By: Sarju Shah, GameSpot - Posted on November 10, 2009

Dragon Age: Origins won't leave you floored with its visuals, but it's worth pointing out the differences among the various versions. If we leave it to the consoles, the PlayStation 3 version looks cleaner because of its higher resolution textures and the increased depth the textures get from bump mapping. The Xbox 360 version looks a little worse, but it was definitely tweaked to run smoother. Unsurprisingly, the PC version runs and looks much better if you have a decent machine. Our Radeon HD 5750 churned out visuals at the highest quality settings with nary a hiccup. Aside from having much better textures, the PC version also benefits from more onscreen elements, such as bag detailing, boxes, and other minor room accoutrements.

We captured the following shots at 720p across both consoles and the PC to keep everything even. On the PC, we enabled all the highest quality settings, as well as 4x antialiasing and 8x anisotropic filtering. On the consoles, we captured the images directly over HDMI using the Matrox MXO2 Mini and used FRAPs to capture screenshots on the PC.

The first shot represents a shrunk-down version of the originals, and the second zoomed-in set is representative of an actual pixel-to-pixel comparison.

Xbox 360       PlayStation 3       PC      
Xbox 360       PlayStation 3       PC      
Xbox 360       PlayStation 3       PC      
Xbox 360       PlayStation 3       PC      

Xbox 360       PlayStation 3       PC      

Xbox 360       PlayStation 3       PC      

What do you think? Drop us a line!

875 Comments

  • MehowPwned

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 5:18 pm PT

    houdeany@

    Techinally that makes you a fanboy too tard... besides im sick of the ps3 fansboys infact I own a ps3 myself and im not hypeing about it and I also own a xbox360 and in the end I love the computer the most just becaue it has far more things you can do with it...

  • Ravenoussd

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 2:25 pm PT

    @man9z0r

    yes there has been a pc game that looks worse on pc than consoles

    madden 08

  • racer79

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 10:13 am PT

    i agree with shay00cooper, pc's always come out better when compared like for like with consoles, obviously much more expensive to run at the same rate, but if u can afford it its worth it...also mouse and keyboard always tops and joypad, atleast for rpg's (ex wow player)...but for me i cant afford a pc that can run at top spec so ps3 will do fine, also i feel its much about what screen ur watching it on too.

  • shay00cooper00

    Posted Nov 17, 2009 7:05 am PT

    Sorry guys but gotta point this out depending on the progammers and game engine used the game will look better on either PS3 or Xbox360 get used to one performing better than the other. I would also like to point out that PC will always decimate a console yes its more expensive in the long run but personally if you got the money then go for, but those idiots who think a console could out perform a PC are morons, games are designed on PC's for christ sake...do the math

  • thesovvolf

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 6:58 pm PT

    @:blazey09

    That's awfully paranoid of you, no gamespot haven't edited the pics, they'd be no gain in doing so and the 360 version having the weaker as been reported over numerous sites. You wont notice the the difference while playing because the difference isn't all that significant, you'd only really notice the difference if you put the PS3 and Xbox versions next to each other. See the reason you'll notice that the 360 pic is lighter is because you see the darker PS3 pic then go onto the xbox pic and you notice.. when playing at home well your not seeing the difference so it's like normal... if that makes sense to you... I could explain this better with the right terminology but well it's 3 in the morning here and I'm tired.

  • thesovvolf

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 6:47 pm PT

    Wow, when reading these comments I feel ashamed to be part of the gaming community... no wonder the media as a low opinion of us, look how immature we are... every caparison turns into a fan boy war... look here's three images that show the P.C version as superior graphics... PS3 owners deal with it. Here's three images showing the PS3 as superior graphics compared to the 360 so Xbox owners just deal with it. I own a 360 and I don't own a high spec computer so I have the 360 version, I'm not crying over the graphics or trying to argue about it over a internet forum, arguing and crying over this isn't going to fix it no matter how loud you shout or how many tear shoot out. Throwing a fanboy battle isn't going to change the graphics either. Just accept the facts , move on and grow up. I honestly can see how you can argue over this... you have evidence right in front of you... not only that it's been mentioned in every video or review of this that PC>PS3>360 as far as graphics are concerned.

  • x-TwilighT-x

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 12:59 pm PT

    Game runs better on Ps3 than 360, but best on PC. Who cares, get it for what u can. As far as Gpu goes with the consoles, Fallout is better on 360, this is better on ps3 w/e. My Pc runs on a 32" monitor anyway so, It's evident that is what I'd get it for.

  • KaizerJinn

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 8:35 am PT

    @knoetgen
    LoL. i guess you can see which console i prefer... but i didnt intend to make it evident. to be honest i just listed the top 360 games that came to mind and that i wanted to play(with the exception of Halo. dont like that game... not much of a FPS, but 360 fans praised the game so much that it kind of go hand and hand with the system. LoL), i was not trying to make an unfair judgement. trust me i give credit where and when credit is due.

  • Neosword

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 8:00 am PT

    I can't quite run this on the highest settings on my laptop, but the ability to change the camera and the cleaner interface swayed me in the PC version's direction.

  • houdeany

    Posted Nov 16, 2009 2:49 am PT

    Stupid fanboys..
    I'm getting this for my ps3, cos my pc is rubbish, and i don't own an xbox.
    Simple reasoning.

  • 24k_Solid_Gold

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 7:19 pm PT

    @phantom1593

    " ofc pc is way better than ps3 and xb(i.t.c.h)ox..."

    >:O That's not very nice! Just because the ps3 has better graphics, and a more powerful CPU, and a better...
    Don't hate on the 14 year olds!
    (Viva la PC!)

  • tetraswarrior

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 2:51 pm PT

    If only consoles were easily upgradable... damn you awesome controllers...

  • phantom1593

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 2:20 pm PT

    i am a proud owner of an awesome PC and an awesome PS3. and all i hear here is "f*** u console owners, pc rocks the s*** out of ya'". that's not nice dude... yes, i agree, the pc rocks the s*** out of any console, but dont say bad things about console owners. ofc pc is way better than ps3 and xb(i.t.c.h)ox, but consoles have their advantages too. i bought mine so i can play on a big tv those kind of games that dont exist on the pc. that doesnt mean u must offend me and my fellow console owners...

    PC rocks no matter what anyway xD

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 12:42 pm PT

    Mass Effect 2 thanks!

  • silennus

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 11:14 am PT

    The graphics of console games are limited by their hardware! PC games will always have better quality in graphics! XD

  • DoubleD128

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 8:50 am PT

    Im definetly getting the PC version

  • BDK-Soft

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 3:26 am PT

    Ah the myth about having to upgrade your gaming rig every 6 months is still alive and kicking I see. Just shows how dumb some people really are.

  • inferna_hermit

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 2:13 am PT

    the pc version of some games are better specialy in RPG games like Fallout3,Masseffect1,2,Dragon Age Origins,Oblivion

  • recvx_freak

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 1:59 am PT

    besides u can download pc games so there comes down ur budget of ur pc in the long run if u know what i mean

  • yogibbear

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 12:50 am PT

    I don't understand why you limit the PC resolution to 720p.... seems like an arbitrary way to hide the fact that the PC version looks insane compared to 360/PS3...

  • recvx_freak

    Posted Nov 15, 2009 12:27 am PT

    that is a huge ducking misconception that u have to spend cash every 6 months to play 1 game who the F told u that???
    all u have to do is spend good money on good things then ur pc can last for 3+ years
    i brought my Quad core + 4870 1 GB last yaer.....i havent updated it yet,,,,neither i am planning to for years to come.....
    console lovers are damn assed stupid :{

  • iNsaneMilesy posted Nov 14, 2009 11:24 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    iNsaneMilesy

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 11:24 pm PT (hide)

    I dont think PC should matter, most people dont have the cash to shell out every 6 months to upgrade just to play 1 game.

  • blazey09 posted Nov 14, 2009 10:08 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    blazey09

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 10:08 pm PT (hide)

    shame on you gamespot you edited the pics...im play the xbox 360 version right now and it looks better than that. but of course the pc would look better thats a no brainer and the game is just fun no matter what you play it for.

  • Kulcan

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 7:12 pm PT

    This game looks beautiful on PC , these screen shots do not do justice to how it actually looks . Even a mid-end PC can handle this game so well , btw , the hardware of both consoles are showing more their age. =P

  • jirf

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 6:45 pm PT

    The visuals are too bland to even care about.

  • checkining

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 6:32 pm PT

    damn, wish i had a good pc for this game. pretty crazy to think i didnt even know that the nans collar had an image on it or the shirt had stitching. big step down from the graphics in mass effect. hope they dont get lazy with ME2 (including a voice for the main character). just not as fun and engaging as it could have been.

  • jorge69696

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 5:14 pm PT

    People think they have to upgrade their PC's every year. Why? do you upgrade your xbox every year? just buy a mid-end PC and you won't have to upgrade. You can play always with medium settings. Just like your xbox. Of course if you want to crank it up you need an upgrade, but i haven't seen console users complaining about graphic quality, so.. why are you going to complaint about PC quality?

  • jorge69696

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 5:06 pm PT

    Shut up and go back to your console..

  • Spider-Jim

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 3:40 pm PT

    Like it really matters, this isn't that type of game. If they somehow ported this to DS I would still enjoy playing!

  • ketchup_addict

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 2:25 pm PT

    @Ladiesman17

    Couldn't have put it better myself. I mean how the hell can you play tactical RPG's on a console Up the PC!

  • Aloc-Acoc

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 12:08 pm PT

    PC will always have the better look because it has the best graphics and even though the playstation has the better graphics (ever so slightly!!!!) from the two consoles, i still hate the playstation console

  • Ladiesman17

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 11:10 am PT

    Consoles sucks,, PC still the best ^^

  • Dasim64

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 8:49 am PT

    @ frazzle00

    I said what I did because there were several people on the page at that time saying they didn't see any difference between the 3 versions. I was merely pointing out that the PC version was clearly better where graphics were concerned. Anyone with clear vision should be able to see that in the first 4 screens. As far as the 360 and PS3 there isn't a lot of difference really. The PS3 looks a little sharper in some places but it's not enough where I would pick that version over the 360. Like you I also read reviews to find out if there are issues on a particular system and in this case if I found out there were frame rate issues on the PS3 I would also take the 360 version not to have to deal with that. Thankfully in this case I have a PC and am enjoying it on that with no issues so far and it does look nice. However I have a huge game library for our 360, and our Wii, and at Christmas we're getting a PS3 so I'm not a fanboy of any system in particular.

  • -Unreal-

    Posted Nov 14, 2009 8:14 am PT

    My 8800GTX runs this game at 1920x1080 all settings maxed in-game, including AA.

  • TurambarGS posted Nov 13, 2009 9:02 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    TurambarGS

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 9:02 pm PT (hide)

    Eek! I wish I'd seen this before I ordered as well. Those visuals aren't great to start with (when compared to other current gen games) but the 360 version struggles even on that and my 360 CE just shipped. Then again, my PC sucks, so I don't think it would look much better on that either. Ah well.

    I don't know what it is with Bioware, but they always manage to have resource sucking engines that don't look that good. KOTOR, Mass Effect. GREAT games, fun to play and absolutely epic stories... but pretty average environments/graphics - a lot of open space with simple objects and hardly any people in it.

  • gingefails

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 8:40 pm PT

    I wish I had seen this before I ordered.
    I bought for PS3, which doesn't seem too different to the quality of the PC one. Kinda kicking myself that I ventured back on to my consoles though. 360 quality seems a little hazy.

  • IBEX333

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 8:06 pm PT

    PC pwns all....

    It's funny how some people say that the difference is insignificant. Such people only own a console and say this to make themselves feel better. The difference is HUGE and very noticeable. I mean.. Heck, the stupid consoles cant even render the stitches and ornaments on the clothes... Cant show wrinkles on skin... Small difference? give me a break!

    I keep seeing ignorant people who say that you have to pay more to play games on the PC with better quality. This is not really true. I can easily build a PC for \$700 that will run this at max settings. sure, it will be without the monitor keyboard and mouse, but it's not like your TV comes free with an xbox, and neither do your controllers. Sure, \$700 is not \$400 or \$300, but it can do so much more, and it will easily "last" for at least 2 years game performance wise, possibly more, especially with upgrades down the road. Let's not kid ourselves here... PC absolutely decimates consoles. The only advantage consoles have is a lack of fighting games on the PC - which is retarded and unreasonable, given how well SFIV runs on PCs.

  • Zloth2

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 5:22 pm PT

    "ON a PC you have to buy at least one a year unless you allready have alot of money in it."

    That's flat out wrong, but your overall gist is right. Pay more, get better game goodness. Consider the above a nice sample of what you get if you work hard in school, stay away from the nasty stuff everyone knows is nasty, and get a bit of good luck.

  • bencarps41192

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 4:58 pm PT

    made_u_look
    Sure i could have upgraded a PC 3x with the money for a PS3 but i would first have to pay at least 300 for a good enough PC so in the end which one are you paying more for. A console you never have to upgrade. ON a PC you have to buy at least one a year unless you allready have alot of money in it. THe games keep getting better so you have to keep making your PC better. I have no problem with the PC I think its great, a few of my friends have decked out PCs. I just have never been able to afford a good enough PC or the appliances.

  • anonomos_bob

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 4:38 pm PT

    its ridiculous that ppl actually fight over which one looks better. the difference is so little its stupid. but of course it looks better on pc... thats just the way it is. get over it.

  • tommynj

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 3:39 pm PT

    I realize that the pc version looks alot better but I own the 360 version of the game and have no complaints.

  • OathKeeper48

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 3:23 pm PT

    The PS3 one looke alright. But the PC is better.

  • corrus

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 3:07 pm PT

    Don't believe on that that graphic looks like x box and ps2 graphic not x box 360 and ps3.

  • made_u_look

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 3:04 pm PT

    So much hate for the pc user, console are great for certain games but some games were just meant to be on a pc. On a side note the price you paid for a ps3 you couldve upgraded your pc to be 3x times better than it with just a video card/memory upgrade that would outlast a console. Im still using a video card 3 years back and it runs games on high/ultra settings. Just defending the pc, still love consoles but pc is where I spend most of my days.

  • corrus

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 2:52 pm PT

    Don't believe on this pics i have seen few clips in youtube site and the game looks much better than that that is funny consoles like x box 360 and ps3 to have such graphic don't you think ?

  • qwerty7874 posted Nov 13, 2009 2:26 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    qwerty7874

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 2:26 pm PT (hide)

    xbox loses this round - but who cares? it blows ps3 and computer games out of the water overall when it comes to fun games.

  • dandalong07

    Posted Nov 13, 2009 2:23 pm PT

    Looks like Xbox has the worst graphics for this game. It's not even close

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