PS3 version of The Orange Box is “unplayable”
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![\"Portal](\"http://www.everyjoe.com/files/81/2007/11/portal.jpg\")
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If the bad news about recent PC ports isn’t enough, then get ready for more. According to 1UP, the PS3 version of Half-Life 2: The Orange Box is having technical problems despite the supposed power that the console has under the hood.
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The most consistent issue seems to be Episode Two’s bad framerate, which bogs down during vehicular sections of the game. On the flipside, the PS3 version of Portal seems to be doing very well.
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Unfortunately, there were no details on Team Fortress 2. 1UP confessed to having server connection issues, so they were unable to spend time with the cartoony multiplayer shooter.
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Interestingly, Valve Software isn’t touching the PS3 version of The Orange Box with a 10-foot pole. Instead, the port was handed off to an internal team at Electronic Arts. It’s not really surprising, since Valve head honcho Gabe Newell thinks the PS3 is “a waste of everybody’s time.”
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There seems to be a consensus that Xbox/PC ports to the PS3 don’t work. The PS3’s architecture is so fundamentally different from the standard 360/PC architecture that ports just won’t work. Games have to designed for the PS3 from the get-go.
It’s unfortunate that IBM cell processor is such a pain in the ass to develop for. No one disputes the raw power of the PS3 thanks to its architecture: it’s just a shame that there are few developers willing to go the extra mile and really learn how make PS3 games great.
Yes, it really is unfortunate. From what I know, the PS2 isn’t a cakewalk to develop for either, but 100 million units sold is too much to ignore, so developers put in the work anyway.
If the PS3 were to sell any better, we just might see an improvement here. Then again, sales won’t really be able to pick up unless the console gets a better lineup of games. It’s a vicious cycle, I tell you.