Version: 2008

Comments on: Sony: PS3 is hard to develop for--on purpose

The Japanese electronics powerhouse is making it hard on developers to create games for the PlayStation 3, and believe it or not, the company is fine with that.

Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 5 pages (258 Comments)
by MosX February 28, 2009 3:10 PM PST
Some of the people at Sony can make some really idiotic comments sometimes. It's part of the reason why I still don't have a PS3.
Reply to this comment
by biggstuu February 28, 2009 5:34 PM PST
So you dont own one because of what someone says? Great way to think for yourself. Keep up the good work.
by thesimbadogg February 28, 2009 7:24 PM PST
though the guys at sony do make dumb comments sometimes, your comment really does take the cake. they make dumb comments, which is why you wont buy a console? as dumb as it gets buddy...

anyways, i wont even sweat the sale old developers saying the ps3 is too hard to develop for. look as the ps2...i think the same people were saying that, what was it...8 years ago now? I think they do have somewhat of a point, the harder the console is to develop for, the more people start to come up w/ nice tips and tricks for making games for it. i mean, gran turismo 4 looked absolutely stunning when that came out. and that was what...year 5? same with god of war 2...i think that was another year 4-5 release. i dont think there's any other console that has even been in production that had games coming out, 5,6,7, and 8 years later that looked seriously better every year. i was looking at some screen shots for MLB the show for ps3, and they looked amazing.
http://playstation.joystiq.com/photos/mlb-09-the-show-ps2/ check out the screens, and tell me this doesn't look impressive...and for that matter, even better than anything you really find on a much newer and more expensive wii
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 12:55 AM PST
LOL... yea, that's a good reason for not buying a PS3. (rolls eyes) Actually, what the Sony rep said is FAR smarter than anything you or Don said. He understands long-term thinking and quality control. Don's type of thinking is why our country (and world) is in the current economic crisis.

Basically, a translation of Don and the other lazy developers is... Make the PS3 like every other piece of junk we develop for so we can just churn out our lowest common denominator cr*p and make lots of $ with at little work as possible.

Sounds like the old M$ vs Mac developer story as well. Sony is smart enough to realize you don't need a zillion cr*p titles... you just need a certain number of excellent ones from developers innovative enough to think their way past a spreadsheet.
by BlitzBoy1120 March 1, 2009 7:48 AM PST
I have to agree with SteveW928 to a certain degree. Sony is taking a huge blow right now for having a system that developers can't develop on (which is kinda ironic). However, the developers that do produce games on the PS3 turn out far more amazing than ones developed on the 360. It's that developers are just in for the money these days. Burnout Paradise is a good example. It was developed on the PS3. It looks amazing. MGS4 looks amazing. Killzone 2 looks amazing. Uncharted and Uncharted 2 look amazing. Ratchet and Clank looked amazing, almost Pixar like. Sony is definitely in for the money (obviously), but the Cell is there for quality as well.
by timber2005 March 1, 2009 11:46 AM PST
He said its PART of the reason. Not "its the SOLE reason".
by manualfunky March 1, 2009 2:15 PM PST
i'll never go to america because most of what all americans say is dumb... and you just proved it buddy
by Spartan_458 March 1, 2009 4:51 PM PST
PS3: Now with built-in stupidity!
by pentest March 2, 2009 8:14 AM PST
"Basically, a translation of Don and the other lazy developers is"

You are assuming that Don actually knows anything about software or hardware.
by screamapillar March 3, 2009 3:13 PM PST
In defence of MosX, the CEO saying something stupid (regardless of the debate of if what he said was actually stupid or not) IS a good reason to not buy the system. Why? Because it is indicitive of the level of care, attention and quality in the system the organisation produces. The CEO represents and leads the organisation and its priorities; you'd be foolish to expect quality from an organisation with a stupid leader or one that makes foolish public statements.
by SteveW928 March 3, 2009 5:37 PM PST
@ screamapillar - I agree with you.... IF the CEO had said something really stupid, that might be a sign to at least have some caution over future products, or be suspect about current support, etc. However if the CEO says very wise things, then it is probably an additional reason to buy from them. Works both ways..... so the debate here really is over whether he said something stupid or very smart.
See more comment replies
by Don Key February 28, 2009 3:13 PM PST
Why do you write these inviting the Sony fanboys in here to drool and scream like little children?
Reply to this comment
by Prince2k3 February 28, 2009 3:57 PM PST
Funny how you sound like a fanboy yourself.
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 12:55 AM PST
Don is a closet PS3 fanboy. ;)
by Zamoreta February 28, 2009 3:31 PM PST
Sony's strategy is pointless. Especially during a recession when consumers and developers are stretched extra thin.
Reply to this comment
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 12:57 AM PST
No, the Sony strategy is exactly what they need to do... quality control and long term thinking. It is the opposite thinking that got most of the other companies into the current economic crisis in the first place. Unless more people start thinking like this, we'll never get out.
by atomD21 March 1, 2009 12:26 PM PST
Ummm, Steve? How is making developers not want to put extra effort in to make a superior product a good thing? I want a PS3 and will enjoy it very much when I get it, but SCE (Sony Computer Entertainment) has had their heads up their butts for a long time now. The lagging sales of the PS3 are testament to the fact that they thought they could do no wrong, but did. Pride comes before a fall. I just hope the PS4 is a return to form for Sony and helps spur gaming on to something new.
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 4:22 PM PST
@ atomD21

First, to get good games, developers need to put in extra effort (than the ones doing cookie-cutter stuff). Making a hum-ho system without extra capabilities just makes that more likely to happen. Maybe Sony wants good stuff developed for the PS3 and doesn't care so much that all the cr*p gets ported over from the lazy developers.

PS3 sales might be lagging a bit, but I'm not sure what this has to do with the quality of the product and games. Do you only buy the most popular stuff? It's kind of like the M$ vs. Apple argument. I buy a computer because it is the best at what I want it to do, not because it is winning a popularity contest. The only reason popularity is important, is so that titles get developed. PS3 has PLENTY of market share for that to happen.

So, I guess my question to you is..... what is wrong with the current PS3? I think Sony, through designing a superior product, is hoping to further spur gaming to something new. Now they just have to drag the developers, kicking and screaming, along into the future. All you have to do is look at some of the titles developed for the PS3 exclusively to see what can be done. If it was so hard... how did those developers manage?
by ralfthedog March 1, 2009 10:03 PM PST
SteveW928,

"So, I guess my question to you is..... what is wrong with the current PS3?"

Needs about twice as much memory. Other than that, it is great.
by SteveW928 March 2, 2009 10:17 AM PST
@ ralfthedog - are you saying from a developer's standpoint? Or... as a user (hard drive space maybe?). If as a user, you can easily increase hard drive space. As a developer, I suppose that would be a reasonable thing to ask for... though as I stated, many developers are doing amazing things with it as is. If that's the problem that is being complained about, then that's what the article should have stated rather than the lame arguments given.
by Art Dir March 2, 2009 2:16 PM PST
"So, I guess my question to you is..... what is wrong with the current PS3?"

The fan. I love my ps3, games and blue-ray in one machine?great, but I hate the fan noise. Mine is quiet for the first 10 or 15 minutes of use, then the fan kicks in and greatly diminishes the experience. I have a great home theater set up and having the noisy fan kick in sucks. The unit sits vertically is in a large closet right now next to the TV in my bedroom so it gets plenty of ventilation. Even with the closet door closed it's like watching TV while someone uses a hair dryer in the next room.
by mouseclick March 2, 2009 8:54 PM PST
SteveW928: Let me get this straight... You say "Sony strategy is exactly what they need to do... quality control and long term thinking..." Sony still loses $50+ per console 2+ years later, and is expected to do so for another 2+ years or so while the Xbox 360 has been making money per console for more than a year now and sells for $100-200 less. It is a company operating in the red that leads to layoffs. So, not very thoughtful during an "economic crisis."
by SteveW928 March 3, 2009 6:13 PM PST
@ Art Dir - Yes, the fan is noisy, though if you have really good ventilation it almost always runs at the slowest speed unless you're running some heavy game or Folding@home or something like that. I actually have mine in a stereo cabinet but have a fan system setup in the cabinet to move air through it. Or, I suppose in hot weather if the room is hot, it would run higher speeds more easily. I guess my question on this one would be how noisy an Xbox is. I can't imagine it runs quiet considering the CPUs it has... given I've had a number of relatively noisy Macs with similar CPU. I'm not sure I'd say hairdryer... but yes, it is louder than my HTPC... which is louder than any of my other A/V gear.

@ mouseclick - first, xboxes aren't $100 to $200 less. For a similarly equipped unit (to the base PS3), the xbox costs about the same (the Elite model)... the others don't compare.... and even the Elite doesn't have the BluRay player of the PS3 plus some of its other hardware. Also, in typical M$ fashion, they hit you with extra charges for their 'service'... so your total cost over a few years of play is considerably higher than a PS3.

Remember, that the PS2 lost money as well when the console was first released. This time is a bit more drastic.. and you're right about the economy concerns. However, Sony couldn't have known about the economy when designing the PS3, and while the progression to making profit might be slower this time, I'm sure they will eventually get there. The real profit for this kind of thing is typically in the software... similar with computers.
by AdelheidBernstein February 28, 2009 3:37 PM PST
Our publisher initially warned our tiny studio to not develop any software for PS3, since we simply would not be able to afford to meet the necessary costs. Every day we remain in business (especially after our rivals just filed for bankruptcy), we're thankful for that advice. I have friends who work at larger multi-platform studios, and they often reiterate the sentiment that PS3 is a nightmare to develop on even with the help of expensive 3rd party toolsets.

Kinda ironic, too... Sega Saturn's library suffered largely due to the complexity of developing on their platform, compared to the much more developer-friendly Playstation. Now, Sony's got the nightmare platform, and the historically overbearing Nintendo and corporate monolith Microsoft are the developer-friendly platforms? Whoda thunk it?
Reply to this comment
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 1:04 AM PST
Or, your tiny studio could have developed a great game for the PS3 (assuming you have any talent)... and sold millions of copies of it, making tons of $. The PS3 user base is plenty big enough for a hit software title to make it there and on no other platform. Of course a multi-platform developer won't want to port to anything that isn't nearly the same and easy... but this means they are lazy and not a developer I'd probably buy a title from anyway... as they don't do the extra work to make a title great.... just lowest common denominator cr*p. I've seen so many of demos of these 'ports'... they are just junk... so I don't buy them. I don't care if the PS3 platform has 10 or 1000 of those titles... I only need a couple really great titles.... which is NO PROBLEM to find for the PS3. There are a few developers smart enough to realize this and that is all Sony needs. This sounds like the old M$ vs Macintosh argument I've heard for a couple decades now. Wake up!
by LandMineHare March 1, 2009 4:57 AM PST
SteveW, you are rude, and an idiot. He offered something insightful from inside the industry and you insult him?
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 9:12 AM PST
@ LandMineHare - no, he offered the attitude which has gotten video gaming into the general sorry cookie-cutter cr*p state that it is in today. Developers just want to churn out similar games with similar engines with new themes and graphics pasted on top.... and then have to do minimal work to get them to each platform.

If my response was insulting in any way... it was so because there is truth to it (maybe they aren't talented enough to develop a good title for the PS3.... notice I did say 'assuming' not that they weren't talented.... in that case they were just silly for listening to a stupid publisher). And, if what they wrote is their way of thinking, telling them to wake up is reality, not as much insult as advice.
by Rants&Raves March 1, 2009 11:06 AM PST
I agree with LandMineHare Steve. Besides, you have it all wrong: the developers don't build the marketing plans and they don't do budget allocation. They get the specs and parameters, and they implement. There's room for creativity (a lot of it sometimes), but you are faulting the wrong people with your argument. Not that there's anybody to fault to begin with: companies are indeed made to maximize profits. Nothing wrong with that. If Sony will play second (of third) fiddle, might as well be nice and easy to play with if it wants some of those budgets to help develop marketable products for its platforms. Otherwise, they're just one more handle for my blades.
by dxmiamme March 1, 2009 11:19 AM PST
@SteveW: Just stop this fanboy attitude. This guy spoke the "sad" truth, and you just go all out on him. Your response was a plain insult. It's not up to the studios to save Sony from falling into the pit they dug in the first place, it's up to them to make the most out of whatever resources are available to them. In the current case, most people following the first posters' line of thought (and trust me there are a lot more than those who still believe in PS3) bought a 360 instead, so there's a bigger market, a larger amount of customers and MORE MONEY. Again, fanboyism will take you nowhere.
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 4:31 PM PST
OK.... so I guess you'll have to explain to me what is wrong with the PS3 then. It has some of the best titles available for it. What pit has Sony dug? Look at the sales numbers... they aren't all the different. Does it really matter if Xbox sells 10 or 20% more systems? There are PLENTY of PS3s on the market to encourage game development. If you like Xbox, fine. I've played on them at a friends house... It's OK, but the titles I want are actually on the PS3... which is why I bought one.... along with the fact that it is a superior piece of hardware (in capability and build quality). It plays BluRay... plays streaming video and audio from my computers.... plays streaming SD and HD from my MythTV system... plays the best games. What is not to like? Its kind of like the old argument that people buy a PC over a Mac because it has more software available.... yea, only idiots do. I can't help it if there are a lot of idiots, but there are plenty of smart users enough to ensure the apps I want are available. Is a BMW a worse care than a Cavalier because Chevy outsells the BMW? That kind of logic is just totally stupid. Who appears to be fanboys? The people who buy the best product or the people who buy what is most popular? Geez.
by pithenumber March 1, 2009 4:49 PM PST
@Steve
PS3=best titles? No
Does it have Halo: no
does it have Crysis: No
whoops!

AdelheidBernstein
offered an insight into the industry,
are you a dev steve? if not, kindly stop your fanboyism
by mazdaren March 1, 2009 8:08 PM PST
@ pitthenumber

Not another Halo Fanboy. For the nth time Halo is not that perfect FPS that no other game can be mentioned in the same breath. How the fanboys can get all giddy with playing a FPS with the freaking controller is beyond me. Even ignoring that, Halo is repetitive, and 2 and 3 just reinforce that.

And Crysis did NOT come out on the 360 either. The game got mediocre review all around because it's viewed as the way to get the developer to show off their technical prowess, and little else. Not like anyone who owns a PS3 is missing much anyway...

Yes 360 has some great games( Lost Odyssey comes to mind), but just because PS3 doesn't have Halo and Crysis doesn't mean squat to a lot of gamers. Not everyone likes another freaking rehash of the tired-o FPS, especially having to endure it using a controller.
by apziro March 2, 2009 2:47 AM PST
SteveW928, you gotta take the price when it comes to delusional fanboism. EVERYTHING you say is fail. If you had the slightest bit of experience with anything remotely resembling developing anything for any platform, you'd know that creativity is severely limited when you spend all your time struggling with getting the simplest of things optimized.

If you actually want to see new, innovative games, that are not simply new stories, implementing the most recent state-of-the-art graphics engine, well-known, easy-to-program platforms are your best bet.

Miniclips.com has more original titles than the entirey PS3-portfolio. The PS3 has only even attempted to impress in terms of graphics. And now, these great programmers can spend the next couple of years attempting to reduce CPU stall cycles by another 2% to allow for a few more polygons, thereby allowing Killzone 3 to look slightly better than Killzone 2 (but with the same seen-before gameplay)..

What's wrong with the PS3 you ask repeatedly? Well, how did you manage to get this far without noticing the issue at heart? It's hard to program for!
You only want your 10 great titles? There's 10 great titles for Xbox360. Heck, there's 10 great titles for Game Boy classic!
There's 100's of great games for PC though, since it's so accessible.
by rapier1 March 2, 2009 10:23 AM PST
SteveW talks about software development like someone that doesn't do any software development.
See more comment replies
by Hunnter2k3 February 28, 2009 3:53 PM PST
Timing, timing is the critical thing in any real-time software development.
Quite simply, the only hard thing with Cell IS Timing.
I've looked over it, i've played around with virtual environments, it isn't *that* hard.
People who have gotten over the initial hurdles of Cell have came back and said they loved the thing and that it was easy.
There is a slight initial hurdle, no denying it, mainly to do with the jump from PPE to SPE, and jobs, but once that is done, it is just back to the same old timing problems.
If anything, i'd say Cell is even easier than Emotion Engine, i still can't get my head around that, due to it requiring Assembly, which i just haven't gotten around to learning yet.

Also, i laugh at Gabe, who even listens to him any more?
Coming from Valve, who created Source, possibly the worst engine ever, the amount of bugs in that thing boggles the mind... optimization sure isn't known around Valve... (don't even get me started on Hammer)

To summarize: PS3 > PS2 in development.
Reply to this comment
by odubtaig February 28, 2009 4:16 PM PST
I'm sure I'd find the PS3 an interesting challenge if nothing else but even most programmers have a difficult enough time handling thread optimisation on two/three cores (by which I mean distributing and dividing threads of different execution time across specific cores so they average out) never mind across seven.

I do find what you say you find difficult to be confusing considering Assembly isn't difficult at all, just very long and tedious ( a += b on a PC is four instructions on its own including memory transfer). Comparatively, handling seven simultaneous threads in an optimal "no thread is waiting for any other longer than is absolutely necessary" fashion is much more complicated.
by Hunnter2k3 February 28, 2009 4:32 PM PST
That is pretty much why i consider it more difficult, long and tedious sessions of coding with "acronyms".
Cell can be programmed with using higher level languages. And since optimization in compilers has been improved massively over the years, the differences between them are growing very small.

But yes, i must admit, it can be a headache to get timing right, it always is.
Although i'd still rather be given a challenge than have something handed to me and end up producing something that just looks like everything else (specifically speaking about UE3 here, so many people used it and never even bothered adding to it...)

Sony were a bit at fault though, even though they did have the devkits out before release, it wasn't enough time, and considering it was a massive architecture change, even worse on them.
Then when you consider MS, they are a software company, they know how to do all the SDK stuff, they know some tricks. Sony will learn... or fail, hopefully not fail though, because then it would be Nintendo and MS, less competition = bad times.
by odubtaig February 28, 2009 5:22 PM PST
Yep, that'll be the raison detre for higher level languages. However, the difference is that multithreading/processing requires a certain level of abstraction of thought that isn't required for the linearity of basic Assembly. It's not entirely like the difference between being able to program in C and being able to write a C++ class.

The situation with the PS3 is a bit like having had some more proficient programmers write the classes while the juniors just used them and now everyone, including the newest junior, is having to write their own classes. Maybe give them a few more years experience and they'd be able to hack it but the phrase 'baptism of fire' seems appropriate.

One of the strengths of a good SDK (and one of the reasons I've always loved C/C++) is that it's made supremely easy on the surface but when you do need to get into the guts of it you can. Sony failed on this in the previous incarnation with the requirement for Assembly (being able to use it inline when I want is great, having it forced on me is just unpleasant). Whether they've failed again is not something I can judge but profiling and performance measurement tools have a lot of impact on this and I can't help but wonder if the tools available are not lacking in some way.
by swiggins February 28, 2009 3:55 PM PST
After just buying Killzone 2, the over hyped, over-clichéd Sony FPS exclusive, I have come to the conclusion that the PS3 has NOTHING over the 360, as a matter of fact if there is a game released on both platforms, 9 out of 10 times I will get it on the 360 after reading the Head to Heads over at the IGN Insider, they usually recommend the 360 version of the game.

I was a big Sony guy, and after a year of nothing but the PS3 I couldn't take it anymore... the exclusives are far and few between and quite frankly aren't anything that stands above the 360. The online isn't comparable to LIVE by a long shot and the 360 has Netflix and more HD movies in their own movie service.....
I keep my PS3 for bluray and the occasional exclusive, that's it.
Reply to this comment
by biggstuu February 28, 2009 6:01 PM PST
I am really starting to doubt the validity of anything that you have written. There is a PS3 movie store, with rentals, and HD, with a vast catalogue of titles and guess what you dont pay a extra monthly fee for it. As far as the head to heads, think about this for a minute. An app, any app, is only going to be, look, perform, be rendered, as good as it was developed. Wanna see a PS3 sing? Program and develop specifically for it and tweak that app specific to the system. Wanna see the same thing on a 360? Do that too and you'll see the same result. Cross platform title dev's are simply concerned about pushing out the quickest app across as many platforms as possible. Squeezing all the performance out of each specific is not a concern, its about getting product on the shelf. So think about that the next time you do a head to head.
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 1:15 AM PST
I also tried KZ2 and am not crazy about it... but have you seen the others (FPS titles)? KZ2 is far better than most I've tried. That said, the gaming world doesn't necessarily revolve around FPS. Have you tried Warhawk? It is THE BEST GAME I have ever played on any platform... after like 1.5 years of playing it, I constantly come back to it over all my other games. Paradise Burnout is a well done game. Little Big Planet seems well done (though I don't have it yet). Gran Turismo is no doubt, the best auto racing sim. Then there are cross-platform titles that are just good... like Oblivion (though clearly not optimized for PS3).
by jessiethe3rd March 3, 2009 10:01 PM PST
Honestly... you are right on here... there just isn't anything on the PS3 that makes it better than the 360. Sony's move store rental PALES in comparison to the 360's Netflix integration... it's no contest. The social capabilities of the 360 far outshine the PS3.

Seriously - developing for the PS3 is a waste. Harder to develop to get a "better" game. Social integration - just better on the 360. Interface on the 360 = better. Another point... develop for 360 - get a whole market for the PC... It just makes better sense here if you are a developer.
by Renegade Knight March 5, 2009 11:50 AM PST
Funny I was an Xbox guy,but lost interest because of the lack of backwards compatibility, poor quality, lack of console longevity, charging to play over the net, and lack of support I'm just not interested in supporting the Xbox franchise anymore.

I'll give the 360 the edge in games. But given everthing else, I'm just not interested in wasting my time or money on the Xbox franchise anymore. The PS3 is not the greatest console. Sony is too corporate beancounter in their mentality to actually let it live up to it's potential. It's just better than the competition. That doesn't take much.

Sega could make a comeback in this environment.
by SteveW928 March 6, 2009 10:36 AM PST
@ Renegade Knight - the console longevity was a big one for me too. The Xbox just isn't built like a PS3. But even the apparent build quality aside... the Xbox failure rate is extremely high for what it is. Hopefully they have addressed that by now, as I don't like to see anyone go through what several of my friends have had to with it.

As for games.... again, is more better? Sure there are more titles for the Xbox, but I'd argue with better.
by Berke.h February 28, 2009 3:57 PM PST
What Sony can do best now instead of making up excuses, is to throw in a much better development suite for the console.

I'm no programmer, no developer or any other software engineer, but release a new, easier toolset, so more of the software does the hardwork for the developers.

Think of today's operating systems, all we do is click, drag and drop with the mouse, but immense data is being processed every second beneath the software layers. (I was speaking allegorically, I'm sure the current toolkits include clicking, dragging and dropping too). Try to accomplish that sense of comfort for the developers and more awesome games will come easily.

Am I simplifying things too much?
Reply to this comment
by Hunnter2k3 February 28, 2009 4:01 PM PST
While the idea is good, doing it would result in games becoming "samey".
But i do agree with your statement on making it do the hardwork.

Generally, from what i have heard and seen, most base engines tend to follow certain rules, regardless of architecture.
Have that already done to save developer headaches, then more will flow towards developing.
Sadly, just like all industries, people just want things to be done, routine, no experimentation, nothing, just do it and get it out. Sad times...
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 1:18 AM PST
@ Hunnter2k3 - Yep... they just want to make quick cookie-cutter cr*p, and try to sell lots by stirring the kiddies up with marketing hype rather than actual game quality. It is a sad state of affairs. This attitude is a large part of why our country and world is in the economic crisis it is in.
by atomD21 March 1, 2009 12:32 PM PST
I'm sorry, did you just pin the entire global economic crisis on lazy game devs? That's classic.
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 4:37 PM PST
@ atomD21 - nope, I pinned the economic crisis largely on short-term-thinking.... of which the whining developers and Don here are classic examples. Sony, at least for the PS3, is one of the few long-term-thinking products and company divisions I know of.

The economic crisis was caused by short-term thinking in the markets, businesses, government, and average person. Unless that kind of thinking is corrected, they can spend as much 'stimulus' as they want and it will only be a band-aid lifting us for an even higher fall when it happens.
by pithenumber March 1, 2009 5:03 PM PST
@Steve
do you even program? I know how to code for PC, not for console, but it should be similar

ease of use, least to greatest on the computer
x86asm-c-c++
code for hello world in c++
#include <iostream>
int main() {
std::cout<< "hello world";
}

in asm
section .text
global _start
_start:
mov edx,len ;third argument: message length
mov ecx,msg ;second argument: pointer to message to write
mov ebx,1 ;first argument: file handle (stdout)
mov eax,4 ;system call number (sys_write)
int 0x80 ;call kernel
;and exit
mov ebx,0
mov eax,1
int 0x80
section .data
msg db "Hello, world!",0xa
len equ $ - msg

that much longer, if it doesn't assemble/work right, remember that I'm writing this really quickly

I'm assuming that Sony requires devs to write games in some form of asm or something equally hard
by aztec92154 March 2, 2009 4:16 PM PST
I'm a developer, and no, Sony (and none of the other platforms) require you to write all your code in assembly (ASM). If you know how to write in assembly, and have written the code for a simplest of video games, you realize what an insane task that would be. You could, however, run some code tests to see which functions were being called most often, and then write those in assembly. But then again, if its between sleep, being with my family, or working for free... I'd choose family and sleep. Its fortunate for you that many game developers love their job more than anything else in the world, and they'll actually do this stuff for free. Slide a pizza or some home backed goods under the door, and you've got yourself some assembly optimized code within 48 hours.
by over_the_hill March 4, 2009 3:06 PM PST
This is an analogy showing that history can repeat itself.

I remember when C, and the others came out. It was best described as "If you take the worst parts of COBOL, ForTran, and Assembly what you would get was C!" A much better programming language was PL/I. The problem was it was conceived, developed and sponsored by IBM. Since it was IBM it was used on IBM operating systems. Programming languages back then were sponsored by the government not companies. As such it didn't get the accolades that it should have. If PL/I had been a government proposed and sponsored language as all those accepted in its day PL/I would be what you would be utilizing today instead of C due to its ease of use. But due to its limited availablity it is now only utilized in ever smaller growing circles.

For those of you needing interpretation here. Microsoft is now the government and IBM is being played by SONY here. Microsoft has the power to sponsor, conceive and promote whatever they want, at least at this time.

I have taught programmers in my 30+ year career of making my living writting PL/I, ForTran and Assembly. Like my personal focus, I tried to teach them how to program with a proficiency aimed at use and not at speed of programming. Most programmers rebeled at the idea of writing five lines of code to save the smallest fractions of a second others saw the wisdom in it. Those that saw the wisdom in it, ended up writting code for real time programs that really had to work in real time in military applications like oh say jets streaking along at a real Mach 3. Those that didn't wrote code for paychecks, 1040s and other single focus tasks that didn't require that abstract type of thinking.

The point is some of the developers probably are lazy. Some are afraid of the challenge. Still others are learning new things that make them more valuable in a time of economic crisis. I want to keep the guys that are learning the new things because when the crisis is over I want my game company to be poised not for today but for the future.

Speed the real killer in programming.
by SteveW928 March 6, 2009 10:45 AM PST
@ over_the_hill - "Microsoft has the power to sponsor, conceive and promote whatever they want, at least at this time."

Exactly! And this is primarily what is being complained about here.... Sony didn't go with the M$ 'standards'. If it weren't for the Xbox, these same developers would be happily developing for and raving about the capabilities of the PS3. They don't want to develop for the PS3, they want to port.
by odubtaig February 28, 2009 4:01 PM PST
I'm trying to remember, this isn't the same dossbag that acted as though we should be grateful for the opportunity to hand his company our hard earned instead of admitting that sticking buttons are a fault that demand fixing was it? This stinks of the kind of hubris hitherto unseen outside the offices of western banking corporations.

It's well known that ever increasing competition drives the best of games companies to excel on the consoles and even with the easiest development kits it takes a good five years for any company to know the hardware well enough to really be able to pull off something spectacular (with the exception of the Wii which is almost identical to the GameCube).

Only a complete idiot would genuinely believe that making console development harder is a good thing.

Thankyou Mr. Hirai. You have officially turned the PS3 into the Caviar of the developers world. You know, Caviar, the disgusting fish eggs that upper middle-class idiots buy and eat to impress other upper middle-class idiots because some genius with a lot of byproduct to get rid of managed to seed the idea that only a philistine could not appreciate them? "Oh, they're hideous, but so expensive, it must just be my uncultured tongue. I can't possibly admit that I'm uncultured."

I can see it now, The Caviar of Consoles!
Reply to this comment
by karpenterskids February 28, 2009 4:03 PM PST
Since when does Cnet allow profanity in their articles?
Reply to this comment
by ralfthedog March 1, 2009 10:26 PM PST
Where? I found one reference to Microsoft. While that is disturbing and unfortunate, I would not call it profanity. If you can point out the profanity, that is cool. If not, go to Redmond Washington in a handbasket!

:)
by karpenterskids March 2, 2009 8:06 AM PST
I'm referring to this:

"The politically incorrect answer is that the PS3 is a huge pain in the ***."
by pentest March 2, 2009 8:22 AM PST
Since when is that profanity? geez
by JadedGamer March 3, 2009 4:59 AM PST
If you think "pain in the ass" is profanity, you really should call GBoWR since you just might have the thinnest skin of all.
by karpenterskids March 3, 2009 7:12 AM PST
Uhm...it's the A-word, guys...I'm 99% sure that's considered to be an offensive word.
by DrtyDogg March 3, 2009 8:04 AM PST
The donkey's of the world would be offended by that remark.
by killerchris2k8 February 28, 2009 4:22 PM PST
Don says in the article " Sure, some look better on the PS3, but the difference is minor" . I have both consoles and in my experience games on the 360 look slighty better than PS3. Games like Dead Space or Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe both look better on 360. I have both consoles hooked up through HDMI on a 1080p samsung DLP. I will say I just bought Killzone 2 yesterday and it is by far the best looking game I have ever seen. But it's a in-house game so can any 3rd party developer accomplish the same thing. I know as a gamer I have been severely disappointed with the PS3. I believe the PS2 was the greatest console of all time so my hope were high for the PS3. My friends keep saying it's gonna have a 10 year life span but by that time Microsoft and Nintendo will be readying their next round of consoles. I want Sony to succeed. It benefits me as a gamer. However as of right now Microsoft is killing them in every aspect.
Reply to this comment
by rollcage333 February 28, 2009 4:53 PM PST
Most games right now are made for the 360, then ported over to the PS3. I would guess that the games don't get the same amount of optimization as they do for the 360. Last generation games were developed for the PS2 and then ported to the Xbox; that's why most games looked better on the PS2.

I'm really not sure what to make of Hirai's comment. I know that Gears of War one only used one of the three cores in the 360, and I don't know how far they've come since then.
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 1:24 AM PST
rollcage333 is right... the titles actually developed for the PS3 tend to look great. Most of the ported stuff doesn't necessarily.... but I've also not found many of these ported titles which are worth playing anyway. I DL the demos.... play for 5 or 10 minutes... delete. Then I go back to Warhawk! (Been playing it for 1.5 years now and still can't get enough of it.... I've never had the experience with any other game in my 25+ years of gaming).
by pithenumber March 1, 2009 5:04 PM PST
and all games look a couple hundred times better on the PC!

yes, most games are optimized for 360 and simply ported to PS3 and scaled up for PC
by SteveW928 March 2, 2009 10:54 AM PST
@ pithenumber - I kind of doubt that as not that many people have displays over 1080p. Yes, in theory the graphics could be better on a PC. But since most people don't have a 47" display on their PC, I'm not sure why they would need more than 1080p graphics for games. Plus, how many PC people have a graphics card that is better than is what is in consoles.... and if they do, they probably spent more on it than the whole console costs. Most of us aren't THAT into gaming to spend that kind of $$$.... and if you do, it is kind of hard to then compare it with the consoles. It's kind of like telling everyone you bought a Ferrari and that it is faster than our cars.... it's kind of like, duh!
by rapier1 March 2, 2009 12:27 PM PST
You can get a $150 graphics card that is superior to the performance of the graphics subsystems in the XBox 360 and PS3. In both of those consoles you are looking at tech that is around 4 years old (the hardware stabilizes well before the release date). So while what you say might have been true when the PS3 was released it is no longer the case.

And really, what the other commenters were taking about wasn't resolution as much as additional texture detail, expanded content, and so forth.
by pithenumber March 2, 2009 2:11 PM PST
@steve
a $130 to $150 card would beat the crap out of any console
and I can build a PC that kicks console butt for $500
by roachbrain March 3, 2009 11:55 AM PST
I love my PC for solo gaming but besides WoW, online gaming suck big hairy b***s. Nothing but hacking, hacking, hacking. PC gaming isn't for everyone and shouldn't really be compared with counsel gaming. PC it's self is a very expensive hobby.
by SteveW928 March 3, 2009 6:41 PM PST
@ rapier1 - I could be out of touch with costs of latest video cards.... so I'll concede that point I suppose.... but even $150 for just the graphics card is a lot.... considering what you would all have to add in CPU power and other accessories to match what is in a PS3 or maybe even xbox. So I still think comparing a gaming PC to the console isn't really a fair comparison. The console is a MUCH better idea for the majority of people.

@ pithenumber - I'd like to see your parts list... I don't believe it. Plus, a PS3 or xbox is only about $400. I think the graphics card and equivalent CPU power would cost you that much alone.
by iBuzz February 28, 2009 4:28 PM PST
Here's what happened. When designing the cell architecture, IBM engineers looked at the problems that impacted performance on current gaming consoles (you know, things like memory latency, instruction throughput, etc.). And they came up with an architecture that addressed those problems quite well.

The only problem was that they didn't take the current video game software architectures and programming patterns into account. So, instead of producing an architecture that supported the existing ways that developers knew how to code games, they addressed the problem by creating entirely different models of game programming. These new models are documented in IBM white papers on the cell technology.

Thing is, nobody wants to change the way they think about developing games, and many people still try to develop games using their past models. When they use their existing development patterns on the PS3, they are essentially leaving huge performance gains on the table.

And, if you're trying to do a cross-platform game, forget about it. For top performance, the PS3 really requires that you structure your program design of your game differently from the Xbox and Wii. The same techniques used on one family are not applicable to the other if you want to get maximum performance on every platform.

So, the developers say that the PS3 platform is too hard and the hardware engineers say that the developers need to think and program differently.

Who is right? Well, if the PS3 was the only game console in town, developers would be forced to learn a whole new way of game development. It would be the price of entry into the market. And it's probably what the cell processor engineers were counting on. But you currently have a situation where the two market leading consoles (Wii and Xbox) use the older model of programming, and developers don't want to learn a new way of doing things if they don't have to, and their existing game engine libraries work fine, so no one wants to change. And you can't blame them because there is actually greater financial incentive to stay with the current model.
Reply to this comment
by porgymas March 1, 2009 8:14 AM PST
You hit the "nail on the head"...have no idea why posters here get so angry and overly defensive... I used to do a lot of programming and rememeber the wasted learning on various platforms... can we say Visual J++... no Developer wants to master the steep learning curve on a "new" plastform when you keep hearing rumours that Sony is already thinking of a replacement for the PS3 or you see companies filing for bankruptcy left and right... plus consumers are not going to pay more for your finished product, so the cost to benefit ratio is just not there.... you could spend hours arguing this thread... I never commented before, but liked your approach (answer) to the issue...
by atomD21 March 1, 2009 12:40 PM PST
I think that developers would be much more keen to invest the extra time in development if the PS3 were the console with the biggest marketshare. It's all about money, and if the return on the investment is larger from the 360, that's where most of the effort will go.
by killerchris2k8 February 28, 2009 4:32 PM PST
Also a little bit of history, no console maker as ever won 3 cycles in a row. It's a very difficult thing to accomplish. In my last post I talked about Killzone 2. I was speaking about the visuals only. The gameplay is good at best. But the graphics at 1080p are a sight to behold. @ swiggins I'm stealing your worlds because I feel the exact same way.

by swiggins February 28, 2009 3:55 PM PST
I was a big Sony guy, and after a year of nothing but the PS3 I couldn't take it anymore... the exclusives are far and few between and quite frankly aren't anything that stands above the 360. The online isn't comparable to LIVE by a long shot and the 360 has Netflix and more HD movies in their own movie service.....
I keep my PS3 for bluray and the occasional exclusive, that's it.
Reply to this comment
by dudemanguysondog February 28, 2009 4:32 PM PST
Wow! Can I be Sony's next CEO? I can say boneheaded things that confuse people and run a business that looses money! My first order of business is that the in development PS4 will require game developers to be fluent in Klingon! YES!
Reply to this comment
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 1:29 AM PST
Wow... it is amazing how many people can't see how wise what the the Sony guy said was. I guess if the masses are so thinking-challenged (is that the P.C. term?), it is no wonder the world is in the current crisis. Unless people can't start thinking clearly and then a bit more long-term.... we're in huge trouble.
by screamapillar March 3, 2009 3:27 PM PST
Wow, I can't believe that there are people on this thread that think that the Sony CEO had creativity and originality in mind at all at any point in the history of his position or any CEO in the history of Sony. Sony has one MO - be anticompetitive and squash opponents through throwing money at something - a war of attritician. They seem to have forgotten that the Japanese boom has ended and that that business model doesn't work anymore. Sony have forgotten that some business models don't work anymore in a lot of fields and they just keep trying to flog a dead horse (digitial music industry anyone?) They are just griefed that a company with a similar poor MO (M$) is doing the same thing and winning.

It is clear those that think what the Sony CEO said as being 'wise' are indeed misinformed or lacking any form of business acumen. Even if what he said was good from an 'innovation' point of view (which i disagree with purely because it relies on a 'good' game being pased on good graphics which is simply not the case - simplicity always allows for more creativity as the attention is properly focused on what matters most. Tech is not what matters most) it is NOT good from a public perception point of view and as the representative of the organisation he is doing them a disservice.

In addition, really, why would you honestly believe Sony gives a crap about innovation? It is Sony!! My god, this is one of the worst organisations ethically in the world. The CEO was being honest for the first time in a long while - they made the PS3 hard to develop for for one reason: to stop 3rd parties developing for it easily. This way they can monopolise some games but also force 3rd party organisations to be pressured into inadequate terms and conditions.
by SteveW928 March 3, 2009 7:20 PM PST
@ screamapillar - The Sony strategy with the PS2 (and now PS3) was to put great technology into a system to give it a long life-span (vs. just building an adequate system for current needs with the idea of making another generation system in a little while again). The developers actually SHOULD like this, as it means they get to use the same tools for a longer time before having to worry about the next generation. They do this realizing that such advanced technology will lose them money initially until component prices come down, and sub-systems get combined into single components. Again, look at the history of the PS2. What they might have done wrong this time (if anything) was to go a bit too far and not properly forecast the changing economy. I agree that M$ did change the game this time.

I agree with you that just having better graphics doesn't make for a good game. But, I hope you would also admit that just putting new characters in another FPS engine with some different environment textures doesn't make a good game either. I can't stress enough how many of the 'popular' titles (which are often by the big studios, on multi-platforms.... and probably the ones complaining here...) are pretty dismal. Also, I don't think it is a bad thing that Sony wants to keep some quality control on the games for the PS3. If you have a great system but a lot of garbage content for it, it doesn't make it look good. But, I think that is a bit aside from what is being talked about in this article.
by screamapillar March 3, 2009 8:01 PM PST
Steve - Agree 100% with you about the "oo it is totally a new game" but you play it and it is the game you played last year with a new skin. That is bull and I hate it as much as any gamer - yourself included. Deja vu shouldn't occur in a new game, I'm sure that is something we all can agree on lol.

My concern is relating to a) Sony being an innovative/"good" organisation - they are just as "evil" as M$ (i am loathed to use good/evil at the risk of using value terms, but you get the idea); b) classing good games as just being pretty (as it can actually cause the above problem you so rightly pointed out - oo it is a new game - my response, no it is shinier but not at all new); and c) the business argument that the article was pointing out. The article talked about this not making business sense, and the CEO's comment did not make good business sense for reasons I've mentioned in other posts and won't bore you with again as you clearly understand where I'm coming from (not being patronising/sarcastic here, your responses are obviously thought out).
by medezark March 5, 2009 12:42 PM PST
@SteveW928 - There's a difference between having a platform which is difficult to progran, and having a platform that has unplumbed depths of capability. The two are not linked. I think that's the point you are consistently missing.
Hard to Code does not equal More Capability.

If you want to talk about lazy developers, then talk about the developers behind the coding platforms, who COULD make the basic guts of the hardware more easily accessible (that is make the platform easier to code for), but haven't.

The Atari 2600 was a relatively easy machine to code for. And yet, even at the twilight of it's life programmers were developing new and innovative ways to push the maximum of the machines capabilities.
by SteveW928 March 6, 2009 11:25 AM PST
@ screamapillar - I agree with most of what you said. Yea, I really hate the Deja vu of so many games as well as the 'pretty' means better game. I also agree that maybe that wasn't the smartest way the CEO could make that comment. While I think what he said does make sense and is smart business... saying it that way probably wasn't. The average person just doesn't understand or think this way. Heck, I'm sure most business school programs would say this isn't smart. Smart today is short-term thinking, off-shoring jobs, taking all the money you can while you're in, etc. However, while this might be CEO 101 stuff.... our current economic state might be a better judge of the smartness of it.

@ medezark - "There's a difference between having a platform which is difficult to progran, and having a platform that has unplumbed depths of capability. The two are not linked. I think that's the point you are consistently missing."

Umm.... I'm not sure what posts of mine you are reading. Have I ever said anything remotely like that? What I've said is that the PS3 is NOT hard to code for.... and DOES have more capacity. Two separate statements.

The PS3 uses a simplified set of OpenGL and a variation of the C programing language. I'm not sure why this is so 'hard'. Maybe some developer can explain this to us... as I'm not a developer. I'm just reading articles by developers. The just of them (ones saying it is hard) seems to be 'hard' = not so easy and quick to port, or not exactly the same as what we're used to doing for the PC and XBox environment, whereas the PS3 developers are saying it isn't hard at all, just a bit different way (and arguably better way).

The Atari 2600 is an interesting example for you to select... as it is programmed in assembly (though many tools were developed to avoid having to do this). Atariage has this to say... "But be warned! Programming the Atari 2600 is a lesson in patience, as it is unlike programming any other console!"
by shootthecops February 28, 2009 4:36 PM PST
sony has always been innovators in technology, new technology is much harder to program because it is unfamiliar. sounds like lazy devs to me who dont care about the quality of the product.
Reply to this comment
by viper396 February 28, 2009 5:26 PM PST
Stop wasting your time being a narrow minded fanboy. New and Innovative technology does not require that it also be complex and harder to program for, idiot. It's Sony that was laziness and pure arrogance at fault for failing to provide the necessary developmental accommodations in their SDK to allow game programmers to take advantage of the PS3.
Sony is failing here and only an idiot like you would defend that.
by Rants&Raves February 28, 2009 6:49 PM PST
I'm a dev. Here's the scoop: the 3rd and 4th generation tools that we use nowadays are barely good enough to handle an efficient conversion of a specification into code. So much code is composed of simple assignments and object lifecycle management that it is plain ridiculous. To request that we fall back to earlier tools (like assembly) is just plain counter to the way things should be going. It should go like this: if you will make a quantum leap in hardware technology, give us a quantum leap in expressive power as well. Don't give us more to do with lesser tools.

Give me a simple way to send a self-aware object for rendering through the pipeline in as few lines of code as possible, and get the development tools to apply the very best practices for me automatically, and we'll already be far ahead. Less lines, more power.

That's why I agree with viper396: you simply have no idea what you are talking about. But I hear that it is fashionable these days to request people to "white knuckle it" and "get off their ass", without actually considering whether the castigated are already doing it (my guess is that you don't work 12 hour days, do you ? You are posting this at 4:36 PM, 24 minutes before what's probably the end of your business day), and perhaps doing it a lot more than you are. I'm sure that feels good to you, but without a clear understanding of who and what you are dealing with you are one giant step away from ever being in a position to issue orders. So get cracking and clue up; chop chop !
by dudemanguysondog February 28, 2009 8:16 PM PST
Boo Hoo, you are paid to make a game that makes full use of the hardware on the ps3. The argument about lesser tools is the DEFINITION of laziness. Do your job right and stop whining!
by Rants&Raves February 28, 2009 8:23 PM PST
Unnamed user: Who says I'm not doing my job right ? Who says wanting to do my job right doesn't also include wanting to do it better ? Wouldn't it be best for everyone if you thought a bit before posting ?
by dudemanguysondog February 28, 2009 8:44 PM PST
Didn't realize I was unnamed. Seriously never noticed that. If it is that hard to go back, then make a new tool for game development and stop complaining all the time.
by Rants&Raves February 28, 2009 8:46 PM PST
And what do you do for a living boss ? Does it involve reading comprehension at all, captain ?

I think your job sucks so you like to act like you could be the boss of someone. It's compensation.

Recession trolls are so lame.
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 1:39 AM PST
@ viper396 - There is a difference between 'hard' and 'different'.
by pentest March 2, 2009 8:31 AM PST
Anyone who thinks assembly is a "lesser tool" has no business developing. Assembly is as powerful as you can get. Unlike you, real programmers don't need others to create dumbed down tools just so they can do their job.

I know exactly what type of programmer you are. If you run into something complex, and I am sure that simple things like threads and recursion are challenging for you, and there isn't something you can just plug into your spaghetti code to do it you give up because you can't write your own tools and libraries.

People like you are the reason that software is such a mess today.
by rapier1 March 2, 2009 2:31 PM PST
I really love all the non-developers telling the developers how they are doing everything wrong.
by Rants&Raves March 4, 2009 3:29 PM PST
pentest: oooh, big man here. Go write Office 15 in Assembler then if you think it is so great (and if you think that recursion and synchronization, threads and lock-free structures are something your manhood is to be measured by, go read a For Dummies book, you'll learn a few new yardsticks). Assembler's great for what it is (if you accept not to define "power" as "expressive power"), but unless you don't value how much you can accomplish in a given year of work it isn't the tool of choice for developing large-scale systems. Some games are large-scale systems nowadays.
See more comment replies
by top-right-corner February 28, 2009 5:19 PM PST
what a bunch of ******* whiners. we need to stop making stories about xbox versus 360 because this is just ridiculous, i'm tired of the constant fanboys. i personally have both consoles and i think the ps3 is better, but that is just me. i could give a **** less which one 'wins', as long as i have fun in the process. shut the ******* up you little girls.
Reply to this comment
by odubtaig February 28, 2009 5:31 PM PST
I think somebody needs a hug :o)
by killerchris2k8 February 28, 2009 5:38 PM PST
I'm Not whining dude. I spent 600 bucks on a piece of hardware that was supposed to deliver in spades. So far it has given me about 4 good exclusive games, a horrible online experience or community should I say, and a great blu ray player. You personally think the PS3 is better why? Because it's prettier? XBL murders PSN. Your obviously a fanboy which I am not. I judge these consoles on what they are bringing to the table. I have the right to b*tch when I spent my hard earned cash on a machine that Sony hyped to be the end all be all of consoles. All I've done sine Metal Gear came out was watch Blu ray movies. Thank God Killzone 2 came out or I wouldn't even use it to play games. What in your eyes makes a PS3 better. I use logic. Please Sony get your act together and give me what you marketed and what I paid for .
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 1:45 AM PST
@ killerchris2k8 - Warhawk! (seriously, that is why I bought the PS3... well, and to be a BluRay player.)
I'm curious though, why you believe the on-line community and stuff is so much better on xbox. I've played xbox at friends, and had fun... but I'm not sure why you would think the xbox is much better.

I'm not really a fan-boy of either.... though I tend to hate M$ for other things... so that weighed into my decision. I also really think Sony's long-term strategy for hardware is a better idea. But, I tend to buy what I think the best product is... which in this case, is why I went with Sony. I really don't care much for anything else Sony makes.
by darkr March 1, 2009 3:19 PM PST
@SteveW928 ummm try finding a full game in 1min or less
14m users on xbl
vs the 1-2m psn

serious i have to wait 5-15mins for a FULL game and usually we have 3vs 5 on COD 4 if we're lucky
and i have a PS3 with COD 4 and MGS 4 only reason i got ps3 was bluray movies and mgs 4 but to keep my nephew and my mother's bf happy i bought 1 action game COD 4 (no he hates mgs 4 too high tech)

my nephew has a xbox 360 with COD 4 oh and we actually pay for his xbox live account

guess what is used more online or even locally?

my xbox 360 with COD 4 it is far easier to games online and there is far less lag most content for psn for new games isn't free where you do get alot of addon map packs from xbox live
halo 3 what else GOW 1-2
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 4:44 PM PST
@ darkr - I'm not sure I've ever had a problem finding a good Warhawk game to play in.... doesn't take a minute... only seconds. I just have to pick one. I've never had a problem finding people to play with in any of my on-line games... though I have to admit I spend 80-90% of my time playing Warhawk. I've tried demos of most of the other FPS games and they mostly suck... can't remember if I tried COD or not. Yes, Halo is kind of cool... that's maybe the only game I know of that might entice me to get an Xbox... but Warhawk is considerably better IMO (though different, yes).
by Jawknee1 February 28, 2009 5:45 PM PST
@shootthecops

Exactly! These devs are lazy as hell. Every ps3 exclusive looks and performs so much better then the 360 exclusives. MGS4, Killzone2, uncharted, heavy rain. Maybe it was a mistake for Sony to take this route, expecting devs to make great games instead of the crap they have been putting out since MS entered the game. I guess we shouldn't expect devs to create the best.
Reply to this comment
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 1:48 AM PST
Nah... you just have to realize the whining for what it is. Just lazy devs who would have liked Sony to conform to their easy-money scheme. Smart developers realize there is PLENTY of $ and market in a single platform like the PS3 if they actually do some innovation and good game creation.
by pithenumber March 1, 2009 5:17 PM PST
@Steve
until Sony gives devs better tools, not going to happen
olok at my comparison of x86asm to C++ earlier on the comments, that about the difference between ps3 tools and those of the other guys
by pentest March 2, 2009 8:35 AM PST
What makes you think that all development has to be done in assembly?

Why are you afraid of it?

Sometime inline assembly is the way to get something done properly. Sometimes you can do it in a fun, but brain dead language like Java, Ruby, or Python.
by pithenumber March 2, 2009 2:16 PM PST
@pentest
I don't think they write code in x86asm, but it prolly is as hard, actually they can't write code in x86asm since PS3 doesnt have an x86 processor

the PS3 devs get sucky tools and a hard language, the rest of the devs get good tools and an easy language, I would code for xBox if I had a choice between that and PS3

I'm not afraid of asm, its just long and tedious, a bit of inline assembly is good to get things done that otherwise would have not been possible, but coding in all assembly is just torture
by NeoRacer_XOX March 2, 2009 7:09 PM PST
Your wrong. I've worked on Pc, PS2, Xbox, 360 games and frankly they are right. The PS3 is a major hassle to get anything working that would require a whole other team in fact, and there is rarely the money or time to devote to this. The best your gonna get is a port and even THAT is such a pain the ass. Its not a matter of being lazy, the devs are beholding to the PUBLISHERS who are the ones writing the cheques every month, and they are the ones setting the schedules/timelines for their return.
by viper396 March 4, 2009 10:27 AM PST
Being hard to develop for or having a learning curve is one thing, but Intentionally making something harder then necessary or putting in unnecessary developmental complexity and obstacles then actually admitting to it only screams of arrogance and blatant stupidity on Sony's part. Trying to excuse it as devs simply being lazy only screams of more stupidity and arrogance by the fanboys. None of you have given a rational explanation as to why PS3 development was intentionally made hard to develop for.
by SteveW928 March 6, 2009 11:57 AM PST
@ pithenumber - no they don't usually write in asm.... the PS3 uses a variation of C language (heard of that?) and a simplified OpenGL (ever heard of that?). The whiners probably just want to keep using M$ Visual Studio (or XNA Game Studio) they are used to for PCs... but it seems the Xbox also uses a variation of C language and Direct X. I'd actually argue the PS3 is the MORE STANDARD device as it is using OpenGL rather than Direct X (a M$ thing).

@ viper396 - I don't think Sony many the PS3 intentionally hard... but they intentionally paid more attention to capabilities than making it compatible with Xbox for easy porting. There is a big difference here... and what this whole argument is about. The multi-platform developers would like to write in their M$ environment, which can run on Xbox and PCs, and then have an easy port to the PS3. They are upset because Sony went their own direction, making the porting aspect harder. While that is a fair gripe... it is not the same as saying the PS3 is hard to develop for.

I think what the Sony CEO is saying is that Sony made the decision to give dedicated developers a more powerful tool, at the expense of all the developers who wanted compatibility. They made this decision because the dedicated programers write better games in general... so Sony realized this would mean better titles that they do have, and less of the junk. IMO, this was a very wise decision. If you're needing to play all the sub-standard junk, you're probably right then in getting an Xbox. If not, then you should make your choice based on the titles you most want to play. For me, that was clearly the PS3, as Halo is the only game I care about on Xbox, where on PS3, I love Warhawk, Burnout Paradise, Gran Turismo series, etc..... and if I have to choose between Halo and Warhawk... no contest! After you've put several hundred hours into Halo and still can't get enough of it, let me know.
by superdynamite February 28, 2009 5:48 PM PST
Gabe Newell ate the orange box dev teeam.
Reply to this comment
by biggstuu February 28, 2009 5:55 PM PST
Sony's PS3 is hard to develop for. This is new news how? Before too much vitriol gets spun then spit, can we place remember something, the article eluded to it a bit, MS Dev kits are world reknown, not because they are good, but because they are familiar. Know C/++/# and some Assembly, youre on your way. But change the paradigm and people will say hey, I know your thinking differently, but why do I need to? And thats exactly whats taking place here. If its so suck to develop for, explain KZ2, LBP, MGS4, HS, et al that are not only gorgeous to look at, but also and most importantly fun.

If we understand what MS has done with the 360 and XBL platform, is what MS has always done, recycled old tech and branded it new. XBL is simply windows messenger sitting atop networking stack and then they tied avatars to it. It was lacking in organization, so they relaunched recently to much acclaim, but its awfully similar now to competitors from Apple and Sony's media management.

Can i sum this all up, its simple quite frankly, devs are lazy. The same argument was used when the iPhone was first launched, why didn't you write it in Java? or C/++/# or something else other than this different thing than we have to learn. An lo and behold, for the people that took the time and learned and used guidelines, they have created successful apps and the iPhone is an unrivaled success. In a business where its all about flooding the stores with console titles, the 360 and Wii are flooded with hundreds, literal hundreds of CRAP titles. There arent hundreds of crap titles for the PS3, simply because they arent that many devs willing to lear, and develop to properly harness the environment.
Reply to this comment
by killerchris2k8 February 28, 2009 6:07 PM PST
You make very good point's that I won't challenge you on because I agree with most of it. But please tell me why do you think PSN is lacking in the sense that the accessibility to connect with friends is so difficult. I said before and I'll say again I believe Sony put out the best console's we have ever seen with PS1 & PS2. And I would much rather use the Dual Shock over the big clunky 360 Controller but I buy my multiplayer games for my 360. Only because all my friends are so easily accessible. Most of my friends have PS3's also and it's the same for all of us.
by Rants&Raves February 28, 2009 6:53 PM PST
Yeah, list the advantages of Objective C over C++ then. this wasn't an improvement, just a substitution. The end users don't care how pretty code looks; they just want software that works. Devs aren't lazy for criticizing development choices. Give us much better tools and we'll be all over them like bees on honey. Objective C isn't a much better tool. It's just frictional.
by jcrofford February 28, 2009 7:13 PM PST
How many languages do you speak? Now, how many languages do you speak fluently? How would you like to go to a foreign country and try to speak their language and have them laugh in your face? I'm willing to bet that you LIKE speaking English.

If someone asked you to learn Fongbe or Adja (used in Benin, West Africa) to write all of your essays for the next ten years, would you not complain? If the audience really cared about the eloquence of your words, would you really use your second language? If you knew that you would be asked to learn yet another language within ten years, and be held to an even higher standard in that language, would you ever really consider that if you could write your essays in English?

Asked these questions, anyone would stick with their first language. The audience for videogames is a discerning one, it rewards quality and punishes stupidity more and more. Sony is effectively asking developers to learn new languages with every generation. Given the choice, *I* would develop for their competitors.
by atomD21 March 1, 2009 12:48 PM PST
I can explain all the exclusives in two words: First Party. They have no other consoles to worry about, so of course they can spend time learning the new set up, as they've probably had the SDK since 2004. Same way no one else has yet to come up with something for the Wii that rivals a Nintendo made game in looks.
by pentest March 2, 2009 8:36 AM PST
If you can't move from C++ to Obj-c there is no help for you.
by pentest March 2, 2009 8:37 AM PST
"How many languages do you speak?"

Programming languages are considerably simpler then natural languages.
by rbrown12345 March 2, 2009 9:16 AM PST
The "lazy developers" arguement is silly and misses the point. Developer time costs money. If something is "harder", it takes more time, so it costs more money. As the capabilities of the consoles have increased, game development costs have skyrocketed to take advantage of the capabilities. Nobody is claiming that you can't make good games on the PS3, it just takes more effort (costing more money) than on the 360. Most of the titles mentioned were 1st or 2nd party titles, so it makes sense that they would go through the extra effort to fully utilize the platform. The the extra effort gave the developer some amazing capabilities not available for the 360, it wouldn't be a problem. However, that doesn't seem to be the case as, aside from MGS4's large amount of hi-rez pre-rendered video enabled by BluRay, I haven't seen anything on the PS3 that couldn't have been done similarly on the 360.
by Farthing Haypenny March 3, 2009 10:21 AM PST
Well Chinese has a better data transfer rate than English, so I'm going to start posting here in Chinese and expect you lazy whiners to be proficient in it immediately!
by jessiethe3rd March 3, 2009 10:42 PM PST
Those games you listed are in-house developed - the time and energy was spent in the new development tools to put out these new games. MS Dev kits are good - you obviously need to take a closer look. Look at Team Suite - for Visual Studio pro.... Microsoft's development tools lead the way because they are superior to what's available out there - that's pretty plain to see. Largest used platforms, best tools...

I like how you credit Microsoft at taking things from Sony and Apple's media management - get serious dude. Microsoft was doing MediaCenter long before Apple and Sony was doing iTune and their WMC wanna be product and Sony's useless system in the PS3. Microsoft re-developed the blade system to organize content more effectively. Microsoft partnered with Netflix to offer content streaming with the number one video rental service in the world. Why should I go down to the movie store and rent a blu-ray or buy a movie from iTunes when I can easily get a low cost subscription and get access to thousands of streaming titles - many in HD.

Quite frankly, this is not about being lazy - it's about being SMART with the money you spend... especially now days. Companies are in business to make money. Speaking of crap titles on the Xbox versus the PS2 (only a generation ago...) PS2 had all the great titles - the Xbox had the better hardware. Microsoft effectively switched places with Sony - beating them at their own game but also creating a better online experience.

Sorry man - your one sided fan boy and "any thing but Microsoft" stance does not hold water in the real world. Fantasy land can be on that 4D PS3 - leave the real gaming and all the TONS of titles on the 360.
by killerchris2k8 February 28, 2009 6:30 PM PST
Can anyone answer my question? The developers have nothing to do with PSN. You can't even chat with a friend if your not in the same game or at the XMB. I get on my 360 and 9 friends are in a party playing NBA2K9 And I can jump right in no matter what I'm playing. I would much rather use my PS3 and Dual Shock and so would 90% of my friends but we don't just because of this reason. XBL keeps us connected easily and PSN make you jump through hoops. Yeah XBL is about $4.10 a month but then again I just paid $4.99 for a couch and about $3.00 on clothes for PS HOME.
Reply to this comment
by SteveW928 March 1, 2009 1:57 AM PST
I would agree on this point.... (I think I asked you in an earlier post what it was about xbox networking). Yes, Sony desperately needs to address this. The ability to carry on voice chat between friends no matter what games they are in is pretty crucial. I've been asking for this for some time. My read on it is that it got lost with the mess that Home is. This is probably a feature handed off to the Home people who have their heads on making characters dance better and stuff like that. The Home team seem to think they are competing with 2nd Life or something, and my guess is that Sony handed a lot of that kind of interaction off to them. Basically... the ball has been dropped. I hope someone at Sony will wake up to this soon.
Outside of that... the PS3 is simply Awesome! I have no regrets for buying one... use it way more than I did my PS2.
by Renegade Knight March 5, 2009 11:53 AM PST
Good point. The 360 (as long as you pony up your live fee) does a good job of letting you communicate with your friends. It's online play is pretty good.
by SteveW928 March 6, 2009 12:01 PM PST
@ Renegade Knight - Or, I can just use Skype for Gizmo5 (some VoIP solution) for free too... but it would be nice to have it built-in. This is currently Sony's biggest weak-point I see in their on-line strategy.
by sting7k February 28, 2009 6:37 PM PST
I know what you do with the other 9.5 years, MAKE MORE AND BETTER GAMES. Damn Sony is crazy.
Reply to this comment
by yiang March 2, 2009 8:43 AM PST
I agree 100000% but Sony wants the PS3 to be more than a gaming system. What that is, I don't know; nor does sony apparently.
Showing 1 of 5 pages (258 Comments)
advertisement

15 sites that went kaput in 2009

Web sites launch all the time, but they also shut their doors. We highlight 15 that bit the dust this year.

Top 10 news stories of the decade

Let the debate begin: Was the iPhone more important than iTunes? Was anything bigger than Google finding a great business model? CNET offers its list of the 10 most important stories of the '00s.

About The Digital Home

Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.

Don writes product reviews for InformationWeek and is a regular contributor to Processor Magazine. You can visit his personal site at DonReisinger.com or if you would like to email Don with questions or comments, drop him a line at CNETDigitalHome@gmail.com. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.

Add this feed to your online news reader

The Digital Home topics

Subscribe to the Digital Home podcast

Have you ever wanted a no-nonsense discussion on what is really going with all the tech topics related to your Digital Home? If so, join Don Reisinger as he brings you the same biting commentary you've come to expect from his Digital Home blog in all its audio glory.

Subscribe to this podcast using an RSS reader other than iTunes

Subscribe to this podcast using iTunes

Don's links
Don's Facebook account
Don's Twitter feed
Don's Friendfeed account
Don's Google Reader account
Don's Last.FM account
Don's Pownce account
Don's Flickr account
advertisement
advertisement