DF: Sleeping Dogs Face Off.

[A7MAD]

Digital Foundry Sleeping Dogs Face Off.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...-dogs-face-off

Snip:

The use of a deferred shading set-up has implications for both consoles, resulting in two distinct implementations. On Microsoft's system, Sleeping Dogs adopts a native 1200x720 presentation, with an 80-pixel horizontal upscale to 720p, while on the PS3 we're looking at a much lower 1152x640, which has more severe implications with regards to overall image quality. Anti-aliasing on both consoles is a post-process, most likely provided by NVIDIA's popular FXAA solution, although we find that the PS3 uses a more aggressive edge-detect algorithm in order to smooth over the additional jaggies created by the heavy upscale.

While the 360 game gives a passable impression of a native 720p presentation, it looks significantly blurrier on the PS3: the combination of the much heavier upscaling and a stronger FXAA solution covering the final image in a veil of softness. Finer texture details that are visible on both platforms are smoothed over and edges feature a distinct softness that is regularly apparent with anti-aliased sub-HD games. Specular highlights are also subdued on the PS3 due to the stronger edge-detection being employed, although this doesn't come across as a particular downside given that the characters can look a little too shiny in some scenes on the 360.

Aside from the obvious resolution differences, it is clear that the PS3 version is missing some of the more intricate texture details found on the 360, a situation not helped by the more aggressive FXAA implementation. Additionally, we also find that normal maps feature less distinctive bumps and ripples, leading to the affected surfaces looking a touch blockier in nature. The reason for this is that lower resolution artwork is used on many objects throughout the game, thus resulting in visible detail loss, while normal maps appear to be using a different, more lossy compression scheme which creates artifacts on surfaces which use the effect - the Xenos GPU has access to improved texture compression technology compared to RSX, which may explain this.

Elsewhere, a few other nip/tucks have been made to the PS3 code. The level of anisotropic filtering is lower on the Sony platform, impacting the clarity of the artwork from a distance, and lower quality LOD (level of detail) models are used during the cut-scenes, which see a number of small detail-enhancing features missing. The hair on the characters has been simplified slightly on the PS3 and the normal mapping present on the jewellery they are wearing is also absent. Meanwhile, in terms of post-processing effects, motion blur appears to be identical on both formats, although depth of field is stronger on the PS3.

The 360 tends to hold itself closer to the desired 30FPS update more often than the PS3, with smaller dips in scenes which tax the engine. Generally there's less screen-tear too. The tearing can be quite unsightly on the PS3 at times, with the tear-line moving up and down the screen creating a juddering effect, and this isn't helped by the more variable frame-rate which drops lower - and for longer.

However, across a more general run of play, these issues are far less severe on both consoles, and the PS3 version manages to equalise with the 360 for the most part - in fact, there are times when one version has the slight edge over the other, and vice-versa. Outside of a few distinct issues both versions manage to meet their 30FPS target reasonably well, with complex parts of the environment and quick camera pans being the most common cause for a dip in smoothness.

http://i.imgur.com/PX3QX.jpg

360 build for me.