By: Sarju Shah - Posted on Friday, December 19, 2008

Back in 2006 (when the current generation of consoles was still called the next generation) we did our first Xbox 360 vs. PlayStation 3 graphics comparison. Since then we've released rounds 2, 3, and 4, but we hadn't touched the third rail--the PC--until now. The graphics comparison features started out as a way to examine which console had better graphics, but readers began asking us to include PC image comparisons for games available on all three platforms. We focused on more recent games for our current comparison, because those are the games people are still buying and playing. You'll likely recognize many of the shots from our previous graphics comparisons. The results aren't terribly surprising, but the differences are still interesting to see. A well-equipped PC beats both consoles easily--of course, that same PC also costs three to four times more than either of the consoles.

On the PC, we used FRAPs to capture images at 1920x1080 resolution. We equipped our test PC with high-end components, a GeForce 280 GTX, and a quad-core Intel Core 2 CPU. The PC allowed us to enable high-quality settings in most games and have plenty of power left over to kick antialiasing up to 4x and anisotropic filtering up to 8x. For the consoles, we captured all of our images over HDMI with games running at 720p resolution, and we enabled full HDMI range on the PS3.  

Each game has four sets of rollover images. The first image is a full screenshot set resized to fit the width of the page, followed by a zoomed-in image set that we created by cropping the original screen grabs to show you how the games look at a 1:1 pixel ratio. To easily compare the PC to the consoles, we scaled down the original 1920x1080 PC images to 1280x720 and cropped from there. The third and fourth image sets follow the same pattern. Mouse over the captions to swap the images back and forth. Keep in mind that these are large screenshots, so viewers with slow Internet connections should expect to wait a while for images to load.

Fallout 3

A Washington, DC, teeming with automotive executives seeking government aid isn't nearly as dismal as the postapocalyptic DC setting in Fallout 3. Shadows and lighting change according to the game's day-and-night cycle, and we made sure to match timestamps for our comparison shots. In what will come as no surprise, the PC shames both consoles in the image-quality comparison. Everything from the textures to the antialiasing to the reflections looks better on the PC. Foliage, piping, and far-off buildings look far superior on the PC due to transparency antialiasing effects. Even draw distance is better on the PC, as the rocks and a fence near the burned-out bus aren't even visible on the consoles.

PC       Xbox 360       PlayStation 3      

PC       Xbox 360       PlayStation 3      

PC       Xbox 360       PlayStation 3      

PC       Xbox 360       PlayStation 3      

4149 Comments

  • EYE0NE posted Jul 2, 2009 11:57 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    EYE0NE

    Posted Jul 2, 2009 11:57 am PT (hide)

    I used to keep my PC updated. But I've gotten too far behind now. It'd cost me \$1500 to be able to run the new stuff now. Since most stuff comes out on 360 anyway, I'll just stick with that.

  • wowwow27 posted Jul 1, 2009 10:09 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    wowwow27

    Posted Jul 1, 2009 10:09 am PT (hide)

    the pc blows the consoles out the water, and since i have a 360 its a no brainer that i use my controller on the pc.

  • MTMind2 posted Jul 1, 2009 7:09 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    MTMind2

    Posted Jul 1, 2009 7:09 am PT (hide)

    guys, it is one person responsible for most of the thumbs down votes here. hes been doing it for ages now with multiple accounts.

    so to get a better idea of the real votes around here and in the other comparison topics, just add 10 to each post you see.

  • EYE0NE posted Jun 30, 2009 8:17 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    EYE0NE

    Posted Jun 30, 2009 8:17 am PT (hide)

    @ Cheesehead9099

    Because people get pissy when someone bashes their console. On one of the other comparison articles I said the PS3 was harder to program for and got thumbs downed 10 times. It's stupid really.

  • Cheesehead9099 posted Jun 29, 2009 5:20 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Cheesehead9099

    Posted Jun 29, 2009 5:20 pm PT (hide)

    whats with all the comments being rated so low?

  • Decrate posted Jun 26, 2009 8:52 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Decrate

    Posted Jun 26, 2009 8:52 pm PT (hide)

    lol

  • falloutguy318 posted Jun 18, 2009 9:19 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    falloutguy318

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

    I made my own pc that costs about \$700 and It runs fallout 3 just fine with no crashes and I looks beautiful on my LCD screen

  • stonegolem posted Jun 15, 2009 7:41 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    stonegolem

    Posted Jun 15, 2009 7:41 pm PT (hide)

    PS3 has the worst graphics within 3 systems (I'm talking about Fallout 3).
    look at the trees and brushes on console screencaps and compare them with PC caps.

  • auspicious12345 posted Jun 14, 2009 5:14 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    auspicious12345

    Posted Jun 14, 2009 5:14 pm PT (hide)

    also, i think ps3 wins, becuase it won best graphics of the year and best graphics of E3 by way of mgs 4 and uncharted 2

  • auspicious12345 posted Jun 14, 2009 5:10 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    auspicious12345

    Posted Jun 14, 2009 5:10 pm PT (hide)

    still a bogus comparison, should run the ps3 at 1080 p if its actually a battle of graphical prowess

  • madkiller32k posted Jun 14, 2009 2:31 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    madkiller32k

    Posted Jun 14, 2009 2:31 pm PT (hide)

    So many comments blocked.

  • eal-zubieri posted Jun 13, 2009 10:27 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    eal-zubieri

    Posted Jun 13, 2009 10:27 am PT (hide)

    i know that the PC shame the both consoles at graphics but the 360 and the ps3 shame the PC at controllers.

  • BaraChat posted Jun 10, 2009 4:04 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    BaraChat

    Posted Jun 10, 2009 4:04 pm PT (hide)

    I don't own a PC, but it looks (for me, anyway a wee bit better on it.
    As for PS3 vs 360, well it's pretty much the same, depending on the screenshot.

  • A-N-T-O-N posted Jun 1, 2009 10:47 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    A-N-T-O-N

    Posted Jun 1, 2009 10:47 pm PT (hide)

    Some console fanboys says You'll spends thousands on computers. Well, this may be true. (Not thousands. maybe 1.2 thousand) but the other \$600 is for the computer itself. Internet, Windows OS and all that stuff. Gaming is only a fraction of the PC. PC can do so much more then consoles. PC can access the largest network in history, The Internet. Not just for gaming, but for everyday uses, YouTube, Stock Markets and this website itself is ran by PC's (Linux maybe). Take out everything from the PC except for Gaming. And then price will most likely be at the same range.

  • kong_sevixnine posted May 26, 2009 9:06 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    kong_sevixnine

    Posted May 26, 2009 9:06 pm PT (hide)

    Hey, doesn't anyone know that you can adjust brightness and sharpness settings on your HDTV? Or does anyone actually have one?

  • pcultimate posted May 26, 2009 4:07 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    pcultimate

    Posted May 26, 2009 4:07 am PT (hide)

    they shouldnt compare such games,they should compare the best of each(sommthing like gears vs. crysis vs.killzone or smthing)because come on comparing a console to a pc is ridiculous i mean my pc gives wayyy better details than my ps3...btw why do ps3 screens look so much worse than the real thing everywhere i mean that on my led7 tv it looks 10 times better than that.

  • WizengamotX posted May 25, 2009 10:54 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    WizengamotX

    Posted May 25, 2009 10:54 pm PT (hide)

    The personal computer screen shots are superior to the Microsoft XBox 360 screen shots, which, in turn, trump those of the Sony PlayStation 3 console.

  • fatpumba3 posted May 22, 2009 4:27 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    fatpumba3

    Posted May 22, 2009 4:27 am PT (hide)

    Funny thing is that the Xbox Fallout 3 looks way better than both PC and PS3.

  • MTMind2 posted May 20, 2009 11:45 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    MTMind2

    Posted May 20, 2009 11:45 pm PT (hide)

    speedy5212 says "Agreed prsr4000 but the reason multiplatform games don't look better on ps3 is that they are ported to ps3 from xbox360"

    some games are made with the ps3 as the lead platform and then ported to 360, like Burnout paradise and mirror's edge, and yet even then, the ps3 and 360 versions are on par with each other. the reason is because the consoles are so close in power, not because one game is ported to the other.

    "if you really want to compare both consoles , compare their exclusives , why? because they are made on them and are made to use of the certain console's hardware"

    exclusives can push the hardware more, thats true, but it tells us more about the ability of the devs than the hardware itself. look at Haze and Killzone2 for example, both are exclusive FPS games for the PS3, and yet one sucks and the other is awesome. some of the ps3 exclusive devs are the best in the business, and so if they were creating exclusive games for 360, they would be getting just as good results on that console, with the haze devs getting just as poor results on 360.

  • mixcal posted May 14, 2009 4:37 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    mixcal

    Posted May 14, 2009 4:37 pm PT (hide)

    LOL Why would you compare to a PC anyway? Nice GameSpot haha as if it isn't already obvious enough that the PC will outclass any console over time

  • grantstter posted May 9, 2009 1:07 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    grantstter

    Posted May 9, 2009 1:07 pm PT (hide)

    sorry... more realism *to what your looking at

  • grantstter posted May 9, 2009 1:06 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    grantstter

    Posted May 9, 2009 1:06 pm PT (hide)

    One could say that a certain level of blurriness in the draw distance, if done correctly, gives more realism what your looking at. And thats what we are striving for in games right?

  • zeeshan810

    Posted May 8, 2009 2:54 pm PT

    whaoo PS3 has low graphics for GTA IV.

    PC has the highest - sharpness Xbox 360 _________ Blurry
    PS3 _____________More Blurry

    Cheers, Rockstar Games

  • speedy5212 posted May 5, 2009 4:57 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    speedy5212

    Posted May 5, 2009 4:57 am PT (hide)

    Agreed prsr4000 but the reason multiplatform games don't look better on ps3 is that they are ported to ps3 from xbox360 not completely made again on ps3 devkit but as for exclusives they take advantage of ps3's cell processor and blu-ray massive space. So well if you really want to compare both consoles , compare their exclusives , why? because they are made on them and are made to use of the certain console's hardware

  • prsr4000 posted Apr 30, 2009 11:48 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    prsr4000

    Posted Apr 30, 2009 11:48 am PT (hide)

    I own a gaming PC and all other 3 consoles (PS3, Xbox 360 & Wii). Comparing graphics quality with Wii is not need here as it is a different type of play there. To me on graphics certainly PC has the advantage of easy upgrades and if you have a great graphics card and good amount of memory you'll get bigger quality. But comparison Xbox 360 and PS3. PS3 are for exclusives only. I played Killzone 2 few days back and the quality of the textures the environmental effects etc. is awesome. Xbox 360 is nowhere near to PS3 on exclusives. But when comparing the games available for both Xbox and PS3 I think 360 stands a tiny step ahead. All are great machines in its own way, pick one of those and start playing. I connect all the consoles via my Epson EB W6 projector on 85" screen. Message me if anyone want to know how to set it up.

  • pureskull123 posted Apr 29, 2009 4:09 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    pureskull123

    Posted Apr 29, 2009 4:09 pm PT (hide)

    anyways sorry for bad english, its not my native language.

  • hedgy1 posted Apr 29, 2009 7:47 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    hedgy1

    Posted Apr 29, 2009 7:47 am PT (hide)

    @ pureskull123: You are the worst kind of fanboy. You are the elitist jerk who built his own computer, and now you're looking for a way to justify your purchase. You are a disgrace to people, like me, who built their own computers. There is a reason why people buy computers preassembled from Falcon NW, Alienware/Dell, etc. People buy these because they are almost always of rock-solid build quality, or they just don't want to deal with learning how to build a computer. Don't ever condone piracy on a gaming website, you bafoon.
    And don't question a website's integrity about advertising when you're trying to sell us Newegg crap.
    You're pathetic.

  • pureskull123 posted Apr 25, 2009 3:40 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    pureskull123

    Posted Apr 25, 2009 3:40 pm PT (hide)

    @Saint ducky
    Yeah ull spend thoushands of dollars IF YOU BUY THE PC FROM ALIENWARE OR DELL!!!!!!!
    Only Guys who dont know MUCH about pcs buy from websites like dell, northwestern falcon, or alienware.
    If you assemble a computer the day the consoles come out, youll spend more like 1200 dollars with already a hd monitor 1080p AND A VIDEO CARD THAT SHAMES BOTH CONSOLES.
    Plus the fact that you can get your games free off the internet, and the games are rather cheap for the pc if you plan on playing online.
    So A pc will always be ftw, Its even POCKET WISE if you dont let other companies rip you off.
    place to buy cheap parts and assemble a pc is newegg.com

    OMFG DONT ERASE THIS, THERE IS NOTHING OFFENSIVE IN IT!!!

  • pureskull123 posted Apr 25, 2009 1:21 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    pureskull123

    Posted Apr 25, 2009 1:21 pm PT (hide)

    btw my post is moderated so dont erase gamespot, Or are you trying to defend the companies u advertise for???
    Like dell alienware, north falcon ibuypower etc. yeah whatever man those companies rip u off pretty badly.

  • ioannisdenton posted Apr 25, 2009 8:34 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    ioannisdenton

    Posted Apr 25, 2009 8:34 am PT (hide)

    man , ps3 is SO overated. it is the most expensive console and i don t need a blue ray. if i was to buy a console i d buy an xbox or a wii. but i am a proud pc owner

  • aekforever posted Apr 25, 2009 3:44 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    aekforever

    Posted Apr 25, 2009 3:44 am PT (hide)

    PC is undoubtly better. Expected since it has the latest hardware so it's not really fair.
    Xbox 360 vs ps3 graphics. In my opinion xbox 360 looks better(most times) when games are made for both consoles but when you compare exclusives, xbox 360 is no match for ps3.

  • jemoedr posted Apr 24, 2009 4:24 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    jemoedr

    Posted Apr 24, 2009 4:24 am PT (hide)

    i think they should compare more games. As there's a big difference in the creator of the game as well. I dare to bet that Final Fantasy 13 will look much better on the PS3 as on the Xbox360.

    Another important thing is that the PS3 has blue ray and the Xbox360 has not.

  • coaltango posted Apr 22, 2009 10:35 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    coaltango

    Posted Apr 22, 2009 10:35 am PT (hide)

    y only four games?? when is the next grfx comparison coming out since now we have burnout, C&C Red alert.also games like mirrors edge.

  • bct90 posted Apr 20, 2009 7:26 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    bct90

    Posted Apr 20, 2009 7:26 pm PT (hide)

    I have GTA4 on ps3 with HDMI hooked up, it doesnt look anything like that! the pictures this web site shows are blury and dark, on my tv it looks crystal clear.

  • Saint_Ducky posted Apr 13, 2009 8:54 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Saint_Ducky

    Posted Apr 13, 2009 8:54 am PT (hide)

    The PC can pretty much always put out better graphics because you can constantly upgrade it, where as with a console you're stuck with what you get Of course, the drawback with a PC is that you'll spend thousands of dollars trying to get it to look as good as it can, and on consoles you'll spend one set price and it does just as good. Really though, when you're playing the game you're not going to notice any of these differences.

  • bobbyb2003 posted Apr 12, 2009 2:17 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    bobbyb2003

    Posted Apr 12, 2009 2:17 pm PT (hide)

    I like this revised edition mainly because it reminds everyone that the PC still exists and not only exists but kicks ass.

  • wiiplay1 posted Apr 10, 2009 9:06 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    wiiplay1

    Posted Apr 10, 2009 9:06 am PT (hide)

    The PC graphics ARE better, but that may only be because of the hardware it's using. Gamespot probably stays on top of that, while gamers who use the PC a lot probably use that money for games, and then hardware. In other words, any other gamer likely wouldn't see this good of graphics on the PC.

  • DPGAssault posted Apr 5, 2009 12:53 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    DPGAssault

    Posted Apr 5, 2009 12:53 pm PT (hide)

    graphic comparisons with the PC is pointless.. it will obviously be much better than consoles

  • johnny27 posted Apr 3, 2009 8:23 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    johnny27

    Posted Apr 3, 2009 8:23 pm PT (hide)

    these pics are very low rez to do a comparizon high rez 1080p screen shots would help

  • ks_22 posted Apr 3, 2009 9:06 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    ks_22

    Posted Apr 3, 2009 9:06 am PT (hide)

    pc is obviously the best because you can customize and upgrade, whereas the ps3 & 360 will have the same components in the machine for about 4 to 5 years. and plus with graphic card prices going down you can get ps3/360 equivalent graphics for about £80.

    also the ps3 has better graphics than this they are being biased towards 360, check the comparisons with dead space to see what i mean. just like people said compare gow 2 to mgs4 no contest. ps3 has better graphics than 360 period no question but pc is the best.

  • vesquigio posted Mar 30, 2009 9:42 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    vesquigio

    Posted Mar 30, 2009 9:42 pm PT (hide)

    yeah but id have to give cod to the 360.. and grand theft auto may be more textured on pc but ps3 has a better color screen

  • vesquigio posted Mar 30, 2009 9:38 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    vesquigio

    Posted Mar 30, 2009 9:38 pm PT (hide)

    dude on dead space pc tottally pwns

  • vesquigio posted Mar 30, 2009 9:35 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    vesquigio

    Posted Mar 30, 2009 9:35 pm PT (hide)

    yeah first i thought about getting a 360 then a ps3 then finnally i thought about pc.
    well, for one, xbox 360 will probably be obsolete soon
    the ps3, for some reason, is just plain dislikeable- i can't quite make it out.
    pc seemed to be the best option- best graphics, free online, hdmi, and isnt there something just so great about having a gaming pc? i cant quite make it out...

  • Moloch121 posted Mar 28, 2009 8:18 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Moloch121

    Posted Mar 28, 2009 8:18 pm PT (hide)

    I really don't think its fair at all to compare any console game to a PC game they ALWAYS look better, DirectX 9,10 can beat a console graphics any day really. Quick-Silver Oblivion is alot more fun on the PC isnt it! 360 version isnt moddable and whoever has the pc version should know by now thats where all the fun is