Sony Risks Falling Out of Console Battle

[thor1182]

there is a good chance that to get anything usable out of the cell compared to the others, then yeah that sounds like 2 - 3 dev time.

Now something I missed the first time I looked in detail about the Cell is that the main core is a two thread. Now is that a two issue, or two thread? Would Windows see that as two cores, or one core?

[hordaktheman]

Here's also an interview with a typically nice Sony PR person on the recent emulation issue:

If this is a business decision to save cost, why are users left to bear the burden, having to purchase a system inferior to those sold in the US and Japan at a higher price?

The PS3 launching in Europe is every bit as powerful as the PS3s available currently in North America and Japan. PS3 is defined by key features such as the CELL broadband engine, its Blu-ray drive, the SIXAXIS Controller and its ability to output full 1080P HD game content which makes it an entertainment system for the future, without equal.

PS one titles remain backwards compatible and we will continue to assess the compatibility of PS2 titles right up until launch We will continue to offer firmware upgrades to increase the number of titles that are compatible, but rather than concentrate on PS2 backwards compatibility, in the future, company resources will be increasingly focused on developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3, truly taking advantage of this exciting technology.

Note how he addresses the question directly and from the heart.

[hordaktheman]

Originally Posted by thor1182

there is a good chance that to get anything usable out of the cell compared to the others, then yeah that sounds like 2 - 3 dev time.

Still doesn't add up. We already know the PS3 takes more work due to a steeper learning curve, but 2-3 times is a huge difference. Learning curve or no, it simply isn't going to happen when the actual programming is being done by as few as 5 people of a 50 member production team. The biggest cost increase (by far) of the new generation doesn't come from the increased programming, but from from the additional content required for the increased detail that the new generation demands.

Even a well paid programming team of 10 working on a game for 4 years would only net maybe 3-4 million of the budget.

[thor1182]

its all speculation on our parts without a word from a dev who has worked on these platforms.

[hordaktheman]

Hence, why I don't buy into the original statement and ask for actual verification. I think that number comes from his rectum.

He sort of gives it away in a later paragraph:

There is a big mushy middle ground here, and that has to do with how much effort you expend on each version of a game written for multiple platforms. If the 360 has 10 million units and the PS3 1 million, you can do the math. Write it for the 360 and spend $10 million, but only port it to the PS3 if you can do the port for under $1 million.

All of a sudden he speculates that a PS3 game can go from 20 million to 11 million. He's essentially saying that making an Xbox360 game and porting it to the PS3 would cost less than making the same game for the PS3 from the ground up. It's absurd since the cost of making the actual content (artwork, etc.) is the same between the platforms.