Skip to main content

Black Ops 2: Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3?

Preliminary findings from the upcoming Digital Foundry Face-Off.

It's fair to say that Treyarch's track record in terms of cross-platform conversions is patchy at best, especially evident when the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of 2010's Call of Duty: Black Ops are compared directly. Lower frame-rates, lower resolution frame buffers, and PSN's online issues gave the impression that the firm's focus had been directed towards the Xbox 360 version of the game, resulting in a sub-par experience for PS3 owners. So how does Black Ops 2 fare?

As we speak, Digital Foundry's Tom Morgan is poring over all three versions of the game, having bought each at the midnight launch on Tuesday. A complete analysis is in the running for this weekend, but for now, we are in a position to offer some headline pointers on what separates the two console versions based on our captures of the single-player campaign.

First up: rendering resolution. Since the release of Modern Warfare, the Call of Duty engine has always operated in a sub-HD configuration, with Treyarch's Black Ops running at the COD standard 1040x600 with 2x multi-sampling anti-aliasing (MSAA) on Xbox 360. Alas, this saw a reduction to 960x540 on the PlayStation 3.

Resolution parity returned with Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 3, but this has changed once again with Black Ops 2; native resolution is now 880x720 on Xbox 360 with 2x MSAA. It may sound somewhat on the low side, but kudos to Treyarch here - the upscaling algorithm is remarkably refined when viewed in motion. The overall impression is that this is the crispest COD we've seen on 360. As you'll see in the comparison viewer below, the upscaled image generally compares quite well with the PC version running at native res.

Things aren't quite so impressive on PS3, however. Base resolution does indeed appear to be a very close match, with our pixel count resolving a marginally lower 864x720 image [Update #2: Further shot analysis now seems to be suggesting that PS3 uses dynamic resolution]. It's impossible to overlook the aggressive blur applied over the top of the image though, resulting from what appears to be a new post-process anti-aliasing technique for the studio. The intensity of the filter is so pronounced that, even after close study of numerous shots, it's difficult to pinpoint whether any hardware MSAA is being applied on Sony's platform. A significant amount of detail is lost in the image overall, but on the plus side, edge detection/smoothing does work out better in some scenes.

Update: Reader Damien Dugdale wrote to us asking to re-test PS3 image quality with the 1.02 patch removed, suggesting that the blur effect is lessened in the original code. And guess what - he's right. Here's a shot showing the patch running, which is noticeably blurrier than the unpatched game. So in the here and now, you can at least play single-player modes with a less severe blur by removing the 1.02 update, but obviously you'll need it running to play online. Hopefully this can be addressed by Treyarch.

X360
PS3
PC
Black Ops 2 on PS3 suffers from noticeable hit to image quality, where the additional blur comes from Treyarch's choice method of anti-aliasing. As a result, the 360 scales up an 880x720 native resolution alongside 2x MSAA to create a crisper image, while PS3 uses lower precision post processing to mask the jaggies.
X360
PS3
PC
The 360 benefits from higher resolution alpha buffers on explosions, as seen behind the wrecked vehicles in the distance. The lower resolution buffers on PlayStation 3 help mitigate bandwidth issues in the Sony architecture and we saw similar compromises in World at War and Modern Warfare 3.
X360
PS3
PC
Grass can come across as a bit plain on both consoles compared to Battlefield 3's due to the absence of ambient occlusion on console. This option is available on the PC version, though appears understated - and often absent - during our tests.
X360
PS3
PC
Shadows appear largely like-for-like in our tests, though slightly filtered on 360. Real-time shadows can sap system performance, and every millisecond counts on a console title. PC has the horsepower to put on a better show here.
X360
PS3
PC
The silver lining for the PS3's post processing is its more thorough edge-detection. Here, the yellow stair bannisters and notches on the topside of the gun show less prominent stair-stepping - though, this comes at the cost of increased blurring to textures.

We've also run some like-for-like video clips through our frame-rate analysis tools to discern whether or not a disparity in performance still exists between the two console platforms - historically the COD engine has favoured the Xbox 360 - a state of affairs especially evident in Black Ops.

Modern Warfare 3 closed the gap somewhat, but it's safe to say that there is still a noticeable performance difference between Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the new game, as you can see by checking out the cut-scene and traversal video below, which seeks to measure frame-rates in areas where the rendering engines are put through a series of nigh-on identical stress tests.

We're still working on campaign gameplay, multiplayer, and stereoscopic 3D analyses but we reckon that the gap between the two console SKUs does close - especially in terms of the all-important online experience (though these issues are somewhat alarming).

In most gameplay areas, PS3 performance generally is significantly closer to the target 60FPS than it was in the first Black Ops, though more intense effects work clearly takes its toll on frame-rate. Curiously we find that the PC version seems to require serious amounts of CPU power - no problem for quad-core systems but the 2.8GHz Pentium G840 powering the £300 Digital Foundry PC seems to have issues running the game at anything above 30FPS, regardless of what graphical settings or resolutions we try, something we'll be taking another look at shortly.

We aim to have our full article complete for the weekend, but in the meantime, we can safely recommend the Xbox 360 version of Black Ops 2 ahead of its Sony equivalent. That said, assuming Treyarch can overcome the freezes and lock-ups impacting the PS3 experience, the gap between the two console versions in terms of performance does narrow if you're mainly invested in the multiplayer side.

"Despite the disparities between the console versions, it's clear that the PS3 work is a step up from Treyarch's efforts on the first Black Ops and the online issues are more of a concern to us right now."

There are still noticeable frame-rate differences between the two console versions of Black Ops 2, some of which we highlight here in a performance video based on like-for-like sections from the game.

Read this next

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com