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The GTAIV Comparison Head-to-Head Thread Episode V: An Epic Tale of ManBoobs and Woe

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iceatcs

iceatcs

Junior Member
TheDrowningMan said:
I'm in the UK and will be buying it from a 24 hour supermarket (Asda). In which - if I've been given the right information - it'll cost less than anywhere online on the 360 and about the same as online prices on PS3. I've heard that it's £34 for 360 and £39.99 or thereabouts for PS3. So both versions will be less than they should be, the 360 version just more so because it's cheaper for retailers to buy in the first place.
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Really? I went to High Wycombe ASDA early today but there are both price £39.93. Not fair!
 
D

Dante

Member
Wow this thread exploded. So even more journalists came out and said the PS3 version is better? Can someone give a me a quick update? :)
 
R

rollingstart

Banned
Loudninja said:
Was this really needed?

http://kotaku.com/384432/sixaxis-br...ut-frustration-and-burning-helicopter-chassis
Click to expand...

they forgot the car aftertouch, bowling, and darts which were mentioned in the IGN head to head.

Karma said:
Got it. When a review says the 360 is superior in one area we ignore it.
Click to expand...

If there is a review that says this, then it matters...but there hasnt been one that has said that either the PS3 or 360 version has a better frame rate than the other one.

I don't exactly understand what you are trying to imply.
 
A

a Master Ninja

Member
Could different Xbox 360 hardware revisions be creating different gameplay experiences?

You may remember the notable technical shortcoming the 360 version of Burnout Paradise compared to the PS3 version was it would briefly hitch-up when you hit a "streaming zone" for loading another chunk of the city. In a patch released this week it was supposed to be fixed. For some, the patch did exactly what it was supposed to, on other people's machines it somehow made the streaming issues worse. Criterion took down the patch and is trying to find a solution.

Is there a history of different hardware revisions resulting in differing game performance? With all else being equal for what is going on with the software, is it possible that a game like GTAIV could perform slightly different on a near-launch 360, a Zephyr 360, and a Falcon 360? Different drives, different CPUs, etc.
 
B

BenjaminBirdie

Banned
Mrbob said:
Yeah adding all the available info to the OP will help, this thread is going so damn fast it is tough to keep up.




This is what my thought process is as well. Knowing you can change aim and shoot to L1 and R1 changes things with the control scheme with me. I can't see using L2 and R2 on the PS3 controller all the time to aim and shoot as something comfortable, but moving them down a notch and there isn't a problem. Also knowing I might have more issues since I have a launch 360 is now factoring into my decision.

If my damn friends list wasn't nearly split in half right now this wouldn't be as big of an issue. I know the recommendation tends to be to go with the one with your bigger friends list, but there really isn't one for me as it is almost down the middle. God hahahhaha. :/
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Let Niko guide you, my son.

Unless you just plan on buying the game in September again, as some people have suggested, which is certainly a valid tack.
 
Ploid 3.0

Ploid 3.0

Member
chubigans said:
Seriously. Plus flick reloading, at least in Army of Two, was amazing. So to hell with them.
Click to expand...

I almost thought you were saying GTA had flick reloading. That would have been cool. And Garnet maybe I don't want a button being wasted on reload! Wish Half Life2 had flick reloading because I want flash light, zoom, kneel, and other crap off of the analog clickers.

Edit: Wait OMG you can flick to reload!!! PWN PWN

Reload Weapon: Instead of having to mess around with, you know, pushing a button, the SIXAXIS lets you snap the controller back toward you to reload. Very easy to do, but absolutely no benefit.
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Moar moar devs please.
 
M

MrToughPants

Brian Burke punched my mom
The SIXAXIS motion controls in Rockstar Games' sublime opus Grand Theft Auto IV feels like a last minute appendage, and not a particularly useful one. It's like the game's third nipple, you know it's there, and maybe you can't resist a fiddle, but no good will come of it. - Kotaku
Click to expand...

Ok PS3 wins.

TotalRecallTripleNip.gif
 
D

Deus Ex Machina

Member
_leech_ said:
Kotaku
Click to expand...
It was inevitable. With the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 competing for the "next-gen" first place spot, both armed with Grand Theft Auto IV shipping day and date, nitpicking comparisons between each version was expected from vocal fans. Rockstar Games has commented multiple times that both versions are identical, minus a few platform specific features and Xbox 360 exclusives.

We've played both versions of GTA IV, quite a bit, actually. We've noticed a handful of differences, some of which you know, some which you may not. We break it down, from frame rate to controls, after the break.

Installation
The PlayStation 3 version has a mandatory 3.4 GB hard drive installation that will be the longest 7 minutes and 20 seconds of your life if your chomping at the bit to play. It's initially an annoyance, but PS3 owners will welcome it.

Frame Rate
Grand Theft Auto has never been synonymous with a rock solid frame rate, something it generally seems to get a pass for. While GTA IV is smoother in general than it's predecessors, it can expectedly suffer during chaos. The Xbox 360 version seemed capable of achieving a smoother frame rate in certain circumstances, such as in confined spaces or during light traffic, but both versions seemed to regularly run at a similar clip.

Pop-In & Loading
With a huge, seamless streaming world, data must be constantly read from the disc. The PS3 version, with its required HDD install, loads missions faster and decreases pop-in. The Xbox 360 version can suffer from some very noticeable texture loading, as things like trees, vehicles and building signs will regularly pop-in as one tools about town. It can be distracting, especially during high speed chases, and the PS3 version is entirely immune from it, but it's not a game killing problem.

Graphics
The two versions are so close to identical, visually, that putting together a comparison was a challenge. Initially, it appeared that the PS3 suffered from more noticeable aliasing than its 360 counterpart, but after eyeballing the final retail copy, they appear to be on par. I noticed that the paint filter applied to cover some of the game's imperfections appeared a tiny bit muddier on the PS3 version, with night time scenes seeing a bit more streakiness. Some of these minor complaints may be the result of our particular television set up.

Downloadable Content
The Xbox 360 version is announced to have two exclusive downloadable content packs for purchase. Details on what will those two exclusive batches of DLC are sparse, so we can't judge what they'll bring to the table, nor can we know if the PlayStation 3 version will eventually get its own DLC from Rockstar. If you're looking for more GTA IV, and you may very well be after you've completed the core game, you're going to want the 360 version.

Achievements
The Xbox 360 version has the requisite list of Achievements exclusive to the platform, creative and challenging goals that sometimes go beyond the regular gaming experience. However, as with other GTA games, stat-tracking for kills, stunt jumps, and the dozens of extras will keep completionists on the PS3 side happy.

Motion Controls
The PS3 version has optional SIXAXIS motion controls for piloting helicopters, steering boats and doing motorcycle tricks. You'll probably leave it off, just like I did.

The good news for Grand Theft Auto fans is that whatever platform you have chosen as your own, GTA IV excels on both. They are almost evenly matched, feature for feature. Gamers will have to decide which is more important to them, a slightly more technically sound experience on the PlayStation 3 or downloadable content and Xbox Live integration on the Xbox 360.
Click to expand...

Really not that shocking at all.
 
C

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
Ploid 3.0 said:
I almost thought you were saying GTA had flick reloading. That would have been cool. And Garnet maybe I don't want a button being wasted on reload! Wish Half Life2 had flick reloading because I want flash light, zoom, kneel, and other crap off of the analog clickers.
Click to expand...

Actually it IS in GTA! Woooo!
 
E

Elios83

Member
Geek said:
Yes, it was. The SIXAXIS controls are horrid and turning them on is a waste of anyone's time. If you spend one minute reading that story, you've just saved yourself 10 minutes of playing the SIXAXIS tutorial. Don't get bent out of shape, GAF.
Click to expand...

Yeah a full article is needed to tell that driving vehicles with motion controls is not as precise and comfortable as with traditional controls :lol :lol :lol :lol
 
J

jaaz

Member
Geek said:
Yes, it was. The SIXAXIS controls are horrid and turning them on is a waste of anyone's time. If you spend one minute reading that story, you've just saved yourself 10 minutes of playing the SIXAXIS tutorial. Don't get bent out of shape, GAF.
Click to expand...

How about just putting this in your review:

"As for the six-axis controls on the PS3, don't bother turning them on. They don't work very well, unfortunately."

There, I would have saved Kotaku writers the countless number of brain cells they spent in thinking up "witty" analogies like "third nipple".
 
J

Jeseus

Member
Loudninja said:
Was this really needed?

http://kotaku.com/384432/sixaxis-br...ut-frustration-and-burning-helicopter-chassis
Click to expand...


1205150004013.gif
 
L

Loudninja

Member
Geek said:
Yes, it was. The SIXAXIS controls are horrid and turning them on is a waste of anyone's time. If you spend one minute reading that story, you've just saved yourself 10 minutes of playing the SIXAXIS tutorial. Don't get bent out of shape, GAF.
Click to expand...

I am not trying to bash you or anything.
 
R

Raistlin

Post Count: 9999
Karma said:
Got it. When a review says the 360 is superior in one area we ignore it.
Click to expand...

:lol


You may not want to go there.

What is known at this point, is that the 360 rev can achieve a higher framerate in certain situations (particularly indoor scenes). However, you have to take the good with the bad. In more complex scenes, the 360 is also prone to dropping more frames than the PS3 according to some of the reviews.


Until we get a better feel how that balance works out, its hard to say what gets the upper hand. PS3 version is more stable overall, but 360 version achieves higher framerates at times, along with lower at times.
 
G

Gully State

Member
CowboyAstronaut said:
The driving comments are bullshit is what it is :)

If one prefers the ps3 controller, then by all means, but for IGN (or anyone for that matter) to be going around making claims that the driving feels better in one version of the game than it does in another is simply blowing smoke up people's asses and trying to fuel the console wars.

Yea I got to play and beat a pre-release (non-final) build of the ps3 version couple days ago so I agree that the ps3 version is awesome, but after seeing both final builds of GTA4 side by side I know now beyond a shadow of a doubt that a lot of sites are playing pretty heavily to the console wars. Both versions are damn near identical. Both versions look amazing and both versions run amazingly well.

If anything, the one thing I will agree with is that the PS3 version has a certain look about it, no doubt helped by the cleanness of it all that helps to give it a very cool look. A look that I will say honestly I prefer over the 360 version's look, but wait because this is usually where all the fanboys go off and start beating the drums of victory. Just because I prefer the look of the PS3 version shouldn't be confused to mean that the 360 version doesn't look downright amazing as well.

There is nothing significantly less appealing in the visuals department for the 360 version. The best way to explain the differences is to say it comes down to personal preference. How serious is the difference? I'll tell you how serious it is. It's like one person preferring MGS4 to have a blue filter and another person preferring MGS4 to have a red or green filter.

The PS3 version has a smoother look to it that just makes it come off as really impressive. The 360 version looks just as good, repeat, just as good, but doesn't come off as smooth looking as the ps3 version because there is a slight difference in how things are handled. The 360 version, in my opinion jumps out at you more, but already knowing how big a leap GTA4 is over previous games in the series one doesn't necessarily need for the game to jump out at you in such a manner to stand out. In this regard I prefer the smoother look that gives the ps3 version a more homey down to earth and, admittedly, realistic look which I feel works best in a game like GTA. This probably wont make sense to some people, but reviewers likely aren't saying the ps3 version looks better because it's pumping out superior graphical features, they are likely saying this because the ps3, of the 2 versions, is using a more subdued style in how it presents the exact same graphical features that can come off as more appealing to certain types of people and looking less like "hey, we have all these improved visual features so we are going to make sure you see them by really making them stand out so our work doesn't go unnoticed"

Most average everyday gamers who look at these games side by side likely wont be able to tell a damn difference between them and it was even hard for me to do, because the slight differences that are there between the 2 versions wasn't immediately apparent to even me. The 360 isn't doing anything less impressive, it's just displaying things in a different way. If anything, the cutscenes are what really help to show the difference. In certain cutscenes the look of the 360 version will make it stand out above the ps3 version, but then in other cutscenes the more subdued look is an advantage for the PS3 version and the 360 version might be looking like it's trying to do too much in a scene where it doesn't require it. This isn't some stealth framerate talk. This is just a difference in visual presentation of the same exact graphical features.

Some reviews need to make that explicitly clear. There are certain blocks for example where the ps3 version will look like it doesn't have textures as high a resolution as the 360 version, but that isn't the case it's just how the PS3 handles the displaying of it. Then there are specific parts in the game where the 360 will look like it's at a disadvantage.

A certain type of lighting and visual filter will work best in some situations and not so well in others.

I'm entirely sure if I take some gamers aside and have them pick a decisive winner between the 2 I would probably end up seeing opinions split between them.

This thing is so touchy you have to be careful what you say, but the muddy that Kotaku calls the ps3 version is probably what I would call subdued, but in many instances that look ends up making the ps3 version look more appealing to me, but then there are times when that may not be the case. But in general, I really like the way the ps3 version is displayed, but both versions are equally impressive. It's a matter of opinion is all. There is no clear cut superior, at least not to me there isn't.
Click to expand...

The most sensible comment I've read all day. Those are my exact impressions. One thing that all this arguing does point out is that the current methods used in 3rd party port comparisons are way too qualitative. All it is really is heresay and conjecture used to generate more traffic by playing to the ire of fanboys. And in the end we're suckers for going to these sites and drawing our conclusions from them. If they really wanted to be informative to the consumer, there would be more quantitative tests. Count framerates in various instances, clock loading times, test performance across all SKU's...etc.. not just stuff like "well the _______seems to have better framerates", or" ________ has more vibrant browns."
 
G

Geek

Ninny Prancer
Elios83 said:
Yeah a full article is needed to tell that driving vehicles with motion controls is not as precise and comfortable as with traditional controls :lol :lol :lol :lol
Click to expand...

Oh no. Someone wrote an article that explains why you shouldn't bother with motion controls!

The worst part about the SIXAXIS tutorial is that when you take it and fail, you're dropped off at the Liberty City airport, not where you were when you opted into the tutorial.
 
K

Karma

Banned
Linkzg said:
If there is a review that says this, then it matters...but there hasnt been one that has said that either the PS3 or 360 version has a better frame rate than the other one.

I don't exactly understand what you are trying to imply.
Click to expand...

Kotaku said:
Frame Rate
Grand Theft Auto has never been synonymous with a rock solid frame rate, something it generally seems to get a pass for. While GTA IV is smoother in general than it's predecessors, it can expectedly suffer during chaos. The Xbox 360 version seemed capable of achieving a smoother frame rate in certain circumstances, such as in confined spaces or during light traffic, but both versions seemed to regularly run at a similar clip.
Click to expand...

.
 
T

TheDrowningMan

Member
iceatcs said:
Really? I went to High Wycombe ASDA early today but there are both price £39.93. Not fair!
Click to expand...

Maybe I've just gotten bad information.

In a funny way, I hope so as I'll feel less bad for buying the PS3 version if I do opt for that. :lol
 
R

Raistlin

Post Count: 9999
a Master Ninja said:
Could different Xbox 360 hardware revisions be creating different gameplay experiences?

You may remember the notable technical shortcoming the 360 version of Burnout Paradise compared to the PS3 version was it would briefly hitch-up when you hit a "streaming zone" for loading another chunk of the city. In a patch released this week it was supposed to be fixed. For some, the patch did exactly what it was supposed to, on other people's machines it somehow made the streaming issues worse. Criterion took down the patch and is trying to find a solution.

Is there a history of different hardware revisions resulting in differing game performance? With all else being equal for what is going on with the software, is it possible that a game like GTAIV could perform slightly different on a near-launch 360, a Zephyr 360, and a Falcon 360? Different drives, different CPUs, etc.
Click to expand...

Considering all instances so far noted involve streaming, I would guess the issue is due to different drives.

MS REALLY should have included an HDD on all systems if they were planning on using optical drives with different transfer speeds.
 
C

CowboyAstronaut

Banned
Thanks for adding my post to the OP because what it all boils down to is people really need to know, regardless of what platform they get this game for, they are going to have an incredible experience.

Just go out and buy the game that even at the end of this generation, will still be one of the best games around.

I can't praise the quality of this game enough.
 
D

danwarb

Member
Onix said:
:lol


You may not want to go there.

What is known at this point, is that the 360 rev can achieve a higher framerate in certain situations (particularly indoor scenes). However, you have to take the good with the bad. In more complex scenes, the 360 is also prone to dropping more frames than the PS3 according to some of the reviews.

Until we get a better feel how that balance works out, its hard to say what gets the upper hand. PS3 version is more stable overall, but 360 version achieves higher framerates at times, along with lower at times.
Click to expand...
Which reviews? I haven't heard that.
 
Ploid 3.0

Ploid 3.0

Member
Wow at all the motion control options. This is awesome. Tuesday hurry! I'm happy with the motion stuff. I only care for myself, screw people that don't like it. I mean I'm sorry for them, or something.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
BenjaminBirdie said:
Let Niko guide you, my son.

Unless you just plan on buying the game in September again, as some people have suggested, which is certainly a valid tack.
Click to expand...

Well that is the thing. I've never came close to finishing a GTA game before, but what if...what if this is the one I actually want to complete? Plus Madden hits mid August and after that its almost all madden all the time for me.

I just checked the magic 8 ball and it told me to check back again later. What a damn tease!

I would have loved to have an option for a full 3.3GB install on my 360 hdd. Launch DVD drive might equal problems for me.
 
R

rollingstart

Banned
Karma said:
.
Click to expand...

If you want to consider that one, go ahead, I kind of saw this coming anyway. However, Kotaku isn't the most reliable and trust worthy source of information about games. They don't have an agenda or anything, they just are pretty amature and I would trust the several other reviews which claim there is no difference in framerate.

fortified_concept said:
Other reviews say the opposite though. So your point is kind of moot right now.
Click to expand...

Well, not the opposite. All reports (from actual reliable sources) are that the framerate is the same on both versions.
 
G

Geek

Ninny Prancer
Loudninja said:
I am not trying to bash you or anything.
Click to expand...
True, so I remove you from the collective princesses at GAF who get their ire up when we post something negative about a feature of a PS3 game. I think I'm just becoming increasingly annoyed at the assumption that we're trying to "balance" the console comparison by trying to save you 10-15 minutes of your GTA IV playing time.
 
F

Fafalada

Fafracer forever
Onix said:
Is it? At least from a memory standpoint (eDRAM)? Maybe it would cause a bigger performance hit (extra tiling?) than using the 'built in' 2x AA?
Click to expand...
Number of samples remain the same, just the resolve pattern changes. Since it's not built into hw, you'd have to do AA-resolve in Software.
Which yea, means a bit of (main)memory+performance overhead but nothing major (like doing software upscales or what not, it's practically free). Not as simple as on PS3, but if it actually improved IQ, no sense in not doing it.
 
C

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
Doc Evils said:
On the PS3 version you flick the controller up to reload. sounds pretty awesome to be honest.
Click to expand...

When it was used with Army of Two, I was like "eh that's kinda pointless"

But it gets really good to use, to the point where if I'm playing any game other than Army of Two (which I only played for ten hours or so) I try to flick reload. :lol

It works really, really well. It's more natural to me than pressing square for some reason.
 
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