Graphics Comparison

[Jose Liz]

http://img172.exs.cx/img172/6383/comparison6ht.jpg

Please rank the quality of the graphics between these three screenshots.

Is the difference greatest between Screen #1 and #2, #1 and #3 or #2 and #3?

http://img172.exs.cx/img172/4189/comparison25zz.jpg

Does making #3 widescreen increase its difference with #1?

Thanks for your input.

[balut]

http://img172.exs.cx/img172/6383/comparison6ht.jpg

Please rank the quality of the graphics between these three screenshots.

Please note which two screenshots show the greatest difference in quality.


I'd rank these Pic3 > Pic1 > Pic2.


http://img172.exs.cx/img172/4189/comparison25zz.jpg

Does the difference between screenshot #1 and #3 increase in this shot? If so, is it substantial?

Thanks for your input.
The difference is reflected in the sharpness of the text present in Pic2. Without text to direct compare, Pic1 appears sharper and higher-res than Pic2.

[spooie]

The cars from #1 and #3 look pretty much the same to me. I'd have to agree that #3 is the sharpest, then #1, then #2.

The surrounding objects and road in #3 is very smooth.
The signs in the background and brighter colors makes #1 stand out well.
The signs and fence of #2 look flatter, as with the boxed buildings.

[Jose Liz]

balut, try to ignore the text, just on the models/environment.

spooie, does the difference between #1 and #3 increase in the second screenshot?

[nutsak]

For quality I'd also agree 3-1-2 .

pic 2 also shows the greatest difference..

Now can I ask .. why are we doing this ?

[quatoria]

To me, 3 looks the sharpest. You can make out much clearer details on the car. In screenshot 1, the outline of the spoiler is merging into the car, broken up, vague and indistinct. The street textures look chunkier, and the tail lights of shot 1 seem pixelated and lo-rez. Overall, screenshot 3 looks way better to me. I'd say that shot 1 looks like a ds game, shot 2 looks like a ps1 game, and shot 3 looks like a PSP game. Just my best guess, based on 30 seconds or so of examination.

[mouselock]

Aside from the bizarre solid-color shadows in Pic #1, I find them roughly equivalent in static screen shots.

There's sure a noticeable difference in motion, though! It's mainly in the lighting. Kind of like how something can look very good in static shots but not as good in motion due to being able to draw highlights into the static textures and having no other cues as to whether the lighting is proper or not.

[Wholly Schmidt]

I don't understand your second question, are you asking us if our perceived difference between shots 1 and 3 changes based on whether 3 is widescreen or not?

[Jose Liz]

I don't understand your second question, are you asking us if our perceived difference between shots 1 and 3 changes based on whether 3 is widescreen or not?

Yes, I'm asking if widescreen makes the difference between 1 and 3 greater.

I edited my first post for clarity.

Now can I ask .. why are we doing this ?
I'm giving you something fun to do! You should be happy. :P

bizarre solid-color shadows in Pic #1
Supposed to be neon lights

[zabuni]

Ridge racer comparison shots. Between DS, PS, and PSP, I think. Though I won't spoil it by telling which is which.

Suprisingly, I think 2 is the DS. It's the lack of cool graphic effects. DS doesn't have all the bells and whistles.

[mouselock]

bizarre solid-color shadows in Pic #1
Supposed to be neon lights

That's what I assumed, but they don't attenuate properly like lights, they don't highlight the under-car ground bits like light, etc..

I mean, I know there's limits to what hardware can do, but I'd go for leaving them out entirely if you can't do some type of decent alpha-blending so it doesn't look like your cars have very bright drop shadows. ;)


Ridge racer comparison shots. Between DS, PS, and PSP, I think.

Need for Speed actually, though I don't know where the middle shot is from. I was surprised that there's not more noticeable difference in the screen shots, but as I already posted, looking at the actual videos made it much more apparent. (It's harder, too, though, because they have direct feeds for the DS versions, and only shakycam for the PSP that I could find. :/ )

[TomChick]

The middle one is certainly Ridge Racer, but the Namco logo gives it away. However, the shots on the edges ain't Ridge Racer. Ridge Racer doesn't race on any airport runway. It also doesn't have any neon underlights. Next guess anyone? :)

-Tom

[HRose]

#1 > #3 > #2

The third scene is too confused and blurred, the second more irregular and blocky. In general there aren't relevant apparent differences between all 3.

The widescreen obviously helps since it shows a bigger scene.

[asspennies]

#3 > #1 > #2

Look at the shiny road in #3 compared to the blocky road in #1.

I don't think I've ever driven on a shiny road, mind you.

[Kevin Grey]

The middle one is certainly Ridge Racer, but the Namco logo gives it away. However, the shots on the edges ain't Ridge Racer. Ridge Racer doesn't race on any airport runway. It also doesn't have any neon underlights. Next guess anyone? :)

-Tom

The first one on the left is definitely NFSU for the DS- I saw it posted on Gaming-Age today.

EDIT- I'm assuming the rightmost one is NFSU: Rivals on the PSP due to the widescreen.

[BrewersDroop]

First set: 2, 3, 1 (mostly because I don't like the oversaturated colours and the too-bright sodium lighting)

Second set: the widescreen shot does improve the perceived image quality, yes. To the point where with the widescreen shot, I would reorder the quality to: 3, 2, 1

[Wholly Schmidt]

3, 2, 1.

The biggest difference is between 3 and 2.

Widescreen makes 3 look even better.

[quatoria]

Seeing the psp and the ds side by side really hammers home just badly the DS gets beaten in the graphics department. It's bad enough when they're artifically limited to the same size, but when you factor in that widescreen, it's just not even close.

[Kevin Grey]

Seeing the psp and the ds side by side really hammers home just badly the DS gets beaten in the graphics department. It's bad enough when they're artifically limited to the same size, but when you factor in that widescreen, it's just not even close.

According to Gaming-Age, supposedly the DS version runs at 60 fps, while the PSP (and all other console versions of NFSU) are limited to 30 fps.

It doesn't make up for the image quality difference but I actually think the NFSU screens are pretty impressive for the DS tech, particularly if its true that it runs at 60 fps.

[quatoria]

I guess it's nice that they're impressive for the tech in the DS, but f-zero was impressive for the tech in the super nintendo, and way of the warrior was impressive for the 3d0. That doesn't mean they still look impressive today, and to me, neither does the screen from the DS.

[Chris Nahr]

Those DS screens look good enough for a handheld as far as I'm concerned. I know the PSP is technically better but the visible difference in these shots is fairly small. The PSP has reflexions on the street surface... so?

[Destarius]

Those DS screens look good enough for a handheld as far as I'm concerned. I know the PSP is technically better but the visible difference in these shots is fairly small. The PSP has reflexions on the street surface... so?

The pixellation is so much more obvious in screen #1. It's almost a generation difference.

[mouselock]

Those DS screens look good enough for a handheld as far as I'm concerned. I know the PSP is technically better but the visible difference in these shots is fairly small. The PSP has reflexions on the street surface... so?

A) Screen shots can be misleading. If you watch the video of NFS on the DS, it becomes apparent that the lighting model is much simpler. To me, at least, this makes the thing look far different in motion to the PSP, especially as you're dodging in and out of streetlight light cones.

B) Before you decide the DS is "good enough", take a look at the (left out of this comparison) screen shots for Ridge Racer on the PSP. NFS on the DS seems to be near the nadir of currently offered game graphics. NFS isn't even close. (The screenshots for RR on PSP are tremendously better than the NFS shot up there, IMO.)

[Jose Liz]

Those DS screens look good enough for a handheld as far as I'm concerned. I know the PSP is technically better but the visible difference in these shots is fairly small.

This was the point of this little experiment.

The screens are from Need for Speed Underground 2 DS, Ridge Racer DS, and Need for Speed Underground Rivals PSP.

It was mostly out of my frustration with sites comparing PSP and DS graphics and posting Ridge Racer DS and Ridge Racer PSP screenshots. It would be much fairer to show something like NFSU2 for both.

[mouselock]

It was mostly out of my frustration with sites comparing PSP and DS graphics and posting Ridge Racer DS and Ridge Racer PSP screenshots. It would be much fairer to show something like NFSU2 for both.

Not to restart a whole huge discussion again, but why? I think NFS DS are clearly some of the best graphics out for the DS to date. Ridge Racer PSP are also clearly some of the best graphics out for the PSP to date. Why wouldn't you compare those two things? Seems odd to say it's "fairer" to show a middle of the road PSP game against what would seem to be some of the best DS games?

[Jose Liz]

Why wouldn't you compare those two things? Seems odd to say it's "fairer" to show a middle of the road PSP game against what would seem to be some of the best DS games?

NFSU Rivals' graphics was given an 8.5 on IGN, and a 8 on GameSpot, compared to a 9.5 and 9 for Ridge Racer. While certainly a considerable difference, this suggests that Rivals is more than "middle of the road."

Also, there's a considerable difference in atmosphere. Ridge Racer DS was added there only to show that it isn't tapping much of the DS's power at all. The real comparison was between the two different NFSUs.

The Ridge Racer DS v. Ridge Racer PSP also isn't fair because it is obvious Namco only cared about one of the handheld versions. NFSU shows about similar care from its developer. (I don't think that the graphic scores for it will be higher than NFSU Rivals despite the system difference, time will tell though).

[mouselock]

Heh.. Well, I think NFSU on the PSP is mediocre. Rather generic looking and glossy lighting effects for their own sake. RR seems to have much better texture work.

On the other hand, RR on the DS doesn't look that bad to me either, frankly. You're missing the lighting effects, which look quite good in the screenshot you posted, but seemed less impressive in motion (reminded me of Doom style lighting in action).

[TomChick]

Jose Liz, dude, quit trying to make sense of those 7-9 ratings scales. That way lies madness.

I haven't seen NFSU on the DS, and I agree that the graphics are a bit disappointing on the PSP (but I love the gameplay!).

But I have seen Ridge Racer on both platforms. It's night and day: the DS looks like going back to playing a first person shooter in software mode. It's a clear example of how the PSP makes it hard to enjoy more visually-oriented designs (shooters, racing games) on the other handhelds.

-Tom

[Jose Liz]

I have seen Ridge Racer on both platforms. It's night and day:

This is my point. You're taking a game that your peers in the game reviewing circle consider mediocre (Ridge Racer DS) to one that excels, particulaly visually (Ridge Racer PSP).

Although I only sourced IGN and GameSpot, they seem to be the general concensus among the other reviews I've read.

I'm not arguing this point: "It's a clear example of how the PSP makes it hard to enjoy more visually-oriented designs (shooters, racing games) on the other handhelds." I just think that there are better ways to show it.

And the day I'd do this: "quit trying to make sense of those 7-9 ratings scales" I'll have to stop reviewing games, wouldn't I? :)

[Moore]

And the day I'd do this: "quit trying to make sense of those 7-9 ratings scales" I'll have to stop reviewing games, wouldn't I? :)

No, just quit giving them silly number ratings, I'd guess?

[Brad Grenz]

I don't think I've ever driven on a shiny road, mind you.

It doesn't rain where you live? I almost killed myself trying to drive up to my parent's yesterday afternoon. It was pouring down rain, but the sun was setting on the horizon where there were no clouds. The glare off the hillside was absolutely blinding. It was worse than staring directly at the sun because it's brilliance is normally confined to a small circle, this was a great blinding sheet lain out on the landscape.

[Jose Liz]

And the day I'd do this: "quit trying to make sense of those 7-9 ratings scales" I'll have to stop reviewing games, wouldn't I? :)

No, just quit giving them silly number ratings, I'd guess?
But then 90% of the audience would close the window as soon as the page loaded. :(

[extarbags]

So we've learned that... the PSP has better graphics.

[Chris Nahr]

Brilliant.

[Kevin J Baird]

http://cerberus.gamershell.com/screenshots/4645/163081_full.jpg
http://img172.exs.cx/img172/4189/comparison25zz.jpg


Image 1 looks much better... Especially on the Xbox...

K

[Rob_Merritt]

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/rcmerritt/images/gaming/cga.gifhttp://mywebpages.comcast.net/rcmerritt/images/gaming/tga.gif

[Miramon]

I really dislike the ugly yellow road surface in 1. It is otherwise superior to 2 in most respects, but that particular texture/lighting combo really looks bad to me.

[Justin Fletcher]

I find the castle walls grainy with too many artifacts in the first image. The definition of the individual stones is highly improved in the second image. The folliage looks much more realistic in the second image, as well, though I assume you'll need an high-end GPU to acheive that level of detail.

[Squirrel Killer]

I don't know... the flat shaded colors in #2 look pretty fake to me, #1's dithered colors have a lot more of that "grimy realism" that people like these days.

[asspennies]

It doesn't rain where you live?

Oh, believe you me, it rains in Pittsburgh. Does it ever. However, whatever the roads are made of out here (I believe it's asphalt, not the more expensive but more manageable cement), they certainly don't reflect light. Even with oodles of puddles.

As for the sun/rain situation, we've actually seen sun these past two days, which has to be a new record.