http://games.kikizo.com/news/200602/065_p1.asp
EDIT: For those who don't feel like reading the whole article, here are some of the (I think) juicier comments (I hope I didn't quote any of them out of context
). Keep in mind that this hands-on is based on the final PS3 dev kit. The dev kit comes in a tower box. It does NOT come with the Bluray drive or the Bluetooth controller. The developers are forced to run their games off a HDD and use some sorta USB controller. They cannot reveal who the developers are or what games they're working on....the hardware is not completely final (but pretty damn close)...
The stylish PlayStation 3 casing design that SCEI boss Ken Kutaragi revealed last year is, and always has been, empty - and no signs of a final, tangible casing solution appear to be in sight. "I think to fit everything that Sony wants in there AND leave space for a 2.5 inch hard drive," explains one senior developer working on a final kit, who will be our guide for much of this report, "the machine would have to grow. The models they're showing off are way too small for what they want."
"PS3 isn't going to have writing capabilities and for us that's of no concern right now. Our stuff runs off a Hard Disc at the moment and won't exceed DVD capabilities; we're programming the game as if it will be written for a 10-speed DVD drive. Anything less would affect load time."
Perhaps the biggest bombshell we've learned in the world of PS3 development right now is that many (if not most) games are simply running in 720p - not the ambitious, bleeding edge 1080p "Full HD" standard that Sony had us so excited about. And certainly, not two of them stuck together for a ludicrous 32:9 double-1080p.
Nvidia was on the money with its President's comments last May: resolution is indeed the enemy of graphics. Our insider explains: "Sony wanted 1080p, but we're working at 720p and 1080i, same as on the Xbox 360. Even with [final hardware] in mind, reaching good frame rates at 1080p with next-gen graphics is almost impossible. Instead many developers, ourselves included, are reworking so they run at 720p. PS3's output takes care of upscaling it - so no native 1080p, but it still looks killer." Perhaps there was always a specific reason why Sony felt it should say "up to 1080p"?
...both 720p and 1080i are already visually stunning, and PS3 competently upscales. Even if it couldn't, most 1080p screens will supposedly upscale pretty well by themselves. Some developers even see this situation as a positive one: "It's not going to be a big deal for players, but it helps conserve CPU cycles so it's certainly a big deal to us."
So is the 1080p dream lost? It's hard to say for sure, but the developer suggests some games will still support it. "I think native 1080p games will be in the minority. Getting the best effects and performance is easier at lower resolution, so we can offer the gamers more thrills. I don't think this situation will change much."
...while it's clearly struggling to achieve Full HD without heavy compromises, something that PS3 does better than Xbox 360, most straightforwardly, is 'more stuff simultaneously'. An impressive list of simultaneous, wonderfully shaded, dynamic visual effects was evident, but PS3 was also able to throw around tonnes of geometry in terms of realtime 'explosion' calculation - and convincingly affect dozens of objects all at the same time.
The development source concurs: "Unlike Xbox and PS2, where Xbox had a host of built-in effects that were a generation ahead of PS2, the Xbox 360 and PS3 are same-generation machines. One doesn't have additional effects over the other - 360 can do the same effects, just not as many of them simultaneously and with less geometry [because of the speed difference], but memory bottlenecks can kill part of the PS3 speed advantage anyway... the overall visual difference it makes will depend a lot on the developer's skill, and how much time and money the publisher spends on a game."
The hands-on evidence is beginning to mount up. We're talking about a machine barely superior to Xbox 360 - not by any significant margin. It's certainly obvious this machine is not "twice" as powerful as 360, let alone a generational leap ahead. But the gap could become bigger: "Realistically, as libraries and experience with both machines grow, I think the PS3 will start showing things the 360 will choke at," offers the source. "But Sony will have to make available to us libraries and new routines for that to happen - something they've been severely lacking at so far."
...there's still some framerate optimisation to go in this particular game build, but generally, framerate shouldn't be an issue for long. SCEI's Masa Chatani describes PS3 architecture as elegantly simple with outstanding performance, and developers say they love the streamlined Open GL environment. But our guide adds: "Cell is weird and difficult to work with... coding has progressed with high speeds and paper specs in mind, it's one of the reasons framerate specs aren't met yet. We've been anti-aliasing through software which also means a performance hit, although the 720p upscaling minimises that problem a bit."
Based on what we've now played for ourselves, we can answer a question we all asked back at E3 2005. Does PS3 really look like the Killzone trailer? No way. Does it look like Metal Gear Solid 4? Sure, near enough, although now that it's on near-final hardware, things just need a little polishing to look as complete as what was shown by Kojima-san in September.
What we played was still extremely early, but we've been able to build a healthier picture of things. Another point of reference is the aforementioned Fifth Phantom Saga realtime demo from TGS, which we daresay is a slightly more honest representation of today's exact PS3 graphics status, and closer to current playable content than anything fuelling PS3's notoriety since E3 last year.
...the sheer scale and cost of PS3 is surely looking like an increasing problem for some creators, as many had predicted. Having more power is great, but the real challenge is going to be filling 25-50GB with material that's as convincing as it is compelling. Reaching anywhere near MGS4 standards - let alone impossible Killzone standards - is still going to be tough for everyone but the most elite developers, and achieving photo-realistic scenes is as much about committed creators as raw power.
...Sony has already sewn up the developer support it needs more effectively than Microsoft has been able to, with Edge reporting that one publisher for example is committing 50 per cent of resources to PS3, 30 per cent to Xbox 360, and 20 per cent to Revolution...
Sony's showings of PS3 to date have been seriously sexy. But the reality, while still impressive, is nowhere near the leap beyond Xbox 360 Sony wants you to believe, and it seems many projects are still at an early enough stage for things to start getting a little worrying.
Based on what we've played versus the hype of the last year, it's impossible not to be slightly disappointed, yet we're still hugely excited and most of all, relieved that all the claims, confusion and debate now make more sense.
Maybe if they re-release Final Fantasy Seven some hw...