Witcher 3 Dev: PS4 and Xbox One Versions Will "Probably" Differ, Depends on Individual Hardware

"During Gamescom we caught up with Peter Gelencser, Senior Level Designer at CD Projekt RED to discuss all things regarding The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt."

[GarrusVakarian]

I think we all know what that means. Tables have turned for me next gen, now PS will be my multiplat console while the Xbox One will be for exclusives.

I didn't word that properly......basically what im saying is Xbox will only be for MS exclusives. PS4 will be for everything (multiplats and PS exclusives)

[xHeavYx]

There is no reason for devs to come up with lower quality versions on the PS4 now, since the development is supposed to be a lot easier than the PS3.

[GarrusVakarian]

Lower quality versions compared to what?

@xHeavYx

Oh right, well this time The PS4 more powerful and is easier to develop for so i don't see that problem happening again.

[xHeavYx]

@Lukas
Compared to Multiplats on the PS3, compared to the 360 version, some games looked better on the 360 and devs said that it was because working with the Cell was more dificult

[Godmars290]

"There is no reason for devs to come up with lower quality versions on the PS4 now"

Would not bet on that.

[GribbleGrunger]

I agree with you Godmars. There isn't just Development and hardware capabilities, there's policies too, especially when you consider which console Witcher 2 released on. I'm hoping you're wrong and I'm wrong, but naivety is sometimes just a respite from reality. Sony wouldn't just take it on the chin this time around though. I think gifs with Cerny holding a baseball bat will become very popular.

[Mounce]

Time to Triangle 1-2 months mang.

Cerny better be right on that, because it depends entirely on developer competence too :P

[BitbyDeath]

@gribble, this is true, but don't forget Xbox isn't even releasing in the country where the witcher is made. Those ties be gone.

[Ashunderfire86]

@Lukas_Japonicus

What XHeavYx is saying is that developers won't have an excuse to make bad ports on PS4,like they did with PS3. Just look at the history of bad ports on the PS3, Call of Duty series, Rainbow Six, Fallout series, Skyrim, Bayonetta, and others due to the advance hard to develop Cell Processor. PS4 will be easy as cake to develop.Yummy!

[pixelsword]

"There is no reason for devs to come up with lower quality versions on the PS4 now, since the development is supposed to be a lot easier than the PS3."

True, but remember:

C.R.E.A.M.

[Eonjay]

Games are always going to look better on the PS4; because the Xbox One and PS4 are both using X86/64 architecture. This means the new baseline is the PC. Games will be designed for the PC and ported over to the consoles. Gone are the days when games were ported from one Power PC setup to another. A developer will simply make the game for a PC and adjust the setting to match the specs of the consoles. The PC version will always have highest possible fidelity, the PS4 will be second, and Jill will come tumbling after.

Basically since the consoles now have x86 architecture it will be like playing a PC game on two different rigs with two different specs. The PC with the higher specs should always look better. PC gamers already know this. Thats why they bother to update their video cards. The know the same game will play better if they have a better video card. The PS4 has a better GPU than the Xbox One. Case closed.

[gameseveryday]

Well it be a repeat of previous generation. Developers will use the lowest common denominator as a basis for their games. It is obvious. However the extra power of the PS4 will be used by 1st party developers, that's one thing for sure.

[H0RSE]

I hear the " lowest common denominator," line often, and it's used in such a derogatory way, that it suggests that we could be playing games at ultra PC setting, but we'll have to settle for SNES...

How low are you expecting this "lowest denominator" to be? Do you expect to see any significant differences? Furthermore, with more and more news on the details of MS's "custom everything" console, I'm not sure which console will actually turn out to be the lowest denominator.

[Godlovesgamers]

"Well it be a repeat of previous generation. Developers will use the lowest common denominator as a basis for their games."

They won't if they want PS4 owners to buy their product. There is no good reason that PS4 titles shouldn't look markedly better than Wii U and XB1 games. Development is way easier and the PS4 has a significant power lead in terms of tech.

Personally, one of my reasons for getting a PS4 is because it is much more powerful. If 3rd party dev's don't take the time to tap into that power then I won't be taking the time and money to get their games.

[G20WLY]

^H0: That's it fella, a positive mental attitude ;o)

Meanwhile, back in the real world, I suspect the PS4 version will be better by a fairly small margin given MS policies...

Also, as Rashid said: if you make a game for 2 platforms and one of them is weaker by far, people might not bother buying for the weaker console and so the dev/pub could lose sales. :(

[Minute Man 721]

Did this lowest common denominator apply to the PS2 era? Because multiplats looked better on the Cube and Xbox

[Eyeco]

"lowest common denominator"

No offence but you make it sound like the PS4 is this super computer, the reality is, if the game is on the PC the "lowest common denominator" will be consoles as a whole regardless of how much more powerful the PS4 is to the XB1 and it really isn't that much more powerful.

I'm a fan of Playstation and yes the PS4 is an adequate leap from the last gen, but why not be happy with just that and play and look forward to the games rather than worry which console version is going to be best, because the truth is both will never compare to the PC version, have you ever heard of the argument of console gaming holding back PC gaming ?

[user7402931]

I can see the ps4 version having better framerate, textures, resolution, and shadows , other than that both versions should play the same.

[slimeybrainboy]

@ashkebab862

That's trolling.

But i'll be damned if it isn't funny. aha Trolling done right!

[Lboogieskells]

@Dirty Pimp
lol troll. Good trolls are always welcome :)

[thezeldadoth]

PC will be leagues ahead of both console versions.

[bababrooks]

I think time will tell over what you read on the net and what you actually get in the finished product, don't get hyped with jargon,,,,,,let the games do the talking not the sales people or fan boys! Both consoles will be great and each will have there own strengths, fingers crossed prosperity comes my way and I can enjoy the best from both camps, N4G is getting bitter and twisted when in reality we should all be holding our hands up in joy and celebrate the next generation of console gaming,,,,good times ahead don't miss !!!!!

[3-4-5]

Depends? as if they are just having the specs revealed to them now ?

Oh they know, they just aren't allowed to say which is more powerful until consoles are released.

[Mariusmssj]

and the game isn't going to out for another year or so.

[Godz Kastro]

You sure he's talking PS4? There is a lot of news coming to light about the X1's custom architecture.

[ABeastNamedTariq]

*facepalm* PS4 is the most powerful, don't care by how much, just saying it's more powerful. Use some common sense; why would MS put THAT much power into a $500 console (4K/ 2K NATIVE? Seriously? Nah.) Do you know how much of a loss that would be for them? I find it hilarious that you're buying into what Elite is saying. It's from a poorly written blog. Come on now.

OT: The dev is most likely talking about the PS4.

[Flutterby]

The only "news" coming to light about the Xbox one power is made up stuff either linked by elite24gamer or in articles he is making himself, hot chips 100% proved the ps4 as the more powerful console , we shouldn't need to do this fighting all the time , if elite was not spreading spam lies the articles would be a lot less troll like.

[adorie]

Well said. I've been thinking about gettin an Xbone next year, after GPU upgrade. It'll go with my preordered bone controller nicely.

MS has done some nice 180's and has some decent games on their console so far. in January or so, I'll grab a Live card for 1 year of gold to prepare.

When I started commenting, or a lot more often, somewhere down the beginning I stated I wouldn't get more than 1 or 2 consoles this gen, but I'm more than likely going to end up with all 3. PS4 pre-order is paid, got a controller, 2 games. KZ, WD and I already have a PSN card worth 50 bucks, for PS+, PS4 launch.

My disposable income is going up next year.Might as well invest in my hobby and fill my savings to the brim, while I'm at it. :)

[NewAgeisHere]

Xbox has exclusives?xD

[webeblazing]

should it really matter it really matter tho. people should get there multiplat games on the system there friends play the most. its not gonna be like its gonna be a gen leap of a difference between xbone and ps4. up coming gen is no different from this gen especially now that both console have to pay for mp

[solid_snake3656]

What exclusives?

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

Ryse, Titanfall(for now),Dead Ris....wait a minute,are you being sarcastic?

[TheXgamerLive]

Well Xbox one has more and more surprises not to mention, Hypervision DirectX 11.2 Windows 8.1 and MS the Azure Cloud. That and the other things such as the 8gigs of flasb memory as well. It has a dual purpose. Its east to understand why Xbox One games look so much better

[BlackPrince 42]

The cloud is only useful for things where latency isn't a major concern. AI, for example. Things you actually perceive, like texture quality and specific light sources, still need to be rendered using the console's hardware.

8gigs of GDDR5 are better for the gaming aspect of the console, 8gigs of DDR3 is better for operating system efficiency. Though, overall, even just 4 gigs of GDDR5 would be slightly better than standard DDR3.

Of course, the operating systems on each console are going to eat into their RAM allocations, and we're not going to understand the full effect of that until both launch this fall.

[Chevalier]

If it is anything like 360 now they will start out good then drop off support. Just look at the lack of exclusives 360 has this year and how many there are on ps3.

[showtimefolks]

I hope this gen most developers take advantage of what ps4 and xbox one does best

CD Project red i have all the confidence in the world in them

[imdaboss1]

agreed if dev put poor quality titles on the PS4 it means they are just lazy

[TheGreatGamer]

PC>PS4>XBONE

[Salooh]

More like pc+ps4>x1 to me .
:D

[adventureghost124]

close $1000 PC>PS4>Wii U>XBONE

For those who reply please note this is A JOKE

[starchild]

Nah, a $600 to $800 PC will do it just fine.

Console gamers fight so fiercely for second place.

[Khajiit86]

If I had a gaming pc I would not be on n4g where we are just waiting for a ps4 or xboxone. Because once I get my hands on the ps4 no more life for me.

[clouds5]

As a pc gamer i read these threads for amusement :)

It used to be ati vs nvidia wars but now the console gamers definately surpassed us in terms of hardware war. As silly as that is....

[andreasx]

Ps4= superior version(consoles)

[user7402931]

i can't for the life of me understand why you got goddamn disagrees

[Destrania]

Trolling xbots.

[andreasx]

Well you know xbots, allways denying the cold hard truth.

[slimeybrainboy]

Probably because article doesnt say the PS4 version will look better. Given that these guys are pretty PC focused they could just as likely be using directx 11.2 as GDDR5

[H0RSE]

likely because "superior" is a subjective term.

Superior how?

Games? that's an opinion
Looks? opinion
Online service? opinion
Controller? opinion
Features? opinion
Hardware? grey area. On paper, PS4 sports higher numbers, but MS's custom built system, makes it hard to tell how well it will actually perform.

The only real non-debatable advantage PS4 has over xbox, is it's cheaper - that's it.

[ABeastNamedTariq]

@Horse

You act like Sony's console isn't customized, silly goose.

[BallsEye]

Because FOR THE LIFE OF ME we didn't see any impressive looking game on it just yet while MS showed some good stuff and keep on releasing interesting info. Take your blinders off damn it! Let's wait till sony shows that amazing power they keep on talking about, knack and 720p medium settings battlefield, 30 fps drive club and killzone(quite good but not that great) just don't show that power yet.

[Destrania]

Obviously BallsEye was blinded due to all the balls constantly being shoved into his eyes. Shame.

[H0RSE]

@ABeastNamedTariq

It's really not, at least not to the degree the X1 is. It's more along the the lines of "tweaked" rather than customized.

[CrossingEden]

Yes, the superior version where you can't import your save data and continue your own personal experience, oh but at least that generic tree in the woods looks slightly has slightly more moss.

[andreasx]

uhh what? if you mean import saved data from 360 to the xbone then yes the ps4 can do that aswell. stop trying to be a troll when you're lousy at it.

[CrossingEden]

Um no, the ps4 CAN'T do that because there are no witcher games on ps3 and CD projekt red isn't making a ps3 port of witcher 2.

[andreasx]

Oh, i thought you meant games in general. Sorry, i apologize for the misunderstanding :)

[thrust]

Would be funny if the xbox one version comes out the best on all games hahahaha

[user7402931]

wii u has a better chance of running battlefield 4 in max settings

[golding89]

you know you are just talking out of your bum right now dude lol

[PFFT]

Which would be a sad thing since it would even put the PS4 version into shame seeing as how its looking like crap on the PS4.

[user7402931]

PFFT they didn't even show the ps4 version, how did you see it? edit

[Ritsujun]

Pfft @ pfft.
The dawg's on drugs, as usual.

[FrigidDARKNESS]

Very possible, the hardware has zero bottlenecks that allows devs to get the most out of it.

[corvusmd]

It would be awesome, and the more and more we see the news come out, the more likely that actually is. This weekend when they show BF4 on an XB1 ACTUAL console...it'll be so funny if it's at 1080p 60fps...I can't wait to see the excuses then.

[EXVirtual]

At launch, with a game like BF4, 1080p @ 60 FPS is impossible for both consoles, no matter how you spin it. Especially with the vehicle interaction, destruction and 64 players. They're showing BF4 on the XB1 this weekend? I think everyone will watch that.

[ziggurcat]

I can't wait for the excuses, either... When it's shown to be exactly the same resolution/FPS as the PS4 version (or potentially worse).

[BallsEye]

then ps4 fans would again say developers are lazy or ms paid devs to make ps4 version bad looking.

[ziggurcat]

Which would technically be true.

A system that has stronger specs, and has been reported numerous times by numerous studios to be the easiest system to develop for should never look worse.

Also, EA is in MS's pocket, so the deal they have together could potentially skew the quality of the PS4 version.

[Funantic1]

It's very possible. We know that the X1 has a better CPU than PS4, hypervisor, DirectX 11.2 tile resourcing, and Azure cloud computation. The only thing the PS4 has over the X1 is the GDDR5 but the X1's tile resourcing can make 16MB look like 3GB of graphics. Microsoft just didn't brag about it.

http://www.theregister.co.u...

http://techreport.com/news/...

http://n4g.com/news/1341053...

http://www.giantbomb.com/xb...

http://www.tomshardware.com...

[Lazarus69]

To be fair both new console versions should look the same considering both are developer friendly

[Belking]

xbox version for me just like the witcher 2. I know that version will be awesome. Can't wait to play this and Titan Fall next year on xbox.

[PFFT]

Agreed.

[dcj0524]

Cool. Can't wait to remote play this.

[Cherchez La Ghost]

SMH....!! You people kill me here in N4G...!!

[BigShotSmoov007]

Exactly, this next gen console generation is going to breed more and more foolishness with this console war than any other time I think. Just get whatever console you want and enjoy it, it's not that serious people. End of the day your not making any more from either company so whats the point to these arguments?

[DaGR8JIBRALTAR]

IKR! Come nov I'll be having the time of my life on both systems. Play a little forza 5,then maybe some Call of duty backed by a couple matches of KI. Thennnnn...switch inputs on my tv to the ps4 and get balls deep in killzone plus Battlefield 4 followed by an all nighter of 2k14 and madden 25. Stop the bickering about nothing people,get both systems(if you're able) and just blackout on games!

[The Meerkat]

What if the PS4 has better graphics and frame rate but the X1 has more interactive NPC's and deeper multiplayer?

Which would be considered the 'best'?

[BigShotSmoov007]

Good question!!!

[grassyknoll]

It's not gonna have differences like that. It'll be graphical effects, not A.I.

[cell989]

deeper multiplayer how? more NPC's how? ze clawd? ze powa of teh cloudzz?

explain please

[Golden_Mud]

DDR3 is dedicated to gameplay , GDDR5 is dedicated to graphics

[Hellsvacancy]

^^^^^

Give me some of what your smoking please

[Deathdeliverer]

Makes no sense. How would that happen? How has "a'i" been smart or dumb all this time with previous consoles? It's how its programmed. I'm getting a x1 day one but to think cloud will suddenly add smart npcs or more areas is unrealistic. Guess I'll be one of the ones that knows best because I will have a ps4 day one also. I will be getting my multiplats on there because it it's power is in the box and has been highly praised for it. I can't believe the guy that says he has the fastest prototype car in the world, but he let his friend borrow it so I will just have to take his word. (We all know these kinds of people)

[laijka]

So I guess saying this will get me a lot of disagrees and replies from trolls but.. nothing in that article says that PS4 will be the "better" version. Only that they might differ. They don't even state how they might differ.

[jackanderson1985]

better in what way exactly? will there be non-important graphical increases?

not sure why (including this generation) the ability to have slightly better graphics is the best thing in the world...

eurogamer recently did one of those comparisons between the 360 and PS3 version of Splinter Cell... can honestly say having played on both consoles i couldn't tell the difference...i don't analyse games for the ability to distinguish arm hairs or if something that is in no way important (like a tree) isn't highly defined on every leaf.

now if it's additional gameplay then yeah that'll sway my purchasing preference but right now for MP based games it'll be whatever console my mates buy on and for Witcher it'll be on the PC since i have 1 and 2 on their already wouldn't want to separate the bunch

[MasterCornholio]

Ok the developers said this, console A is more powerful than console B.

Console A is either the PS4 or the XBOX One.

We will know the truth (lens of truth) the day the game comes out on both systems.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

And another one!

[vigilante_man]

"..we are trying and aiming to provide the same awesome experience to everyone, with no compromises,..”

We shall see.

[Mariusmssj]

please don't see that, all they care about which has a bit of an advantage over the other. Like it actually matters. Buy it for a system which you play with and prefer, simple as that.

[vigilante_man]

Good advice..

[gamer7804]

It will be interesting to see what happens for sure, but my console for multiplats will not be based on which one has less jaggies on a trees shadow but on controller feel, OS, and for multiplayer, server latency.

[Godz Kastro]

I wish these devs would stop talking under their breath and Just say what console is doing what well. I think they like to make comments like that then watch fanboys rip each other to shreds.

[EXVirtual]

Ok. I do think the PS4 version will look slightly better, but I wish the devs would just come out with it. I guess a side by side comparison is the best way to find out.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

He isn't saying one version will look superior, he's saying they will look different.

I also have to say that those of you who believe in the inherent superiority of one console are in for a very rude awakening. Up until recently I also fell for that marketing line, but after recent revelations I realize thats all it was, marketing. You may think the numbers are in your favor because thats what sources like neogaf and the corporate PR dept have told you, but you couldnt be more wrong. The proof is in the pudding as they say. And those who say to you "well just wait a few years" are just blowing smoke up your ass.

[Flutterby]

MS have released the specs , everyone now knows the ps4 has the advantage , the only new things to come to light that would make it seem otherwise are the lies from the known teller and maker of fantasy blog from misterx, the guy doing this blog has been proven wrong on everything he has said so far and believing the stuff elite24gamer references from this guys blog will set you up for disappointment.

[Golden_Mud]

Actually they are now competing with PS4's hUMA with the details they revealed about the Xbox One's customized CPU , they didn't yet announce all details about the CPU and GPU , eSRAM is something new and yet to be discovered by developers and programers (a programer here)

[Steak_Monster]

Interesting that the article doesn't actually mention graphical differences, just that any differences would depend on hardware.

From what the article tells us, this could easily be talking about differences down to things like the PS4 trackpad, X1's impulse triggers and possible Oculus support on PC.

I'm not claiming this is the case, but that statement could just as easily imply that.

[TemplarDante]

PS4 > Xbone

Let the games do the talking!

[Destrania]

Witcher 3 = Beast on PS4

[buynit]

I wish devs would start taking advantage of each hardwares capabilities..

I dont care if it looks better on ps4 or it plays better on xb1 cause at the end of the day i will have both and i will pick the one that i feel is best for me..

I hate that bs, we have to make it the same on all consoles..

[Pascalini]

All this talk and we all know thry will look exactly the same

[etownone]

I don't know.... And if fact, no one knows yet.

But it's funny to see some Sony trolls always referring to teh cloud.
Was even funnier when it was the power of teh cell!!!! Lmao.

Oh well... I'd bet they will look very similar.
Not like the beginning of last gen when the 360 was stomping the ps3 in multiplats.

[Agent_hitman]

Another points for PS4

[DOOMZ]

It's so funny when articles are written with such bias. You realize x1 has 2 data streams compared to ps4s 1? And esRAM provides 200gb\s every process when needed, meaning 268gb\sec available compared to ps4s 176gb/sec? Oh and also has double the bus cache bandwidth, 1024gb throughput, compared to ps4s 512 cache. Not even mentioning gddr5 having almost 3x the latency of ddr3. And ps4 limited to 4.5 gigs of ram for gaming, compared to x1s 5 gigs. Ya. So much more ram on ps4 LOL...

[Destrania]

Obviously you never learned what facts are growing up. Shame.

[wishingW3L]

wow, people are still clinging to that latency thing? Latency that is only milliseconds long and that on top of it it only affects the CPU. What will a slightly more powerful low power CPU designed for tablets on the Xbox do to the PS4's dGPU with 18 Rops and 176GB/s of constant bandwidth (not theoretical)?

If only you knew the slightest thing about PC you'd know how ridiculously silly you sound.

[Groo]

CD Projekt Red is one of the best developers there is, they really give a damn about their fans. Too bad Poland, were they are out of is one of the countries that are not going to be the XB1... unless something has changed..

http://www.gameinformer.com...

[cesuf]

More power doesn't always translate into a mind blowing graphical different. Here's a quote from a mobile gpu from notebookcheck that's related (but obviously not exactly the same):

"According to benchmarks in 3DMark 11, the HD Graphics 5000 is up to 50 percent faster than the previous HD 4000. In games, however, the performance advantage is significantly lower."

[1nsomniac]

If console makers are scared developers will openly make comments that their games will look better elsewhere then they need to make better hardware!!

Simple.