GRAW Team Says Playstation 3 No Harder to Develop for then Xbox 360
Posted by Shawn on Friday, August 17th, 2007 at 12:37 pm under Ubisoft, Sony, Microsoft, Computer, Games
Tagged: development, graw, PS3, tom clancys ghost recon advanced warfighter 2 and Ubisoft
Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter team sets the record straight for those that say the Playstation 3 is harder to develop for than the Xbox360. The BAFTA-award winning team says developers just need to get up to speed with the PS3 which they haven’t had as much time to familiarize themselves with.
“It’s wrong to say it’s harder to code on the PlayStation 3, it’s just something that needs to be learnt,” said Yann Le Tensorer, co-founder of Ubisoft’s Tiwak studio and co-creator of the Yeti engine powering GRAW and the upcoming Beowulf game.
“It’s not harder to develop on the PS3 than it is on the 360, it’s just a different console. Developers might says it’s harder because it just takes time to understand the technology, we’re still early in the lifecycle.”
The facts seem to verify Tensorer’s claims. Industry analyst Michael Pachter has gone on record attributing the delay of Grand Theft Auto IV to a developer problem not a hardware problem.
Adrian Lacey, international brand manager for Ubisoft, believes next month’s release of the GRAW sequel will meet the high standards expected of the title because of the team’s planning ahead.
Because we built the engine for this generation of hardware we’ve been very well placed – Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter hit that level of quality early in the cycle when the 360 first came out because we had our engine in mind for PS3, 360 and PC from the very beginning,” he commented.
As Ubisoft continues work on development of Beowulf, Lacey admits there is still much to learn about the hardware. He sites God of War on the PS2 as an example of a game hailed as incredible, yet the full potential of the PS2 wasn’t unlocked until the end of the cycle.
Given that example Gamers should see some mind blowing games coming out in the next couple years as developers learn to use the PS3 to its full capacity.
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August 17th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
This validates what I've been saying all along. Very few of a console's best games show up early in its lifecycle, simply because it takes time for developers to become familiar and proficient at maximizing their utilization of the hardware.
The 360 had a slight edge in this department because its hardware was so similar to that of a PC that people were already familiar with it. You'll see great games from the PS3 once developers gain familiarity with its hardware.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
So does this mean the PS3 is as easy to dev for as the 360 or the 360 is as hard to dev for as the PS3?
Either way I'm glad that this isn't turning into a debate on which is better. That gets old fast. I"m sure they'll both look and play great.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
@used cisco: I'm really not a fan of debates on which console is better. Sure, there are people who hold grudges against MS for the 360's problems, or folks who want to take shots at Sony for the pricepoint of the PS3.
What it boils down to, for me, is that with 3 consoles vying for our dollars, all 3 are driven to make better games, and better consoles. In a market like this one, the real winners of the 'console war' are the gamers.
August 17th, 2007 at 3:53 pm
@Ron, couldnt of said it better myself. All consoles are great and will bring us games that we're going to love to play. We should all rejoice for whatever console we own!!
PS: XBox sucks
IM KIDDING! Geez…
August 17th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Then why do all games on the 360 play better…I have both, and it's true…???
August 17th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
how come all the games developed for both look better on the 360?
August 18th, 2007 at 4:07 am
You wanna know why games on both consoles look better on 360??? Those games were created for 360 first..then ps3. Another thing, if you read the article, its about the difference between the two consoles when creating the games. So the technology and coding used to create the games for xbox360 is different oppose to the ps3, so re-creating a game originally for 360 to ps3.. is a new task for devs. It might be the easiest and cheapest way out but it's also giving the ps3 a bed rep. A rep that even 360 fan boys know won't last very long..once the long awaited ps3/PC only games come out.
How come UT3 is currently being made for ps3 and PC only?? Both those platforms have less restrictions then the 360 has, in terms of hardware and content. Also recently theres a rumor that UT3 is being cut down for 360 because of size, and gta4 designers said the 360 is limiting their designing ideas..and will limit the game i would think.
August 20th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
@billytech, it is simple. You have bad eyes. Take a visit to the nearest optometrist and they will have those fixed.