Oblivion the only multiplatform game that looks signifcantly better on PS3

[MikeB]

MikeB wrote:
"Yes, both versions show framedrops from time to time, if they redesigned the game engine to better use the SPUs there wouldn't have been any reason for framedrops."

I have stated things like this years before the PS3's release, I have been following Cell development for quite some time:

"If the game starts life on PS3, then man-hours per feature or costs related to asset production are comparable with industry norms", going on to suggest: "Since PS3’s Cell processor allows MORE features - better physics, more complex graphical processing, lighting or sound, etc. — there is inevitably going to be more cost in supporting those extra features. It’s not that PS3 is harder to write for, it’s just that you can do more with it."

Correctly harnessing the parallel SPU processors in the Cell chip is one of the most difficult parts of PlayStation 3 development, according to multiple sources, and the PD group at Sony weighs in on this: "SPUs are not ‘normal’ processors like the PPU. There is a trade-off between performance and versatility. A Ferrari is not the best car for a visit to Home Depot."

They also claim, pointing to the PlayStation Edge toolset as an additional help for reducing graphics pipeline complexities between SPUs and the RSX graphics chip: "Compared to PS2, the SPUs are much easier to code for. In PS2 we had some custom chips called VU0 and VU1 which were powerful, but tricky to write for."

Finally, ease of conversion between the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 is addressed, a key part of many cross-platform games in today's market. The Sony developers note: "If your game starts on Xbox 360 you will have to re-engineer aspects of the game to run properly on PS3. This means additional effort. Some developers have been complaining about this but I don’t believe we can solve that. Xbox 360 is a different machine with good, but lower powered hardware in a different architecture. Developers have to view them as two different machines not as a common platform."

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14326