feb 11th 2006 10:08AM
Read the Article! They are basicly saying they thought the PS3 was dissapointing!
Why did you only post the positive news? As a whole it's pretty negative.
benjamin @ Feb 11th 2006 10:17AM
Sony needs to do something to generate excitement about their new console. Improved graphics, improved frame rate, improved processing speed...big deal. Who cares? It's still the same old thing. Same kind of games, same control method, even the name is boring: playstation 3. *yawn*
PS3 News @ Feb 11th 2006 10:25AM
Their server is being overloaded right now. Was hoping to read through the whole article.
Vagabond Artist @ Feb 11th 2006 10:26AM
Cool to hear something...
I'll take bread crumbs of info over nothing.
Sounds like 360 and PS3 are pretty equal right now in terms of performance. :)
That's awesome news.
I think they are really going to need Naughty Dog and Insomniacs games at or really really soon after launch to seperate their games from Microsofts.
matt @ Feb 11th 2006 10:29AM
hmm... so by the time the ps3 comes out it will have games that look as good as 360 games that are already out at that time (DOA4, GoW)... sounds like the "wash" stuff is really true.
Dan Choi @ Feb 11th 2006 10:36AM
"Read the Article! They are basicly saying they thought the PS3 was dissapointing!"
I would ask that you do the same, Danny Boy. While there were a number of disappointments with the hardware, there were just as many sighs of relief as real-time graphics in their current state were seen. Read the last line of the article (on page 5) for the summary judgment quoted below:
"The Future Is Almost Here... and even in 720p, it looks bright."
http://games.kikizo.com/news/200602/065_p5.asp
"Why did you only post the positive news? As a whole it's pretty negative."
Um, excuse me? The article was a mix of negatives and positives (with an overall positive slant), so that's been reflected in my post as well. How does the PS3's needing a bigger case, sticking to current-gen formats, and being nearly the same as a 360 come off as "only... positive news"?
Kamalot @ Feb 11th 2006 10:39AM
"MGS4-quality graphics are looking more and more possible"
I should hope so, since the creator of MGS already stated that it is possible to run MGS4 on the Xbox 360.
http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000883068264
PS3 Hard Drive Online = Xbox 360
Kamalot @ Feb 11th 2006 10:39AM
http://kamalot.blogspot.com/2005/11/ps3-hard-drive-online-xbox-360.html
Kamalot @ Feb 11th 2006 10:41AM
"How does the PS3's needing a bigger case, sticking to current-gen formats, and being nearly the same as a 360 come off as "only... positive news"
Because the PS3 was supposed to be so much more than the Xbox 360. Anything that puts it in line with the 360 makes it a HUGE DISSAPOINTMENT.
Very negative indeed.
Danny Boy @ Feb 11th 2006 10:58AM
Dan Choi, it's dissapointing because Sony promised so much more.
From the Article I see that the PS3 is basicly on level terms with the Xbox 360, so what was with Ken saying the Xbox 360 is reall an "Xbox 1.5"? Does that mean the PS3 is a PS2.5? (well seeing at the Xbox is quite a bit better than the PS2 it's not really a fair comparison) So all this time Sony has been bashing something that is equal to the competition.
Then they show CGI and try to pass it off as real gameplay.
Then they say it wont have a HDD but they expect the prive tag to be high, what is the point?!
Rare Hare @ Feb 11th 2006 11:03AM
the only thing there that is kinda dissapointing is the possible need for a bigger case.. one reason i loathe the Xbox is the simple fact that it's like helping somebody move every time you want to pack it up and take to a friend's house.
man that black case is sexy.. and am i the only one who is getting much more used to that spiderman font (without actually liking it, of course)?
Dan Choi @ Feb 11th 2006 11:04AM
Danny Boy: sure, the letdown from the Sony hype machine was disappointing, but the article's still got negative AND positive points (with the basically positive conclusion listed before). Of course, that doesn't make your gripes any less legitimate.
Danny Boy @ Feb 11th 2006 11:09AM
I never said it didn't have it's positive points.
Arch @ Feb 11th 2006 11:14AM
so what? dreamcast and PS2? most likely.
next gen really is about dev tools and games.
Jason W @ Feb 11th 2006 11:19AM
Im just happy to see someone has played a game. Im looking forward to the PS3 but if its just on par with my 360, I may wait for a price drop. If it cost more than my 360 I may wait for two. But it is good that people are starting to see the games being played.
Dan Choi @ Feb 11th 2006 11:21AM
"I never said it didn't have it's positive points."
Nope, but you did say that, as a whole, the story's pretty negative. I would counter and say that the story is pretty balanced between negative and positive points, but I suppose that's just my opinion. =) We can agree to disagree, of course, but I hope you can agree that the news I posted isn't that which is "only positive."
Tucker @ Feb 11th 2006 11:24AM
as much as i gathered from the article, i see 2 major points:
1. The PS3 currently is not graphically superior to the 360, yet the PS3 "as-is" can already handle more information onscreen
2. there is more potential for the former to seperate itself somewhat from the latter, especially as developers become more familiar with the machine in years to come.
One important conclusion we can draw from the article is that Microsoft will have much more leverage against the ps3 in terms of price when the ps3 finally hits the shelves (considering and assuming launch-date performance similarities) , and the longer sony waits to roll out the ps3, the cheaper and more efficiently microsoft will be able to roll-out 360s. And if Sony tries to act sooner than later, it looks like we'll all be playing Halo 3 with the air condiditoning on this summer ;-)
Aegis @ Feb 11th 2006 11:25AM
Not really "hands-on with PS3", more like, "hands-on with development kit playing a game in production".
Hell, the game could be the Kabuki Warriors 2 for all we know, doesn't mean its representative of how good or bad the PS3 is.
don_sf @ Feb 11th 2006 11:58AM
ps3 is new technology so it will be hard to get the best out of it now. but over time, dam you couldnt even put xbox 360 on the same scale as ps3.
what people dont understand is that there are much more people out there who dont come on joystiq for game news. ps1 and ps2 appealed to those type of people because of the style of playstation.
the same thing will happen to ps3. people would rather spend more on a ps3 than buy a cheaper xbox 360.
Erzengel @ Feb 11th 2006 12:08PM
I don't see that the graphic promises are coming along as mentioned in the past. Sorry, the interview tells something different.
MichFan @ Feb 11th 2006 12:15PM
#3 -- the faster DVD drive is interesting only in that they are spec'ing to a 10x DVD, which means the Blueray drive will have to be somewhere between 2x and 3x and not 1x. That just raises the cost of PS3 and/or increases Sony's losses.
Dan Choi @ Feb 11th 2006 12:26PM
"I don't see that the graphic promises are coming along as mentioned in the past. Sorry, the interview tells something different."
Sorry, then what does the "interview" say? Erzengel, if you're talking about the E3 trailers for Killzone or MotorStorm, I mentioned the difference between them and MGS4/Fifth Phantom Saga-level visuals in my fourth point. And it's much less an interview than a five-page article, with quotes included from several different (albeit anonymous) developers and a focus on one "guide" (so to speak). The PS3 may not beat the 360 out of the gate graphics-wise, but the potential for greater performance is there for good developers with the right tools. At the same time, what part of "MGS4-quality graphics are looking more and more possible" doesn't fit with what the original story says? Please back up a claim like that when the author made it pretty clear that the graphics were coming along nicely (early glitches notwithstanding).
Martez @ Feb 11th 2006 12:45PM
"From the Article I see that the PS3 is basicly on level terms with the Xbox 360, so what was with Ken saying the Xbox 360 is reall an "Xbox 1.5"? Does that mean the PS3 is a PS2.5? (well seeing at the Xbox is quite a bit better than the PS2 it's not really a fair comparison) So all this time Sony has been bashing something that is equal to the competition.
Then they show CGI and try to pass it off as real gameplay."
Oh no! They're doing the exact same thing they did with the PS2! Discrediting and belitting competitors and showing CGI off as real-time 'targets.' How shocked and amazed we all are! How COULD Sony do this to us?!
sensay @ Feb 11th 2006 12:50PM
I liked the ps2 games better than the xbox games- their library of software was more my speed(MGS, Final Fantasy, God of War, SoulCaliburIII, Shadow of the colossus, etc), and the xbox was more powerful than the ps2...so if the ps3 is even just a "little bit" better than the 360, I think the ps3 will be just fine...at least for me.
Embassy @ Feb 11th 2006 1:02PM
i think most consumers will make there choice at the stores when they see a side by side comparsion...then after that..its all about the price...and its gonna be even harder for sony cuz the devs will have gotten really familiar with the 360 and im sure MS cud even afford a nice lil price drop...no ones denying that the ps3 may look baetter over time...bu tim sure sony is thinkin about "now" not later...THIS upcomiong summer/fall will be the time sony either gains or loses fans...im sure they are concerned about that more than " down the line" ...
Spartacus @ Feb 11th 2006 1:19PM
"ps3 is new technology so it will be hard to get the best out of it now. but over time, dam you couldnt even put xbox 360 on the same scale as ps3." -don_sf
You forget that the 360's architecture is radically different than current gen consoles as well. BOTH systems will see dramatic improvements in graphics and programming in the years to come. And yes, they ARE "on the same scale", this article makes that pretty clear.
"what people dont understand is that there are much more people out there who dont come on joystiq for game news. ps1 and ps2 appealed to those type of people because of the style of playstation. the same thing will happen to ps3. people would rather spend more on a ps3 than buy a cheaper xbox 360." -don_sf
While I dont think "style" had much to do with it (mass developer support more like it), no can can argue of Sony's console popularity. However, developer support will be much more equal this round, taking away the biggest chip Sony has to offer for gamers and contrary to your statement, the average consumer will NOT pay more for a similar product. Consumers go for the "best buy", which for all we know could be the Revolution. If Sony delivers a system "barely superior to the Xbox 360" yet costs $100-$200 more (which isn't unlikely, especially if MS is able to do a price drop this year) consumers won't bite. Tech geeks and Playstation die hards will snatch it up, but your average family will not (at least for gaming purposes). Here is where some may say, "Ah hah! Sony will sell PS3's to *those* families because they want a blu-ray player!" While this MAY be true to a very limited extent, this doesn't help Sony much. Sony makes a profit from game sales, not console sales. WHile they may make a little in royalties from blu-ray discs, there is still the issue of competition from HD-DVD and the fact that it's possible that neither format will be all that successful.
On the whole, I think this news was expected. Sony's machine will be a little less than what Ken said it would be and will be on par with the 360. Each will have a few advantages and will be competitive. As it should be.
Jake @ Feb 11th 2006 1:19PM
When you look at MOST (not all) of the launch titles for the 360, it's safe to say that they're not a big step above what the original Xbox is doing now. Now, if you look at the "nice Xbox-360 material," like Gears of War, and compare that to the PS2, it's a HUGE step. That's why this isn't the PS2.5. Sony is covering a much wider gap with this jump than Microsoft. That doesn't mean that PS3 games look a full .5 generation points better than the 360 games, it just means that the PS2 was graphically inferior to the original Xbox, and that's hardly news to anyone.
WyattERP @ Feb 11th 2006 1:23PM
It's funny to read the differences in how Joystiq and Engadget reported on this article. Engadget = big NEGATIVE slant, while Joystiq takes the more positive route.
I haven't read the article, so I can't comment yet on the overall opine of the original author with regards to the true slant.
I think the bottom line is this: The Cell processor is a bold "new" approach to processing. Unfortunately, the cell concept has failed miserably in the past, and a lot of the time it has nothing to do with which technology has "superior hardware capabilities". The reality is that Sony is hoping that Blu-Ray drives and cell processors will carry it's PS3 into the tech forefront - a questionable strategy. They execute so poorly as a software company, a lot of devs are left out to dry with trying to make stuff work on the exotic hardware ("...Sony will have to make available to [devs] libraries and new routines... something they've been severely lacking at so far.". Sure, if enough people buy PS3s, most devs will force themselves to learn and create new dev PS3 platforms - but that means that it will take even longer until we see games take full advantage of the hardware (2 years +). I want PS3 to do well, but man, there is no way I agree with Dan Choi in saying "These are exciting times for Sony fans"...I would say at the most, "these are uncomfortable times for Sony fans". I have been reading all sorts of news glibs over the past week that have been slamming the console, or were fluff/hype pieces that seemed so far fetch as to be ridiculous.
nossy @ Feb 11th 2006 1:26PM
The article may have more positive points than negatives, but overall it doesn't look too good for Sony. First off, Spring starts in late March and that's only over a month away. If they haven't even got the final product at least squared away and ready for mass production, it probably will mean a delay or expecting shortages. I understand that Spring last until late June, but in that short period of time, don't expect 4-7 million units at launch. With all the hype (120 frames per second, etc.) and criticism (Xbox 1.5) created by Katuragi and Kaz Harai, we'd expect WAY more than a "slightly" more powerful Xbox360. It may have more positive points, but relative to the console, it's looking another broken promise. However, it's not "finalize" yet so, Sony still have room to work with. Let's hope Sony comes through with their promises.
Xbox360 is experiencing a very slow period, not even releasing ancient arcade ports on XLA games, it's a very good time for Sony to strike with a stunning show at the end of this month.
ScottE @ Feb 11th 2006 1:31PM
2 words
Emotion Engine
Spartacus @ Feb 11th 2006 2:05PM
"When you look at MOST (not all) of the launch titles for the 360, it's safe to say that they're not a big step above what the original Xbox is doing now. Now, if you look at the "nice Xbox-360 material," like Gears of War, and compare that to the PS2, it's a HUGE step. That's why this isn't the PS2.5. Sony is covering a much wider gap with this jump than Microsoft. That doesn't mean that PS3 games look a full .5 generation points better than the 360 games, it just means that the PS2 was graphically inferior to the original Xbox, and that's hardly news to anyone."
Jake: While this may be true, there are a few things you haven't considered. The difference between PS2 and PS3 may be more noticeable due to the TIME it took between releases. 6 years compared to just 4 for the Xbox. So to support the case of the PS3, you're simply saying that there was a lot more room to improve from the PS2. At the end of the day, the graphics from the 360 and PS3 still look similar in the same way PS2 and Xbox graphics did. Not enough to make one worthy of all the lip service and hoopla Sony has given. In short, Sony ahs once again hyped its product far too much and delivered less than expected (though nothing is final yet).
You also should notice that some 360 launch titles (as you admit) DO look much better than Xbox ones. DOA4 and PGR3 are great examples. This proves that it is the SOFTWARE not the HARDWARE that is a little lackluster for the 360, so Xbox 1.5 claims are completely moot. I'm going to guess there will be several lackluster titles on launch day for the PS3 as well...
??? @ Feb 11th 2006 2:20PM
2 more words Runs Hot!
Awais Choudhary @ Feb 11th 2006 2:32PM
Everybody needs to just hurry up and wait. All these "inside sources" say this...is much to do about nothing. I am not reading another thing about the PS3 until it comes from Sony itself.
Erzengel @ Feb 11th 2006 2:37PM
@Dan Choi: It's about your argument that over the time developers will move the PS3 beyond the possibilities of the Xbox360. First, the 360 and the PS3 will improve over time and not only the 360. Second, as the Article says the PS3 will be limited by itself cause of bottlenecks and will not unfold this peakpower. The whole article is really confusing when non developers are trying to interpret them. This Peakpower which everybody is talking about can't be reached and if you put the architecture bottlenecks into the datasheets both will have nealy the same performance now and in the future. The original article says that ps3 memory bandwidth could be a problem, but thats only one of many bottlenecks which slows the ps3 down. I read your article in that way, that you think the ps3 will be superior when developers know the hardware better. The same argument is valid for the 360 dvelopers. But they are not so in trouble with bottlenecks. Before a developer will find out how to use SPEs for gamecode some 360 developers will find out how to use the procedural synthesis on the 360 to go for geometry data. The original Article is true and takes care in the point of performance by hinting to the bottlenecks. Your point is lacking that, cause it will never reach that peakpower which everybody reads from datasheets. They all lack that bottleneck/latencies/stalls of the shaderpipes, memory and the rest of the system.
It's possible that i don't understand your intentions not the right way, cause english (as you see) isn't my mother language, but i think i get what you tried to say and this is wrong in terms of reality from a developers point of view. Your Point 3 is based on these theoretical datasheets which are relativized buy the fact of the bottlenecks. Thats the thing i tried to say.
This post should not offend you and maybe it seems a little agressive, but that's not my intention. It's only my bad english. I tried to write this via email to you but i couldn't find a link to your email adresse, so i posted it here.
I hope you have understand what i tried to say. Sorry for my bad english.
Have a nice weekend and
greets from Germany.
Erzengel @ Feb 11th 2006 2:39PM
Typo in my post. "360" should be "PS3". ;)
First, the 360 and the PS3 will improve over time and not only the "PS3"
Arch @ Feb 11th 2006 2:53PM
spartacus. the difference WONT be that of PS2 and Xbox. thats completly false. whatt his article proves is that they will more likely be the difference between dreamcast and PS2. and dont forget the 360 supports DX10 the PS3 doesnt. so the way i see it, when PC games surpass console games, the PS3 wont be able to handle them and the 360 will.
Kevin @ Feb 11th 2006 3:11PM
Kikizo is the slowest website on the freaking net. Is it possible for someone to post the information elsewhere?
RP @ Feb 11th 2006 3:19PM
That's a great article. Why don't the self-styled "hard
journalists" of the video-game world do this kind of story? Is Dan "Barbie's
Horse Adventure" Hsu too busy tracking down his next "hard-core"
interview to get this story? Can they handle investigative
journalism, or are they too beholden to the powers that be to get
such a story?
Great job Kikizo. I guess the 1up crew will just have to
wait until this story makes the DOA4 forums so they can claim it as their own.
Debikul @ Feb 11th 2006 3:22PM
I just don't see where you guys get off saying stuff like " but over time, dam you couldnt even put xbox 360 on the same scale as ps3" or "The PS3 may not beat the 360 out of the gate graphics-wise, but the potential for greater performance is there for good developers with the right tools."
Where in the hell did you get the idea that the PS3 will be able to out perform the 360 in the long run and pass it's graphics capability? The only info and specs that you have to go by are the ones released by Sony, and you know they are going to put something out there that makes their product look superior even though it may not be. In fact, no one even knows the capabilities of the 360 yet, so why jump the gun and say that the PS3 will pass it?
I'd rather wait and see than assume, especially when the product in question is from a company that doesn't deliver on promises, under-delivers on preformance, and is well known for being mostly talk and no action. And go ahead and bash Microsoft if you wish. But last time I checked they had a working product on the market with playable games with a known "console size" smaller than the original Xbox and not a console that hasn't shown any gameplay, hasn't shown it is stable enough to be consistant, and hasn't shown signs that it may be about the same size as your common household microwave or toaster oven.
gamer1 @ Feb 11th 2006 3:23PM
Dont worry about the PS3. Many people are still going to buy it even though its power is on par with the Xbox 360 and it is more expensive. In the last generation of consoles, many gamers bought each console even though they all performed about equally. Many of the PS2s 100 million unit fan base will hold off on other systems because of their loyalty to the Playstation brand. Its already happening in Japan, as people are holding off on the Xbox 360 for the PS3 that isnt out yet. Since Sony has established a strong name in the gaming community, they are using their Playstation brand to kick off their development in Blu-Ray. Whos to say that Sony shouldnt take advantage of this if gamers are going to buy the PS3 anyway? In many gamers minds, Playstation is the only gaming console theyre ever going to buy, and seeing that 3 there instead of the 2 is something exciting on its own.
Debikul @ Feb 11th 2006 3:28PM
"2 words
Emotion Engine"
Two words:
More Bullshit!
Vince UK @ Feb 11th 2006 3:40PM
^^ Two more words :
Stuck Record.
anonymous coward @ Feb 11th 2006 3:41PM
"and dont forget the 360 supports DX10 the PS3 doesnt."
This statement is false.
They both support DX9-class features, up through Shader model 3.0. (However, the PS3 obviously doesn't support DX9 itself.) Feature-wise, they're basically identical, AFAIK. RSX is a 7800 spin-off, but alledgedly faster, and the 360 GPU is the R500 or a close cousin, which *probably* later evolved into the R580, aka the X1900XT.
Strip the 10MB embedded DRAM off the X360 GPU and it's roughly 130 million transistors short of the X1900XT (a whopping 384 million), so I'm guessing it's slower, but that's just a guess.
While DirectX PC to console ports should typically be easier on the 360 than the PS3, on the whole they should be easier for PS3 than they were for the PS2.
And OpenGL ports should be significantly easier than DX ports for the PS3, and possibly easier than for the 360. Maybe.
mwahaha @ Feb 11th 2006 3:57PM
So, what we have are two equivalent products: the XBOX 360 and the PS3 but the PS3 has a Blu-Ray player and will probably cost either the same or $100-$150 extra? Halle-freakin-lujah! It will be years before a dedicated Blu-Ray or HD-DVD player costs $100-$150. PS3 all the way!
Jameyt @ Feb 11th 2006 4:29PM
One important point that no one seems to want to discuss: the DVD drive speed and lack of Bluray so far. They mention in the article that the devs are just working with 12 speed (or was it 10x) DVD drives. Check out the other articles as of late. for a Bluray drive to get to this amount of data througput it's going to have to be 4x or more I believe. Might be off on that. The point being that there's no way that Sony will be able to afford anything other than 1x or 2x Bluray drives out of the gate. This means one of two things: horrendous load times from hell OR requiring a hard drive in every box to load the entire game for playback (more fixed cost per box. See Xbox 1 for the economics of this proposition.) So you're going to have one massive load time up front or a lot of long ones throughout the games. Doesn't sound like a very good experience.
Also, true, that devs will be able to do wondrous things at some future point on the PS3 but so will the Xbox 360 developers who will have at the least a good solid year head start.
Fanboys will be fanboys. Gamers will buy machines as much for brand loyalty as for the games. But there are limits. Too expensive and you price all the but most hardcore out of the market. Too little and they loose too much money. At this rate the PS3 will lose Sony significant money on every box. Most analyst predict rather large losses for a few years. Sony isn't in the financial position to be able to do this -- at least not for long.
dsub @ Feb 11th 2006 4:51PM
"They both support DX9-class features, up through Shader model 3.0. (However, the PS3 obviously doesn't support DX9 itself.) Feature-wise, they're basically identical, AFAIK. RSX is a 7800 spin-off, but alledgedly faster, and the 360 GPU is the R500 or a close cousin, which *probably* later evolved into the R580, aka the X1900XT.
Strip the 10MB embedded DRAM off the X360 GPU and it's roughly 130 million transistors short of the X1900XT (a whopping 384 million), so I'm guessing it's slower, but that's just a guess."
actually, the 360 GPU or the "R500" is really more advanced than the X1900XT. The big difference is, that the X1900XT does NOT have a unified shader architecture. The 360 GPU was unlike any GPU the market has ever seen, and since the unified shader technology will be the model of the choice for both ATI and nVidia's DX10 cards, the 360 GPU actually will have more in common with the architecture of ATI's next-gen cards, which won't be out until windows vista is released. So essentially, the 360 GPU is an early DX10 GPU, without some of the new DX10 features. The unified shaders allow the developers to design one set of instructions for both the pixel and vertex shaders, where as in standard cards with the separate architecture, like in the PS3, they have to take the time to come up with two separate sets. This, and other things allow the 360 GPU to take more of a burden off of the CPU.
True though, the 360 doesn't "support" DX10...theoretically it doesn't even "support" DX9, it and the PS3 just share the same features as the latest version of DX9.
KingKong @ Feb 11th 2006 5:44PM
I find it interesting that the developer's comments was quite positive, but the subsequent spin put on that by Kikizo didn't really seem to be in line with that. The dev was talking about being able to do more things simultaneously, more geometry, more effects, and that as time goes on PS3 will probably be able to do things that would leave 360 "choking", yet Kikizo spins that as "barely superior". Sounds a bit more than that to me, just looking at the developer's own comments. I guess as an old-school ex-Sega boy (ex?), Doree mightn't have been able to help playing down Sony's new box.