David Cage: PS3 still "very powerful", people will be surprised at what it can do with Beyond

David Cage opens up on creating a new game at the end of the PS3's lifecycle, explaining that the console is still very powerful and people will be surprised with it after seeing Beyond: Two Souls.

[GalacticEmpire]

The complex architecture of the PS3 has made progress slow for developers but there's still a lot of potential in that black box. We should still be seeing improvements in PS3 games, even this far into the gen. They may not be obvious or mindblowing but there's definitely more horsepower hidden away there.

[TCG_Returns]

For sure.Some of the most visually impressive games this gen are thanks to PS3

[blitz0623]

It's good to see developers realizing what the PS3 can do and take advantage of it. Tired of seeing lazy devs *cough* Bethesda.

[t0mmyb0y]

I agree. Also, Beyond = Confirmed PS3 title.

[LocutusEstBorg]

Why don't any of them run at 1080o or 60FPS? That alone is proof that the GPU is maxed out and can't render fast enough. Reducing something else isn't magically using more hidden power.

[Quetzll]

hidden power probably isn't the best way to describe it.

but i wouldn't doubt that there are still some new tricks devs can pull by focusing less on pizel count and framerate

edit: pixel

[piroh]

@KurianOfBorg

some games are 1080p 60 fps, but there aren't many reasons why making these games, it's a waste of resources and time for programming

PS3 is capable 60 fps full hd games, even ps2 was capable 60 fps games

anyway, games aren't made by hardware, games are made by talented people, that's why Last of us, Gran Turismo 5 or Last guardian looks like next-gen material

[slayorofgods]

@blitz0623

Bethesda is also script heavy and requires more memory then say GTA4 (a game that if you walk four feet away from your car it goes away). For visuals you can rely on Sony's Cell processor, but the cell isn't going to remember where all the bodies are in Skyrim.

[Awesome_Gamer]

I agree, 360 fanboys are so dulsional, anyone that doesn't admit PS3 exclusives have the best graphics this gen is clearly blind.

[andibandit]

For sure, the PS3 is a supercomputer and becomes more powerful with age.......wait what?.

[Nutsack]

Both sides are right in some way.

No, there isn't a massive amount of power hidden somewhere, this is 2006 hardware and not some futuristic alien technology, or it becomes magically more powerful by its age.

BUT, we've also seen in the past that every console at the end of its lifecycle gets games that squeeze out the last bits of power out of every till then part of the system that wasn't known how to use before.

If we look at last gen, just see what God of War 2 did on the PS2. Or when looking at the competition, what Fable or Doom 3 did on the XBOX 1 hardware. The XBOX 1 had a Celeron 733Mhz CPU (at that time used in laptops and cheapass PC's that weren't advised for gaming really), a Geforce 3 GPU (that was on the PC market out for years and years already and seen as old tech) and 64MB Ram.

To play Fable on a PC back then took a pretty high spec machine to show something on screen that matched Fable on the XBOX.

We didn't see those games at launch, or even mid consolecycle.

Coming back to this gen and the PS3 specifically, there is more that shows that the PS3 is pushed further, maybe even more so than the 360. Not because it has so much stronger hardware, but because of 2 reasons:

1. PS3's tech was so hard to explore, compared to 360, that now after 6 years of extra hard work the devs know the tricks to achieve the same and all that extra effort might even give the edge in some more

2. Because Sony spend more money on 1st party studios and thus specifically written engines for the PS3 to explore the specific hardware (compared to the 360 that mostly had to run on 3rd party engines, with Epics engine on top), they could squeeze more out of the console. Games like Uncharted show this.

And actual proof that the PS3 even can get one step further is already shown in footage of The Last of Us.

If anyone likes to deny that TLOU isn't again a WOW moment, another step up on whats out there already for the consoles, then one is in denial.

So yes, the PS3 isn't powerful enough to do native 1080p for all games in a high framerate (neither 360, nor I bet even WiiUpgrade), those few that do are always less demanding games in physics, effects, number of enemies on screen etc (same way the original XBOX 1 had 720p for some games though the XBOX 1 component cable pack but always had less detail and stuff going on then other games). BUT at the end of a lifecycle there are always a couple of jewels that make a console shine.

Period, the ones disagreeing are either fanboys of a specific system that dislike another system getting a game like TLOU or in this case Beyond or they haven't looked at what games in former gen(s) were pushed out at the end of the lifecycle that are just true diamonds in their generation.

[ChrisW]

Despite how phenomenally awesome the graphics and effects would be over the competitions', if the PS3 were easier to develop for then gamers would complain that PS3 had hit its limit and is lame.

People love "room for improvement". It keeps them on the edge of their seats in anticipation for the next new awesome thing. In other words, it's an elaborate marketing ploy concocted by Sony.

[subtenko]

So when the Wii U comes out, if I dont see a title that looks and plays as good as The Last of Us and Beyond Two Souls, what does that mean?

I'm asking PlayStation fans and Nintendo fans, but mostly Nintendo fans for your opinion on that.

[zerocrossing]

I understand that the complexity of PS3's inner workings have been a struggle for many devs, but c'mon now, the PS3's been out like 6 years or so, that's plenty of time for anyone to get accustomed to the architecture, the real problem is many devs are just too lazy to put the effort in when they gain large profits regardless.

[yesmynameissumo]

Case in point - Bethesda.

[MikeMyers]

It takes time to really get the best out of the hardware. It's just too bad some developers seem to need new hardware to jumpstart innovation again. That's why I'm looking forward to this game quite a bit. There is still lots of great ideas they can do now without the need for new systems. It's always nice having that leap forward each generation, but when they don't have to struggle with new hardware they can concentrate more of making a great game while already knowing the systems capabilities.

[GalacticEmpire]

@ZEROCROSSING

Completely agree, there's a lot of studios out there just out for the easy money. However there are some devs that will eek out every possible advantage that the cell PS3 has to offer.

Take Uncharted 2 to Uncharted 3, while the improvement was not a massive leap, as 2 was from 1, there were notable improvements in physics, lighting and such. The cruise liner levels in particular highlight this point.

[The_KELRaTH]

I don't agree it's down to lazy devs rather a combination of publisher cost restraints and less experience with specific PS3 coding.
A PC dev can quickly adjust to coding the 360, they can also port code to the PS3 but that means not making use of all the SPE's.
But that brings another issue; adding code to make use of the SPE's requires more memory but the PS3 doesn't have extra memory rather it has slightly less usable system memory.

I wonder how many ppl using N4G can use 2 to 3 languages natively - not many I'll bet.

[ritsuka666]

The PS3 is an architectural nightmare with many bottlenecks.the strange CPU, the archaic GPU, the slow Blu-Ray drive. It's a mess and only developers with a lot of dedicated time can make a program that runs well on it. It's a PoS and only Sony fanboys deny it.

[Bumpmapping]

Don't worry little fella I hear you.I would be pissed too knowing nothing comes close Sony exclusives in terms of graphics.

[Campy da Camper]

Puff, puff pass!

[firelogic]

And yet with all those supposed faults, the PS3 has the best looking games this generation.

And it's time to put the myth that the bd drive is slow to rest. The bd drive reads/writes at a uniform speed whether it's getting data from the outside of the disc or inside.

DVD drives don't read at a uniform rate. It's slow on the outside, faster on the inside. When you average out the speeds, the diff b/w bd and dvd is negligible. And again, games like GoW3 and Uncharted stream seamlessly with zero loading so why isn't the SLOW bd drive hindering those games?

If even one game can astound with it's visual prowess, it means that the other devs are lazy.

[GribbleGrunger]

It's actually faster on the outside and slower on the inside. Although it takes exactly the same time for a point on the inside to turn 360%, less data can be written there, whilst on the outside more data can be written there and accessed within that 360% spin.

[jd666]

It's funny how the developers who call it a 'challenge' get good results and the ones who call it 'hard work' are the ones who do the bad ports! Since when was working for a living not 'hard work' for most of us!! It's down to laziness!!

[SegataShanshiro]

Everyone is mad cause hes saying the pure and honest 100% truth...the ps3 is a relic and should be euthanized along with the xbox 360

[Quetzll]

@firelogic

to be fair, a game like uncharted doesn't have half of the variables that come with open world/sandbox games like skyrim. just being able to pick up and move objects, alone, creates a nearly incalculable amount of outcomes.

now imagine finally getting those variables under control so that when you pick up an orange, it doesn't go flying or interfere with other elements of the game. im sure it takes tons of time. then you have to optimize it for a whole other system while maintaining the control of the variables.

point being - it takes tons of time and space/memory to make an open world/sandbox game. so hindered graphics on those games isn't due to lazy devs.

[Holeran]

Wow, I need some of what you're smoking.

[Bloodraid]

@Bumpmapping

Are you insane? Have you not looked at the PC in the past couple of years?

[d0nni3]

throw petrol on the fire and do one, classic troll

[kikizoo]

Yeah, ok, and only xbox fanboys deny that most beautiffull games/exclusives are for ps3..

so, more complex, ok, but also more powerfull ("lol@strange cpu : a real monster in fact, and bluray drive + instal is better than slow and noisy dvd like yours)

"And there's your reason why PS3 owners ended up with a lot of inferior multiplatform games. "

only xbox fanboyz are really believing this non sens 'a lot of'...lol, most of the games are exactly the same (but ok, they should have been better on ps3)

[Gondee]

It is an architectural nightmare. I don't know why, people are still under the impression that its immensely powerful. It was fast back in 05, yes. And for the price you couldn't get a CPU that could output the same FLOPS. IBM designed that CPU for that exact purpose, mass calculations, not rendering.

Microsoft took the exact opposite approach. Give devs no access to the hardware, and augment their engines via DX9. What people never talk about, is that the next gen game systems, Xbox potentially could have 100% back compatibility by nature of their approach.

[BlaqMagiq24]

Hey what's up troll

[Bordel_1900]

ritsuka666, maybe a bit too black and white. The PS3 is a good console, and it has delivered some awesome games, both graphically a technically.

But, I'm sure it could do a lot more if it wasn't for some of the limitations you mention. Slow Blu-ray drive, far to little memory are the main bottlenecks for the PS3.

That's why load times are so bad and we often see low quality textures on the PS3.

Only games that have been built from the ground up, around these limitations, really shine on the PS3. All other games suffer when compared to their X360 and PC counterparts.

I really hope that for next generation Sony creates a better more streamlined console that is easy to develop for.

I have 2 PS3 at home (bought one at launch) and I have an AlienWare PC, I find myself playing more and more on the PC. It's a pleasure to use with hires gfx, ssd disk, and tons of memory. The PS3 is really showing its age, everything is so slow, load-times are almost unbareable, it high time for a PS4 console now. I still play a lot of GT5 on it though.

[shenpo_shin]

yep thats why every single ps3 exlcusives looks x100 better than any xbox 360 exclusive...cause of all these craps u just mentioned...kid go back to gaylo

[MasterCornholio]

I still remember fanboys calling this CGI when it was shown off at E3.

http://cdn3-www.playstation...

And even after the game came out they claimed that this looked better.

http://assets2.ignimgs.com/...

The PS3 has already proven itself to be a very capable console in its generation.

[GraveLord]

The thing about the complex architecture, Sony was expecting PS3 to be the lead platform for most games, which didn't happen since Microsoft released the 360 before PS3.

So the weird architecture was actually Sony's way of trying to keep devs from porting to other platforms. They failed. It actually almost backfired.

[jd666]

Microsoft released the 360 early with a huge failure rate to get out 1st, Sony expected everybody to wait for PS3 but a lot didn't

[ShaunCameron]

And there's your reason why PS3 owners ended up with a lot of inferior multiplatform games. Fanboys like to believe it was because of "lazy" developers and the XBox 360's supposedly outdated hardware. PS3 owners getting shortchanged on mulitplatform games lad little to do with either and plenty to do with Sony's own questionable hardware design choices. As a result, developers opting for rival consoles as the lead platform or making the game exclusive to them altogether.

[greenpowerz]

Calm down he's boasting PS3's supposed power on static linear QTE style game with baked in visuals. More like an interactive cutscene than a game.

Showing PS3 power would involve a game with dozens of AI on screen in a open world with coop and processing all the human and AI action with vehicles all over that place on the air and ground.

Battlefield 3 would be a better test vs beyond(pc version of BF3 looks better than consoles and has more going on with more players because it requires the full capability of hardware, BF3 is one of the most technically demanding games on consoles with Skyrim being the most. Crysis 2, forza 4/H being in the same group

[NastyLeftHook0]

yes we know...

a good ps3 game comes out with good graphics then

BAM!

its fake! its not real! its all scripted! it wont sell well!

yeah we heard it all before.

[Blastoise]

"with Skyrim being the most"
Says who? What is this based on? As far as I can tell Skyrim is a very poor game visually with not much going on, it's just spread out over a large world.
Is this the "Skyrim doesn't run very well on PS3 so the PS3 is bad" argument again? Incase you didnt notice, it runs poorly on all platforms, even PC. The only difference is P.C guys can mod it to fix the mess.

As for this "Calm down he's boasting PS3's supposed power on static linear QTE style game with baked in visuals. More like an interactive cutscene than a game."

Supposed power? Uncharted, Killzone prove the PS3 is a powerful piece of kit. The interactive cutscene BS you're on about is just you being a fanboy. And have you even seen the God of war 3 visuals? the scale of the battles? & ascension looks EVEN better.

Resistance 2 had 8 player online CO-OP with about 40 enemies on screen at a time and ran fine. Also had 60 player versus matches.

MAG has maps that hold up to 128 players that also runs fine, you can literally just run across the map to see an entirely different battle going on.

[thehusbo]

shut up you mug..

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

Isn't halo 4 the first halo to be in 720p?
I expected to see a wiiU demo look like this but not just yet I guess.
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Even if some of the effects are baked in why do you care? are you a game dev? or a stupid xbox fan who needs to shut his mouth?

PM me a game on xbox that looks better and not generic ok? ok..

[DigitalRaptor]

What's this whole "interactive cutscene" that I always hear flying around? I BET that the same ones complaining are the ones who played and enjoy Quantic Dream's previous game, Fahrenheit (which followed the exact same format as Heavy Rain). Damn hypocrites.

Fahrenheit, just like Heavy Rain and soon Beyond: Two Souls have just as much gameplay and control as they do cutscene. In fact, with Beyond, the ratio leans more towards gameplay than it ever has done. You are in control, you choose how to play, you move your character(s) around in the game world and interact with the environment in a traditional way. How is that description an "interactive cutscene" rather than a game?

It sounds to me like ignorant, impatient and console kiddies that want big explosions and find adventure games boring, and can't face games that are different to the norm. All I see here is hate on QD's games now that they are exclusive to Sony.

[chukamachine]

your funny.

You state BF3, then put forza in the same place.

rofl, forza has the worst lighting i've seen in a recent racing game. I don't want to hear shit about hollywood studios lighting, its crap.

Best lighting in a racing game goes to GT5, by a mile, the only other game is Project cars that is still in development.

Crysis 2 ran more or less exactly the same on 360 and PS3.

dishonoured uses unreal engine and looks great, because of the artistic nature of the game.

[GribbleGrunger]

It's very clear from what is on offer next year that there is still plenty of power to access yet on the PS3. On a controversial note, I think it will take at least 2 years for the Wiiu to equal the quality of The Last Of Us. This could be something of a problem when advertising the Wiiu as a next generation console.

Couple that with the Vita/PS3 combo and we could see history being made: Baring in mind that it's the 'concept' that Nintendo will advertise, It could be argued (or at least perceived) that the PS3/Vita combo is actually a new 'bridging' generation... PS3.5 if you will. Which of course will transfer over to the PS4 when It finally releases and the Vita becomes the alternative controller for that too.

It's going to be one of the most interesting generations we've ever seen.

[Ck1x]

I don't think so, when we haven't seen games like Aliens CM running on the WiiU. TLOU looks good for a PS3 game, but the graphics aren't as great as you are making them out to be! I would go as far as to say even AC3 on WiiU is more detailed then TLOU, just compare the character models, scenery and environments from each game...

[ceballos77mx]

I think the problem the wii u will have is that its going to get ports of games coming on the " last Gen consoles".

[fabod86]

@Ck1x
thanks for the laugh dude... ;)

[ziggurcat]

i think that because devs are still squeezing power out of the system it's a testament to the strength of the hardware, honestly.

sure, lazy devs will be lazy and not take advantage of that power, but at this point i don't think that's the architecture's fault.

[Iceman X]

There's ALOT of PS3 games that run 1080p 60fps, but is that then end be all?? NO ALOt of games run 720p and look and run just as good you can't tell when res a game is until your TV tells you or some1 on a website tells you, So stop worrying about 1080p and enjoy the games.

[Oh_Yeah]

yeah...no. Most console games are actually below 720p, they are then upscaled to 720p n 1080p. They are not "native"...and yes there is a difference.

[Abdou23]

I will only be convinced if MGS:GZ ended up looking exactly as we say it in the very first video. Other than that, the device is already maxed in every aspect.

[solar]

Yawn. Powerful in what context? Against the other consoles? A PC? The ps3 is a good lil console but still not this great powerful console. AAA titles are not running 1080p at 30 fps even.

[R6ex]

If the PS3 can produce nice visuals, imagine what an i7/690 PC can do?

Incredible eye-popping visuals!!!

[R6ex]

Bring out the PS4 and even lazy developers can produce great visuals.

Until PS4 comes, I'm sticking to PC for all multiplats.

[Oh_Yeah]

surprised by cut scenes and timed button presses? idk how far you can take the gameplay with a game like this. guess will see

[HmongAmerican]

no doubt, first party games from Sony is always mind blown.

[stage88]

They just can't be beat. I was playing Uncharted 3 an hour ago and my jaw still dropped when entering the city surrounded by sand.

[OmniSlashPT]

The plane crash sequence followed by the desert scene and the ghost town are still to be beaten by any game (even on pc) nowadays, it's just too damn good, both gameplay and graphic wise. I still can't understand people who completely bash UC3 when it has such mindblowing moments.

[Grap]

@OMNI
don't go too far. we see games on PC crush UC3

[edgeofsins]

@Grap

Just because it is on PC doesn't make it crush consoles. Most PC games still don't put as much effort into games as developers like Naughty Dog. Many newer PC games still aren't far ahead of Uncharted. I game only on PC and I know this. Many PC games are better visually but they certainly don't crush the best looking console games.

[dazzrazz]

and that's the only reason, because those are 1st party titles where whole dev team dedicates its powers to one hardware :)

[Gridloc]

So what's holding Microsoft first party developers back?

[GroundsKeeperJimbo]

Busy making profits, you know keeping the company in business. ;]

(Before I get flooded with disagrees, know that I'm being playful, aka; joking.)

[ceballos77mx]

Busy making kinect games and avatar clothes :)

[Zhipp]

Nothing. MS first party games/exclusives still offer the best performance/visuals on the system when compared to multiplats. The only reason you don't see games that look as good as Beyond and Uncharted 3 is because, regardless of developer friendliness, the 360 simply isn't as powerful as the PS3.

[Sy_Wolf]

Their reliance on the Unreal Engine 3.

[Walker]

absolutely

"Realisation of the characters in Beyond is exceptional: skin shaders, materials, lighting and animation is second-to-none. Quantic Dream promised to take performance capture to the next level after LA Noire and it's difficult to argue that the results are anything other than superb. As with all the images on this page, clicking on the thumbnails gives you the full image."

"The overall impression is that Beyond looks to be setting a new standard for what is possible on current-generation consoles. In many ways it looks too good to be true, to the point where quite rightly you may be asking if this is real, and if so, what compromises are in effect? A forensic look at the footage available does indeed suggest that it is all generated in real-time by the PlayStation 3, and that stands to reason as it does seem to be the case that frame-rate is rather choppy in the gameplay materials released so far. The arrival of powerful light sources in the scenes does seem to see frame-rate tumble."
http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

[Finalfantasykid]

I don't know why Quantic Dream doesn't just make the game 24 fps, just like a movie. This would allow for a more consistent frame rate, and would probably allow for maybe more post processing effects.

[DigitalAnalog]

I don't think that's possible. Since game animations and actual live-recording are 2 very different things. Once gameplay hits below 30fps you start to notice things to get very choppy. In other words, I don't think frame-rate in films can apply to games.

[pandaboy]

cage fellating sony yet again.

[dafegamer]

"Jealousy is just love and hate at the same time"
Rapper Drake.

[NastyLeftHook0]

would you bother explaining that mess you wrote?

oh! sorry, only 1 bubble, i wonder why.

[GribbleGrunger]

Panda-boy is an endangered species.

[ChickeyCantor]

I think I can for him,

Cage needs to sell his game. So he isn't just pleasing Sony he is pleasing the fans of the sony brand as well.

Let's be realistic now, the Cell might be a magical unicorn. Ram( especially Ram) and GPU are hitting their mark.

Besides Cage makes movie like games. There isn't much complexity going on. ( intense A.I. crunching )

And this is not to bash Sony in anyway. People need to stop pretending the PS3 hardware is still relevant to today's standards.

[shenpo_shin]

sup panda we mad ?
go back to your crappy xbox 3shitty dlc's games

and let us sony fans talking about the sh!load AAA exclusives we get yearly

[ChunkyLover53]

Its probably easier to make a game like Heavy Rain or Beyond because there isn't a lot going on. Its a lot of QTE, there isn't a lot of strain on anything because its more of an interactive movie.

Sony did make their hardware harder to program for so that late in its life it could still look good, but that was a double edged sword to say the least.

[Baka-akaB]

QTE are still inputs , and no way near as less heavy on a system than a regular game . It's just another way of inputs .

Especially with every current games using qte with scenes in-game , over video playback , there isnt less strain han any other normal game .

The only "less" part involving QTE are gameplay and challenges related , as it removes some of the controls from you .

Cage could very well do a similar enough game with normal controls , he just does his thing and keeps his obsession

[ChickeyCantor]

It's not so much the QTE, it's the scripted sequence that happen afterwards. These are not as CPU taxing as other games are where A.I and input dynamically affect the scenery every frame.

Cage can make a game in a more traditional style. But you won't get the same level he is trying to promote now.

Let's not be coy.

FYI I don't hate Cage or his games. Nor do I dislike the Ps3. I just think people are missing the designs choices from cage vs other developers.

[Catoplepas]

ChunkyLover53, once again proving he has absolutely no idea what he's talking about.

I have a friendly tip for you. If you stop constantly trolling the PS3 articles, and your future posts contain even a minor semblance of the truth, the chances are you'll accrue a few more bubbles.

[CGI-Quality]

Which is irrelevant to what he's saying. Did you actually read the article?

[NastyLeftHook0]

this looks to be the best looking console game ever made anywhere and its on a SONY ps3.

[PirateThom]

So, the whols investigation parts of Heavy Rain were just a movie and I wasn't controlling anyone in real time?

Oh.

Good to know.

[abzdine]

Sony chose a more complex architecture of the PS3 to make it last 10 years life cycle they promised and we can already see that today because the best is still to come and each title overpowers its predecessor.

I dont understand those EA and others who wanted new consoles already last year and none of them maxed the PS3 yet.

[Shaman]

Well, Cage still had to lower resolution of Beyond to get those good looking faces in real time. And its not like that game is open world or something, its very tightly scripted game, yet they still had to lower resolution.

[DigitalAnalog]

What? Where did you see that the resolution is lowered?

[Shaman]

Well entire game has black bars on top and bottom, so they render it at 1280x576 but instead of upscaling they just cut the bottom and top (like BF3 has done, only much more) so they don't lose sharpness.

[Insomnia_84]

Third party titles have to look the same on PS3 and 360, it's the deal between M$ and third party companies, otherwise M$ won't let them release their game on 360 and they would lose millions of $$$.

[abzdine]

I was more thinking of the PS3 inferior version of the same multiplatform game.
We have seen this with many games and that's too bad because PS3 can do much more so instead the third party publishers try to solve the problem and make games do PS3 justice they just speed things up and claim they want new consoles.

[DFresh]

The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, Beyond: Two Souls and what not will be the final games to showcase the max power of the PS3 before PS4 releases in 2014.
Bank on it.

[jp_footy2]

Yeah, I'm looking forward to "what not" too.

[JBSleek]

Is that also do with lots of quick time events and very linear story? I am generally curious if Beyond was an open world game could they keep that graphic fidelity or control.

[Baka-akaB]

Unlikely as an open game , but nothing prevents a similarlylinear gme with non qte controls as the same graphics . QTE arent some magic pill that take away systems trains .

It's just a mean of control devs uses (and can abuse) to drive a cinematic feel

[CGI-Quality]

Speaking truth. Seems like a basic understanding of game mechanics.

[jetlian]

no they couldnt keep it up. QTE take the player control away so that the system has less strain. its truly a movie with different tracks.

[BitbyDeath]

Beyond and Heavy Rain are anything but linear when it comes to story as unlike 90% of other games the story has branches which changes based on how you play.

Also most open world games have linear stories. Crysis, Borderlands, Red Dead Redemption, Skyrim. etc

[baodeus]

but how does story has anything to do with the console technical power?

I thought we were talking about the alien technology of ps3 that people still haven't been able to fully understand..... yet (like how can you get more performance out of it with such low RAM. Developer need alien software to ran that alien technology)

People keep ditching large scale/sandbox game for not being technical. Just go and read about Kojima and why he has to compromise resolution, textures, etc...just because he want to make the new MGS game open world.

Of course i use Kojima cause it seems people on n4g only trusted him, but never trust any other developers who also says similar things for years.

[BitbyDeath]

Honestly, i'm not that up on it.
From what i can tell the SPU's are each given their own assignments which there are 6? of.

So take a bus stop for example. On most computers you have one bus that runs say 30 people back and forth to wherever their given destination lies with a full tank of gas (gas =memory)

On PS3 you have 6 busses running at once, each doesn't have a full tank but are given certain destinations (assignments) so that a full tank is not required thus making savings in the mileage as each bus is going to different locations.

That is my understanding anyways, let me know if any of that didn't make sense :-/

[baodeus]

So Let say with one bus and full tank of gas, you can go to 7 places back and forth. With cell like, you can go to 7 places simultaneously and the total gas divided equally for each location. Does that mean that it is efficient when you know exactly where to go?

What happen if you constantly changing the location? If it constantly changing, will it still work efficiently given that the amount of dedicated gases are fixed for each bus?

[BitbyDeath]

'Does that mean that it is efficient when you know exactly where to go?'

Yeah, that's my understanding as to why it can number crunch really well. Divide and conquer.

'What happen if you constantly changing the location?'

I suppose it would be up to the developer to find the best fit. No setup would be without its flaws.

[bumnut]

I think it is Davids skill and creativity rather than ps3 power that allows him to make great games.

[telekineticmantis]

I want Planetside 2 under my Christmas tree. Since PS3 can't handle it, launch it on Gaikai by the end of the year.

[Norrison]

Planetside 2 is F2p...

[telekineticmantis]

not for me, I'd have to skip this months rent for a PC that can handle it.

[Saturne3]

Most 1st party games already proved that.

This gen still as alot to offer the way i see it but next gen can show up anytime i dont mind ill still be playin ps3 and 360.

[Relientk77]

I can't wait to play this game, looks awesome

[mt]

I can't wait for your game.
after the success of Beyond I hope sony buy the studio, they are awesome.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

This games looks phenomenal but David Cage wants you to play it once? What's that mean, no DLC or anything? Sony proved they can produce fantastic visuals and come up with an original story with original characters along with original gameplay. Which is Sony's expertise

The problem is the replayabiltity, 6 to 7 hours is what David is asking. That's a about average for a single player game which is somewhat short. So play it once and retire I don't think I can do that.

David said he doesn't want you to have fun with the game but yet implying he wants you to take it seriously? That's cool in all but you can't lose the fun factor, the most important factor in video games is the fun part of it. Serious moments are indeed needed no doubt but the most crucial formula of making a game, is to make it fun.

Sony has all the talent to create breath taking atmospheres. Suspenseful and unpredictable gameplay pure original characters an settings and aw-inspiring aesthetically pleasing environments.

But I'm questioning the other side on what makes the exclusives stand on its own. Which is how much content it has, devs providing fresh new content regularly to keep the people playing.

Is all I'm saying.

[DeletedAcc]

4 Words:
THE LAST OF US

[PirateThom]

Oh, the complaints already started.

It's not real. It's a movie. It'll be linear.

All the excuses from the usual group of people who are still under the impression the PS3 wasn't the most graphically capable console this gen.

[OmniSlashPT]

Somehow I like the supernatural feel Cage is trying to go with that ghost and afterlife stuff. If he can really touch and explore the definition and emotions of death, this can really be something amazing. I just want some fresh experience as well, more solid gameplay mechanics, QTE's are ok if used wisely.

[Hazmat13]

they should just get the best people they got and make a PS3 tech demo being pushed to its limits.

[ajax17]

Sony sure did luck out with all their first party devs. Otherwise nobody would know the true potential of the PS3.

[pupa]

"......and he’s actually more than happy to be making a new title at the end of this console cycle."

What are we talking about, the PS2 is now at the end of it's cycle. The PS3 have a lot of steam and scope for new titles left yet! The PS3 will probably in parallel last a good share of the PS4's life cycle just like the PS2 did during the PS3 lifecycle.

[konnerbllb]

He's just trying to sell his game.

[taquito]

it's powerful for making a game thats all cutscenes and qte's

....and yet even still it manages to be sub-hd and covered in jaggies, at least heavy rain was, and that game was a SNOOZE FEST.

[BitbyDeath]

You gotta stop watching PS3 games on Youtube.
Seriously buy a PS3 and play the game on a real setup, you will love it.

[darkvenom]

what archaic television were you playing on?,and heavy rain is no snooze fest,but your comments....................SN ORE!!!!!!!

[SandwichHammock]

Que people making comments dropping words like "engine" and "architecture" without any understanding of the meaning or concept behind them.

*glances up* :( too late.

edit: on a technical level the PS3 is tapped out when it comes to the exlusive software available for it. The engines used made with the PSGL API pretty much open up the entire hardware to be used, therefore it is utilized fully; from the GPU to the CPU to the SPUs.

This is the same now with middleware companies such as Epic and their unreal engine. This engine being used in games now, can as well use the majority of whats available from the PS3 including the 7 SPUs (source: CPP technical landscape presentation on Dust514).

Cheers.

[hillshitify]

yeah, we aren't going to see any amazing enhanced graphics past what has already been done on PS3...this is just developer hype to the clueless masses who will think "WOW, I'll be at the cutting edge of computing!"...

[ExitToExisT]

In the year of 2012 , if i get 720p image on a 1080p HDTV from consoles , then they are not powerful enough , or it is time to move on.

[NobleRed]

Still powerful?? He must be kidding me.

The hardware is outdated.

Pixelated shadows, a lot of games run only in 720P(a lot beyond 720P, tearing, only 30 fps, aliasiang

Cage just tries to convince the gamers that they don't need the ps4 soon because he wants to sell the game on the ps3.

[mrbojingles]

If working with 256MB/256MB RAM/VRAM is wonderful for him, can't imagine what he'd think of the Wii U's 1GB/2GB set up.

[Straightupbeastly]

Classic Developer hype lol

[leogets]

Gangnam style,just a thought,if pc has such more ram and power ect why dont we see games that blow uncharted and last of us clean out the water.if anything some games may look slightly better. Only slightly.. Strange but true

[hillshitify]

Because developers rarely push PC power to its limits, since they are often just ports of console titles. Pretty common sense. Take skyrim, on a maxed out PC, with an ENB mod and high resolution texture packs, it pretty much shits on anything you can play on PS3.

Even if they have somehow tapped some extra 10% or whatever out of the PS3, it still would operate at a fraction of the computing power of modern PCs.

That said, you don't have to worry about upgrades, viruses, etc. Games like the upcoming Star Citizen, or even dishonored on PC shows how behind consoles are.

[BitbyDeath]

Devs can't use the full power of PC's or they'll neglect too many gamers who sit on older machines.

[profgerbik]

It is pretty easy to understand, PC's can never use full power like a Console can on a game at least for now they can't.

That is the main difference they are literally both PC's but ones main focus and main use of all the hardware is put into mainly one process or just a couple.

Where as a PC alone has tons of things running the background constantly and sometimes even hundreds of processes running all at the same time which take more ram and cpu power.

I can't install Ableton Live on my console, I can't use hard core video editing software on a console.

PC's will always be better gaming machines and overall better multimedia devices, they just at times will be behind every time a new console comes out but they will slowly catch up as they always do because generally everything used in consoles mainly derives from PC's anyway.

So it is easy to understand why a Console is able to run game so much smoother and push out more power towards a game than even a PC that surpasses every aspect of the consoles, though it may it's resources are being used so much more heavily than on any console.

Plus if you haven't noticed Consoles some what killed the PC gaming industry.. Once Consoles took off, people stopped selling PC games almost completely so much so you could not even trade them in anymore.

I mean most games don't even provide a version for PC anymore...

For instance take Fable a game that started on PC, then moved to Xbox. Fable 2, not even on PC at all.

Luckily they are making another Fable and finally bringing it back to PC those bastards.. but you get my point.

Another thing is a lot of people aren't smart enough to build their own PC's so they assume buying a console to game on is more affordable.

and.. Then again most people have consoles and can't afford a nice PC. So developers are going to make games for what sells bottom line.

It also cost developers more to put out a game on more platforms than just one. So thats another reason because people are so broke these days, they just can't afford to do that as much as they would love to.

I am sure any developer would love their game to be able to exist on all platforms but it just ain't that easy.

PC games just don't sell as well as they used to either which doesn't help at all bring these games to PC..

[Belking]

The game looks a lot like Heavy rain to me. I'm look forward to this game. I just hope that he doesn't over do it with the QTE this time around.

[StreetsofRage]

He's talking about power with an interactive movie??? Please. Talk to me when the ps3 can run a complex game like skyrim.

[IRetrouk]

Infamous 1 and 2 say hello

[StreetsofRage]

Lmao. You seriously believe that trash is comparabel to skyrim???? Thanks for proving my point. Haha!

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I think Skyrim is an overpraised bag of garbage!

[IRetrouk]

You honestly think skyrim is all that? You said a complex game like skyrim. I gave you two. Have you seen how much goes on in infamous 2? It makes skyrims magic look like something cole would fart out.

[BigStef71]

Well those two "trash" games are a hell of allot better than that overrated piece of shit known as Skyrim

[Shinuz]

Seriously the ps3 may be powerful but most of the games only run at 1280x720 and 30fps (and some lower than that).

It isn't really fun playing like that on a 52" hdtv especially when I play pc games at 1920x1080 and 60+ fps on that same screen.

[megamanX2]

"David Cage: PS3 still "very powerful""

yawn... very nice very nice

[Holeran]

It amazes me the amount of haters an article like this can drag out of thier caves.

[smashcrashbash]

It always does. Predictability is another bad habit of modern gamers along with ignorance, stubbornness, premature negativity and denial. As soon as anyone mentions anything positive about the PS3 you can bet all the trolls and losers will come running.

[xtreampro]

I can't believe we've come this far into the gen and crap like this is STILL going on and brain dead fans who know absolutely nothing about hardware are still blabbering on about this so call "untapped" super powers the all mighty Cell seems to possess.

HR didn't look that good and neither does Beyond so of course someone who hasn't really done much with the PS3's hardware would say this. There's a reason why you don't hear Naughty Dog saying crap like this, because they've actually done something with it!

ND have technically achieved a lot with the PS3's hardware and just by looking at TLOU you can clearly see that the limits have been reached, but it doesn't matter because they've optimised the hell out of their and have made major accomplishments.

Having realistic skin textures and then hall-assing everything else in a game cough*heavyrain*cough isn't called making the most out of the PS3's hardware.

So I guess David has the right to say something like this since his done nothing but paste shinier PS2 quality textures all over his games.

[P_Bomb]

On the contrary Heavy Rain looked and sounded great. I still show people the Origami Killer DLC and the dance club level as eye candy.

Nowhere in the article did David Cage put down the 360 or discredit other developers. He's not boasting about graphics, merely stating he's using the console as a tool for what he's trying to accomplish creatively. Nothing to flame him about. Certainly not on the level of Cliffy B who recently via GT, told Amy Hennig how she should have done her job on Uncharted 3, and then quits the industry instead of making said game himself. *shrugs*

[SkullBlade169]

This is just silly, the PS3 uses 7 year old hardware.

Sure they could make games look better by using clever tricks or by lowering the frame rate, but compared to PCs (Even mobile devices are catching up...) I wouldn't call the PS3 "powerful".

It's still my favorite current gen console though, we need a new console generation...

[givemeshelter]

You have the PS3 Fans stating power...
Xbox360 fans stating games matter yada yada yada...
The roles were reversed during the PS2 and Xbox era... And this can happen again whenthe new consoles launch .

[kingduqc]

this make me laugh, they can barely make 30 fps at 720p "Still plenty of power"

[P_Bomb]

Read the article. Every other post now is taking it out of context.

[BigStef71]

Honestly who knows how much power is left in these consoles. It seems like when we think a console has been tapped dry another game comes out to prove us wrong. Its really impressive what these developers have been able to do this gen by finding even more ways to make the games look better and better as the years have gone by. I''m still excited what else we'll see till next gen. If what was shown of MGSGZ really was a PC with ps3 specs then there really must be untapped power left

[TBONEJF]

This guy is right. but for most developers they don't want to take their time making a GREAT GAME using the CELL PROCESSOR all they care bout is SALES instead of graphics. as long they can sell over a million units on how many units they sell for any sequel they make they won't use the POWER OF THE PS3.

[Soldierone]

It's always like this. New exclusive coming out "we found more horespower in the system." Game is nearly out, looks great, even better thanks to comment about more horsepower, developer says "we used up everything it had to offer"

New game is coming out, "guess what we found more horespower!" game looks great, even better thanks to comment, "we maxed it out"

Look at MGS4, every Uncharted, and so on. Developers go through the cycle almost every game.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

There's no denying that certain gameplay techniques, visual effects, crisp cinematics, etc.. this gen would be possible on anything but a PS3!

There's just a straight crispness/sharpness in PS3 exclusives that I just don't see in the exclusives that I own for my 360!

Gears series/Alan Wake are amongst my favorite 360 games that I own... but they still have an element of grainyness to them that makes them look a bit flatter...

[Yangus]

One problem.
Heavy Rain&Beyond not 100% games.This interactive movie,and many gamers not interesting this styles(Look Heavy Rain sales)Not blockbuster.

Sony number one biggest blockbuster Gran Turismo series.
And dont forget,WiiU coming 2012 and 90% next-box coming 2013.

Beyond: Two Souls 100% sure very good graphics,but dont change gaming world one old console.

[Enigma_2099]

That's what I'm saying! The PS3 isn't at the end of its life cycle! Hell, I'm willing to bet you haven't even seen all the 360 can do!!!

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

360 Exclusives on a TECH level just haven't progressed like PS3 Exclusives!

Halo 4 is the best looking of the entire franchise on 360 this gen, but I see it more because of an art style change than actually harnessing more power out of the console!

[Gambuzin0]

But it's a very big game compared to PS3 exclusives.

[baodeus]

Then can u say the same about ps3 exclusive? When we talk about tech, we talk about improving lighting, AA, frame rate, polygon, scale, but u dont see ps3 exclusive breaking those barrier yet (most run at sub HD, 720p, 30 fps, baked shadow/lighting, 2MSAA/none/MLAA/FXAA, etc). What happen to KZ3 or UC3 when they try to do 3d or splitscreen coop? Lower resolution, frame rate, polygon, etc..., so u have to start thinking, does it really have untap power hardware wise, or just refinement of the coding and mostly added more artistic flair to the game?

[cedaridge]

WELL On 1 hand ps3 is still a Beast on the other it's becoming clear that ps4 & xbox 720 is indeed around the corner.

[braydox21]

the ps3 is pulling off great games why is microsoft doing this surely the 360 isn't finished, i see kinect and the new connection glass thingy and halo 4 but thats about it where is the future of the 360 i suppose it would make sense if the xbox next came out next year seeing how they are offering very little in comparioson to their competitors such as sony's 1st party line up and nintendo's wii u, so if they make 360 non-interesting it would mean more people would be excited for change or breath of fresh air in otherwords a new xbox console that is well better than the 360 with full on 1st party support i can see people buying this.

[Jazz4108]

Wow what an obvious Sony circle jerk. Praise sony and hate on anyone whos not a sony fanboy. Wow this sits gets more biased everyday. I guess its vented up frustration of everyother non sony site saying how bad a shape sony is in. Btw. Bragging about graphics on qte games and linear cartoon games like uncharted does not prove the power of a system that cant play skyrim even with sonys help, no cross game chat due to restrictions and a mandatory partial game install that averages at least 20min to keep games on par with 360 and games using twice the space of A 360 game just to play on par. Does this sound like a almighty console that all the comments above brag about. When does psns new metro store launch btw?

[neoMAXMLC]

Right. These linear games don't push a system apparently. So why is it that the 360 can't pump out linear games that look just as good? Gears 3? Doesn't even feature any AA. metro 2033? Probably the most closed in corridor of a game game this gen. Yet still not as good looking as the best Ps3 exclusives out there. Then let's talk multiplatform where many games have needed to come out on multiple discs on the 360 just to keep up. Sometimes to the point where it requires an installation just so the PS3 doesn't stomp all over it such as BF3 and Rage. Or how steamworks can't even be implemented thanks to that trainwreck called Xbox Live, as Valve put it at least. :)
A few social features (that a handheld can do for free might I add) and a few incompetent developers won't disprove the fact that the PS3 has the best looking games on any console. And they just keep on getting better.

[josephayal]

High End Console

[keithsquall]

They can say that to their game because it's not an open world game, I bet if their game is open world it will not be like that graphics, with beyond, they can blabber to their hearts content with how beautiful graphics in Beyond because it's not open world...nuff said...

[TABSF]

The issue I have with these statements is why isn't every PS3 game 1080p, why has every game on PC since 2007 looked better, why is there still instances where Xbox 360 looks better.

Seems to me Sony is desperately trying to stretch PS3 beyond the grave because lets face it this Gen should be dead by now or at least by the end of 2013.

[Godchild1020]

A console is as dead as the person that owns it wants it to be. There are still games I haven't played yet. And I'm sure its the same for others.

I had an Xbox, Gamecube & PS2 long into this generations cycle and I'm sure I will have my PS3 & 360 long into the next one. There are to many games that I haven't played yet, but hear great things about.

[Adolph Fitler]

Nobody is gonna be surprised, or astonished by anything PS3 or 360 has to offer at this stage of the gen.
It's PS4 & 720 that will hopefully do that.

And for people that say graphics are not important.....that is BS. Just like a good looking girl catches your eye straight away, so does a hot looking game......it is the 1st thing we see, when we look at a game, or fire it up, so we are measuring it up straight away & making assesments in our heads about how impressed we are with visuals, and/or artstyle.......it can't be denied.
The difference is that we can ALL buy a pretty game, but we won't all end up with a pretty girl......in fact most of us will end up with the tuna john west rejected & whilst pumping our fat scrags, we will imagine they are the pretty girl we are trying to impregenate the face of.

But before I get wood, I will get back on topic & say, that we may be impressed by the Halo 4's, Beyond 2 Souls, GOW:Ascentions & so forth, but we will not be surprised or taken back by the new found hidden power of PS3, or the such.
We will simply get some of the most technically impressive, visually prowess, technically stable games that we have seen this gen, as is the case at the end of every successful consoles lifecycle (well, except original Xbox as the plug was pulled on that machine by MS, so suddenly & abrubtly, that developers weren't given the chance & had to either just concentrate on PS2, or move on to 360/PS3).

This is where we see some of the gens best games, that would have astounded, had they been launch games. But the downside is, like with Okami, SOTC & the like, the gamers that would normally buy these masterpieces have in large part already moved onto the next gen & don't buy games for older hardware.
Hopefully with the pirating epidemic that plagued PS1 & PS2, it will allow more sales of late gen games, as I believe easy access to console modchips & copied games, is a secondary reason these games fail to sell at retail.

[Deeke]

I think its funny that the comment rants and fights are what make this article popular, lol.

[Bathyj]

Theres nothing like praising the PS3 to bring morons out of the woodwork is there?

Look at them all here to downplay the PS3 as if they are going to be harmed someway if someone is actually happy with the console.

[sdplisken]

i expect either the last of us or gow: ascension to have the best graphics on consoles this gen
beyond will be beautiful as well

sony is only competing with themselves these days

[chrisarsenalsavart]

Aaaa

[Master of Unlocking]

All those Ill-advised consumers angry at the PS3 crowd for waiting until the superior system was released, should return to their beloved xbox360 and kinect thingy and cut us some slack.

You people are just plain jealous that the PS3 is actually a gamers' dream machine, offering plenty of high quality exclusives that can't be found anywhere else, even on the most powerful rigs.

Because in the end, PCs, as powerful as some may be, are pirates' dream machine, so nobody will ever fork out millions to develop games like GOW3,GT5, TLOU, U3 and so on for it. You know it.
"yes but butz iff.."?
There's no "if", it's just the way it is. With "ifs" you could fit Paris inside a bottle.

The PS3 was always going to be the longer-lasting console: it has the exclusives from the 1st party studios, the power, and the specific design of its architecture which appeared to be a fault at the start of this gen, but is now proving to be an advantage, as the Cell still hasn't said its last word. Ni no kuni, The last of us, The last guardian, or Beyond TS are all here to prove it.

That's also why I have a PS3: I want it to last and don't want a PS4 before 2015 or 2016. Certainly not in 2013 in any case.

(Still so many PS3 games to play, dammit, what should I get next? A bit more back-tracking perhaps? Infamous 2? Twisted Metal? Yakuza 4? Starhawk? Resistance 3?...)

[MWH]

only a handful of developers can demonstrate and prove it. Naughty Dog and Quantic Dreams being two of them.

[profgerbik]

I Love Sony because they are smart as shit. People can make their doom and gloom articles all they wan't Sony is not hurting.

This is more proof of that just the untouched potential in the PS3 people completely forgot about.

You don't throw $380 million at Gaikai because your company is hurting.

If Sony can seriously implement all their games into Gaikai's streaming service they can seriously dominate every single competitor in gaming period..

No one has a service like Gaikai and they won't get one because Gaikai is by far the best video game streaming technology out. On Live sucks compared to Gaikai.

I mean just imagine, playing PS4 games on your phone, tablet, PC or whatever else has an internet connection and a screen. Not something I would do but it is one smart move by Sony.

They also already aim at the mobile market with Playstation mobile, I just seriously don't understand why people gather their little sales sheets and assume Sony is dying.

Gotta spend money, to make money. Sony is shooting for the future.

[CrustifiedDibbs]

It's funny to me that any time a pc gamer brings up graphics, the are a snobby elitist. What does that qualify all the ps3 kids beating off all over each other faces in this article?

This dude is ON THE SONY PAYROLL!!! What do you expect him to say?

[EditorAtGNG]

Christ, I wish they stop stroking the "heavy rain" syndrome already. It just goes to show how badly some game developers want to be involved in the movie industry, but can't for some reason or other.

[mayberry]

PS3 is a beast! Wanting a new box now is like eating a jelly doughnut and throwing it in the trash just as you get to the jelly! Now back to Killzone 3 in 'true' 7.1 digital surround sound and in 3D!