Exclusive: Hands-On with PlayStation 3

Kikizo presents a detailed, early account of its first-hand experience with a little known console called PS3. Is it looking like a new generational leap, or emotion engine tears? We have some answers.

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We'd previously seen PlayStation 3 in "realtime" action in three demonstrations - the stunning Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer taken into a simulation to show off game engine and graphics, Sonic the Hedgehog's realtime demo at TGS, and also a realtime demo of Sega's Fifth Phantom Saga, also at TGS (all available to watch below). Based on what we've now played for ourselves, we can answer a question we all asked back at E3 2005. Does PS3 really look like the Killzone trailer? No way. Does it look like Metal Gear Solid 4? Sure, near enough, although now that it's on near-final hardware, things just need a little polishing to look as complete as what was shown by Kojima-san in September.

Killing Day (pictured) and Fifth Phantom Saga are what actual PS3 games look like today. MGS4 won't be a problem either...

What we played was still extremely early, but we've been able to build a healthier picture of things. Another point of reference is the aforementioned Fifth Phantom Saga realtime demo from TGS, which we daresay is a slightly more honest representation of today's exact PS3 graphics status, and closer to current playable content than anything fuelling PS3's notoriety since E3 last year.

The difference in physics, detail and scene complexity between the Killzone or MotorStorm trailers and MGS4's realtime demo is quite severely obvious, and it's now abundantly clear to us that everyone's early PS3 gaming experiences will be a whole lot more like the latter, but that's not exactly a bad thing. We'll have dynamic range and depth of field optics, maybe even a 'solid' sixty frames. But MGS4 stands on its own as the single most impressive thing anyone has seen on a sufficiently convincingly box to date. Based on what we've seen and played, launch software will look like nice Xbox 360 material - Dead or Alive 4, Gears of War. The main issue now is when is this "launch" actually going to happen?

...but whether they'll ever be as incredible as the Killzone or MotorStorm trailers remains unknown for the foreseeable future

Late Spring into Action?

Based on this evidence, things aren't exactly rocketing ahead, and we wouldn't be the first to question the potential of some kind of delays. Our developer is first to chip in: "We think that in Japan it will most likely release during Summer, Q4 in the US, and Europe in Winter or Spring 2007 - these are our internal projections." And right now, it seems most observers would agree.

But Spring could mean as late as late June, which is pretty much Summer. Some, including the folks at next-gen.biz, have pondered whether Sony's recently appointed British CEO might change traditional strategy and focus an initial launch in America, where it's argued that the most vital battle PS3 will be fought - BluRay's battle. But the other school of thought suggests that Howard Stringer would need to have been running the show a bit longer to reasonably affect significant plans for the company's most important project, relatively late in the day. But then, nobody seems to know for sure yet.

The cost of a final PlayStation 3 is the other issue, and some are remaining hopeful, considering PSP launched well below its projected price thanks to publisher pressure on Sony. Could it be a similar story with PlayStation 3? Sony could do well to absorb some creator investment costs, but BluRay's success against HD-DVD is more vital to Sony, particularly compared to its relatively insignificant aspirations for UMD.

Yet, the sheer scale and cost of PS3 is surely looking like an increasing problem for some creators, as many had predicted. Having more power is great, but the real challenge is going to be filling 25-50GB with material that's as convincing as it is compelling. Reaching anywhere near MGS4 standards - let alone impossible Killzone standards - is still going to be tough for everyone but the most elite developers, and achieving photo-realistic scenes is as much about committed creators as raw power.

Tekken 6 is an example of early thirdparty support that outweighs Xbox 360 by a fair margin

Nonetheless, Sony has already sewn up the developer support it needs more effectively than Microsoft has been able to, with Edge reporting that one publisher for example is committing 50 per cent of resources to PS3, 30 per cent to Xbox 360, and 20 per cent to Revolution - so on a needs-must basis it could be a traditional territory roll out after all. If only some early hands-on time could also answer questions about date and price, we'd be much happier.

Marks Out of Ten

Sony's showings of PS3 to date have been seriously sexy. But the reality, while still impressive, is nowhere near the leap beyond Xbox 360 Sony wants you to believe, and it seems many projects are still at an early enough stage for things to start getting a little worrying. We don't have much idea why Sony has been so quiet about PS3 lately, but in light of today's manufacturing and development status, one theory is that it's simply having a bit of an internal think about how best to proceed, and of course, how best to communicate their strategy to the industry and gamers, without taking the slightest PR setback in the process. In fact, considering Sony, they'd be more likely to turn it all around back into massive excitement all over again. Based on what we've played versus the hype of the last year, it's impossible not to be slightly disappointed, yet we're still hugely excited and most of all, relieved that all the claims, confusion and debate now make more sense.

We can't wait to get more of PlayStation 3 to draw some more specific conclusions, so we'll see you for more hands-on with final, cased hardware (and presumably a final controller) in surely not much longer than a couple of months' time. And, if our (and many industry) estimates are accurate, then maybe everyone will need to mark 'summer' on the calendar as the time to get sued for importing their final Japanese PS3.

The Future Is Almost Here... and even in 720p, it looks bright.

Adam Doree
Kikizo.com

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