Joystiq

Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 tech compared by Digital Foundry

Ludwig Kietzmann — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:30:00 EST

Denizens of the internet have pitted Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 against each other in all manner of arenas -- story, multiplayer, level design, slow-motion door breaching sequences -- but what about WHO HAS THE BEST INTERFACE LATENCY?

Digital Foundry tackles one of gaming's fiercest rivalries in a way that's more educational than incendiary, focusing on the ways in which the technology powering each franchise has evolved over the years. With sophisticated lighting techniques and more granular destruction, DICE's Frostbite 2 engine seems primed to embrace a next generation of systems, while Infinity Ward's slick performer maintains its seductive framerate on consoles and lightning-fast controls.

It's presented as another round between two shooter giants, but the commentary on the underlying technology, which is demonstrably different despite similar scenarios and subject matter, is a good reminder of how much time, research and investment is poured into EA and Activision's flagship products -- beyond the boisterous marketing.

Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 tech compared by Digital Foundry originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digital Foundry pits PS3 Mass Effect 2 against Xbox 360 original

Richard Mitchell — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:00:00 EST

Not satisfied with its analysis of the PS3 Mass Effect 2 demo -- which was apparently based on old code -- Digital Foundry has posted a lengthy comparison of the PS3 and Xbox 360 retail editions of Mass Effect 2. There's a lot of information to digest in the article, including several videos and screenshots. The upshot: Most gamers won't notice the differences between the two games, though it seems the 360 version barely edges out the PS3 one in terms of a consistent frame-rate.

The only significant difference, which boils down to personal preference, is the lighting in the two games. DF notes that the PS3 version's lighting is generally brighter than the 360 game, though not necessarily improved from a technical standpoint. The article also examines the effectiveness of the PS3's "Genesis" comic intro, as opposed to actually playing the original Mass Effect on 360.

In the end, if you just have to own the most technically impressive version, DF suggests you choose ... the PC version, of course.

Digital Foundry pits PS3 Mass Effect 2 against Xbox 360 original originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digital Foundry puts PS3's Mass Effect 2 under the microscope

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST

Digital Foundry has placed its exacting eye upon Mass Effect 2's PlayStation 3 incarnation, addressing the big talk from both BioWare and Sony about the game utilizing the Mass Effect 3 engine and ultimately being the "definitive" version. DF's takeaway was that the PS3 version, as far as the PSN demo is concerned, turned out to be "different as opposed to definitive."

Directly comparing the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, DF found the former to be a "a curious mixture of improvements, downgrades and swapped out effects." To give you an idea of how minor some differences are, however, the hexagon pattern on Miranda Lawson's comes out as looking "flat." There's also discussion of shadows looking more realistic, and biotic effects being of lower fidelity.

Also, the PS3 version's framerate appears to be unlocked, which lets the game breathe a little when it can, but DF noted that "tearing is much more apparent in the new game - both in-game and in the cut-scenes." So, perhaps the PS3 version isn't quite definitive, but we're not hearing anything you could still use as an excuse to skip Mass Effect 2 next month.

Digital Foundry puts PS3's Mass Effect 2 under the microscope originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digital Foundry pops the hood on Gran Turismo 5

David Hinkle — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:45:00 EST

Interested in pages of thorough analysis on the technical proficiency of Gran Turismo 5? Of course you are! We all want to see how GT5 compares to previous entries of the franchise and learn about the game's other neat features -- including 3D integration and head-tracking through PlayStation Eye.

DigitalFoundry once again did its due diligence and broke down Polyphony Digital's latest in the only way it knows how: through extensive testing. While the massive tech report is best left read in full, we will offer a brief summary for all of you aspiring turismoers out there: basically, Gran Turismo 5 is quite the feat ... but you already knew that, right?

Digital Foundry pops the hood on Gran Turismo 5 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digital Foundry examines the impact of 3D in Call of Duty: Black Ops

Ludwig Kietzmann — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:30:00 EST

Most players have yet to meet or don the required specs necessary to enjoy Call of Duty: Black Ops in 3D. The intended-to-immerse visual effect doesn't come for free, after all -- not even for the game itself. Joystiq came away impressed with developer Treyarch's implementation of the technology across three different platforms, but our commentary lacked the technical foundation you'll find in Eurogamer and Digital Foundry's latest minute inquiry.

According to Richard Leadbetter's thorough analysis (which also pits the Xbox 360 version against the PS3 rendition), Black Ops takes a significant performance hit when played in 3D on consoles. "Away from individual perceptions and back to the cold hard realities of performance and controller response, there's little doubt that 3D impacts the core experience of playing Black Ops. What you gain (or don't gain, depending on the individual's viewpoint) from the 3D effect you lose in terms of controller response and frame-rate," Leadbetter wrote, noting the severity of the drawbacks in a franchise praised for its smooth framerate and quick controls. "On both versions of the game there's often a sense that you're wading through treacle, almost as if you're battling the control scheme to get some semblance of the response you get from playing in 2D." (Note: Black Ops does not, as far as we know, include a level set in a malfunctioning sugar refinery.)

Despite the PlayStation 3 making a hard push for 3D adoption -- next year's Killzone 3 being one of the standout titles -- Leadbetter concluded that playability on Sony's console suffered the most. "We've logged the PS3 game running as low as 20FPS - and that's just in the very first street battle in the initial Cuba level."

This lack of parity between versions is a problem unique to 3D games -- film studios need only be concerned with how well a film plays with the audience, and not how well the audience plays it. However, as new technology gains wider acceptance, the tradeoffs should become less costly. We're bound to lose a few on the frontline first.

Digital Foundry examines the impact of 3D in Call of Duty: Black Ops originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Killzone 3 has considerably less input lag than its predecessor

Griffin McElroy — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 19:30:00 EST

Digital Foundry has taken its mathematical approach to examining the deep inner workings of games to whole new heights with is recent lag analysis of the Killzone 3 multiplayer beta. Using a special controller (designed by modder extraordinaire Ben Heck), the DF team measured the exact amount of time that passed between pressing R1 and the in-game gun actually firing a bullet: 116ms. According to the blog, that's about 33ms shorter than the lag present in Killzone 2, which apparently makes a world of difference in twitchy shooters of this ilk.

Check out a video of the group's study, as well as a few other odds and ends about the technical side of the beta, over on Eurogamer.

Killzone 3 has considerably less input lag than its predecessor originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 06 Nov 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digital Foundry examines Medal of Honor: Frontline HD

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:30:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

"Examines" is perhaps not specific enough a word in this context -- Digital Foundry fully dissects the "updated" Medal of Honor: Frontline that's included in a limited run of the PS3 version of Medal of Honor ... and then rips it apart. Aside from noting the "low-poly and low-fi textures", DF also claims the game's visuals have "an absolute mammoth level of screen-tear," and its frame rate "varies dramatically."

When compared with the God of War Collection's HD remastering and the forthcoming Sly Cooper remix, MoH: Frontline is said to do little more than serve as "a reminder of how far the genre has progressed over the last eight years." But then, being free, it's hard to argue that the inclusion of Frontline is a ripoff -- it's just not all that "updated," is all.

Digital Foundry examines Medal of Honor: Frontline HD originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digital Foundry compares LittleBigPlanet 2 engine to original

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

While we're still so totally mad at LittleBigPlanet 2 for its recently announced delay, we couldn't avoid sharing Digital Foundry's recent examination of the game's improved graphics engine. In a series of levels designed to test the game's graphical strength, the Digital Foundry team compared the fog, lighting, textures and special effects to those of LittleBigPlanet the first, concluding that ... um, the sequel looks way better.

However, the comparison brought about concerns that some minor changes between the two engines, such as the draw distance of fog effects, might end up breaking some of the user-made levels from the first game. Check out the comparison photos and video over on Digital Foundry.

Digital Foundry compares LittleBigPlanet 2 engine to original originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSJailbreak is real, is sold out, and is likely to get your console banned for using it

Christopher Grant — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:20:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

When we first wrote about the PSJailbreak tool - the latest in a series of purported hacks intended to circumvent the PlayStation 3's robust security precautions - we suggested that it might be a hoax. Notably, the screens shown to illustrate the tool at work were straight from a debug PlayStation 3; the same kind of PS3 that's designed to run un-signed code off of things like hard drives and the like. It turns out we were partially correct. The always excellent Digital Foundry has weighed in on the topic and the takeaway is simple: "the PlayStation 3's much vaunted security has finally been completely and unequivocally compromised."

And how is it compromised? DF writes that the presence of the debug options "suggests that elements of the bespoke system updates used on the debug PS3s are being injected into the memory of the retail unit." That coupled with the USB stick, which DF posits was likely reverse-engineered from the same "USB-based tools Sony uses to test and recover PS3s with corrupt firmware."

Continue reading PSJailbreak is real, is sold out, and is likely to get your console banned for using it

PSJailbreak is real, is sold out, and is likely to get your console banned for using it originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Halo: Reach beta visually dissected by Digital Foundry

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 01 May 2010 13:00:00 EST

Well, we knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, right? First things first: Yes, Halo: Reach is apparently running at a full 720p according to Digital Foundry's review of the beta thus far (so many Ps!). And, like Halo 3 before it, the Reach beta achieves a near constant 30 frames-per-second of highly frenetic gameplay, albeit dropping a few every now and then during, um ... explosive situations (let us once again remind you that the game is still in beta).

In fact, aside from the occasional screen tear and a bit of a "ghosting" issue ("frame bending" -- two or more images being blurred together -- can sometimes result in objects on screen not appearing solid, as seen in this image), DF is quite impressed with the beta's visual presentation, not to mention the gameplay. The three pages on the beta go into far more detail than we've dropped into this post, and, well, we've got a lot more Reach to play, so we'd encourage you to read more right here.

Halo: Reach beta visually dissected by Digital Foundry originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 01 May 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Move input latency analyzed by Digital Foundry

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST

The amount of latency between a user's input on a game controller and the in-game reflection of that input is an incredibly important factor when comparing motion controllers. Sony has been boasting that the input latency for the PlayStation Move would be "under a frame" -- though Digital Foundry concluded otherwise during its brief tech demo with the sphere-tipped peripheral.

Digital Foundry conducted a fairly rudimentary experiment in which a person filmed himself sharply moving the controller, then counted how many milliseconds it takes for the screen to reflect his movement. Though there were a few variables to the experiment (such as the unknown, natural latency of the television display used in the demo), Digital Foundry estimates the device's latency to be in the ballpark of 133ms (around eight frames), which they claim is "fine for most of the applications you would want from such a controller." You can check out a video of Digital Foundry's simple latency experiment on Eurogamer.

PlayStation Move input latency analyzed by Digital Foundry originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digital Foundry: 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII 'adequate but a touch disappointing'

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:15:00 EST

So, you read our review of Final Fantasy XIII and are prepared to pick it up next week, but you're not sure which version to buy? If you're basing your decision on graphical fidelity, the A/V experts from Eurogamer's Digital Foundry suggest you go with the PS3 version of the game -- as seen in their quartet of video comparisons, the 360 version suffered a bit of resolution reduction during its trip between platforms.

No, the difference in quality isn't groundbreaking or anything. We just wanted you to know all the factors before making a decision. Both versions have their strengths and weaknesses -- for instance, the 360 version requires you to change the disc two times, but the PS3 version of the game is unplayable once every 1,461 days.

Digital Foundry: 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII 'adequate but a touch disappointing' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ApocalyPS3: 8 out of 11 PS3 'fat' SKUs affected, PS3 shared Zune chip

Christopher Grant — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:40:00 EST

Eurogamer's resident supernerd at Digital Foundry has weighed in on yesterday's global PS3 meltdown, cleverly dubbed ApocalyPS3. While early reports seemed to indicate PlayStation Network was at fault - "playstation network down" was a top Google search term on Sunday and Sony itself continues to pin the blame squarely on PSN - it became increasingly clear that the issue was unrelated to the console's internet connectivity and instead related to the console's internal clock. If this sounds suspiciously similar to the Z2K bug that suddenly bricked thousands (dozens?) of 30GB Zune players in 2008, it's because both the PS3 and Zune share an ARM CPU chip, says DF. This is presumably the same Freescale processor blamed for Z2K, a chip that happens to have a known problem dealing with leap years.

According to "unofficial community-compiled lists" cited by Digital Foundry, eight out of the eleven "fat" PS3 SKUs were affected by the faulty chip, easily totaling millions of units. If the problem wasn't resolved quietly (perhaps too quietly, considering the dearth of updates on the company's Twitter feed) and relatively quickly by the inevitable march of time itself, Sony would have been tasked with repairing millions of affected consoles; a burden exacerbated by said console's inability to connect to the PlayStation Network.

Lucky for us, and infinitely more so for Sony, at 0000 GMT yesterday, PS3s the world over suddenly figured out what day it was and everything went back to normal. All that's left to do is hope that Sony issues a patch to prevent the next apocalypse. (Isn't that the one in 2012?)

ApocalyPS3: 8 out of 11 PS3 'fat' SKUs affected, PS3 shared Zune chip originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Digital Foundry analyzes the Halo: Reach ViDoc

David Hinkle — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:15:00 EST

By now, you've likely dissected every frame of the new Halo: Reach trailer, mining its most precious infoz to your heart's content. Or maybe (like us) you work for a living, or have other responsibilities that keep you from busting out the microscope and going to town. That's where Digital Foundry comes in.

DF conducted a thorough breakdown of the X10 video, monitoring the frames-per-second (fups, as us cool kids call it) in all of the presented gameplay. All in all, the ViDoc seems to have spoken the truth: Halo: Reach's engine is a significant improvement over that of Halo 3's. It looks like Reach should run at a smooth 30fps, the same as its predecessor, at a higher resolution: 1152x720 over Halo 3's 1152x640. Yep, you pixel-counters just read that right. Head on over and give the video a gander.

[Via HBO]

Digital Foundry analyzes the Halo: Reach ViDoc originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fallout 3 gets the timelapse treatment, still not auto-tuned

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST

Ever wonder what Fallout 3's Capital Wasteland would look like set to dramatic music, timelapsed, and shot in super high resolution? Now's your chance to find out! Eurogamer's Digital Foundry has given just such a treatment to the game via the PC iteration, cranked up to 11. (Is that even possible?!)

The idea behind the video is to show what Fallout 3's engine was capable of -- and we think you'll agree that it meets some very impressive results. Check out the full video here ... or go get auto-tuned. Will you take the moral high ground or lounge in the gutter? The choice is yours!

Fallout 3 gets the timelapse treatment, still not auto-tuned originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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