The inevitable PS3/360 GTA video comparison

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 29th 2008 at 11:30AM }

It was bound to happen: one of the video game sites was going to provide a video comparison of the two versions of Grand Theft Auto. A word to the wise: these videos are always tricky to capture. But, we think GameVideos did a pretty stellar job with this one. Make sure you download the HD version if you want to see any potential differences between the two. Do you have a strong preference for one over the other? Or are we just squinting to find differences that aren't really prominent?

Tags: grand-theft-auto, grand-theft-auto-iv, gta, gtaiv

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Brodie-san @ Apr 29th 2008 11:38AM

PS3 is better!!

(Haven't actually checked yet but you know ... it had to be said. It's not like this is 360fanboy.com)

Jove @ Apr 29th 2008 11:43AM

yeaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ysleiro @ Apr 29th 2008 12:22PM

Oh my goodness !!!

They look freaking identical !!!!

the ps3 looks a little darker and the 360 a little lighter.

You LITERALY need a magnifying lens (a strong one at that) to tell the difference. (if you don't believe me look at one of the previous posts)

Stop being so inserure that you need to re-state B.S. over and over again.

Jove @ Apr 29th 2008 4:26PM

@ Ysleiro

Bullshit Ysleiro! if you dont agree go to x3f and act stupid like they do! haha

Bishop99999999 @ Apr 29th 2008 11:43AM

Why is it that PS3 Fanboy has, like 2-3 times as many "console wars" posts that Xbox 360 fanboy has? Feeling insecure?

adolson @ Apr 29th 2008 12:05PM

I think Andrew is just trying to keep up appearances. Just my guess though!

RowdyReptile @ Apr 29th 2008 1:24PM

Most likely because PS3 users dont feel the need as often to go to the 360 site and talk smack... seems to me that the 360 visitors are probably the insecure ones

CL34N3R @ Apr 29th 2008 4:25PM

@ RowdyReptile

Well a lot of us 360 owners also own PS3's, which is why we're here, and why we're familiar with the content of both sites. We're not here to talk smack, we're here to check the news on our PS3's only to find that everyone is talking smack about the 360, which we also love. Bishop is right though, 360fanboy does not constantly try to prove that it's little console wiener is bigger like ps3fanboy does. Just remember, when consoles fight, gamers win, especially the gamers that own both systems. So drop the fanaticism already.

Anyway, there's a great head to head vid on ign, but you have to be an insider to watch it. It basically says that the PS3 version is a little prettier, but it's not noticeable unless you're looking at the two of them side by side. What I want to know is why everyone is so damn obsessed with getting the best graphics possible. It's the gameplay and story that make a game worth playing. All the other GTA games looked like crap but they were genius. When did everyone get so shallow?

Jove @ Apr 29th 2008 11:45AM

you know when ps3 games look inferior to their 360 counterparts its because its the superior console they say. when the ps3 finaly gets the better looking one of the two, "it dont matter" you hear gamers and bloggers say. but yeah ps3 is the best! havent seen it still.

Chris A @ Apr 29th 2008 12:01PM

Its actually because the ps3 versions are usually ported from the 360, which naturally makes for a worse ps3 version and a more developed 360 version. It really boils down to the general unwillingness to learn to dev on ps3 instead of 360.

Otsego_Undead @ Apr 29th 2008 12:23PM

Chris A. is right. as long as games come out for 360 and the PS3, unfortunately devs have to develop for the lowest common denominator, and like it or not, the 360 is the lowest common denominator, primarily due to the DVD drive. So the PS3 gets the shaft big time on games like GTA that could look absolutely stellar if it was being developed native to the PS3. One could also argue that devs prefer the 360 for development sake anyway-- but im not a developer.

Dehshizknight @ Apr 29th 2008 4:08PM

The PS3 is more complex to develop for because there is more to the code. What this means is, there are more options of what you can do.

Since the 360 is limited, you don't have many resources to worry about.

DaRk @ Apr 30th 2008 9:57AM

Dehshizknight lol thats the stupidest thing you could have said

Jove @ Apr 29th 2008 11:48AM

they always get at us with their posts. ive seen more posts of them against us than us against then.

RatBoy @ Apr 29th 2008 11:51AM

They look pretty comparable to me, which is saying a lot in this console generation.

Eggy @ Apr 29th 2008 11:51AM

My toy is better than yours. Console wars; where grown up men act like 5 year old children.

thinkofmeasmra @ Apr 29th 2008 12:30PM

@ Eggy
Shouldnt you be at work "grown man," instead of posting on a video game blog on the topic of a comparison video at like 12pm ?

@everyone else
Anyone else notice our water looks much more realistic (mainly in how it interacts with the shore?) the water itself looks the same, but as the water goes up the shore on the PS3, it actually goes up the shore and dissipates into the sand where as the 360 version just seems to me last gen style where water was just another giant rectangle object in the world thats just intersecting with the shore and so they dont really interact with eachother (which gives the illusion the block of water is just moving up and down on the y axis) Anyone know what im talking about??

a.j. @ Apr 29th 2008 11:52AM

i own both versions and i agree the ps3 runs better. my only complaint, and this is something i've seen in my other ps3 games...why the hell can't the ps3 process a curved line and make it look smooth? meaning, when you're in a car, if you look at the contour of the car, the lines always look slightly jagged. the 360 is the same way but it seems to "blur" this jagginess, resulting in a smoother curve. anyone know? again, the ps3 version def. runs better, not nearly as much pop in, load times are shorter etc. good stuff!

Rowdehaj @ Apr 29th 2008 12:58PM

That's called anti-aliasing, and I don't know whether the PS3 has more trouble with it than the Xbox.

Jove @ Apr 29th 2008 12:03PM

you mean you own both versions only to compare them to each other???

a.j. @ Apr 29th 2008 12:09PM

i own a ps3, my roomate is a 360 junkie and has his own copy. anyone with any tech. knowledge feel free to answer. i'm just asking out of curiosity.

Popfrogs @ Apr 29th 2008 12:55PM

It's called antialiasing and it is expensive (from a video processing standpoint) to use. Most games use some sort of post-processing filter to blur the whole scene instead of properly antialias it.

a.j. @ Apr 29th 2008 1:20PM

gotcha...so the PS3 is leaving it "pure" as opposed to blurring it with a post filter?...i guess that's why the light reflections and the car shine looks so much more crisp and pop better. cool. thanks for the info :)

John @ Apr 29th 2008 9:23PM

The 360 has a built-in anti-alias chip, the ps3 can do various anti-aliasing if the developers code for it. It was same for last generation. First-gen ps2 games lacked anti-aliasing until developers figured out how to do it on the little sub-processors (it was a pre-cell configuration and like the ps3, had to be programmed differently, with parallelism in mind)

marauder800 @ Apr 29th 2008 11:59AM

I expected PS3 to have a slight edge in graphics, but I picked this up for my 360. Xbox just offers a better gaming experience IMO.

Polak @ Apr 29th 2008 12:02PM

Yeah PS3 does look better, but that is no surprise

Freemen @ Apr 29th 2008 12:02PM

Ive played both versions and everything seems to be sharper on the ps3, (radar, text etc) maybe it has something to do with hdmi coz i got the 360 running through component.

I prefer the ps3 version also as texture pop ins are non existent.

Dan @ Apr 29th 2008 12:04PM

These comparison videos are truly a waste of time and/or money. Consumers already have in mind which platform they'll purchase a game on (in the event that they own every platform for a multi-platform game) and unless there's a significant development problem, graphics won't matter.

Just like when you squander from tv to tv at your local store, trying to pick the best-looking high-def model, it all looks great when you get home and power it up.

Paul (PSN: heypaul) @ Apr 29th 2008 1:43PM

You may be able to argue that it's a waste of time, but it's certainly not a waste of money. You have any idea how much traffic they get from promoting the console wars? Just compare the number of comments for this post to a run of the mill "New Game Z Screenshots" post. And if all that extra traffic makes them money, isn't that time well spent?

James @ Apr 29th 2008 4:10PM

I for one haven't made up my mind yet. I own both, and there's serious pros and cons for both:

PS3 - Slightly better graphics, esp. with HDMI (+), slightly better controller (+), motion controls (+?), free online mode (+), no DLC (-), hard drive install (- [I have a puny 20GB])

360 - DLC (+), achievements (+), no HDD install (+), slightly worse graphics/no HDMI (-), OK controller (-), pay for XBL Gold (-).

The main points of contention for me are the graphics (but it sounds like the differences will be small at worst), the HDD install (I might have to delete some stuff, plus I can't copy as much stuff from my streaming media server), and the DLC (which I don't actually buy for most games anyway). So I'm still pretty firmly on the fence. If I start hearing about e.g. 20GB PS3s suffering from the lockup issue, I might settle more quickly.

Daniel @ Apr 29th 2008 12:04PM

I always prefer PS3 over 360. 360 uses too much motion blur (to cover up the crappy graphics most likely) and the color is too bright and cartoony in most games. PS3 always has that darker, more realistic shaded look to it and I prefer that. No one will ever agree on which is better or worse it's all personal preference.

adolson @ Apr 29th 2008 12:17PM

One nice thing I noticed in GTAIV was that there are sliders, allowing you to adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation, so really, you can get much more color out of the PS3, or much less out of the 360, simply by adjusting it to what you want. That is a nice touch, and renders the default pretty much a moot point. I like the PS3 default but bumped up the contrast slightly. :)

Lavat @ Apr 29th 2008 12:14PM

@Daniel

'darker, more realistic shaded look'

That is kind of how I feel about the ps3's graphics. Which is one thing I like about it.

Popfrogs @ Apr 29th 2008 12:57PM

Full RGB is the greatest setting ever, especially on an LCD HDTV.

Brodie-san @ Apr 29th 2008 12:24PM

I was joking by the way.

I think the constant console wagging is absolutely ridiculous and the bane of our hobby/obsession.

a.j. @ Apr 29th 2008 12:30PM

forgot to share:
in NYC at our local game store last night, they split the line up between ps3 buyers and 360 buyers to route them to the right cashiers, happy to note that the lines were dead even in size. part of me expected way more 360 people, totally not the case. was nice to be in line with a ton of happy ps3'ers.

RagingStormX @ Apr 29th 2008 12:36PM

Ok...I must say from the HD video the PS3 is the better of the two....a good example is to look at 1:10 on the x360 compared to 1:12 (the same location) on the PS3...the PS3 actually shows the sunlight glistening off of the water as it would look in real life. Even my coworker who is unbaised as it gets saw it and said she thinks the one on the left look more real than the other side....and she does play games to be a xbox or ps fan.

Ysleiro @ Apr 29th 2008 4:26PM

The angle of the sun was different on both vids so I'm not sure looking at the time you said will yield accurate or comparable results.

On the same token if you look at 1:22 the 360 version does show the capability to reflect light off of water.

These games are extremely alike and you need a magnifying glass and some nitpicking to find the differences.

Ysleiro @ Apr 29th 2008 1:03PM

At 1:12 angle of the sun is different on both vids so comparing time isn't going to yield comparable results.

If you look at 1:22 you can clearly see that the 360 does sport the ability to reflect light and mimic realistic water effects.

The ps3 is the performer out of the two but the differences are so minute that you need to magnify the image to find most differences.

Quest @ Apr 29th 2008 2:07PM

Let me start with: I won't be playing GTA:Anything. That said, I like the PS3 video better. It looks a bit more realistic, and after all, isn't that what we are looking for in this Next Gen arena?

Reymo @ Apr 29th 2008 2:43PM

@Quest

No thats not what gamers want. Apparently now its all about DLC and the "ONLINE" Experience.(lol). Phh..graphics..proc power..whats wrong with you thats already out of style!

/sarcasm

Jhon @ Apr 29th 2008 5:20PM

as long as its not ugly - i dont care - i have a ps3 and ill be buying that version :).

im glad that xbox has this as well - i am sure in due course these programmers will get better and writing code for ps3 and we will get just as good looking games as 360 has. look forward to it as well.

and Metal Gear Solid - thats a awesome looking game, sadly thye dont have the 360 version ... so its alright !!!

xrich @ Apr 29th 2008 6:08PM

its impressive how closely the vid maker matched up the ps3 and 360 clips...doesnt look like that would be easy to do...

naruto007 @ Apr 29th 2008 6:52PM

ok this is what i notice.

ps3 version looks a bit darker and less sharp kinda blurry but less jaggies

360 version looks sharper more vibrant colors but at the same time the jaggies are more noticeable besides on the ocean scene 360 version looks like it has lower frame rate.

Exiled Legend @ Apr 29th 2008 8:04PM

The ghetto box looks better and the 360 has live, alls fair in the gaming world.

horngreen @ Apr 29th 2008 9:07PM

LOL Wow I didn't know you PS3ers were SOOO certain about your console. I actually read a post that seemed to imply the PS3 would be a much better console if developers would take the time to code for it. Really? That would be like me asking you to cut my lawn with scissors so it would look better. Time is money people and getting 360 ports is the cards you've been dealt. Original Xbox owners had to deal with TRULY lame PS2 ports. Oh and the graphics look the same so get over that also.

Valr @ Apr 29th 2008 9:30PM

Is that GTAIV's theme song? They picked the most horrible sounding crap.

John @ Apr 29th 2008 9:34PM

I notice that ps3fanboy does not explain how or why they bias comments by not posting them. I thought the soviet era was already gone. (It may post this as it's under 3 lines)

John @ Apr 29th 2008 9:34PM

What you guys are talking about is actually dynamics. The graphics chip in the ps3 natively has better dynamics than the 360-- dynamics being the difference between light and dark. NVidia has always been strong on this point, which is why Sony chose them-- it's more like a movie.