Portal 2 Graphics Comparison

Portal and Portal 2 are classic examples of games where actual gameplay trumps graphics. There's nothing particularly notable about the visual complexity in either of the games, but the settings are instantly memorable. The stark white walls and ominously taunting voices have left their mark on more than a few gamers. And we're pretty certain no one has forgotten about the crudely drawn slices of cake lining some of the walls. Portal 2 sets the stage with well-made levels, small visual queues, and fantastic audio. But if we take a look at the sequel based on its technical graphical merits, we notice that there isn't a clear victor amongst the variants when it comes to graphics. You'd think the PC version would be the best by default, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Even with the benefit of access to more powerful hardware, the maximum settings in the PC game jump around in quality, sometimes adding more complexity and other times hopping a few steps back when compared to the console versions. The battle isn't even clear-cut on the consoles. Sometimes the PlayStation 3 gets a few extra features, and sometimes it doesn't. That same line can be applied to the Xbox 360. On the PC we noticed that the game was missing quite a bit of shadowing, although it did gain when it came to rustling plants and shadows, which neither of the consoles featured. Through brute speed, the PC version of the game benefits from antialiasing, anisotropic filtering, and access to higher resolutions. The PlayStation 3 version of the game benefits from antialiasing but loses some shadowing. It also seems to be running at a higher resolution before it gets upscaled. On a baffling note, the Xbox 360 version of the game features extra shadowing, but at the same time suffers from a lack of antialiasing, and it also seems to be running at a lower overall resolution before it gets upscaled. On this page we compare how Portal 2 looks across the consoles and the PC. The following page briefly goes over some of the differences we found between PC versions of the original game and the sequel. The last page shows what Portal 2 looks like with a graphical mod we found in the Steam Forums. We captured images on the Xbox 360 running at 1280x720 using a Matrox MXO2 Mini over HDMI cables. PlayStation 3 images were captured running at 1280x720 over component with an AJA Xena LH. The PlayStation 3 enables HDCP, which prevents HDMI image capture. Stills from the PC version of the game were captured using FRAPs at 1920x1080 with 4xAA&#47;16xAF with maximum quality settings running on a Radeon HD 5830. All images were shrunk down to fit into the rollover images. Zoomed images are pixel to pixel extractions from the original files, with the exception of the PC images, which were shrunk to 1280x720 and then cropped. Bedroom Note the lack of shadowing on the tables in both the PS3 and PC shots. The Xbox 360's lack of antialiasing is readily apparent on the jaggy edges of the painting on the wall. PC PS3 Xbox 360 PC PS3 Xbox 360 PC PS3 Xbox 360 PC PS3 Xbox 360 Toilets Shadowing is once again apparent on the all the versions, but keep an eye on the toilet and the table on the Xbox 360. It's the only version of the game that shadows those objects. PC PS3 Xbox 360 PC PS3 Xbox 360 Decrepit Test Chamber The Xbox 360's lower resolution is particularly evident in this scene. Note the blurriness of the arrow on the wall and the white tiles at the back of the room. PC PS3 Xbox 360 PC PS3 Xbox 360 Water Note how the water meets the edge of the ground in the PC version. The transition is particularly harsh when compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. Shadowing in the water also changes notably as we progress from the PC to the Xbox 360. The PC version does a better job of shadowing the central platform, but it's also missing much of the shadowing from overhead objects. PC PS3 Xbox 360 PC PS3 Xbox 360 Portal vs. Portal 2 When we compared the PC versions of Portal and Portal 2, we noticed that shadowing came back around the toilet in the original title. Water reflections are considerably improved in Portal 2. In the original Portal, we saw some lights reflected back, but not much else. Portal 2 takes into account the surroundings as well as lights. Portal Portal 2 Portal Portal 2 Portal Portal 2 Portal Portal 2 Portal Portal 2 Portal Portal 2 Portal 2 Graphical Mod Though Portal 2 has been out for only a week, we were able to find a graphical mod for the game. The mod's creator managed to add "two passes of SSAO at different depths, advance light diffusion, lessen the blue atmosphere by applying color correction, and added some light transfer effect (more visible around bright objects such as lights, lasers, portals. etc)." The results are definitely noticeable in the screenshots below. We have to note that the mod runs properly only on Nvidia cards at the moment. It does take some toll on performance and creates strange effects in certain scenes. The mod is still a work in progress, so hopefully the creator will be able to improve its compatibility and visuals over time. You can find more information on the mod over here. Mod Off Mod On Mod Off Mod On Mod Off Mod On Mod Off Mod On By their very nature, graphics comparisons like this tend to nitpick. No one would ever notice any of these minor changes if they simply played the game, and none of them detract from the overall gameplay. Even so, it is baffling that the PC version of the game isn't the clear-cut leader when it comes to graphics, and even more confusing when we see various graphical details waffle back and forth across the various versions.

Portal 2 Graphics Comparison

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Bedroom

Toilets

Decrepit Test Chamber

Water

Portal vs. Portal 2

Portal 2 Graphical Mod

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