The way I see it, the PS3 has the same components as the PS2, but much more of them...
That's not really the case. To name just two example, the PS3 has a "modern" programmable GPU and a hard drive, both of which the PS2 lacked.
Sure, the PS3 might enable new possibilities, eventually teams of of developers will figure out how to make one processor take care of gameplay, two extra processors do artificial intelligence, maybe another dedicated to cool in game communications with other players on the net, and of course, what ever is left trying to do more physics than ever before.
That's already happened, and in launch (or near-launch) titles, no less. For example, in the game Heavenly Sword, one Cell core is dedicated entirely to controlling the heroine's long red hair as she acrobatically flips, kicks, and knifes her way through enemies.
A frill, maybe, but in this genre (basically a high-brow beat-em-up) the look and feel of the main character is half the game. And without technology like this, certain character designs are out of the question because they reveal too many of the hardware's limitations. (Waist-length hair won't look so hot if it stays stiff or jerks through a few preset animations as the character leaps all over the place.) So there you have it: technology enabling artistic expression, albeit on a small scale.
by John — Oct 23
That's not really the case. To name just two example, the PS3 has a "modern" programmable GPU and a hard drive, both of which the PS2 lacked.
Sure, the PS3 might enable new possibilities, eventually teams of of developers will figure out how to make one processor take care of gameplay, two extra processors do artificial intelligence, maybe another dedicated to cool in game communications with other players on the net, and of course, what ever is left trying to do more physics than ever before.
That's already happened, and in launch (or near-launch) titles, no less. For example, in the game Heavenly Sword, one Cell core is dedicated entirely to controlling the heroine's long red hair as she acrobatically flips, kicks, and knifes her way through enemies.
A frill, maybe, but in this genre (basically a high-brow beat-em-up) the look and feel of the main character is half the game. And without technology like this, certain character designs are out of the question because they reveal too many of the hardware's limitations. (Waist-length hair won't look so hot if it stays stiff or jerks through a few preset animations as the character leaps all over the place.) So there you have it: technology enabling artistic expression, albeit on a small scale.