Console Ports are "Not Worth It"

Johnathon Blow, the mind behind Braid, said in an interview that console ports are “not worth it”. With his next game, The Witness, coming to PS3 and Xbox 360, this is a weird thing to say. The developer states that indie teams should focus exclusively on the PC and iOS platforms.

[themonsterplayer]

your right, it ticks me off.

[Alos88]

I won't be buying this if he's going to have this attitude in future, it's almost like he has open disdain for console players.

[limewax]

No, what he's saying is he is a dev, first and foremost he makes games. His point is that the amount of work required to 'optimize' these games into working on console hardware just isn't worth the sales. He can break even since PC/Ios is where Indie sells best. His final comment if anything, indicated that he believes that at least one more powerful console platform will be available at some point next year

[Alos88]

Bubbles for clarifying it for me, though I still dislike Blow as a person (and I enjoyed Braid).

[Blaine]

It's a valid point, but since when have indie games pushed hardware specs? Braid has a beautiful art style, and is a fun and interesting game, but it doesn't exactly take a beast to run. I don't know what he's working on now, but most indie games I've seen would easily work on consoles, and I'd be happy to buy them if they were ported.

[Letros]

Blaine

He stated it was RAM constraints, and it would take a lot of effort to get it working properly for consoles, he cannot do this himself, the effort is too large.

[Tony P]

I swear, N4G are the tabloids of gaming journalism.

As is common on N4G, the quote is taken from a much longer explanation in a much longer interview (five pages). Whoa, sensationalism.

And while hardware is definitely a factor, it's not just a case of Blow saying "PC > console".

[Blaine]

Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't noticed the source link at the bottom of the page (no sarcasm). I'll check it out now.

[Jack_DangerousIy]

You know... I never thought about it like that...

The tabloids gaming journalism... That's brilliant mate. No sarcasm.

[Prophet-Gamer]

I wish there were more high profile games that take full advantage of the PC. I love consoles, but Devs shouldn't have to hold back in order to accommodate the lowest denominator. BF3 is proof of that.

[gumchewinasskikr]

I don't understand what you are saying. It appears to me that the pc version is by far the superior version of BF3. It doesn't seem to be held back by consoles at all. In fact in order to max out the Pc BF3 you will need a superb videocard.

[kennyboy]

especially looking at ps3 and 360 exclusive games, i dont get what ps3 and 360 are holding back if anything they are being held back

[bumnut]

You are correct, unfortunately not many other games take advantage of the extra power.

EDIT - ~Is the guy above seriously suggesting PC is holding consoles back?!?!?!?!?

[gumchewinasskikr]

bumnut

I think he meant that multiplats are hold back the true (exclusive) potential of the consoles, not pc.

[Prophet-Gamer]

That's what I'm saying man, BF3 is a great example of game not compromising for consoles. Takes full advantage of the PC hardware while also scaling down for consoles.

[radphil]

@kennyboy

I hope you weren't serious about static hardware being held back by constant evolving hardware.

[Persistantthug]

Go to Steam or to your nearest store and look at the back of a PC game box.

I want you to notice the MINIMUM SPECIFICATION of any of those retail games.

Those LOW END PCs and laptops that developers must program their games for so they can make money.....Those are your "lowest common denominators" of this generation. It isn't the HD consoles.

Besides, Johnathan Blow hasn't made anything that can be considered even approaching a "technical marvel". He needs to make his game and do more staying quiet.

[Prophet-Gamer]

I get you're point man, all I'm saying is that it'd be nice if Devs created their games to the fullest extent and then scaled down for consoles and less powerful computers instead of just settling for making the PC version a tiny hair better than the console version.

[blackmagic]

battlefield 3 minimum requirements:
Core 2 Duo 2.4Ghz or Athlon X2 2.7 Ghz processor
512Mb AMD 3870 or Geforce 8800 GT
2Gb Ram
20Gb HD space
http://www.thebitbag.com/20...

Sorry but that "minimum spec" obliterates what is in the consoles. PC devs shoot for 2 year old hardware to still run their games and 2009 hardware is NOT the "lowest common denominator". The lowest common denominator argument was true SIX YEARS ago when this console generation launched but no longer. In the world of computers 6 years is 3 generations.

I mean seriously, Nvidia's requirement for Battlefield 3 is "Geforce 8,9, 200, 300, 400 or 500 series with 8800 GT or better performance" and the ps3 has a 7 Series GPU! That's is SIX GPU generations ago!!!

[Persistantthug]

than you know or are willing to admit.

Witcher 2 PC mins:
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7
Processor: Intel 2.2 GHz Dual-Core or AMD 2.5 GHz Dual-Core
Memory: 1.5 GB (Win XP), 2GB (Win Vista/Win 7)
Graphics: GeForce 8800 (512 MB) or Radeon HD3850 (512 MB)
DirectX®:
Hard Drive: 16GB
( http://store.steampowered.c... )

Obviously XBOX 360 is getting that.

Here's another, because I hate talking about games that aren't fully released:

CRYSIS 2 PC mins:
Processor: 2Hz Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon 64 X2 or better
Memory: 2 GB or more; 3 GB for Windows Vista (SP1)
Disc Drive: 8X or faster
Hard Disk Space: At least 9 GB of free space
Video: DirectX 9.0c compatible video card 512 MB*
* NVidia 8800GT with 512 MB RAM, ATI 3850HD with 512 MB RAM, or better.
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card

Battlefield min PC specs are attainable by consoles. Why? Because optimization is better. That's why what PCs do with 2GB of ram, Consoles can do with 512MB

Just sayin.

[Tony P]

Actually, thug, you don't seem to understand.

The optimization and efficiency you tout as console marvels are only the efforts of developers to streamline and shrink their game to fit a fixed platform.

So getting a game that requires 2GB of RAM on PC to run on 512MB on a consoles isn't done with some brilliant process. It's done by scaling the game back in certain ways.

You're thinking of porting as turning a couch sideways to fit through the doorway. Actually, it's closer to replacing that couch with a smaller one. A smaller couch has advantages as well. Fits in more rooms, easier to move, etc.

But you know what it isn't?

A bigger couch.

tl;dr version:

"Battlefield min PC specs are attainable by consoles. Why? BECAUSE THEY SHRUNK IT. That's why what PCs do with 2GB of ram, Consoles can do with 512MB " /fix'd

[Persistantthug]

ASSASSIN'S CREED 2 PC MIN:

Processor: Intel Core® 2 Duo 1.8 GHZ or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.4GHZ
Memory: 1.5 GB Windows® XP / 2 GB Windows Vista® - Windows 7®
Graphics: 256 MB DirectX® 9.0–compliant card with Shader Model 3.0 or higher (see supported list)
DirectX®: DirectX 9.0
Hard Drive: 8 GB free space
_____________________________ _________________

Assassin's Creed 2 plays better on my PS3 and XBOX 360 than this lower end PC.

How can a console with 512MHZ look and play better than my computer (my sisters) with 1.5 - 2GB of ram? Because consoles use a combination of Harddrive and disk streaming techniques. Also, this game on console uses alot of CPU, which in turn drives the ram overhead down.

In other words: heavy optimizations.

I bet you that THE WITCHER 2 will run better on XBOX 360 than on a PC with the equivalent Minimums.

Why? Again, optimizations. No "shrinkage" necessary.

[kevnb]

ya it seems consoles are better suited to big budget sequels, or big budget titles from already well known devs.

[UltimateIdiot911]

Just like PJ games, Flower, Flow, and many other unique PSN titles. Consoles are good for small devs also.

OT:
Maybe for him, console ports are not worth it but it doesn't mean it isn't worth it for every small dev out there.

[Saladfax]

PC gives a great indie environment because of Steam and the amount of promotion devs get on the platform.

iOS and mobile device games are a great environment because a lot of them thus far are gimmicky little games. Unique and interesting ideas thrive in an environment less populated with them.

[Buff1044]

Every time I see a quote from this guy, he complains. I get it. Braid was cool. Now go away.

[Saladfax]

I don't really have an opinion for or against him, but my assumption is that, like many other articles posted about things developers say, the quotation is massively taken out of context for the purpose of sensationalism and, y'know, hits.

[Buff1044]

I am inclined to agree. Great point.

[Kran]

Honestly, they are worth it.

1. Not only will you have a PC audience, but you'll also broaden the audience by porting onto consoles, no matter how much people might bitch about it.
2. Its great for those who cant afford a gaming PC. (I just built mine, so I'm good either way)
3. Not as much work needs to be done unlike as if you were making everything from scratch.
4. Its good for chivo hunters, although this point shouldnt really be valid tbh.
5. More sales mean more money mean another game.

Oh I think it is worth it.

[kevnb]

If you can afford a pc and then a console, you can afford a gaming pc. but not everyone has enough knowledge for pc gaming.

[Kran]

I didnt have the knowledge.

But I had a friend who guided me through building mine online, and since then, ive begun to learn more about pc parts.

[gillri]

shame, Braid is one of the best game of all time

and not worth it? 110 million installed userbase and counting?

[cliffbo]

braid looked like a commodore 64 game to me and not a good one so i wont miss anything this guy makes.

[Alos88]

A commodore... a commodore...
That statement was ridiculous. It actually gave me a headache.

[PirateThom]

SNES... maybe...

Have you even seen a C64's geaphics?

[gillri]

but its like no game you have ever played and deserved of its 93 metascore

its that good

[guitarded77]

LOL!!! Focus on iOS platform... this guy is funny.

[UltimateIdiot911]

He obviously have not heard about all those small dev out there who aren't profiting on iOS platform because of all the endless crap in the market.

[meganick]

Porting to consoles can be very lucrative. It's too bad that wasn't the case for Braid, but that doesn't mean it's never worth a shot.

[_LarZen_]

Johnathon Blow sounds like a stupid stupid man...

[radphil]

Have you ever developed or programmed before?

Can guarantee that 3/4ths of the people on this site wouldn't be able to crack by the basics.

[guitarded77]

While it's true that obtaining a degree in Computer Science is very challenging and most people can't hack it, there are in fact some stupid people in the field... not saying Blow is, but he is trained to utilize logic and his decision to avoid consoles is not logical from a business point of view.

[radphil]

@guitarded

I agree with what you say, however from what is said, it's from a programming view.

On the side, it really annoys me when some people on here take this as if this is an offensive shot to them, judging from the comments.

[kevnb]

Its 100% logical. almost all these little indie games make squat all on consoles, so its not worth the port. if 1/10 games make money, is that good business?

[Robotronfiend]

He should hang out with the Quantic Dream head, they both love complaining about things.

[from the beach]

So.. why is he worrying about aging console specifications when he's only making primitive, "indie" games?

[sorceror171]

Steam suggested I update my video drivers, and I tried to. The NVidia installer failed. No useful error, no hint WHY, it just says "Failed". Nothing I have tried has fixed it - not even this: http://forums.nvidia.com/in... (And how ridiculous is *that*?)

It looks like I'll have to reinstall Windows to get my video card back. I started out a PC gamer, but things like this are making me appreciate consoles more and more.

[kevnb]

Assumjng this is true, do you prefer things like rrod, disc drives failing and making the entire system useless and ylod?

[sorceror171]

I get that for free, too, with my PC. Just had to replace a dead DVD burner. My last PC started flaking out, getting unstable - not sure if it was the power supply, the motherboard, or one (both?) of the CPUs. At least I was pretty sure the RAM was OK - passed a lot of memtest passes.

So I replaced the guts.

Of course, had a fat PS3 die on me, and I resurrected it several times with the re-flowing trick.

Hardware failures I can understand, even if I'm not a fan. Stupid driver crap that renders the system unusable, for no apparent reason, with no way to find out what went wrong... no. That's just stupid and inexcusable.

[Haseo106]

His game is "NOT WORTH IT"