Cross-platform gaming: from simple ports to the Gates of Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (cont.)When the PlayStation 3 port of Oblivion was close to release in February, the gaming press was impressed: the visual quality and performance were reported to be equal to a high-end PC. The PS3 was late to the Oblivion party, but made up for it with better performance and higher-quality visuals than the Xbox 360 version. Ground textures are more detailed, and level of detail scaling much improved over the other console, which makes the PS3 version's outdoor scenes look nearly as impressive as on the PC. However, the lack of anti-aliasing is just as obvious as in the Xbox 360 version, pointing to one of the inherent limitations in the two console platforms: low video memory bandwidth. The jagged edges get softer with the layers of post-processing performed by the console and TV, but so does the rest of the image, losing detail in the process.
The PS3 version of Oblivion must be lauded for the way it uses the console's strengths to its advantage: unlike the basic Xbox 360, the PS3 can cache data on its hard disk, which reduces load times to similar levels as the PC. Despite the accolades and comparisons to a high-end PC, however, the PS3 version lacks perhaps the most significant feature of the PC version: the mod community. The biggest Oblivion mod site, TES Database, hosts 8280 player-created modifications at the time of writing, while Planet Elder Scrolls has 2355. The modifications range from trivial (such as remodeling or adding single items or pieces of equipment in the game) to performance, visual or realism-enhancing (turning every "fake" light in the game to a real, shadow-casting light source) to major (new quests and lands). The Xbox 360 version is limited to official downloadable content, which costs between $1 and $10 each on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Knights of the Nine expansion is available as a $10 download for the Xbox 360 and PC, and included for free in the PS3 version. Despite the lack of multiplayer features that would require Xbox Live Gold subscription, Microsoft is keen to make money off Xbox 360 games through the Xbox Live service with downloadable content - this must be taken to consideration when considering each platform's value proposition. Let's look at typical upgrade costs to run the PC version of Oblivion at the same level of visual fidelity and game performance as the Xbox 360 version:
The typical upgrade scenario comes up to $220-240 depending on your system; if you have to upgrade your motherboard as well, prepare to cough up another $60-70. If you're starting from scratch, an entire mid-range gaming PC, including a Windows operating system, costs around $600.
To reach and exceed the performance of the PS3 version, you will need a slightly more powerful graphics card than the ones listed above: With either of these cards you will achieve better performance, at the same 720p resolution, with much better anti-aliasing than the PS3 version. Compared to the current $500 price of the PlayStation 3, a $350-390 PC upgrade provides higher performance and access to a wealth of player-created mods. Building an upper mid-range gaming PC such as this from scratch, however, costs around $750. The 360 comes last in this comparison, with the Core system costing more than the corresponding PC upgrades, and providing the poorest gameplay experience. The game itself, in its brand new Game of the Year edition, costs $60 for either console and $50 for the PC, eliminating downloadable content cost from the equation.
Related StuffTags |
 
 
See if your PC can handle the latest games:
 
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
AMD Athlon X2 4200+
Articles: 
