So... What Exactly ARE the PS3 Limitations

[Chessala]

Guys ... Do NOT equate "dropping PS3 support" with " removing PS3 as an option to play the game". [SNIP]
Removing PS3 as a client for previously-existing content will not come for YEARS after they stop bringing the new content to PS3 - if it even comes before they shut FFXIV down.

Yes, the old content will still be available for PS3 still BUT SE would be free to make changes to it like improving the graphics, UI etc. and would not need to give any heed if PS3 players can still play. Alas, they like hiding incompetence behind "limitations" so they will delay it as much as possible.

Though it's limited on PS3, it's equally limited on a lot of PCs. Not all PCs are high-end gaming rigs that can handle all the high-def extras. So even if it were to be added, it would have to be an optional feature, where you could run either PC with high def or PC without high def. That definitely falls into the category of features they could leave out of the PS3 version without affecting PS4 or PC.

It's a PS3 limitation only in the sense that the option wouldn't be available on that system (or other low-end systems, either). But it's not a PS3 limitation in the sense that it makes PS3 hold the rest of the game back, because it doesn't.

The beauty of PCs is that they are in many cases easy to upgrade. Need more RAM? Get some for cheap for example. Also, as you mentioned, PCs are flexible, they can run a game at different quality points. Does your PC not hold the uber graphics? Simply drop some aspect of the graphic quality and you are back in game. These options not being available IS a limitation of the console as it was not designed for people to customize their graphic settings.

[Riardon]

Let's not forget they will have to support PS4 Pro, XBOX One (if the talks with MS will be successful) and the upcoming XBOX project Scorpio (if FFXIV comes to XBOX). PS3 support drop will mean they will be free to develop and provide for us better graphics and better gameplay (more effects, more complex and larger scale battles, larger areas etc).

[Blackcanary]

Let's not forget they will have to support PS4 Pro, XBOX One (if the talks with MS will be successful) and the upcoming XBOX project Scorpio (if FFXIV comes to XBOX). PS3 support drop will mean they will be free to develop and provide for us better graphics and better gameplay (more effects, more complex and larger scale battles, larger areas etc).

PS4 Pro won't be a problem because all PS4 games will continue to play on it. So supporting it won't be an issue.

[Riardon]

PS4 Pro won't be a problem because all PS4 games will continue to play on it. So supporting it won't be an issue.

Yeah it's not much of an issue PS4 Pro belongs to PS4 generation I guess Scorpio will be the same. The game will run as it is on Pro but from what I saw companies will push patches to allow better framerate and resolution in order to get the extra candy from Pro. So it the future there will be small patches to tweak the PS4 Pro version.

[Reynhart]

If you notice, the first two issues prevent SE from putting in an event where you either get cutscenes or transition in the middle of a fight, or from putting too much emphasis on Hunts and anything they might implement as non-instanced content. So yes, the PS3 is and always has held back content in the game, even if it is stable in regular instanced content.

No, it doesn't. You don't put cutscene in the middle of the fight, because you're not sure that people will play those at the same rate. Some will skip, some will read the dialog in a flash, some will take screenshots of everything that happen...like what often happend in T4 once you activate the elevator.
It you talk about putting a cutscene in between two fights in the same instance, we have that at the end of Aetherochemical Research Facility.

As for hunts and large FATEs, it's also false, since they made a great comeback in HW, and it doesn't really restrict PS3 players' progress in the long run anyway.

These options not being available IS a limitation of the console as it was not designed for people to customize their graphic settings.

But it's not limiting what PC and PS4 players can do. The graphic setting are made to be flexible, especially to provide adequate gameplay for higher and lower specs. After all, DirectX12 offered a graphical upgrade while PS3 stayed the same.

There was no confirmed issue with PS3 support when it comes to how the game runs on PC and PS4.

[CUTS3R]

Please pass this along to Bethesda, seriously, lol

Oh and i also played this game on PS3, played the PS4 beta and then switched to PS4.
While it was slow it's not nearly as bad as some of you made it out to be

It was enough to occasionally warrant you to be kicked from farm parties. It happened to me quite a few times when i was still on PS3. The reason was always because i was "wasting" people time with my long loading times in between runs.

[Reynhart]

It was enough to occasionally warrant you to be kicked from farm parties. It happened to me quite a few times when i was still on PS3. The reason was always because i was "wasting" people time with my long loading times in between runs.

So, in that case, "morons" are the problem, not PS3...you probably would have been kicked in the same way if you "wasted" their time by viewing cutscenes during a first run.
Or if you have any connection issue...

Still "occasionally" enough to not justify the need to "drop PS3 support".

[Claire_Pendragon]

The PS3 has a total of 512MB of RAM.

Dont know if its been said, but its actually 256mb. (360 had 512mb)

[otarolgam]

It was enough to occasionally warrant you to be kicked from farm parties. It happened to me quite a few times when i was still on PS3. The reason was always because i was "wasting" people time with my long loading times in between runs.

Get an SSD for your PS3. I switched and I can most times beat PS4's in changing areas. It's actually pretty awesome the speed increase.

[Kosmos992k]

Yeah it's not much of an issue PS4 Pro belongs to PS4 generation I guess Scorpio will be the same. The game will run as it is on Pro but from what I saw companies will push patches to allow better framerate and resolution in order to get the extra candy from Pro. So it the future there will be small patches to tweak the PS4 Pro version.

They'll only have to push out a patch if their game locks framerates at 30fps@1080. If a game has a dynamic framerate, then there should be no need for a patch in order for the game to run at a higher framerate, and if any quality tweaks are made for games running at 1080 resolutions on the PS4Pro, we might see enhanced anti-aliasing regardless of what the game does - for example - without a patch.

Dont know if its been said, but its actually 256mb. (360 had 512mb)

PS3 : 256MB system + 256MB Graphics. RSX has full speed access to both pools, CellBE has full speed access to system memory and a limited bandwidth bus to write to the graphics memory. Total memory = 512MB but it's hard partitioned meaning devs always know what they are working with.

Xbox 360 512MB unified memory (one pool) split between graphics memory and system memory. the partition between the two pools within the 512MB block is variable meaning that Devs do have control over memory allocation to the GPU, but there are no guarantees about the size of the memory available - it depends on the behavior of game and graphics code at run time. Practically speaking, the 512MB of memory in the 360 splits in roughly the same proportion as the 50/50 split on PS3, it's just not a hard split.

Both of those older consoles are memory limited and use overlays to run code larger than the physical memory available.