Consoles are holding this game back (graphically)

[Gilraen]

Yeah... lets compare a full-sized mob to a minion. That's sure to point out the graphical differences.

[BristolRuss]

Yeah... lets compare a full-sized mob to a minion. That's sure to point out the graphical differences.

Compare the opening to the Howling Eye then.

1.0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0A-o8P4MRY

ARR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKBzi-JSb-o

1.0 has much better lighting and effects.It's really not a stretch to say that the PS3 is holding back what this game is capable of. When they are designing content they have to make sure that all currently supported platforms can run it; that being PC, PS4 and PS3. Therefore all platforms are being held back by the weakest link. The PS3 came out in 2006, therefore the graphics card (GPU) in the console is currently 9 years old. On PC, the recommend GPU's are Nvidia GTX 660 and the Radeon HD 7950, both of which came out in 2012. Then we get to the RAM available. The PS3 has 512mb of RAM (256mb system RAM and 256mb VRAM). The minimum that the PC version requires is 2GB, but they recommend 4GB for DX9 and 8GB for DX11. So you see, when they are creating content they have to make sure that a machine with a 9 year old GPU and only 512mb of RAM is capable of running it; and because of these very low specs they can't create the big, expansive content that Yoshi-P has talked about wanting to make - the PS3 just couldn't handle it.

So yes, they really do need to drop PS3 support so we can get a better game. It's amazing what they have been able to achieve whilst being held back by PS3 limitations. But it's time to take the old PS3 out back and put it out of it's misery. It's for the best.

[Chessala]

Youre DUMB! How can a console "hold back" something?
There are still lots of people on PS3! ME TOO!

I have this game for PS4 too! But every1 looks so ugly flat and thin on it because of forced 16:9 TV-format - so no thanks! =.=

I hope PS3 support goes for 5-10 more years!

Resorting to personal insults won't get you anywhere with me, sorry.

I work in gaming company and quite a few people there have picked up FFXIV on PS3. Literally 2 days later, they switched to PC because they couldn't stand the lag. Anyone I have ever met in-game that was on PS3 was complaining they couldn't enjoy the content because of bad loads. Are they all dumb too? Just because you are on PS3 doesn't mean the time for that console isn't over.

Just like a PC, a console will reach the end of it's lifetime sooner or later and right now the devs are using PS3 limitations to not advance the game further. If they want to keep people on the long run they will have 2 options:
- End PS3 support or
- Make separated clients for the platforms.

[Gilraen]

Actually, console players generally don't care about PC being 'better', it doesn't affect us in the slightest. But, again, it's not about that. It's about the infinite variance of the PC as a platform. Most people aren't running would-be NASA rigs, or even machines half that strength. My laptop was a top notch gaming laptop... 4 years ago. I can't afford another one. Most people can't. In asking Square to 'ditch consoles and give us a better PC version' they'd be leaving me and these other people behind. And Square knows it. It's WHY they downgraded the game engine for 2.0. The PS3 is not the ONLY weakest link.

[Velhart]

For PS3 support, Yoshi-P said it will only be dropped if support for the console is not strong like the PS4/PC from players. Which is to be determined by the next expansion. If there are still plenty of PS3 players, they are not going to drop it by 4.0.

[Rawrz]

A Solid State Drive (SSD) brings your PS3 back to life. I've had one for 2 months, waiting until black Friday to upgrade to PS4.

Load times go from over a minute to being equal or better to a PS4 at 5 to 10 seconds. I play next to the boyfriend (OEM Ps4 user) and he resents me for it. xD

So with a little investment PS3 becomes very viable with an extra $80~$120 thrown at it, it just lacks:

1) Nicer Graphics (Limiting Animations is a must at this point, not necessarily disabling though)
2) No Built in Voice convenience
3) No Multitasking
4) No Built in Recording software.

I'm not against dropping the PS3, I'm just saying that its not exactly dead just yet.

[Colorful]

snip

The hardware to push out decent performance is what the PS3 is lacking and why it's holding back the game, an SSD will do nothing to prevent that nor will it prolong the game's life on that system. An SSD won't help with UI limitations, implementing phyiscs into gameplay in whatever manner they decide, having larger monsters, etc.

[Rawrz]

The hardware to push out decent performance is what the PS3 is lacking and why it's holding back the game, an SSD will do nothing to prevent that nor will it prolong the game's life on that system. An SSD won't help with UI limitations, implementing phyiscs into gameplay in whatever manner they decide, having larger monsters, etc.

While playing what is currently available, it handles it just fine, after upgrading, but again I can see where the developers will need to cut the system to grow.

[Gilraen]

...having larger monsters, etc.

Have you done Steps of Faith or seen the Exploration trailer? Vishap and Brontosaur aren't little. Heck, Brontosaur looked like it should have squished that one player when it stomped. And Exploration is going to be this big 24 player alliance thing. And physics doesn't improve gameplay, just immersion. Physics can actually harm gameplay. Anyone that's dropped a fireball inside a living room or dining room in Oblivion or Skyrim can tell you that.

[Colorful]

snip

The words are not mine, they're straight from Yoshida. You're right, we have large creatures in enclosed spaces with limited amount of players, Yoshida was looking for giant 200+ metre beasts flying in the open world in epic FATEs which you used flying mounts to jump onto and hunt if I recall correctly, and Skyrim hardly relies on physics for its gameplay, nor does it have decent physics at that. We're talking about, say, a giant knocking down a pillar and that pillar collapsing in a random spot due to physics, and you'd have to hide behind the pillar to avoid the attack. Again, physics based gameplay is from Yoshida, he said he wants to compete with future MMOs such as EverQuest Next, he wants it to improve to be on their level, not just stagnate. It's never going to last 10 years mimicking an already almost 11 year old game and he knows it.