Sony PS3 275,000,000 polygons per second vs Xbox 360’s 500,000,000
Filed under: News | By: Daniel
Posted on: November 6, 2007 | 167 Comments
Kim Naroz left a really long comment on the post about the amount of power the developers are using form the Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3, he pointed out that the Sony PS3 display’s 275,000,000 polygons per second, compared to the 500,000,000 polygons per second of the Xbox 360.
My question is does this really matter?
Here is Kim Naroz’s Comment:
Someone needs to point out that the Playstation 3 can only display 275,000,000 polygons per second, compared to the 500,000,000 polygons per second of the Xbox 360.
That is the reason why games like John Madden Football 2008, NCAA Football 2008, All-Pro Football 2008, and many other games from EA Sports, 2K Sports, and so many others all run at 60 frames per second on the Xbox 360, but only 30 frames per second on the Playstation 3.
Gamespot specifically said in the review of those sports games: “The Xbox 360 versions run smoothly at 60 frames per second at 1080p resolution, while the Playstation 3 versions struggle to run at 30 frames per second at 720p resolution.”
It isn’t just sports games with that problem. Look at all the Tony Hawk Skating games, Tom Clancy Splinter Cell: Double Agent, and F.E.A.R. They have frame rates that drop below 20 frames per second on the PS3 and go into slow motion it is so bad…even though the Xbox 360 versions have very smooth framerates.
Oblivion is NOW BETTER on the Xbox 360!!!
When Oblivion was released a year later on the PS3, it used a new shader design…that had NOTHING to do with hardware technology; it was just something put into the new version of the game as a software program. The download was released for the Xbox 360 later on, but the PS3 fanboys always pointed out, “But when you compare the actual discs, the PS3 one has some advantages (although the Xbox 360 version also has advantages, and was ALWAYS rated higher).
Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition is now available for the Xbox 360, and when you now compare Oblivion on the Xbox 360 to Oblivion on the PS3, there is NO DOUBT that the Xbox 360 version is significantly better; that is why it is rated higher!
The Playstation 3 version of Oblivon is a perfect example that what this man is saying about the Hard Drive of the PS3 being used to help out with memory limitations is NOT true. Consider the FACT that the Playstation 3 version of Oblivion does NOT allow the entire world to exist in the game at the same time, like the Xbox 360 version does. This is because of the Memory Bandwidth hardware bottleneck of the Playstation 3.
Also, when it comes to RAM, the Xbox 360 certainly DOES have fundamental advantages over the Playstation 3!
For example, the CPU of the PS3 can NEVER access more than 256MB of RAM at any point. The Xbox 360 CPU is free to access up to 512MB of RAM if there was a need. With the PS3, there are plenty of times when the CPU needs more than 256MB of RAM, and the Video-RAM of the PS3 is actually using less than 256MB of RAM, which means that if the PS3 had a Unified RAM environment–like the Xbox 360’s–then that unused Video-RAM could help the CPU, like it does on the Xbox 360. OBVIOUSLY, the Xbox 360 RAM design is much more flexible; it helps developers in ways that they enjoy working with.
Plus, it’s important to remember that the original design of the Playstation 3 called for the used of TWO Cell CPU processors–each with two Threads that could Send signals to the SPE subprocessors.
However, when Sony saw the design of the Xbox 360, and they saw how much better the Xbox 360 was, then Sony was forced to redesign the Playstation 3 very quickly in a way that hurt the PS3 system. This is nearly identical to what happened with Sega and the Saturn. Sega saw how much better the original PS1 was, and they were forced to quickly redesign the Saturn in a way that used parallel processing that was difficult to work with and was more expensive. This is EXACTLY what happened with the Playstation 3.
The original design of the PS3 was not even supposed to used a GPU, because it was going to have two of the Cell CPU processors. But when Sony saw the revolutionary ATI GPU in the Xbox 360 that was Custom designed for the Xbox 360, and was 1.5 years ahead of its time (since the PC didn’t see similar Unified Shader technology until January 30, 2007), then Sony was forced to removed one of the Cell CPUs in the PS3, and instead add a Nvidia GPU. But there was NOT time to custom design the GPU, so Sony was forced to included a four-year old generic GPU in the PS3. That is why people often point out the vast superiority of the Xbox 360 GPU.
Now that the PS3 only has one 3.2Ghz Cell CPU, it means that the PS3 has only two Threads capable of Sending signals to the six SPE sub-processors running parallel. Each of those six SPE processors is capable of Receiving a Threaded signal; however, the PS3 CPU is only capable of Sending two Threaded signals. This is where the hardware “bottleneck” of the PS3 reveals itself. Programmers often say that the PS3 has two arms (CPU Threads) that are trying to juggle six balls (SPE sub-processors). Obviously, that is NOT possible, and that is why the Playstation 3 hardware is such a BIG disappointment.
With the Xbox 360, Microsoft used a much newer and better form of technology. PCs often brag about their “dual-core” CPU design. The Xbox 360 actually takes that to the next level and used a “tri-core” CPU design, with each CPU using the most developer-favored videogame processor available–the PowerPC.
The Xbox 360 is literally the exact opposite when compared to the Playstation 3 in terms of hardware design and efficiency. The Xbox 360 has three 3.2Ghz CPUs, each with two Threads capable of Sending instructions. But the Xbox 360 doesn’t the outdated parallel processing environment of the PS3. There are no “sub-processors” to worry about with the Xbox 360. The signals can be focused on CPU and GPU commands. This literally means the Xbox 360 has six arms (CPU Threads) that are being asked to juggle only two balls (GPU and CPU functions).
THAT is why the developers absolutely LOVE the Xbox 360 and can design games so much more efficiently for the Xbox 360.
THAT is why games are released so much earlier for the Xbox 360.
THAT is why the overwhelming majority of Xbox 360 games offer better graphic and online performance on the Xbox 360.
THAT is NOT going to change!
It may be easier to port a PS3 game to the Xbox 360 than it is to port an Xbox 360 to the PS3 (since the Xbox 360 is more powerful in terms of videogame performance–500,000,000 polygons for the Xbox 360 is more than the 275,000,000 for the PS3), but the Xbox 360 will continue to be the Lead Platform this generation for two reasons:
(1) Because the Xbox 360 is so much easier for developers to develop games for and experiment with new types of gameplay.
(2) Because the Xbox 360 has sold over Eight-Million more systems than the Playstation 3, and that lead continues grow by hundreds of thousands of systems each month, in terms of Worldwide Sales.
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Just so you know, because you guys keep posting user comments and forum posts as article, (user comments and forum posts whose users are unidentifiable and unverifiable,) N4G has decided to ban postings from this site.
@ktchong
Please read above comment before yours and this action has been taken, its here below as well:
“I have to agree with you, news in all types is best kept separate from comments, I have removed the section from the left and will not be featuring any more comments.”
uh oh here comes the website administrators acting like hoes and sayin he said she said he said… next thing you know a whole lot of fanbabys will burst in here sayin why their lovin consoles is better than the others. and then that little email message that someone replied will pop up and even more people will reply. the more people that visit this web site the more money they make from sponsors while i go to college and study. genious i tell you
I do remember the first tech specs of the PS3 sporting 2 cells instead of a GPU, the x360’s GPU is pretty awsome in terms of design. It is just to bad that ATI is doing bad in the Graphics Card market right now.
@Smiler Nick
I don’t have to remind you that GT5 and MG4 aren’t really system sellers in the U.S. In japan GT5 will do very well I’m sure, but I doubt that either of those titles will turn the tide to the PS3s favor. I’ve been reading some pretty disappointing things about MGS5, mostly just control issues and mediocre gameplay in the demo. That is a demo though so I’m sure those will get ironed out. If I hear anyone state Asassins Creed as a system seller though. . . probably not.
I wouldn’t say that the PS3 is doomed, I see a positive future. However, I don’t see it beating the X360 or the Wii in terms of sales, and at the current moment I can’t see either of them beating the Software attach rate of the X360 either.
Like a few other people have said: I too own all three consoles. I really don’t play them online that much Because of my job.
@ Mak
You’re clearly the uninformed one, for the PS3’s CPU does not have any direct access to each others ram, not to say that there isn’t a work around, but from what I’ve read about the PS3’s architecture I havn’t seen away they could Get around that. Also the Speed of the ram doesn’t matter if the quantity to be held exceed what is there. you can’t load an entire 350MB level into only 256MB of ram no matter how fast it is. at least not without loading it off of the disk or the HDD severel times over. That’s what you would call a bottle neck.
Can you guys confirm that this is all an
Reguardless of what you sony fanboy say bad about the xbox 360, the proof is in the games. Something is obviously up with Sony framerates.
@ Daniel
“Now days we are spoilt with choice and great graphics.”
I don’t know if you realised, but you made a hell of a phrase! That’s so true man, so true!
I didn’t had the money to buy original consoles or games, the first console I had was an imitation of a NES, it came with a 211 games in 1 cartdridge, I played it for 3 days straight, I dind’t even saw the light of day during those 3 days, it was 100% video game FUN! Then I bought a Mega-Drive (known as Genesis in US), I bought MKII and man… I was The master at that game, I knew everything it was possible to know about a game, I din’t had money to buy more so I took all the joy a could from each game I bought (1 in each six months with luck)…
Now I’m married and a father, I “have” the money to buy everything I want, but this war consoles become so ugly and full of conspirations and technical data and huge interests that I see myself more time in Internet reading “war” then playing games, there are o many reviews, to many opinions, to many “everything”, it’s no more about THE game, is about every little aspect of the console, the controllers, the graphics, the sound, the brand, the companies, the advertisements, etc etc etc…….
Back in the days it was only about (F+F+B+D+HK)…
The age brings concerns and to many “racional” ideas, maybe when we are little kids we really know hoe to enjoy a video-game without the concern if the other console version plays better or not, or if the xxx site gave i a review of 3.2…
But I see 10 and 12 years old kids in this endless fanboy war… so I imagine video-games will never more be like the old times….
Sorry for the long comment, but I believe that the older Hard-core gamers undertand what I’m trying to say…
PS: Sorry my English, I’m from Europe (not UK).
The sony is a good movieplayer though. Not that blu-ray offer any leap over hd dvd.
My god. Has this site become MS’s marketing site? This persons opinion is completely innaccurate - much like fanboy George.
One very simple example of this is the fact you have nothing but anti-PS3 statements on this site, and no logically backed X360 and PS3 statements.
And for all the damn ignorant Cell X360 fanboys, read some damn documentation!! You are plain idiots!!
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/power/cell/docs_documentation.html
The Cell has INTERNAL dma controllers on a ring buss. Each SPU can access memory INDEPENDANT of the PPE. This bullshit about the PPE having to control the SPE’s is exactly that - bullshit. The SPUs can independantly operate on their own if you want - get a damn PS3 and try it for yourself, its part of the simple SPU examples!!!
So.. to product-reviews.com you guys are being competely innaccurate and MS fanboys. You seriously need to get and produce some real facts and not the bullshit fanboys propagate here.
yeah but you all forgeting that the bit rate of the ps3 with the square root of the megapixels of the l.l.=emc2 by the ponastic formula followed by the gallois extensions of the covering space in the moleculing state of the power 3 formula, equals the parrallel processing of the sinoptic x…so bottom line the xbox 360 got a lot of bus memory and the playstation 3 got a minivan of accessible power in the logic core intake operation…dividin x per b+ c= a=bc meaning the output of the =xvodecalbua= will mean a bit rate of that of aproximately a lot. so stop your bitching all of you. but then again with a tittle like this, you know that if you come to this website you are going to argue and prove your point. but no matter what i tell you all something that will shut you up… I LOVE BIG TITTIES!!!!!!!!!!! booyah!
I just cannot take this seriously and I own many consoles… This website is a joke