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View Full Version : PS3, X360 and the android effect



Hezz
07-13-2007, 01:28
Today I checked out the Killzone 2 trailers and also some of the Xbox360 upcoming game trailers.

Killzone is looking very, very good. I'm impressed that at this point the character animations in the actual game look better than the 2005 CG renderings.

There are also a lot of really good looking games coming out for the X360. However, I will not be buying a console that has a 33% failure rate no matter how good the games look. But as I was watching the X360 games I began to notice something that I found to be a trend in some games and I don't know if this is just incomplete programming or a weak spot of upcoming X360 games.

I will call it the android effect. This comes about when you have really nice looking characters but they don't have any kind of realistic motion or movement. In otherwords, there is not enough physics widespread throughout the virtual world to make anything seem like other than a bunch of mannequins.

My theory is that the powerful GPU in the X360 could actually be a long term downfall because it allows developers to easily generate first rate graphics but because of the CPU's less capable physics ability in being able to deal with lots of objects these realistic looking worlds will have a much greater android effect. Whereas, the PS3 GPU to CPU balance will allow for greater physical reality modeling of the graphic objects it portrays.

This was especially obvious in Assasins Creed where most of the people had very unrealistic movements and behaviors. The motion was reasonably good for those doing combat. But everything else seems so contrived.

In some games which only need physics applied to a narrow range of objects I don't think that this will be so relevant.

Anyway, the whole point of this thread is to point out that the greater the graphic realism the greater the need for widespread and quality physics will be to maintain any kind of illusion of reality. So in my opinion the cell/rsx seem to strike a better balance in being able to accomplish this that the GPU/CPU partnership in the Xbox360.

Comments?

turtle553
07-13-2007, 01:32
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_Valley

The closer to real it is, the harder it is to think it looks real if it isn't perfect

chugs
07-13-2007, 03:40
what's physics got to do with human motion?

Don't developers motion capture actors to get good fluid movement to incorporate into the game's characters?

Like Heavenly Sword, watch the making of, all those motion capture diodes they stick on the skin of their actors. The same with sport games and movies like Happy Feet. They motion capture dancers and incorporated that movement into the CGI characters.

I'd say that developers, and this could apply to any console, are just skipping the expensive motion capture thing, and just relaying on last generation IP technologies to portray human moment.

Cutting corners right, or just doing for the most part just doing it for the pre-animated CGI cut-scenes