Bethesda Softworks says it's "very comfortable" developing its RPG giant Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Xbox 360, and claimed the aging console even has some working advantages over PC.
"We are very comfortable on 360," he said. "Yes, it will look better on PC. The PC has moved on a lot. With the kinds of things we do where we are streaming a lot, even your average hard drive on your average PC these days is crazy fast at ripping data.
"The negative on PC is that there are still a lot of layers of API before you can look at the hardware. So we might be able to get the data faster on PC, but what we do with that data is still easier on 360 and PS3 where we can look directly at the memory registers and do what we want.
"This is our third go around on these systems, so we are a lot more comfortable than we used to be."
So confident is Bethesda in the console versions of its role-playing stunner, it's opting to show off Skyrim on Xbox 360 at trade shows, claiming it's "much easier" to demo.
Bethesda recently announced that the debut Skyrim DLC will release first on Xbox 360. The game launches on November 11 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Comments
30 comments so far...
Gambini on 23 Sep '11 said:
The 360 footage does look good, but the fact we haven't seen *any* PS3 footage for Skyrim is killing the hype for me. There's just no reason for non-exclusive multi-plat games to alienate certain console owners (unless of course, M$ have paid for the privilege..)
El Mag on 23 Sep '11 said:
Comparison of a dragon in Skyrim. It's the exact same point in both games but the difference is massive.
360 version.
http://www.skyrim5.com/images/skyrim-dragon-1.jpg
PS3 version.
http://www.susanboylehastalent.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/susan-boyle_hairy-angel.jpg
You can see the PS3 version is miles behind and pretty hideous in it's current state.
KMakawa on 23 Sep '11 said:
Even after reading the URL's I still didnt notice what I was clicking.. Only just woke up, but made me chuckle
-facepalm-
But Yep, good comparison!
StonecoldMC on 23 Sep '11 said:
@ El Mag
The PS3 version might not have the same amount of pixels or be of the same resolution as the 360, buy by Jebus is it a lot more scarier!
Athrun888 on 23 Sep '11 said:
I'd say MS definitely have a hand in it actually, I don't know why I didn't think of this before but it's quite possible that they've paid for "exclusive" (i.e. 360 and PC) footage only in an attempt to scare people into buying it on the 360, normally I wouldn't consider this but knowing how low MS will go for an edge, and given the fact they paid for a mere month exclusivity of the dlc it does make me wonder.
Queen Skillage on 23 Sep '11 said:
I shat myself when I saw that dragon comparison. I sure hope it doesn't sing...or take it's scales off!
Shamanix on 23 Sep '11 said:
Whoa that was some scary s**t man! Cracked me rite up!!
wildhook2 on 23 Sep '11 said:
Oblivion on PS3 was better. I'd expect both versions will be identical.
KMakawa on 23 Sep '11 said:
Well, Considering Oblivion came out a year later than the 360 version - I should think it would of been better!
@Athrun, I definitely think MS would be securing a exclusive DLC deal, it'd be daft for them not to..
Moorpheus on 23 Sep '11 said:
I played Skyrim (on 360) at Eurogamer yesterday - it was absolutely awesome!
The gameplay, graphics, the towns - it was all superb.
There's nothing like dual wielding magic
OverKillGama on 23 Sep '11 said:
I don't care much about the 360 vs PS3 graphics comparison, because they'll hardly be a difference, what I want to see is how awesome the PC version will look with it's bigger screen resolutions and it's higher res textures, and all the DX11 features and the supposedly better interface =P
spam23 on 23 Sep '11 said:
Does anyone have links to some PC footage?
azev2000 on 23 Sep '11 said:
There are no DX11 features. Its already been said by Howard that it is a DX9 game. It was designed for consoles and that is what they support. Sorry for the letdown.
Tom454545 on 23 Sep '11 said:
Its kinda sad seeing more and more games made for console, instead of primarily making them for the pc
OverKillGama on 23 Sep '11 said:
Todd howard said this during an interview with IGN
IGN: Will the PC version support DirectX 11?
Todd Howard: Yes, but I guess the real question here is do we take advantage of DX11's big new features and the answer is 'not specifically'.
So it'll probably be preformance based features such as tessellation and what not
spam23 on 23 Sep '11 said:
I'm already looking forward to the mods!
The_KFD_Case on 23 Sep '11 said:
How were the controls - did they feel cramped or unnatural on the Xbox 360 controller (i.e. were there enough buttons)? Could you save at will or not? I'm strongly inclined to get Skyrim on the PC because Bethesda is staying true to its roots and giving the PC mod community access to the development tools at no charge. The mods for Oblivion made for an entirely different and superior game.
Moorpheus on 23 Sep '11 said:
The controls were pretty decent - A was interact, X to draw/put away sword for example, Y was jump, B brought up the Skills/Magic/Item/Map screen (which works well - plus the Magic screen is awesome as the previews have suggested).
LB was sprint, LT used whatever was in your left hand (e.g. a spell) whilst RT was swing sword, fire bow etc. I forget what RB did. R3 changed from 1st to 3rd person and L3 crouched. It was all pretty easy to control really.
Saving was available on the start menu and I'm pretty sure you could have saved at will - however, I didn't try it.
It played well on the 360 and I came away very impressed with it. I saw other people playing whilst in the queue and they were going in caves and other areas I didn't even get to. That's how big this one (very small) area was
Channel4 on 23 Sep '11 said:
Eh? Tessellation is not really a performance feature. It makes things look perfectly round/adds detail. Deus Ex uses it properly. It makes it so player models have almost no noticeable polygonal edges. Looks really weird because the pre rendered cutscenes look less detailed than in game.
The_KFD_Case on 23 Sep '11 said:
Thank you for the detailed answer, Moorpheus!
Sounds good. How were the sensitivity settings on the controller? Was it sluggish? If you wanted to spin on a dime how fast was the response time?
OverKillGama on 24 Sep '11 said:
Tessellation is actually both a performance based feature and a graphical, the way it works is that they take a really low polygon model that uses hardly any VRAM and layer special tessellation data over it, from this data the computers GPU is able to re render the model with a higher polygon count that requires no more extra power than a pre rendered model but saves massively on memory
Old Skool Gamer on 24 Sep '11 said:
That's how it will be until the next gen is released.
The problem with PC is those damn API's, if they could program straight to silicon, which is what the developers want to harness the true power of these beasts, by jesus it would be a even bigger gulf in performance.
I hope the next gen consoles allow this.
AJDarkstar on 24 Sep '11 said:
If they're having issues developing for Winndows, why not make a Mac version? Valve have said numerous times that they can get around 20% more on the same spec - I think it might be more than that, but my Mac is a beast. The GPU supports DX11, but not sure how up-to-date Apple's drivers are - they prefer to handle that themselves.
BOYD1981 on 24 Sep '11 said:
Me too, because playing an RPG with fully clothed people just doesn't feel right somehow...
OverKillGama on 24 Sep '11 said:
Come to think of it, I'm sure the modding community will put Bethesda to shame with all the inevitable graphics enhancing mods that take full advantage of the PC hardware like they did in oblivion =P
Moorpheus on 24 Sep '11 said:
The sensitivity seemed fine to be honest - I didn't really spend too much time investigating (the 15-20 minutes FLEW by) - but I had no issues with turn speed.
It literally was the sort of experience where my friend and I had differing stories after our demoes. I ransacked a small bandit outpost and explored the river - killing some mudcrabs in the process whilst my friend had a mass brawl in the nearby village.
I can't wait
MrMoobs on 24 Sep '11 said:
The reason we've yet to see a PS3 version is to save every gaming forum from the ensuing war from annoyed xbox gamers ^_^
Ominous on 25 Sep '11 said:
PC gamer here. Played Skyrim on the 360 on Eurogamer. I'm less excited now than I was before. My gf, 360 gamer, played it at the same time, is absolutely ecstatic about it. We are both fans of the series since Morrowind came out.
If anyone was wondering ( or was led to believe by the hype ) : Morrowind > Oblivion > Skyrim
The gameplay is dumbed down even more ( I should stress this is my opinion on the basis of the demo I played ) some things are missing and I got the vibe they wanted to appeal to action/RPG fans more than the old-school crowd. That being said it looked amazing it played like a TES game and the controls ( I've had a very limited exposure to a controller ) felt well mapped and intuitive. If you are out there reading this and wondering why I'm bitching I will give you my opinion and be over with. While there are many Action/RPG hybrids on the market, TES has always appealed to the old school ( read numbers and complete control ) fantasy gamer. In my mind that's what it is. Change is not bad but this is almost a completely new game at this point. When they started cutting things from Morrowind they diminished what was so great about it- the freedom to do whatever you want in the game world. They are doing it again. I'm not against change but they are starting to get the "George Lucas" syndrome where they change things that worked and were fundamental to the original. If they at least added new things it would be better, but no- they just keep on cutting.
In conclusion I will buy Skyrim, and will not be disappointed because I will take it for what it is- an action/adventure/RPG game. People with too high expectations will be disappointed and will bitch about it, I won't.
MozzyEng on 25 Sep '11 said:
Ive never really bothered with rpg games. Tried the last fable as a rental but just could not get into it. Im more of a sports and fps fan, However skyrim has caught my eye. Looks really good. Could be tempted as someone who does not normally play these types!
OverKillGama on 25 Sep '11 said:
I would agree that they cut a lot of the stuff that was in Morrowind out of Oblivion, but from what I've read and seen of Skyrim they're adding in at least a few features back into Skyrim that never seemed to make the transition from Morrowind to Oblivion, but they're also adding in a lot of new features, such as dragon shouts, duel wielding, a skill which allows you to forge your own armour and weapons, as well a improve on existing ones, and an actual skill for enchanting items. But even if they have cut things out of it, the true core of the game is still there, the thing that made Morrowind so good for me was the ability to just go wonder off at any point in the game, even in the middle of a quest and go exploring the wilderness, or delve into hand crafted dungeons (which they've said they've done again for Skyrim, unlike Oblivion with it's procedurally generated ones that all looked the same), that was what the games truly meant to me, that sense of non-linear adventure with no boundaries (par from the ones at the very edge of the world in Oblivion which I turned off ;P). But as you quite clearly stated it was a demo and don't forget demo's tend to be very restrictive on what exactly you can do. Anyway, if the sense of adventure in Skyrim doesn't quite do it for you and you still feel like it's missing that little thing that made Morrowind so nice to play, I'm sure people will make mods to fill in the gap in your heart, that Morrowind used to fill, quite quickly after release =P.