IGN: PS3 Oblivion loads quicker, looks nicer than 360

by Kyle Orland { Feb 7th 2007 at 2:15PM }

IGN got some hands-on time with the long-awaited PS3 port of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and came away with some quite favorable comparisons to the Xbox 360 version. Load times that were seven to ten seconds on the 360 have been reduced to three to five seconds on the PS3, according to IGN. What's more, the frame rate drops that accompanied entrances to detailed areas have been eliminated, and the graphics have been improved with higher resolution textures, improved shading and an increased draw distance (to minimize far off object popping up suddenly). Amazing what newer hardware and an extra year of development time will do, isn't it?

Still, it's not all wine and roses for PS3 owners. While the "Knights of the Nine" side-quest will be preloaded on the PS3 disc, the rest of the downloadable content available to Xbox 360 and PC players will not be available, though the content packs "may find their way to the PlayStation Store at some point in time in the future." Hopefully PS3 adventurers will be too busy playing the massive main quest to notice the omission when the game comes out in March.

[Thanks, Phranctoast]

Tags: 360, console wars, ConsoleWars, elder scrolls, ElderScrolls, graphics, load times, LoadTimes, oblivion, port, ps3

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Intentless @ Feb 7th 2007 2:20PM

Finally some good news about a port to the PS3... Thank you developers for actually using that extra time to make a difference...

Marty @ Feb 7th 2007 2:20PM

Of course, all said and done, it's still the same game everyone played a whole year ago. Whoopie.

Jay @ Feb 7th 2007 2:37PM

I'm not really a console fan but it doesn't really look better.

Intentless @ Feb 7th 2007 2:22PM

hence the "..."...

Freakin' Pothead @ Feb 7th 2007 2:24PM

Wow! Enjoy our leftovers.

ihavenoideawhatisgoingon @ Feb 7th 2007 2:24PM

"Amazing what newer hardware and extra year of development time will do, isn't it?"

I think you just meant "an extra year of development time", because the hardware was already spec'd at the same time as the 360's....so when the PS3 actually came out, it's tech was already a year old!

Antec747 @ Feb 7th 2007 2:28PM

Looks like developers are working PS3 hardware better. Great news!

dork @ Feb 7th 2007 2:26PM

it should look different, if i paid 600 dollars to play a game that was developed a year ago, id hope it looked better

Baby21 @ Feb 7th 2007 2:28PM

Of course, I have alway said early, Blu-ray is very faster.

54.0 Mbit/s for blu-ray > 36.55 Mbit/s for HDDVD or DVD.

Pedro @ Feb 7th 2007 2:29PM

Funny how even positive PS3 news ends up being bad!

Rejoice sony fanbots! Now you can play a slighly prettier version of a game that you badmouthed until you found out it was coming to the ps3! Unfortunately, you won't have any post launch support of access to any DLC, because sony's online model is so damn inept that we can't figure out how to get it to work. But hey, downloadable content is last gen, right? Just like everything else the ps3 doesn't have.

phunk @ Feb 7th 2007 2:31PM

The increased draw distance and updated textures seem like they'll be headed the 360's way via a patch:

They talk about it in the interview

http://www.gamespot.com/search.html?qs=oblivion&sub=m&stype=11&type=11

Antec747 @ Feb 7th 2007 4:41PM

ejoice sony fanbots! Now you can play a slighly prettier version of a game that you badmouthed until you found out it was coming to the ps3!

you forgot faster, higher res texture and longer draw distance ;)

good spin, but you still lose.

Baby21 @ Feb 7th 2007 2:32PM

/\ No, they haven't said anything, only PC

Phranctoast @ Feb 7th 2007 2:34PM

So arguably the best 360 game comes out for the ps3 and its better graphically and has better load times, and thats a bad thing.

spin it whatever way you want but it only makes you look like an asshole.

Adam @ Feb 7th 2007 2:36PM

This is this sort of news that should be expected for the ps3. Instead, it's pretty much a laughing matter that everyone is surprised by this. Way to go.

Leggo @ Feb 7th 2007 2:37PM

It's amazing what dumping everything to a massive cache on the hard drive will accomplish in terms of load times and draw distance.

nate @ Feb 7th 2007 2:38PM

pretty sure it's just the extra year of development time...but cool...and if the Blue Ray....the drive actually in the PS3..not a newer, faster player, is faster...why did all it's exclusives...well 1 in particular take almost at least 30 secs to load...cough..RFOM...cough

dsr7997 @ Feb 7th 2007 3:28PM

I am a a 360 fanboy however; I have to go with Phranctoast on this one.

Screwed @ Feb 7th 2007 2:40PM

WOW look. MSOF on the offensive again. GWB style, woohooo

Pedro @ Feb 7th 2007 3:24PM

@ Phranctoast

It may look better, but it doesn't play as well. No rumble+ significantly less content available.

F1ghter @ Feb 7th 2007 2:41PM

Actually, the DVD drive in the Xbox360 is nearly twice as fast as the BD drive in the PS3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox360#Storage). This is because the 360 has a 12x DVD drive, while the PS3 has a 2x BD drive; both facts are well-known and oft-corrected.

The reason for the faster load times on PS3 probably has to do with more efficient coding and heavy use of the PS3's hard drive.

As noted before on Joystiq, Bethesda had to get creative to work around the slow drive in the PS3 (http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2007/01/ps3_oblivion_seeing_double_to.php).

bmac @ Feb 7th 2007 2:42PM

Oh fanboys, how I love you. In a world full of uncertainty, I can rely on you to spin any good PS3 news into bad, and generally crap on anything that isn't bad news. Bless each and every one of you, may your 360's dvd drive forever spin with FPS titles.

Baby21 @ Feb 7th 2007 2:42PM

Hmm when you bought the PS3? cos I got it from last week, and ROFM took about 15 secs to load at most.

I think it is because of news in dec that sony have discovered better blue laser.

F1ghter @ Feb 7th 2007 2:43PM

Sorry, forgot to mention that that was directed at Baby21 (and anyone else who will inevitably praise Blu-Ray for being "fast").

mike @ Feb 7th 2007 4:26PM

"7. Of course, I have alway said early, Blu-ray is very faster.

54.0 Mbit/s for blu-ray > 36.55 Mbit/s for HDDVD or DVD."

go ahead make stuff up

Blu-ray 2x: 72Mbp / 8MBps
12x DVD: 66 - 132Mbps / 8.2 - 16.5MBps

aegies @ Feb 7th 2007 2:43PM

You know, according to 1up's chat with Bethesda, most of IGN's "impressions" are crap: the textures on the PS3 are apparently muddier (due to limited video memory comparatively), and it won't have all of the extra content because the system can't load it all at once. The most interesting aspect that the 1UP preview discusses is, as phunk mentioned, the apparent ability for Bethesda to update the shader code on the 360 version through the Shivering Isles expansion. This preview is literally everything that's wrong with the way IGN is segregated by console: it encourages bullshit exaggeration and fanboy behavior.

The 1UP preview is here, in video form:
http://gamevideos.com/video/id/8905

http://eat-sleep-game.com

Todd @ Feb 7th 2007 3:23PM

Are these load times dependant on installing the game onto the internal hard drive, or are these load numbers based on disc load? I would rather not have to load the game onto the hard drive, so these better be disc load times.

Chris @ Feb 7th 2007 3:42PM

1UP also said in that interview that after the new Expansion pack for the 360 comes out, it actually improves the graphics and all that shiny crap in the 360 version, in the normal game and the expansion. He said the improved graphics have nothing to do with which system is better/faster, they just had a year to improve the engine, so the 360 will look as good as the PS3, once Shivering Isles comes out.

Screwed @ Feb 7th 2007 2:47PM

@22, 1up is bigger crap than PS3. They do nothing but bashing after they got kick in the butt by Sony on dumping them on OPM. To think Bethesda actually bad mouth their own products a month before launch is crazy. That's anti-hype, even a 12 years old can figure this out.

Fale @ Feb 7th 2007 3:30PM

Joy, your missing out a fact stated by bethesda, that due to the memory limits of the PS3 no DLC will be possible.

Phranctoast @ Feb 7th 2007 2:50PM

"22"

The story is also in Gamespot as well. So two of the most popular videogame sites are just spreading crap.

maybe sony paid them both off.....

Jake @ Feb 7th 2007 2:48PM

The game had an extra year of development time. It better be improved. And, it is using the download it to the hard-drive trick for faster speeds; it doesn't mean blu-ray is faster.

This is big news for PS3-only gamers. PC and 360 gamers have played this already. But, just like I am a little bit excited for the HL Orange set, many PS3 owners should be a bit excited about this old Oblivion shtuff. You only had to wait an extra year and pay more, but the finish product is a tiny bit better. Enjoy.

nate @ Feb 7th 2007 2:48PM

and 15 sec is fast?

Shmil @ Feb 7th 2007 2:48PM

5-7 seconds faster for loading! REJOICE! those other precious seconds can be used by working extra hours to pay off the 200 extra bucks you wasted on the ps3

Matt @ Feb 7th 2007 2:49PM

The fanboys must be getting dizzy from all this spinning.

Honestly, there's nothing wrong with this announcement. The game should well look better after Bethesda has had an entire year to tweak it for the PS3.

For 360 fanboys, this should be a non issue now. Most 360 owners have had the game for a year now and already played through every side quest you can imagine.

logikil @ Feb 7th 2007 2:55PM

This is actually a good thing. The game is great, huge, and well worth the money. It isn't any reason for someone who already owns the game to run out for this copy but it is definitely something that will fill PS3 gamers' time until the next big game comes out.

As to fixing this on the 360 version via a patch, i'm not sure where you saw that in the interview. They are covering the expansion not some patch.

moofree @ Feb 7th 2007 2:55PM

I wonder if it'll look better than the PC version.

I have everything maxed out with my (voltmodded and overclocked) 7900GT, and it definitely looks a little better than the 360 version (though it'd be nice to have HDR and FSAA on at the same time)

Ryan @ Feb 7th 2007 2:56PM

So... even if it's a year old it doesn't make it a non playable game. A ps3 would be very expensive if you got one to play JUST this game...

It's dumb to try to rub in that any game for any console is a "Leftover", especially since how many xbox 360 games are last generation? And how many will they have from ps3 in the next couple years?

Even still, buying a Wii and super mario bro's 1 is way more expensive than buying the actual NES and the game... for a 22 year old game.

Metalmurphy @ Feb 7th 2007 2:57PM

@18

you forgot to mention that BR disc has constant velocity while the dvd drive doesn't, and afaik the 360 drives only reads at x12 for Single Layer discs, it reads at 8x for dual layers.

Vidikron @ Feb 7th 2007 2:57PM

@27

EXACTLY. Most people who have a PC or 360 already have the game if they want it. It's old news for many people. But why shouldn't PS3 owners who don't have the game not be excited to get it? And who cares if they get a tweaked version? They had to wait a year longer for it.

For new owners of both consoles who want the game it will come down to buying a slightly prettier PS3 version or the 360 version with achievement points. In the end it's the same damn game, so I really get the point of debating it.

And, for the record, I own the 360 version and it bored me to tears. I think the game is overrated... but that's just my opinion.

aegies @ Feb 7th 2007 2:58PM

@23:

It isn't bashing. It's Bethesda being honest about the limitations of the hardware, and trying to somewhat curb expectations. It doesn't change the fact that Oblivion is an amazing game that people with PS3s should pick up. It just means it isn't a reason to buy one.

samfish @ Feb 7th 2007 2:58PM

Would anyone actually be surprised at this point to learn that Sony was bribing video game "journalists"?

I sure wouldn't. Especially if it was Sony.

MthdDirector @ Feb 7th 2007 3:04PM

"Amazing what newer hardware and an extra year of development time will do, isn't it?"

Kyle I think you need to check the logic of that ...none of the improvements you list require newer or better hardware to execute.

And "newer" hardware is kind of a misnomer, because regardless of how "new" it is, developers did not get significant enough lead time prior to the PS3 release to be able to MAXIMIZE the hardware.

No, I'd chalk this one up to how Speedtree is implemented on the PS3, how the game engine (which Bethesda licensed) is implemented on the PS3, and how a significant portion of the game is cached to the HD. That kind of excludes hardware from the equation, doesn't it?

(and if Bethesda were releasing Oblivion for the 360 TODAY, you can bet that additional development time would have yielded an improved game also)