PS2 Was a Big Fish in a Small Pond

"Kake Bake" (kakebake)
06/11/2014 at 16:05 • Filed to: gt6

Saracen clarifies that the PS2 was driving a slow car fast. Additionally, the PS3 and 4 drive faster cars but go slower (in very specific regards).

DISCUSSION (4)

Saracen > Kake Bake
06/11/2014 at 16:32

It really isn't as simple as that. The PS3 and PS4 have superior fillrates compared to the PS2.

Rising heatwaves are a "read-modify-write" operation. You grab a snapshot of the graphics buffer, shift a group of pixels to create the heat effect, then write it again. This is extremely memory intensive.

The PS2 ran at a much lower resolution, and it had a (relatively) very high memory bandwidth that could allow usage of the maximum fill rate. The PS2 did not have pixel shaders and can't do fancy particle effects, but it was very fast at ROP operations because ALU operations per pixel were very inexpensive, and it had such a high memory bandwidth in comparison to the maximum number of pixels on screen.

The PS3 and PS4, by comparison, have higher fill rates, but the memory bandwidth is not adequate because their resolution output is so much higher than a PS2...memory bandwidth is not as necessary in modern graphics architectures that use pixel shaders and particle rendering. You can get lots of beautiful, realistic looking particle effects, but rising heatwaves are much more expensive because the resolution is so much higher in comparison to the memory bandwidth.

So no, heat waves would be much more difficult to achieve on the PS3 and PS4 unless the memory bandwidth is drastically increased. However, the PS2 won't give you accurate looking sparks from a front diffuser scraping a curb, or realistic smoke effects.

Kake Bake > Saracen
06/11/2014 at 18:13

I didn't mean to simplify it—thanks for the explanation (<-not sarcastic).

Saracen > Kake Bake
06/11/2014 at 18:19

I just wanted to clarify.

I agree with you though, it is a shame that heat waves aren't really achievable with the latest systems. But damn, the smoke effects in Watch Dogs on my PS4 always leave me in awe..

No Prius Needed > Kake Bake
06/11/2014 at 19:53

Wat.