By: James Yu and Sarju Shah - Posted on Wednesday, December 6, 2006.

We expected the PlayStation 3 to ship with several games that first appeared on the Xbox 360, similar to how the Xbox 360 had a lot of Xbox ports at launch. And the PS3 did indeed arrive with a good number of games that originally shipped for the Xbox 360. This gave us the perfect opportunity to compare the graphics on both systems with several cross-platform games. You'd think that the PS3 versions would be exactly the same or slightly superior to the Xbox 360 versions, since many of these games appeared on the 360 months ago, but it seems like developers didn't use the extra time to polish up the graphics for the PS3. We found that the Xbox 360 actually had better graphics in the majority of the games we compared.

Need for Speed Carbon

Both systems have fairly similar graphics in Need for Speed Carbon, but the Xbox 360 has better lighting while the PS3 has sharper textures. The 360 has better high dynamic range lighting in the Camaro image. We're not sure if the PS3 version blurs the background tree leaves on purpose, but it's another noticeable difference. The lighting in the street shot appears more realistic on the 360, but the building textures are sharper on the PS3. We also seem to be missing some lighting and a few landmarks in the rearview mirror of the PS3 version.

Mouse over the default Xbox 360 image to see the PlayStation 3 comparison shot.





18785 Comments

  • xbox360555 posted Jul 2, 2009 11:56 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    xbox360555

    Posted Jul 2, 2009 11:56 am PT (hide)

    The 360 out matches the PS3

  • flakk88 posted Jun 24, 2009 4:43 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    flakk88

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 4:43 pm PT (hide)

    dude they both look awesome, ps3 has some gd and bad games and xbox also

  • Jim9349 posted Jun 24, 2009 8:43 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Jim9349

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 8:43 am PT (hide)

    PS3 PWNS ALL NOOBS!!!!
    asdfpojasldfhlaksjhdflkajsdiuuihn4rrf edsu8ijh sorry spider on keybord

  • BluePheonix11 posted Jun 24, 2009 7:47 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    BluePheonix11

    Posted Jun 24, 2009 7:47 am PT (hide)

    360 is just darker and has slightly better textures. I think the 360 has better lighting too, IDK. The "graphics" as in how many "edges" a model has are the same. Not in terms of the Wii, since the Wii has much less "edges" and worse textures and blablabla you know. PS3 and 360 have almost the same graphics anyway. 360 wins. But I'd rather get a PS3. Has better games IMO

  • rickyzan posted Jun 20, 2009 3:42 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    rickyzan

    Posted Jun 20, 2009 3:42 pm PT (hide)

    ps3 is way better

  • luukkas posted Jun 16, 2009 5:57 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    luukkas

    Posted Jun 16, 2009 5:57 pm PT (hide)

    Project Natal = Wii 2

    Just more casual games

    Drive a little car, and wait my daddy to change the wheels

    Yeah, really sounds better than MGS4, Kilzzone2, Gears of war...

    End of story.

  • Blitzscorch2 posted Jun 11, 2009 7:42 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Blitzscorch2

    Posted Jun 11, 2009 7:42 pm PT (hide)

    Project Natal.

    End of story.

  • dont_know_2 posted Jun 10, 2009 12:42 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    dont_know_2

    Posted Jun 10, 2009 12:42 am PT (hide)

    i think 360 graphics r better and i have a ps3 but there is something on settings on ps3 that make everything better so i think ps3 wins in my opinion

  • Lantern-Cusp posted Jun 4, 2009 10:41 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Lantern-Cusp

    Posted Jun 4, 2009 10:41 pm PT (hide)

    its funny because i have both 360 and ps3, and on these pics 360 looks better, but when i play these games in my home on my tv, the ps3 looks better....interesting

  • XxDark_Knight posted May 30, 2009 8:12 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    XxDark_Knight

    Posted May 30, 2009 8:12 am PT (hide)

    I think ps3 is better.

  • Decrate posted May 15, 2009 9:23 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Decrate

    Posted May 15, 2009 9:23 pm PT (hide)

    i never read this one

    hey but we are already at round 4 here at gamespot and the 360 still wins...

    damnit when is the ps3 gunna win....

  • xaero_a posted May 5, 2009 2:58 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    xaero_a

    Posted May 5, 2009 2:58 pm PT (hide)

    This is simply the begining... let's see how the games measure up at the end of the ps3 era. yup, era

  • bill2510 posted Apr 26, 2009 7:16 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    bill2510

    Posted Apr 26, 2009 7:16 am PT (hide)

    on*

  • elnsour posted Apr 24, 2009 5:01 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    elnsour

    Posted Apr 24, 2009 5:01 am PT (hide)

    ps3 a best best best........

  • f0rg0tt3n posted Apr 24, 2009 2:18 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    f0rg0tt3n

    Posted Apr 24, 2009 2:18 am PT (hide)

    LoL at the PS3 fanboys. They do everything to explain the 200 $ extra cash spend. Take the time to read the Gamespot's comment on every game and then Post your comment with "yeah, the PS3 is much better, it is just that it costs double and all the games are made first for 360 and that is why they are so bad"
    If it is so good you don't need to say it everytime. And by the look of these pictures i realy think the 360 is better.

  • rockstarking94 posted Apr 19, 2009 4:35 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    rockstarking94

    Posted Apr 19, 2009 4:35 pm PT (hide)

    look at the first picture.notice on the xbox 360 the guy on the right has hair and on the ps3 he is bald wtf

  • Drake_Bell004 posted Apr 18, 2009 7:18 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Drake_Bell004

    Posted Apr 18, 2009 7:18 am PT (hide)

    Xbox360 is better than Ps3.Because Ps3 price so high and Their graphics are same.There is no difference between them.just there few games are different.That's the fact.

  • AkiraMaru posted Apr 11, 2009 3:52 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    AkiraMaru

    Posted Apr 11, 2009 3:52 am PT (hide)

    The only difference in Call of Duty 3 is post production effects.

  • jackdav posted Apr 2, 2009 12:02 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    jackdav

    Posted Apr 2, 2009 12:02 pm PT (hide)

    there's only one way to find out..... FIGHT!!

  • sakaiXxX posted Apr 1, 2009 1:25 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    sakaiXxX

    Posted Apr 1, 2009 1:25 am PT (hide)

    huh...I see that ps3 is better except for the missing building........

  • shehan001 posted Mar 31, 2009 11:14 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    shehan001

    Posted Mar 31, 2009 11:14 am PT (hide)

    xbox 360 & ps3 both consoles look same.

  • AirForceGamer posted Mar 19, 2009 9:18 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    AirForceGamer

    Posted Mar 19, 2009 9:18 am PT (hide)

    oNE thing I notice about ps3 is the lvs get lighter but they both look the same in all the the other areas. Except the last screen where the rear view mirror shows more details in the 360 screen.

  • mat345 posted Mar 18, 2009 7:04 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    mat345

    Posted Mar 18, 2009 7:04 am PT (hide)

    xbox the best

  • coolkid93 posted Mar 15, 2009 1:41 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    coolkid93

    Posted Mar 15, 2009 1:41 pm PT (hide)

    The ps3 has some games that looks better than the 360 and the 360 has some games that looks better than the ps3. So really it's TIED.

  • 85072 posted Mar 14, 2009 8:40 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    85072

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 8:40 pm PT (hide)

    NFS carbon= PS3
    COD 3= 360
    Madden= equal
    marvel= equal
    NBA= PS3
    Fight night= PS3
    Tony hawk= equal
    tiger woods= equal

    overall about the same for both consoles with certain versions having better detail but overall its the same.

  • HiResDes posted Mar 13, 2009 8:01 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    HiResDes

    Posted Mar 13, 2009 8:01 am PT (hide)

    @S3RAF1M
    The 360's main limitations are the storage capacity of its discs, but even this comes with a slight advantage of games loading faster on the 360 because data can be read faster from dvd's than blu-ray discs...The 360s specs are fairly close to the PS3s, with its GPU actually edging the latter out by a slight margin. Do some research before you start making such grandiose assumptions.

  • xXZak-ataKXx posted Mar 12, 2009 4:29 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    xXZak-ataKXx

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 4:29 pm PT (hide)

    ps3 is better here,...

  • Princess_Rectum

    Posted Feb 26, 2009 2:32 am PT

    Maybe they should test the Xbox 360 versions at 720p and the PS3 games at 1080p... you know, to show which system is REALLY better, graphically :\ No really, that's like comparing the Wii and the Xbox 360, and saying "Here's how Halo 3 would look on the Wii's graphics engine" in an attempt to compare the two system's graphical powers..

  • Xaviersx posted Feb 22, 2009 6:59 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Xaviersx

    Posted Feb 22, 2009 6:59 am PT (hide)

    It's the fight for the pretty girls to choose from, one costs more upfront, the other is slightly less pretty and may cost you more down the road, and the majority of people, dating the okay looking but fun girl named Wii. Beauty may be skin deep, but the heart wants what the heart wants. I'll go for backwards compatibility and a catalog of games I'll enjoy playing, and hopefully the those two things are in sync, which means Xbox 360 for me. I may get a PS3 way down the line when most of its games are reduced cost as well as the system.

  • Nintendofan19

    Posted Feb 20, 2009 7:04 pm PT

    PS3 definitely outlasts the 360 in graffics...

  • L4B-R4T posted Feb 19, 2009 7:15 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    L4B-R4T

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 7:15 pm PT (hide)

    @MTMind2 - ..... *facepalm* no you're mistaken the game the producer in the link is working on is called "Red Faction: Guerrilla" as in Guerrilla Warfare. Not Guerrilla as in the Killzone developers. He works for THQ and the said game IS multiplatform.

    Beyond3d is a tech site. It's filled with tech heads and people who know how to develop games and often tend to be programmers and developers themselves, they discuss stuff just out of interest. They are the ones who found out that Halo 3 was 640p (no AA) and got Bungie to admit it, Ninja Gaiden 2 was 585p, and recently that Star Ocean 4 is 1248x702 no AA field, 882x496 no AA in battle. They count the pixils to find it out.

    Your point is pointless, I already told you the logical answer to why multiplatform is even and why developers goals are only to keep both versions even, but you only seem to want to ignore it. My first post said it all, and there is no reason to continue to repeat myself or to continue to waist my time here. My brother who visited today, already thinks I am waisting my time arguing with others on a forum. I already broke my don't bother responding rule twice now... I won't break it again. Now if you would be so kind as to not leave an argumentative response to this post (in order to try to tempt me back) I would greatly appreciate it thanks. So with that ... I'm off.

    EDIT FOR THE POST ABOVE - Since you insist (though I don't feel it's my place to do so) his alias on beyond3d is joker454. He said that releasing an inferior version gives bad press, & reflects badly on the studio. But putting out two versions that are identical reflects very nicely on the studio & yields lots of good press. And he said that if power had to remain unused to achieve this goal then so be it, the consumers won't know and won't care. Not to mention the sales would take a hit if one was worse than the other, publishers don't want that, they want to make money and spend as little as they have to.

    And the other part you are twisting words to suit your purpose, he never even said "little" in fact he just said that the PS3 has the potential for better graphics than 360 by how much he didn't say. Don't put words in his mouth please. And no I don't hold the game on a pedistal, I don't even care about it since I never played the past games, and THQ are far from being my favorite devs.

  • L4B-R4T posted Feb 19, 2009 9:17 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    L4B-R4T

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 9:17 am PT (hide)

    Sigh *facepalm* I just had to come back and look out of curiosity. Okay I will play your game for a little longer.

    First of all the developer I refered to from beyond3d is NOT a PS3 only developer and has no affiliation with Sony at all. He is a multiplatform freelance developer who works for 3'rd party companies. But has lately been programming more for the PS3 versions (and has grown to like it) because since they are in really high demand he never runs out of work. So he knows what he is doing, and like I said IS an unbiased 3'rd party source. So if he say's the publishers only want them to make the games even then that is what they will do. Just fyi claiming sources are biased in an argument reflects badly on you, makes you look desperate.

    Next the ghostbusters dev it did say this "Thanks to the team's goal of making the game equal on both platforms, that won't be happening" really you could just use common sense publishers only want the games to be even and sell well and make them more money, they do not want to spend money on extra time and effort and they ARE the boss. You think that people like him say such things for nothing? Of course exclusives are always the best do to more time and effort... whats your point? And you do realize that developers give such percentages themselves over different stuff, it's around 30% to be more accurate. So they have no idea what they are talking about?

  • L4B-R4T posted Feb 19, 2009 3:02 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    L4B-R4T

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 3:02 am PT (hide)

    @MTMind2 - Read This. There is also another developers response on an article that said along the lines of "someday there may be a high budget 1'st party PS3 title that comes along and uses all of the Cells SPE's and does things the xbox 360 can't."

    If they were completely even then the comments above wouldn't have been said, the PS3 does have a faster CPU and faster RAM, as well as an equal powered GPU and same amount of RAM as the 360. When all is said and done the PS3 is at least somewhere around 30% more powerful than the 360, yet nowhere near a high end PC. Accept it and get over it and move on.

    Now I know you will say this "But how come all multiplatform games are even if this is true" so I will already answer it. The answer is simple the first reason is it's not cost or time efficient to put any extra work into the other version, particularly in the PS3's case.

    The PS3's Cpu Cell architecture is different and more complicated than the 360's and PC's (which architecture is simular). It requires more time and work in it as it is. Which would cost money to the publishers if more time and work was put in it, which IS a big no no to the greedy publishers. Which brings me to my next point.

    I know a freelance programmer on the beyond3d forums who has been hired as a PS3 programmer. Anyway he stated almost exactly as I stated above. The bosses (publishers) want nothing more than for the games to be even on both platforms, they don't want extra time or work to be put in. And they DO have deadlines you know. It is bad for the publishers if one platforms version is inferior to the other because it hurts sales. It also reflects badly on the developers if they release an inferior version. They want both versions even nothing more. Which in no way reflects badly on the PS3's power.

    This is exactly why the guy at the top said that "a high budget 1'st party title may come along and do things the 360 can't". See the high budget 1'st party part? It's different for multiplatform devs, you can figure it out from that. Which is also why some will say the 360 is the lowest common denominator and is holding the PS3 back... and you know what... they aren't really wrong.

  • L4B-R4T posted Feb 19, 2009 3:00 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    L4B-R4T

    Posted Feb 19, 2009 3:00 am PT (hide)

    @MTMind2 from Voltergeist - The majority of PC games are designed almost entirely separately and feature vastly different back-end stuff. Because it's not for a dedicated console, they're also more prone to glitches. As a result, PC versions are very rarely better than their console counterparts but have the advantage of supporting a wider variety of mods.

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Xbox 360 Versus PlayStation 3 Graphics Comparison

Forget spec comparisons. Let's advance the Xbox 360 versus PlayStation 3 graphics debate to screenshots now that the games are here.

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