DiRT 2 demo: PS3/Xbox 360 performance showdown

Digital Foundry writes:

"We've already taken a look at the underlying tech in DiRT 2 based on the initial b-roll Codemasters supplied to Eurogamer TV, but last week's release of the playable demo was the first hands-on experience we've had with the console versions of the new McRae game.

Powered by Codemasters' own EGO engine (in itself, an off-shoot of the multi-platform Phyre tech being championed in dev circles by Sony), DiRT 2 appears to be using essentially the same technological underpinnings as last year's Race Driver: GRID."

[360 man]

360 wins again

[Raider69]

Don't seen quite so lol! the only time the framerate went up from 30fps to 32fps was on the PS3!So its better to wait for the retail version for more details.

[ps12&3lover]

how did 3fix me win..i would like to know..oh i forgot your a fan girl and you like your rrod box...im out 1

[360 man]

@ deadly brand wen watching, please use your eyes

ps3 clearly cant hande the hectic scenes and it is in 2x AA while 360 is in 4x AA

360 also has more detail

[N4PS3G]

"Xbox 360 using top-end 4x multisampling anti-aliasing to give a very clean presentation, while the PS3 drops down to 2x"

"PS3 game once again demonstrating a tangibly larger amount of torn frames" "on xbox 360 but it clearly happens far less often "

"so much of the tearing on the PS3 version"

Quite an easy win ..but don't get angry..i'm quoting Eurogamer..so disagree with them ;)

[Game13a13y]

if u think that proves that the 360 is more powerful, you couldn't be any more wrong.
1 word: Uncharted
a game released a year ago but nothing on the 360 can top it off so far, ok fanboys?

[thor]

The MAIN REASON the 360 usually "wins" is that you start off with a "standard" engine running on a graphics card, and then you optimise the PS3 version until it's on-par with the 360 version. Of course, they only bother so long as it's MOSTLY indistinguishable.

This is a point I want to drive into the heads of BOTH types of fanboy. The engine is running all the graphics on the graphics card, and the PS3 graphics card isn't as powerful as the 360's. No matter - the Cell is a LOT more powerful. But they don't bother optimising it so it looks better - waste of resources. They make them look EQUAL. They try their BEST to make them look equal. As soon as it looks "good enough", they stop optimising it. So most people can't really tell the difference, because they've TRIED to make them look identical. When you analyse it closely, however, the 360 version wins, because the PS3 version was always playing catch-up until it ALMOST caught up and they stopped bothering.

Everybody must admit that multiplatform games are now all pretty much equal. You'll get more differences by buying a better TV.

[HolyOrangeCows]

There's almost no difference between the two.

But whatever you've got to tell yourself to be happy with your purchase of the brokebox360.

[360 man]

and how do u know there not using the cell to help the rsx cope with the graphical capabilities.

you dont know so stop pulling words out of your A55

[thor]

@360 man

That's what I AM saying. Read what I said.

I said the PS3 version is always playing catch-up, remember a couple of years ago when devs didn't bother on the PS3? THAT is a difference, but now, they TRY to make them look equal. They use the Cell to help out the RSX, but they only bother to go as far as making them look equal. And to the naked eye, they pretty much DO look equal. I'd be happy that they looked equal if I were developing the game.

[Major_Tom]

You constantly, and I mean constantly b*tch and moan about PS3 fanboys and yet you are presenting yourself as an ass.

It really does boggle the mind.

[Ju]

Why did I know the out come before I even clicked the link. Oh, right eurogamer.net. I would like them to spend the same 80% of their picking on the PS3 version for once to point out the flaws of the 360 version. I have never ever read any in detail analysis of the 360 version from them. They pick up a PS3 flaw and pick on that one for usually 3/4 of their report...

Other then that, if you really believe the PS3 is the inferior version, just go download the demo and enjoy. Its an awesome game - regardless of platform.

[Tarasque]

Of course they are going to pick at the most flawed version. But on to the article at hand. I mean it is obvious the 360 version is a little better the PS3 still gives that slight washed out look it has in all games. But both games look good.

[LONEWOLF231]

Game13a13y

dude this is not a showdown between Uncharted 2 vs Dirt 2(Ps3) VS Dirt 2(360) BUT Dirt 2 (Ps3) vs Dirt 2 (360).............seriously dude you guys sound like a broken record fine we all now Uncharted 2 looks awesome BUT so does Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake, Splinter Cell: Conviction and the recently shown Kingdom Under Fire 2 all which by the way are 360 exclusives and rival the graphics shown in Uncharted 2.

[Guido]

You gotta give them something since their exclusives look like butt compared to the PS3 exclusives. Lazy devs take the easy road and reap the money from it. You cannot argue with my logic because the PS3 exclusives blow any argument out of the water.

[PS3PCFTW]

must be those RED RINGS IN HIS EYES

360 fans this gen:

"LOOK!!! at this multiplat, we have 1 more pixel than the ps3 owners!!!!YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!! ".......but when a ps3 exclusive comes out, u xfans are nowhere to be found.

"Who the hell needs brulay? my dvds are perfect on my big screen!!!!"......u cant tell the difference between a bluray movie and a dvd, but u can find a missing pixel in a multiplat game

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

do u guys realize how retarded you sound. Its pretty pathetic now.....alas, whatever floats your boat and helps u sleep at night.

JUMP OUT AND PLAY BEYOND 54.2%.

[pppppeach]

Clearly the Xbox 360 version won. The ps3 is only good for movies and ps2 games. The graphics on ps3 look last gen :-(

[DaTruth]

They said the same about the Batman AA demos, but we all know how the final version turned out(PS3 better). It's not at all surprising that the game system designed to run highly compressed data, out does the game system that is designed to stream uncompressed data, while running highly compressed, designed for downloading demos. 360 probably should have done better! The cutscenes on the Arkham Asylum demo were disgusting and full of macroblocks; They were ridiculously compressed.

On Bluray, it will be a different story!

Notice, no Eurogamer comparison of the Arkham Asylum finished product! I thought so!

[jack_burt0n]

The eurogamer comparisons as a whole are total crap they don't actually play the game, Bionic Commando was a total mess on 360 the screentearing was constant as bad as the ps3 issues on GB same with Red Faction same with RE5 seriously eurogamer is biased on how they relay the information.

Watch lengthy clips of both games running or play both versions cos the conclusions are TOTAL ASS come to your own conclusions!

And whats the point in a comparison vid where one screen crashes the car and the other doesn't lol its supposed to be identical.

[DaTruth]

In fact, why don't we bring up the last dirt comparison? The one where they said the 360 version looks better in the crash, but it was actually the PS3 version! Not to mention they were completely different crashes.

@Jack: Ya, the 360 has better framerates and less screentearing when the car is driving straight and the PS3 version is crashing and debris is flying everywhere; Who'd have thunk?

Edit: Now that Jack and I have debunked this with simple logic, all 360 trolling in this response thread will end after our comments. Because they have no response to this!

P.S. Big trouble in little China, still one of my all-time favourite movies!

[Ju]

@Tarasque The whole affair is such a minor thing it might justify a line of comment, or maybe two. But not 80% justifying why they felt that way. OTHO, not a single flaw is pointed out on the 360. Not even worth a whole sentence, I suppose.

And I do not agree its a minor upgrade to the Grid engine. The game as a whole runs much better then GRID. You can actually knock over bushes and drive pretty far off the track, almost making it open world (of some sort). The only trouble I have with Codemasters racers is, that I just can't get my wheel adjusted properly to get a natural feel (but that's maybe just because I don't have a $200 wheel).

[talltony]

Forza 3 720p 60 fps less cars on track
GT5 1080p 60 fps more cars on track

Get the picture yet?

anyways I played both demos on each system and You wont tell the difference, these comparisons are overrated!

[Raider69]

how canyou tell the 360 haves more detail than the PS3 from this video?If you dont know +AA just gives the picture a cleaner image,removing some jaggies from the image.+AA has nothing with detail.Detail is made by texture mapping,bump mapping, shadow mapping ...nothing to do with + AA (anti-aliasing).

[Major_Tom]

Reading comprehension or lack thereof is sure becoming an epidemic.

[Kurt Russell]

If that was true, GSK would have made an ointment for it by now.

[Narutone66]

that Sony is going to publish this game in PAL Region. Maybe Sony is going to help optimize this game to run better on the PS3.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009...

[hay]

The screen tearing wasn't noticeable by me, I hereby announce that in my opinion there's no difference between those to for ordinary gamer.

[mastiffchild]

That's the whole point for me. Unless there's a difference that you'd notice when playing yourself and one console's version suffers, to the maked eye, appreciably I fail to see much worth in these articles whatsoever.

In extreme cases like Ghostbusters I think it's OK but to nit pick any slight discrepancy when the aim is for equality (so not strange that the slightest of edges would sometimes go to the most familiar console to develop for-and the dev kits for PC and 360 are very similar, I've been told anyway, and devs are very comfy with them)which is by and large achieved beyong the telling of most gamers seems a bit pointless.

I can't even tell some of the things they pointed out are there! Much also differs from set up to set up too so what might be very easy to pick up on one TV might be close to impossible to find on another. Unless there's a real issue that damages our enjoyment of a game on a given platform just lets leave this rubbish out shall we?

[DaTruth]

In the GTA4 comparison, Eurogamer didn't seem so concerned about the 360 screen tearing, but were making excuses like; "Oh teh frames are torn outside of teh frame." Or some nonsense. Then they exploited the GTA4 PS3 online issues that were stuttering the single player through the GTA cell phone, that produced a slower framerate, but was just the online stalling the game.(Some of my friends couldn't even play unless they turned off their PSN)

Eurogamer is a fanboy site, and everyone knows it!

[poopface1]

you mean theres no difference to you unless the almighty PS3 has the better version. If the 360 version was inferior wed never hear the end of it, but we all know how 95% of the multiplatform games preform better on 360 in some way. Tell us the age old excuses that developers are lazy and completely ignore the fact that sony made their system hard to develop for. If they had put in a regular processor and used the extra money for a better GPU, the ps3 would be destroying the 360, but its not, and sony are the only ones to blame.

[PStu'rd]

The embarrassment is evident when you remember that the engine was codeveloped by sony LOLZ

Awsome demo!! Beats the sh1t out bumpercar sim3 remake no3 both graphic wise and physics wise (no competition there really lol).

Day 1 along with F3! Heaven generation for driving fans total:)

[54percent]

lol eurolamer fails again, they are exposed by their own "frame counter", they put the numbers of the frame quantity on the top right and they put the PS3 version to drop frames and the 360 version steady, but to a medium trained eye if you check the 360 frame bar even if the "magic number" keeps steady the frame bar drops and the v-sync bar drops too and forces the engine. Nice try eurolamer cheat your own numbers to give hopes to my loyal bots

[leeger]

as long as the difference is not one generation behind and still very playable on both version, and will not notice the difference unless zoom in 2x or take a really good look at it, then I'm okay with that. PS3 exclusives looks better than multiplat games anyway.

[raztad]

One generation behind is the DVD and xbox fans are proud of it.

Multiplats on the PS3 are tricky business. Developers just want to make a good enough version, it's understandable cause PS3 arch is way harder to develop for.

[wxer]

same

[DelbertGrady]

"Yes, similar to GRID, the biggest dividing line between the two games once again comes down to the v-sync issue, with the PS3 game once again demonstrating a tangibly larger amount of torn frames. It is noticeable on scenes packed with cars, but most impactful on the replays. Xbox 360 is also prone to dropping out of v-sync to maintain frame-rate, but it clearly happens far less often."

But if it makes you feel more confident about your Inferiorstation keep telling yourself that they are the same. It feels good to know that I will be getting to play the best version of this game on my 360.

[TheTruth89]

Overall then, while engine performance seems to be in much the same ballpark as GRID on both versions, whether by accident or design, image consistency appears to be improved in the PS3 version of the new game.

PS3 > 360
360 < PS3

Even your mum know that.

[wxer]

@soda

"However, during in-game, you can easily be forgiven for not noticing so much of the tearing on the PS3 version, and it is an interesting example of how the mathematical certainties of automated analysis do not always tally with the perceptions of the human eye. Sometimes a game simply looks cleaner than it actually is... it's all about the context."

notice the word "human eye"
oh sorry i forgot you're a bot

they couldn't find out with out using computers
so too me
its the same
:)

[LiL T]

I find it funny that the ps3 version looks the same to the human eye with only 2x AA. So it looks the same and its not even working as hard, imagine if it used 4x AA.

[DelbertGrady]

"Xbox 360 using top-end 4x multisampling anti-aliasing to give a very clean presentation, while the PS3 drops down to 2x"

Codemasters co-developed the engine with none other than Sony and they still can't get the PS3 version up to par. But who would expect that considering it's sh!tty bottleneck RAM and lack of GPU power?

[tomdrum6]

360 always has nicer textures and lighting, which is apparent in every game iv seen compared

[Kushan]

Well done, you managed to pick out just about the only two things that are actually the SAME in this comparison.

[Tarasque]

So Kushan you are saying the PS3 version doesn't looked a little washed out to you? I mean you have to be ray charles not to see it, its so obvious.

[Major_Tom]

I take Kushan is not a complete farce face and understands what your describing to him is a fabrication of your own incompetence.

[Kushan]

Don't confuse something looking lighter or darker with something being "washed out". Do you honestly expect two completely different pieces of hardware to output stuff identically, pixel-per-pixel colour wise? That's unrealistic.

[jerethdagryphon]

from what i can gather there seems ,textrues on 360 are more vivid then on ps3 and in some case slightly more focuesd, less blurry but i dont play games to stare at walls

i play games for fun

and they will play more orless the same

also, in reality colors are softer as are edges then the harsh ones portrayed by 360, its down to the way the eye works, it softens images as there furtherback

[GUNKILLA]

THEY LOOK BOTH THE SAME LMAOOO

[Perjoss]

maybe they do, but tests have shown that they also both have screen tearing problems, although it "happens far less on the 360". I'm beggining to see what Gabe Newell was talking about back then, as more and more multi platform games are looking and performing better on 360 (the list is getting pretty damn long). No wonder PS3 fans hate him, truth hurts.

[Bordel_1900]

To be honest I can't see any difference other than the X360 version being a little bit darker than the PS3 version.

Also, this game doesn't look as good as Motorstorm Pacific Rift anyway.

[Tarasque]

Yeah it doesnt look as good it looks better.

[imabeast48]

hahahaha wow. im guessing youve never played motorstorm pacific rift. it looks better by far. even the first motorstorm rivals this game

[MaximusPrime]

k i just watched the video comparison.

Graphically - both the same
brightness - xbox 360 darker. (unless some idiot setted the TV's brightness incorrectly
Framerate - little ups and downs on both consoles.

my verdict - no differences. Just play the games on whatever consoles you prefer playing on.

[Mozef]

Totally Agree.

[tnator]

Both look good to me. But what's all this blah about uncharted being so much better looking than any 360 game made. It's a great game sure but come on; get ya hand off it. MGS4 or InFamous make a better case for me. Either way PS3 and 360 pump out some great eye candy.

[lagoonalight]

Infamous is not the game you should be touting because it looks very average. Just saying. Uncharted still to this day looks awesome and it was made from scratch with dev tools that were very early in development. Infamous is riddled with little things that make graphic mongers want to slit their throats.

[sam2236]

InFamous?! Jesus H. Christ, the pop-in and frame-rate drops piss me off so much! Also, has anyone noticed that nearly everything around Cole is blurred? IMO, I think it's to keep up the frame-rate, but it's a little annoying.

[MetalFreakMike]

...To say that the ps3 version is not better because most of the time the games are made on the 360 then ported to the ps3. Also its a multiplatform game and not a exclusive game for the ps3 so its not going to be fully optimized for the console. Also everyone knows when you make a game for the 360 then they port it to the ps3 its not going to look 100 percent the same unless they put alot of work into it. 360 uses DirectX and ps3 uses OpenGl so they dont render the same. The developer has to put alot of work into the game to make it look the same on both consoles and sometimes they just dont wanna do it.

[Poopface the 2nd]

the coulda gotten a regular multi core CPU and used a much better GPU with the extra money, then the games would blow away the 360. But they didnt. Now the developers dont have the time or money to get it on par with the easier to make 360 version.

Last gen the xbox was more powerful than PS2, countless PS2 games were ported to the xbox, and all of them looked better on xbox than on ps2. It doesnt matter if this game was ported to PS3, it PS3 was really more powerful it would show.

[lagoonalight]

A much better gpu at the time would have tipped this console into the 7-800 dollar range even if you were using what the 360 has. The cell is brilliant and it should be in the next console. It is just a matter of time before Sony's sdk is up to snuff to allow devs to make great ports instead of average ones.

[jerethdagryphon]

dont forget the frame buffer,

the 360 uses a small buffer to hold frames before display, so ineffect
its cached a handful of frames after the one oyur veiwing,

this means the rendering of thr fram you see took place a split second before it was on screen

saving spu time and reducing tear and such
whereas rsx displays the frame its drawing as it goes

(bad explanation but its closeenough)

[Mozef]

@ Poopface the 2nd [ 10.1 ]
"If PS3 was really more powerful it would show"

Are you serious saying that about PS3?

What type of gamer are you?

your statement with all respect is totally stupid and shows how ignorant you are.

Have you played Uncharted 1?
Have you played Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots?
Have you heard of Uncharted 2? which was the most highly awarded game of E3 2009.

Have you watched something in you-tube about Heavy Rain?

Have you played any of PS3 games?

Answer those question then come talk. that if you have PS3.

[Kushan]

Right, lets be honest here - there ARE some very subtle differences between the two versions. I mean, they're not identical or anything, but my God if they weren't side by side would you be able to tell the difference? I very much doubt it. If you own both consoles, it doesn't matter which version you pick up, just go for the console that matters more to you (Be it because of trophies/achievements, friends, ingame features or whatever).

[mastiffchild]

Exactly Kushan. If people are honest would they really take these(at best)minimal differences as a reason to get the game for the 360 if they prefer their PS3 for other reasons like where their mates game online, controller preference or plain old reliability? I don't think so at all.

If a game lags on one platform in performance(like the whole of TOB does)I'll get it for my 360 otherwise controller preference dictates I get it for my PS3 and I doubt many dual owners are very different-they'll get it for the one they normally do and for the usual reasons as well when the differences are so small.

Also multis take account of both consoles weaknesses and neither of their strength sets so they don't show either console in a great light really and those that do really well are the shining examples others should aspire to-though, also, sadly, pretty rare.

[PlayStation X]

hmmm why cant any multiplatform/360 exclusive game look half as good as killzone, uncharted n mgs?

ohhhh...

developers having to build games for a last gen console.

[napoleon_ist]

OMG!! did you noticed the x360 version's awfull torn in the background ?! :(

[napoleon_ist]

http://img198.imageshack.us...

[LONEWOLF231]

OMG!!!!!!! did you know that was heat haze???
EPIC FAIL ON YOUR PART!!!!!!!!!!!!

[napoleon_ist]

just a glitch showing off technical limitation of the xbox360's GPU. :'(

[Sunny_D]

That is way to exaggerated to be heat wave. It's blurry due to glitches.

[xg-ei8ht]

Kushan i think that's a fair comment.

And 360 man, the 360 should have AA everygame and x2-4, because of the edram, nothing to do with the graphics chip.

Don't get me wrong, i think it was a good move by ati for m$.

But these comparisons are so close these days, even though the ps3 won the batman comparison, they were close.

But that's the point kushan is making, they are so close, nobody really should care.

And for all my fanboyism, i'm just messing around.
but it hits many raw nerves.

on a sidenot compared to Motorstorm pacific rift.

Both are different games.

And you cannot compare tbh.

[Daves]

The audio is better on PS3.

ARTRAC vs XMA compression.

The PS3 is crisper with more top end sparkle.

Oh and Ambisonic 3D sound works better on PS3 due to 7.1.

Just a fact, but of course, most people only care about graphics.

(the disagrees are quite sad really, there is a very good reason I know what I typed is fact)

[Daves]

ATRAC

[kraze07]

Don't care which version is better I'll be picking this up on the PS3 because that's the console I prefer to play racing games on.

[SIX]

The experience is the same for both games. It's great to see devs actually beginning to understand the PS3. Baby steps my friends.

[ar]

Who left the door to the open zone ajar? Some trolls managed to slip in.

[TeRRoR546]

xbox just a little darker

[jerethdagryphon]

xbox games tend to feel cool in some places in color terms where as ps3 feels warm in colors
blue and orange , but thats just how i see it

both look aweosme shame i dont play racing games much

[darkequitus]

Ego engine based on the Sony PhyreEngine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

[DigitalAnalog]

For comparisons like these, Digital Foundry really seem to know what they're talking about it, the only comment I heard that positive about the PS3's version was "image consistency". Whatever that is, I don't think my eyes can find out.

@PS3 fanboys:
Stop defending the PS3 to the point where you have to justify the graphics on multi-plat games (nowadays, most mult-plats are decent ports compared back then). We all know that it boils down to exclusives and by doing that you're just downplaying awesome devs like Epic Games and Naughty Dog.

360, congrats again for another "better" multiplat version.

*meanwhile, I'll just wait for Uncharted 2.

[DaTruth]

I'm sure Digital foundry really know what they're talking about... Whenever they say what you want to hear!

[DigitalAnalog]

Which is?

[mrmikew2018]

These guys are always swallowing Microsoft

[sulack]

Who cares, we all know the PS3 is more powerful its just the bad engine they made

[Ninjamonkey]

So both sre pretty much the same. Apart fom the 360 having less screen tearing, and the ps3 having more image consistancy.

What I do find funny though is how eurogamer spends 2 pareas or so on the ps3's issue, yet one tiy line on the bit the ps3 does best in.

XD

[Ri0tSquad]

You would think it was 2007 again. It's funny because it looks the same. There's no huge difference at all.

The only time I actually noticed the framrate dropping on either version was when I was looking at the number at the top right.

[CernaML]

Codemasters did a much better job with this game on both platforms. Grid was pretty bad on the PS3 but still enjoyable. No need for d!ckwagging all because the 360 has less screentearing that is completely unnoticeable on both platforms.

[STRAIGHTASL]

GT5 developers make the best game with 60 fps and no framerates than this game for ps3.

[CernaML]

"best game with 60 fps and no framerates"

Uhhh...

[STRAIGHTASL]

you better watch me for that

[TheDeadMetalhead]

From where I'm sitting they're about the same. The PS3 version is a shade brighter and has a SLIGHTLY better framerate. I'm not too surprised though, considering the differences were similar in the first DiRT.

[PirateThom]

If the game wasn't garbage with Colin McRae's name slapped on it, I would pretend to care.

[cyberwaffles]

bs comparison. even watching the video i saw no differences or screen tearing. they looks exactly the same, even the brightness this time. pretty good considering the ps3's graphics chip isn't as good as the 360's; too bad devs aren't putting their work load on the cpu where it's intended.

also, the demo really impressed me. probably the best menus i've seen in a long time and i love the view from looking over your hood. really solid game.

[Karum]

These comparisons these sites do are retarded enough without comparing the quality of a damn demo

[level 360]

Must say even the demo is quite hard to beat, takes a few shots to reach top 3 spots, love it when the rally car hits those water splashes ( in-cabin shots ), you have to be quite observant not to collide into anything ahead when water goes to the windscreen.
Good demo... and honestly there's not much difference between PS3 or XBox360 in looks unlike say GT5 which is superior compared to Forza3 and you can bet that any fanboy can tell which is actually better visually speaking.

[n4gno]

Just eurogamer : don't spend your time with ms employees.

[madkrazygames]

this is just nitpicking now, the game looks great on both systems. Eurogamer we know you guys love your 360, you don't have to prove it to the world.