-
Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!
Which console has shown the most technical progress in its life? Which the least?
- Thread starter Xdrive05
- Start date
Uncle Rupee
Banned
May as well say MegaDrive with the Mega CD and Mega 32X add-ons
Not really, I don't remember having to buy anything extra to play StarFox or any other SuperFX titles
The Shift
Banned
Is it true MS doesn't allow developers to code to the metal like Sony does? Therefore the 360 will never get past a limited ceiling performance wise? dunno, I have read a few opinions on GAF about that, especially in regards to backwards compatibility going in to next gen.
Can't be true.
Microsoft are the kings when it comes to making comfortable development tools and libraries however and maybe it discourages some developers to get their hands dirty.
Halo 4 seems to know every little dirty secret of that piece of hardware.
Platform providers do obviously place down various limits though. Naughty Dog for example accessed the PSOne disc drive way above the allowed limit (for hardware sustainability) with Crash Bandicoot asset streaming but Sony just quietly looked the other way because the technology was mindblowing. Speaking of Naughty Dog, they used the PSOne chipset in the PS2 to help with the Jak & Daxter streaming process.
Combichristoffersen
Combovers don't work when there is no hair
Microsoft requires all devs to abide by their APIs when coding for the 360, while Sony is more lenient on what they let devs do with their hardware (as evidenced by how the Naughty Dog guys used the PS1 chip in the PS2 to do some kind of computing in Jak 1).
MrCunningham
Member
From a technical level I never really found Skyward Sword to be all that impressive. I think it was more of an example of good art direction over technical hardware trickery. I almost forgot about Red Steel, I guess that is a real contender there. The Shi'nen games are nice too, cindering the 40MB limit they are working in on the Wiiware.
Well, OK I suppose there are a few titles that do look better than Rouge Leader. But I wouldn't say that the list is very big. Nor would I say that we saw a very big leap from GCN to Wii.
Quake was a pretty good example on the Saturn. Shenmue is another good example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAhVpl4Uacs
Yu Suzuki commented that the Saturn build ran directly on the Saturn with no additional hardware or RAM cartridges.
From what I heard both have a thin layer APIs. They do get close to the metal on the ps3 and 360.
True. 32X I guess then.
kingkaiser
Member
Nope
Mario 64 vs. Banjo Tooie vs. Conker's bad fur day
Turok 1 vs. Turok 2 vs. Perfect Dark
Zelda OoT vs. Shadowman 64 vs. Indiana Jones 64
Shadow of the Empire vs. Starfox 64 vs. Rogue Squadron
Yeah, I would say the N64 is the console with the most technical progress
ReyBrujo
Member
I still remember (and got the magazines) from Donkey Kong Country launch for SNES. It was completely unthinkable that a 16-bit game would look much better than 32-bit and 64-bit ones (even if it was using prerendered graphics), but critics had no doubt. It was a long walk from Super Mario World to DKC. Personally, SNES wins.
Regarding the NES, the biggest cartridge, Kirby's, was a 6Mbit beast and an awesome game. Battletoads technically put Super Mario 3 to shame. And comparing the launch games with SM3, Kirby's Adventure or Battletoads is nonsense. But graphically speaking it was left behind shortly after the 16-bit consoles appeared (something that didn't happen with the SNES, as it could stand its ground for some time until developers stopped using prerendered graphics for Saturn and PS games).
Regarding the NES, the biggest cartridge, Kirby's, was a 6Mbit beast and an awesome game. Battletoads technically put Super Mario 3 to shame. And comparing the launch games with SM3, Kirby's Adventure or Battletoads is nonsense. But graphically speaking it was left behind shortly after the 16-bit consoles appeared (something that didn't happen with the SNES, as it could stand its ground for some time until developers stopped using prerendered graphics for Saturn and PS games).
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
PS2 and PSX were the first that came to mind for me.
lunchwithyuzo
Banned
Most: NES
Least: Virtual Boy
Least: Virtual Boy
MrCunningham
Member
DKC2 left me speechless a few times when I first played it. Not so much for the prerendered graphics, but for the technical aspects of the game. Lockjaw's Locker was a pretty good example of that. I was totally blown away by the 3D parallax floorboards in the background and the parallax water and wavy effects. I believe DKC2 didn't even use an additional enhancement chip in the cartridge. Rare just seemed to be that good at taking advantage of the hardware.
clem84
Gold Member
The most? I'd say PS2. The launch titles looked like absolute garbage. 5-6 years later, the stuff we saw on PS2 was really amazing.
The least? My vote would go to the Gamecube. Rogue leader(launch title) compares very well to any other game ever released on the system. There was some progress don't get me wrong but it doesn't seem like it was that big.
The least? My vote would go to the Gamecube. Rogue leader(launch title) compares very well to any other game ever released on the system. There was some progress don't get me wrong but it doesn't seem like it was that big.
Tylahedras
Banned
PS2
Any launch game vs God of War 2. Amazing.
Any launch game vs God of War 2. Amazing.
PS1. It was really the first console besides PC that had to deal with entry level 3d graphics and cd rom technology. N64 was up there with the 3d graphics, but the hardware was severely limiting. The expansion pack was a gimmick, and n54 used fog draw distance in tons of games. There was Sega CD, but it really didnt push anything except FMV. Games really didn't look that much better than a typical sega game.
PS3: Naughty dog perfected the PS3 with Uncharted 2 with their very low load times, and vsynced @ 30fps + tripple buffering does wonders. Also, God of War 3 showed us that good AA techniques can make your game look pretty damn good. I was really worried when Kojima said they maxed out the PS3, and then I saw the Sub HD and non stable framerate. Good joke guys!
PS3: Naughty dog perfected the PS3 with Uncharted 2 with their very low load times, and vsynced @ 30fps + tripple buffering does wonders. Also, God of War 3 showed us that good AA techniques can make your game look pretty damn good. I was really worried when Kojima said they maxed out the PS3, and then I saw the Sub HD and non stable framerate. Good joke guys!
Yeah I forgot about a few games. Picked a new system right above your post. =P
Evolution_1ne
Banned
PS3, with PS2 in close second
those comparisons don't really help your argument
Shadow of the BEAST
Banned
in my opinion n64 is one of the consoles that aged worsed, eventhough some of the later games clearly where tecnically better.
it really peaked with mario 64.
it really peaked with mario 64.
TUROK
Member
Chet Rippo
Member
SNES
Origami Superman
Member
Pretty much.
revolverjgw
Member
PS2, but the PS3 is making a push with The Last of Us.
phosphor112
Banned
Sony knows how to make good hardware.
Haters gonna hate.
Haters gonna hate.
disappeared
Banned
It's been amazing to see PSOne, PS2, and PS3 titles evolve visually. Sony may make their consoles tougher to develop for, but they are beasts under the hood.
PsihoPerihelion
Member
SNES
The only right answer.
phosphor112
Banned
Agreed. Too bad too many devs bitch about it. =/ I love seeing stuff like MGS3 and SotC happen. So much work put into a game by a third party dev... you see how well the results are.
SlipperySlope
Banned
NES
Look into what the designers of the NES thought would be possible, and what it ended up putting out at the end of its life. The graphical capabilities the programmers pushed out of that thing were amazing. If I recall, Parallax Scrolling wasn't even supposed to be possible.
Look into what the designers of the NES thought would be possible, and what it ended up putting out at the end of its life. The graphical capabilities the programmers pushed out of that thing were amazing. If I recall, Parallax Scrolling wasn't even supposed to be possible.
Sega Saturn
Virtua Fighter
Virtua Fighter 2: High Res and 60fps
NES
Super Mario Bros.
Battletoads
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvV0DE1itWA
Virtua Fighter
Virtua Fighter 2: High Res and 60fps
NES
Super Mario Bros.
Battletoads
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvV0DE1itWA
Most definitely this.
Runner-ups include the NES and SNES among a couple others
Just under those we have the 360, Wii, and others
And the least would probably be the Dreamcast (it didn't live long enough to evolve :c)
TreasureHunterG
Banned
SNES
- The achievements made for that system were amazing for it's tech. It managed to appeal against Saturn and PSX at their early years, I think no system, ever, managed to be on par (AT THE BEGGINING, OF COURSE) with a next-gen already avaliable. So many SNES games brought new bars and standards for gaming development like few did.
PS3
- Yes, the improvement so far is amazing. PS3-only games create new standards for current gen development.
Everytime I read posts like this just makes clear to me that N64 haters barely (or never) played N64 games.
- The achievements made for that system were amazing for it's tech. It managed to appeal against Saturn and PSX at their early years, I think no system, ever, managed to be on par (AT THE BEGGINING, OF COURSE) with a next-gen already avaliable. So many SNES games brought new bars and standards for gaming development like few did.
PS3
- Yes, the improvement so far is amazing. PS3-only games create new standards for current gen development.
Everytime I read posts like this just makes clear to me that N64 haters barely (or never) played N64 games.
PS3. Nothing else this gen has made my jaw drop in terms of visuals on consoles. Though one of the games early on in the cycle that still holds its own to all the exclusive games coming now is MGS4. It still looks soo good. The transition from cutscene to gameplay still blows my mind. Even now when I see the cutscene end and the health bar slowly appear and the super detailed character models still intact in gameplay I am still amazed. The cutscene to gameplay transitions is freaking amazing. Damn it I need to go play some more MGS4 again.
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
Conker's Bad Fur Day on N64 was just nuts. To this day I don't know how they pulled it off.
The Awesomest
Member
Poimandres
Member
I'm not particularly well educated on the matter, but aren't there some extremely impressive examples of the Commodore 64 out there?
edible_candle
Member
It is unfortunate that the Dreamcast never made it past 2nd generation software. And as a bonus negative, it came (and died) at an awkward time during the transition between generations. Most teams either relegated it to PS1/N64 ports, or they hadn't quite yet adjusted to newer and more efficient rendering techniques made available by the new systems. Plus, it rendered at a full 640x480, while most PS2 games (especially early on) ran at a lower resolution. Still, it did show signs of improvemnt during the short time it was around.
Sonic Adventure -> Sonic Adventure 2 was impressive, especially considering that Sonic Team doubled the framerate while maintaining/surpassing the visuals of the first.
Soul Calibur -> Dead or Alive 2 is another fairly impressive leap.
Sega GT -> Test Drive Le Mans. Big jump there.
Sonic Adventure -> Sonic Adventure 2 was impressive, especially considering that Sonic Team doubled the framerate while maintaining/surpassing the visuals of the first.
Soul Calibur -> Dead or Alive 2 is another fairly impressive leap.
Sega GT -> Test Drive Le Mans. Big jump there.
