Digital Foundry- Face-Off: BioShock Infinite

EG:Released to immense critical acclaim, BioShock Infinite is a masterclass in game design, combining fast-paced action with impressive AI characters, driven by an intriguing storyline that forms an utterly compelling experience far more ambitious in scope than its predecessors. From a graphical perspective, the game may fail to rival visual showcases like Crysis 3, but its core technology is a perfect match for the game's artistic style, while the environmental and AI design brings the floating city of Columbia and its characters to life in unforgettable fashion.

[AnyaShroud]

"Indeed, from a visual perspective the two console versions of BioShock Infinite appear very close indeed, with performance the defining factor rather than image quality. Our head-to-head videos below - along with a triple-format comparison gallery - reveal only subtle differences between the PS3 and 360 releases. Meanwhile the PC game is a whole different ballgame, benefitting from the vastly superior hardware of today's gaming computers to deliver high-quality effects and artwork to the screen that makes that version of the stand out considerably when playing in extremely high resolutions."

[greenpowerz]

I just said the same thing in the Lens of Truth article and got disagrees.

EDIT!
Disagree?

One example

DF...

" there's little to separate the PS3 and 360 releases from each other: textures and normal maps are a close match, although we find the level of filtering to be a little higher on the PS3, adding a touch more clarity in some places. Shadows are rendered in slightly higher resolution on the 360, while an off-set bias causes some lights and shadows to appear in different places on PS3, with elements such as specular sheen and lighting bloom dialled back slightly as a consequence."

My comment from LOT...
http://n4g.com/news/1218457...

[Yodagamer]

Lens of truth commentators makes fanboys on this site seem decent, part of the reason i quit using that site. Plus i found digital foundry.

[trouble_bubble]

@greenpower
You didn't say the same thing, hence the disagrees. What you said on LOT was this:

" PS3 version seems to be missing some of the haze/smog /dust effects making it seem clearer in a still pic, when that wasn't intended by the devs."

Digital Foundry/LOT never said that.

You also said:

"It's pretty clear devs tried to preserve/keep the atmosphere in the 360 version as close as possible to the PC version. They just went ahead and toned the effects down on the PS3 version and used whatever resources PS3 had left in other areas."

Digital Foundry/LOT never said that either. Shadows for example are actually more pixelated on PC. You're saying the devs intended pixelated shadows and some streaming issues and lower quality assets on PC for atmosphere lol? Both sites gave the console nod to the PS3 version

[aquamala]

very pretty game. and PC is not limited to "only" 1080p, here are some 5760x1080 screenshots

http://gdurl.com/P1dZ
http://gdurl.com/uUST

[NYC_Gamer]

This face off should be real helpful for dual console owners

[darthv72]

i tend to get sequels on the same platform that i get the first game on. Dead space i got on ps3 so i got the others in the series on the ps3 as well.

bioshock on the 360 lead to me getting part 2 for the 360 and there is no sense in breaking that trend here.

in fact, both ps3 and 360 owners who share the same trend will not be disappointed in what version they get. this is a really nice game.

[Yodagamer]

I'm not really surprised the ps3 would have a slightly better controller response. It would be helpful with the ps move integrated where it might benefit to read the camera/controller more.

[moegooner88]

For those wondering about the verdict, DF chose the PC version as the best one, and recommended the PS3 version over the 360 one, due to the better controller response.

[Ezz2013]

so ps3 win between the consoles
but of course pc is the best version hands down

i find that strange that ps3 won the consoles version
since UE3 always work better on xbox360

[Ezz2013]

double post

[chukamachine]

Performance.

PC/PS3/360

Graphics

PC/PS3/360

[MikeMyers]

From the article,
"As you'd expect, console performance is less impressive overall, with the significantly older hardware often struggling to maintain a stable update when the engine is under stress. Frame rates are generally higher on the PS3 across a basic run of play factoring in various scenarios, but particularly when under load, where the added smoothness translates into more responsive controls during intense fire fights where quick reactions count. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of some hefty screen-tearing. UE3-standard adaptive v-sync is used on the PS3, where the engine locks at 30FPS, tearing when frame-rate dips beneath the target. For its part, the 360 the game is more solidly v-synced: tearing occurs at the top of the screen but we see the level of smoothness drop more sharply as the GPU stalls while waiting for a new frame to be completed in time for the next display refresh.

The bottom line is that the 360 game enjoys a higher level of visual integrity, but in comparison to the PlayStation 3 version it takes a hit in terms of smoothness and response. This is most apparent in areas of the game that feature open parts of the enviroment with long draw distances and also during alpha-heavy scenes where explosions and other similar effect are used. In less demanding scenes featuring fewer enemies and effects there is little to separate the two at all: a constant 30FPS is regularly maintained in reasonably intense battles located in more enclosed indoor areas of the game. Likewise, heavily scripted sequences featuring destructible environments don't appear to cause any issues, as long as draw distances are kept short and there isn't an abundance of particle effects or multiple light sources in play. Overall, it's clear that both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses. Those more susceptible to screen-tearing may well prefer the more consistent look of the 360 game, although, in our estimation, the smoother frame-rates on PS3 mean that it feels slightly better to play."

So after 7+ years we are still where we started, the PC can be quite a bit better while the PS3 and Xbox 360 have minor differences. I guess the console wars really paid off!

[Ezz2013]

from the article also
"" there's little to separate the PS3 and 360 releases from each other: textures and normal maps are a close match, although we find the level of filtering to be a little higher on the PS3, "

the ps3 version have better frame rate and look more clean and have better textuers filtering/lighting and maps but with more screen tearing
while xbox have better shadows and less screen tearing
that's why they give the win to ps3 plus ps3 version have a free copy of bioshock 1
it's really a win/win for ps3 owners here

but i agree pc version is awesome
that i have now
i will get the ps3 version later

[MikeMyers]

It's a win-win for anyone actually from all the rave reviews. If you have a PS3 and a Xbox 360 you'd probably go with the PS3 version as it's slightly better and you get a free copy of the first one like you said. If you don't have a PS3 it's still good on the Xbox 360. Obviously the PC is the one to get if your PC can handle it.

Not sure what the point is getting it twice unless your PC doesn't handle it very well. I'm hoping it doesn't get micro-stuttering on my PC.