games  anime  |  toys
Destructoid is gaming news, community, videos, and sometimes love. Take the tour or jump in with Facebook:

 


PS3 graphics distancing from rivals, according to Sony photo

Scott Steinberg, Vice President of Product Marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment America, has stated that the PlayStation 3 is starting to show its graphical superiority over rival consoles, and that soon the graphics on other platforms will look quite dated. I'd never have expected Sony's marketing department to say such a thing. 

"I think that we're seeing, graphically, PS3 games starting to create some distance and some of the other competitors are going to feel that they're getting long in the tooth, looking quite dated, because they haven't created that ten-year vision from a horsepower standpoint," Steinberg told GI.biz. 

So, the PS3 has the best graphics. That's brilliant. Perfect, in fact, and as soon as we get lots of games to go with these graphics, then all will be grand. Tootling one's trumpet over graphics is all well and good, but it's a practice I find rather shallow and uninteresting when it's in lieu of talking about actual games. Graphics are important, yes, but the market has proven time and again that graphics are not the dealbreaker. The death of the technically superior Dreamcast in comparison to the PlayStation, for example, or the Wii's continued success indicates that Sony can create as much graphical distance as it likes, it won't matter while other platforms are delivering the gaming experiences that most customers want. 

"Wikkid Awesum" graphics shouldn't be Sony's prime focus, and I'm sick of hearing about them. Stop saying how great Killzone 2 looks and set about assuring me that it won't be as mediocre as the first one.


Continue: More PS3 stories





prev next

42 comments | showing # 1 to 42

Resonance's Avatar
Resonance at 08/04/2008 05:47
Given that developers have very strict hardware specifications to work within, it always annoys me that they don't exploit the power of console graphics as much as possible (like they do with pc). The only reason we should see later games with superior graphics in a generation of consoles should be the developers learning how to develop for said console.
Atheist Jew's Avatar
Atheist Jew at 08/04/2008 05:47
Sony really needs to do a better job of selecting the people they allow to publicly make statements in regards to their products. At worst they've got Jack Tretton, who said some of the stupidest shit ever last year, and at best they've got this guy, who's misinformed, baseless statements of superiority are just laughable. Seriously, if Sony can't find someone that's not an idiot to give interviews and make public statements, they should just shut the fuck up and save themselves the embarrassment.
Fadakar's Avatar
Fadakar at 08/04/2008 05:48
Sad thing is when it looks as nice as it does I'm a big enough tool to get it just to gawk at the visuals. :(
RJG's Avatar
RJG at 08/04/2008 05:48
Here here, Jim.
Timmeh's Avatar
Timmeh at 08/04/2008 05:51
This is a step in the right direction. At least marketing finally got the memo that the PS3 plays games as well as Blu-Ray! :P
Wedge's Avatar
Wedge at 08/04/2008 05:55
The death of the technically superior Dreamcast in comparison to the PlayStation

Wait wut?

And I just want a PS3/360 for a Rawkband machine still, fok the graphics =<.
wonky360's Avatar
wonky360 at 08/04/2008 05:59
Yup, Killzone 2 looks MUCH better than Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty etc ;)
The orig version had "Awesome" graphics too if I remember correctly. I also remember it sucking donkey balls. Shiny shit still tastes a bit shitty. Show me some great physics or unique interaction, graphics will only go so far. Killer Instinct springs to mind (showing my age). This title was founded on giant lies, I doubt it will ever be able to shake the negativity.
PikkonX's Avatar
PikkonX at 08/04/2008 06:04
Outside of discussing Killzone, I can't really recall too many recent times where Sony has gone on and on about graphics. They've been talking more about their ten year plan and first/second party exclusives more than anything. The Dreamcast was also far from being technically superior to the PS2, but it was easier to develop for.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 08/04/2008 06:09
The Dreamcast was designed to tackle the PlayStation and N64 and was graphically superior to the pair of them. It was praised for being ahead of its time, much like the PS3, but didn't gather momentum in time to survive the PS2, which hit sixteen months later.

My point stands, sirs.
wardrox's Avatar
wardrox at 08/04/2008 06:16
Graphics do matter, countless games prove this. Go try playing a really good PS1 game, I dare you.

The PS3 is so badly made, designed and executed it's pinfull. But the brain of that frankanstinnian freak is, honestly, very powerfull.
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 08/04/2008 06:19
Wardrox: Of course graphics matter, at least to us lot, and I wouldn't deny that, but they are not the dealbreaker, and likely never will be. A lot of people are ignorant of hi-defz graphix or simply don't care, and many people would agree that a slight dated looking game that plays brilliantly > a fantastic looking piece of shit.
Dan CiTi's Avatar
Dan CiTi at 08/04/2008 06:22
The PS3 is much more well made than the 360 and Wii, wardockz
-PL-'s Avatar
-PL- at 08/04/2008 06:29
I don't really see anything wrong with the PS3 "gaming experience". It's lacking in some online features, but a lot of people don't care much about that because they're not playing games online 24/7. Most of the decent games to come out nowadays are multiplatform anyway, so PS3 owners are really just missing out on a few select exclusives.

Besides, I've heard from a couple gaming podcasts who attended E3 that Killzone 2 is actually pretty fun. I know it sounds crazy, a game on the Playstation 3 being fun, but it's possible if you imagineer it. Imagineer it, Jim.
Psykocyber's Avatar
Psykocyber at 08/04/2008 06:33
Good for them! But, if you truly care about graphics you will have a PC anyway. Console graphics is like small kids beating each other.
ajaxender's Avatar
ajaxender at 08/04/2008 06:34
I think graphics can be a deal breaker, depending on the gamer. Personally, the one, single, only reason i could be bothered playing Oblivion at all, was that it looked nice. In fact i only really put any effort into it once i got my 8800gts graphics card; over a year after the game was released. Even mods couldnt save it for me, if it didnt look good.

Graphics are just one ingredient in the stew that is a video game. You put the wrong thing in, or not enough of something, and it probably wont taste good; but sometimes putting a ton of one ingredient in can save it.
PikkonX's Avatar
PikkonX at 08/04/2008 06:35
It was ahead of its time in many aspects, but not far enough ahead. I don't think anyone really considered it a true competitor to the 32 bit consoles when the PS2 was right around the corner and the MS console/Dolphin were being rumored about. Playstation was already the undisputed champion by the time DC launched(4-5 years after PS1 depending on the region). I believe it's a better comparison to put it up against the PS2/Xbox/GCN. Sega just launched it a bit too early in an attempt to get the jump on the PS2. Not much different than the 360/PS3 situation, except MS made sure their console would be able to compete.
PixelJunky's Avatar
PixelJunky at 08/04/2008 07:45
If this was Cliffy B and some Exec for the 360 touting that the PS3 can't touch Gear 2 graphics, I'm sure there wouldn't be an article written anti-gears/360. This is a blatent flamebait article, which I've come to expect from Kotaku but not Detructoid.

Shame on you guys!!! Give Sony time and let's see if they can put their money where their mouth is.
CALkulon's Avatar
CALkulon at 08/04/2008 07:45
I'm a little confused by this article. You seem to slag off the interviewee for going on about nothing but AWESUM GFX!!11!, yet clearly the interview is a hell of a lot bigger than the small section you've quoted. All he's essentially said is that he doesn't want to copy Wii or 360, and that he thinks the PS3 has the most powerful hardware. People do want great graphics to go with their games.

Yes, there may not be as many great games on PS3 as we would like, but I'm prepared to wait if it means titles like LittleBigPlanet fulfill their (huge) potential.
hjd uk's Avatar
hjd uk at 08/04/2008 07:53
I call BS on this, The PS3 graphics Hardware is poor in comparison to the XBox360 Chip. To make up for the shortfall you have to do such revolutionary things as backface-culling on the SPUs to streamline the pipeline as much as possible. Plus the fillrate is worse tha nthe Xbox360 and it has less texture memory.

Its a decent Gfx chip for a console but its not as good as the XBox360.

Higher polycounts (maybe) and better sheer number-crunching on ps3, but with lower res textures and less post-processing. So 'better', no.

And before you say anything, I have a PS3 Devkit under my desk.
3r0t1c n3rd's Avatar
3r0t1c n3rd at 08/04/2008 08:08
Didn't helped the Xbox 1 back in the day that it had the best graphics...
superniall50's Avatar
superniall50 at 08/04/2008 08:27
@Wardox

Wtf? PS3 badly made? That's the most rediculous thing i've heard for a while...
Face's Avatar
Face at 08/04/2008 08:32
The day I quit a game of Crysis because I had a hankering to play Cave Story was the day I realised graphics really don't matter to me. At all.
HarassmentPanda's Avatar
HarassmentPanda at 08/04/2008 08:48
@hjd_uk

Thank you! I'm glad I didn't have to type that out. For number crunching, the PS3 wins; but the 360 has a superior graphics chip (even if it does constantly overheat). If Sony was really focused on a 10 year plan, they should have picked a graphics chip that bested the competitor's box.

Overall, I don't really care which has better graphics at all. Sure, Wardrox is right about going back to PS1 games, but I remember thinking they looked bad at the time. By the PS2/Xbox/GC generation, 3D finally hit its stride in the console space and I could go back and play any one of those games today. Give me a game that plays well with a pleasing aesthetic and I'm fine.
The Co-Op Podcast's Avatar
The Co-Op Podcast at 08/04/2008 08:53
the real funny part isnt the graphics. its gonna be when the ported version sells more.despite who has the best graphics. think xbox and ps2...xbox had all the best versions...but didnt matter
Emrah's Avatar
Emrah at 08/04/2008 09:02
Gameplay rules, but graphics are icing on the cake, and sometimes, part of the cake itself. Here, they are not stating that they will win the console war with graphics; just that graphically, PS3 is getting better than rivals. I certainly don't mind having better graphics.
hpv's Avatar
hpv at 08/04/2008 09:07
Sorry Jim, this post is made of fail. First, the Dreamcast lost to the graphically superior Playstation 2, not the Playstation. Second, 90%+ of the games being released on 360 are also on PS3 and PS3 has stronger first party support giving it the exclusive advantage. So yes, the graphics likely will matter since it's not like 360 has omfg amazing games and PS3 has shit. They have the same games except Sony has better goods than halo.

You did fail at failing on Killzone though, so feel good about that. The game will probably be shit, just like the first one, regardless of how nice it looks.
parrothead's Avatar
parrothead at 08/04/2008 09:23
If great game play was the measure than the Wii would be in last place...the PS3 just lacks the catalog. But I do love the fact you can upgrade it. I just put a 320 gb hd in mine, it is now my media hub. So it at least has that going for it.
nicojay's Avatar
nicojay at 08/04/2008 10:13
RESPECT GRAPHIC PENIS SWAGGER
CALkulon's Avatar
CALkulon at 08/04/2008 10:47
Panda, how the hell can a chip that constantly overheats be superior?!

At the end of the day we've seen little to no difference between the consoles thus far, and until that happens all this debate is worthless.
Spooky Electric's Avatar
Spooky Electric at 08/04/2008 10:59
Yeah, the Dreamcast was made to compete with the PS2, NOT the N64 or PlayStation. That's what the Saturn was for. The reason it failed was because some many tools fell for the OMG THE PS2 WILL BE SO MUCH BETTERS hype that they didn't bother with the Dreamcast until AFTER its death. I distinctly remember fools on Tekken Zaibatsu talking about buying a Dreamcast after they announced cancelling development for it, and marvelling at all of the fantastic games and graphics.
Granted, the later PS2 games DID trump the better Dreamcast games visually, but if Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive 2 or Shenmue are any indication, there was quite a bit of untapped power that might've been put to good use if Sega wasn't so quick to kill it.
At this point, I know it's not happening, but I STILL yearn for Sega to get back into the hardware game. Problem is, if they do, they'll likely fail again to do their terrible marketting. Which leads back to the DC/PS2 vs 360/PS3 comparison. The reason the 360 didn't die under PS3 WILL BE SO MUCH BETTERS hype is because 1) after hearing the PS3's initial price, people deciding they weren't going to pay $600 no matter how powerful/feature intensive it is, and 2) Microsoft has the money to market its system properly AND pay just about every game developer to create games for it.
Spooky Electric's Avatar
Spooky Electric at 08/04/2008 11:00
*to do was meant to be DUE TO. I clearly wasn't thinking when I went on my long ramble post.
MrFrunkus's Avatar
MrFrunkus at 08/04/2008 11:12
That's funny. Last I heard, the Radeon X1950XTX(Xbox360) was faster then the Geforce 7600GT(PS3)
stevesan's Avatar
stevesan at 08/04/2008 11:40
Well...gee Jim, this was a few sentences in an interview. And he was mainly talking about the horsepower - that includes horsepower for graphics _and_ game play (ie. more enemies on-screen, bigger levels, more AI, etc.). There's also Bluray's content capacity, which will allow for more detailed graphics _and_ more game play content. If anything, Sony has made a bet on more processing power than graphics: the RSX chip is actually a bit crap compared to the 360's GPU. Sure, it remains to be seen if the CELL is gonna deliver, but Bluray is starting to make a difference (see Carmack's comments).
stevesan's Avatar
stevesan at 08/04/2008 11:43
But, I do agree, at some point Sony needs to start revealing their first-party content. ICO...GoW3...DO WANT.
D-Nez's Avatar
D-Nez at 08/04/2008 12:18
@stevesan: "There's also Bluray's content capacity, which will allow for more detailed graphics _and_ more game play content."

I really hope thats the case. I have trouble shelling out $60 for a game thats only a 6 hour experienceand many lately have been. Metal Gears Solid and a few other titles exploit the storage capacity afforded by Bluray but many don't. If Rockstar was able to fit GTA IV on DVD-9, developers can aim for the sky with Bluray. This might apply less to 3rd party titles but there sin't an excuse for Sony eclusive titles to fully use the benefits of Bluray. And even 3rd party developers take advantage of it aswell. Maybe when the 360 starts to receive inferior versions, Microsoft will be forced to find a solution for the limitations of DVD-9. Installing to the HD is a start but they also have to nit limit developers out there because some folks purchased an Arcade console. This is coming from a person that owns both consoles but primarily buys 360 multi-platform titles. I hope both consles succeed. I think competition is to the benefit of gamers; I don't understand the rampant "fanboyism" on game boaerds.
Vitamin Awesome's Avatar
Vitamin Awesome at 08/04/2008 12:21
Unfortunately, Graphics are always going to be touted around as a selling point, ever since the 16-bit wars of old put such a strong emphasis on whose graphics were better.
mix's Avatar
mix at 08/04/2008 13:04
Graffixczs rule!
Quest's Avatar
Quest at 08/04/2008 15:38
@ wardrox

keep playing with you xbot because you don't know what your talking about for the PS3
Flaps's Avatar
Flaps at 08/05/2008 00:25
OMFG...Sony blowing its own horn? Really, it took how long for the PS3 to start showing graphical superiority? Weren't they saying that from day -1?

Riiiiiidggge Raaaaaccccerrr!!!!

On a side note, I like my PS3...to watch movies on :/
Too Much Coffee Man's Avatar
Too Much Coffee Man at 08/05/2008 01:24
i LOL @ Sony's "Graphics"

Console makers shouldn't be bragging about graphics, they should be bragging about games.

All console graphics look like ass compared to PC graphics.

Sony talking about their "10 year vision" is meaningless to everyone who wants "graphics". I mean look at PS2 graphics and then look at Far Cry which came out just 3 years later. The same exact thing is going to happen again.

Seriously Sony, focus on the games; because touting graphics is a losing battle. They've already pissed off tons of early adopters who shelled out $600 for a virtual paperweight for the first year, because of promises of "1080p" & "HD doesn't start until we say it does!"... They should stop crying wolf while they still have their brand credibility.

because..

The problem w/ selling to all those "sucker{s) born every second" is that when they find out they've been had; they tend to remember. the ones who can get through the first stage of consumer grief at least (denial AKA fanboys).
jordanlund's Avatar
jordanlund at 08/05/2008 17:34
You're putting the Dreamcast in the wrong generation.

The Dreamcast marked the start of Generation 6 (Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox, Gamecube).

It was not competing with the Generation 5 machines (Saturn, Playstation, Nintendo 64).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_console
Dyson's Avatar
Dyson at 08/06/2008 04:06
I was going to make mention of the Dreancast/PlayStation gaff, but it's been taken care of.

Regardless, I agree with the main body. Great graphics aren't shit, unless you have a game to stand behind it.
prev next

Comment with Facebook





Click connect and comment instantly!

Comment with Dtoid





New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds

Comments policy

Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?

Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!

 
New on Destructoid.TV play all videos

Loading
Loading Destructoid Videos



    Win this!
    Reminder: We're giving away six copies of Magnacarta 2!



    Dtoid Twitter    Got news?   tips@destructoid.com

    Reviews & Previews
    Mahjongg Artifacts 2 review
    Dragon Age: Origins review
    Lost Winds: The Winter of the Melodias review
    Osmos review
    Space Invaders Extreme 2 review
    Half-Minute Hero review
    JU-ON: The Grudge review
    Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble review
    Thexder Neo review
    Domino Rally review
    more reviews
    PS3's 256-player MAG
    Rooms The Main Building
    Skate 3
    Hudson's bringing back the Bonk
    James Cameron's Avatar
    Bomberman Battlefest
    Calling
    Bad Company 2's multiplayer
    Partying like it's 1959 in BioShock 2's multiplayer
    BioShock 2 through the eyes of Big Daddy
    more previews


    - The Dtoid Army is 49613 strong -

    Showing Cblogs with 3+ faps   show all

    Call for entries: do the wrong thing
    New to Dtoid? Read the survival guide




     Originals
    Jim Sterling: How to respond to a videogame review





















    More Destructoid Originals



     Popular now more
























    Destructoid's editorial lovefest is:
    Nick Chester
    Editor-in-Chief    		 Jim Sterling
    Reviews Editor
    Dale North
    News Editor    		 Hamza Aziz
    Community Manager
    Anthony Burch
    Features Editor    		 Rey Gutierrez
    Video editor & director
    Niero
    Founder, publisher
    Letters to the editors
    tips@destructoid.com
    Associate Editors
    Ashley Davis Jonathan Holmes
    Brad Nicholson Jonathan Ross
    Brad Rice Jordan Devore
    Chad Concelmo Matthew Razak
    Colette Bennett Tom Fronczak
    Conrad Zimmerman Topher Cantler
    Dyson Samit Sarkar
    Contributors
    Adam Dork
    Ben Perlee
    Daniel Lingen
    Joseph Leray    		 Joe Burling
    Mikey
    Will Maddock
    Stella Wong





     

     
      get involved

    register or login
    post a blog
    post a forum
    enter a contest
    contribute a news tip
    suggest a feature
    be a guest editor
    		 support

    new member's guide
    login assistance
    tech support
    report abuse
    email our editors
    read our dev blog
    nuclear crisis?
    		 keep in touch

    RSS feed
    Twitter
    Facebook
    Myspace
    Flickr
    Game nights
    Meetup+play online     		seriously

    about Destructoid
    advertising
    terms of use
    privacy policy
    jobs at MM
    buy our crap     		our network

    Tomopop
    Japanator
    Despingation?



    Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press
    living the dream since March 16, 2006