Archive for May, 2007
Which is faster: Blu-Ray or DVD?
I was reading Business 2.0 this month, when I noticed this quote:
gamers complained that the speed of the Blu-Ray drive was too slow when doing what drives in consoles are supposed to do: load games.
Now, this is nothing new. Many other magazines and journalists have said the same thing.
But has anyone actually tested this?
I suspect not. I’ve definitely never seen any of these business writers cite any tests or evidence to back this up. If anything, it’s probably based on abstract high level spec sheets that skip over important considerations such as CLV vs CAV (angular velocity measurements vs linear velocity measurements) and layer switch issues.
OK, guys. Let’s do some digging. This shouldn’t be too hard to do:
- Find a good optical drive benchmarking tool that will test this kind of thing. Needs to run under Linux so that it can be used on the PS3 and on a PC.
- Identify some good tests discs. Will want to test both single layer and dual layer DVD and blu-ray test discs. I wonder if there is a big performance drop when using dual layer discs rather than single layer? Is there a speed hit when doing seeks from one layer to another? The latter should show up on a random access test.
- Get a PS3 with Linux set up on it to do the Blu-Ray tests.
- Get a Linux PC to do the DVD tests. Linux is preferable since hopefully both PS3/Blu-Ray and PC/DVD test machines can use the exact same benchmarking application.
- Run the tests several times to get a good sample.
- Post Results
Does anyone else think that this would be an interesting test to run? Can anyone provide some technical tips to refine this strategy? Will anyone volunteer to help do any of this?
BTW, I know that the game, “Oblivion” has better load times on the PS3, but that is merely one anecdote. I’m hoping to gather more general benchmarks.
Business 2.0 Article
GameSpot Comparison of Blu-Ray/DVD speed by specs (no actual benchmarks)
Warhawk Beta
Posted by Blackstaffer in PS3 software, W on May 29th, 2007
Sorry about the lack of updates, people. I’m too busy playing, thinking about, talking about, and getting killed in the Warhawk Beta.
I’m not allowed to talk about it publicly, but I think it’s safe to tell you that I’ll be buying this game when it’s released.
Video – Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Posted by Blackstaffer in PS3 software, S on May 28th, 2007
Even though I’m a big fan of Star Wars, I’ve never really been into stuff like Star Wars books or Star Wars games. This game might change all that. It just looks too cool:
Gran Turismo bombshell?
Posted by Tom in G, PS3 software on May 27th, 2007
Ah good old Gran Turismo. By this time I expect most of you have had a go at the GTHD download on the PlayStation store (irritatingly I am still PS3-less) and formed your own opinions.
Prepare yourself for a bolt of confusion from the blue.
French magazine Joypad (English readers will recognise the typeface as uncannily similar to Edge, both magazines are published by Future), scored an interview with Kaz Yamamuchi. As you’d expect Kaz offered some details on GT5 and the ‘zine shows the first shot of the Nurburgring and the interior of an Audi TT. Unsurprisingly, these look almost indistinguishable from their real life counterparts.
And then? The bombshell. GT4 HD is not dead. The game has the same setup as described last year (namely GT4 in HD with more cars and lots of online content), available in premium and classic versions and will most likely appear by the end of the year.
I’m not really sure what to make of this. I wasn’t a huge fan of the original approach suggested by Polyphony, so I hope they have adjusted their pricing strategy. There again, as another stop gap for GT5… well, it’s better than nothing I guess. I expect we will get more details on this in the next few weeks and at E3, but for now we need to wait and see.
Read the story as it unfolded on GAF.
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Posted by Gary in L, PS3 software on May 26th, 2007
As much as I find the recent 3 Star Bores films boring, I had a lot of fun playing LEGO Star Wars on the PS2. Now, Travellers Tales are working on a new LEGO Star Wars game for the PS3, 360, Wii and DS, due for release this November. The Complete Saga will cover all 6 films and is set to be the biggest game yet:
There’ll be more than 160 characters to choose from, which will also be customisable, letting you swap torsos and heads to create your own hybrids. New levels will be introduced, on top of revamped or unseen challenges from the previous games. And you’ll be able to relish more Force Powers, use fresh power-ups, and tackle a new Challenge mode.
But the biggest addition will be two-player jump-in cooperative gameplay over the Internet on PS3 and Xbox 360 – the first time online’s featured in the series.
WOOT!!! 2 player online co-op! Henning should be pleased with this news.



Last 5 Comments