Lens of Truth Staff | 
September 30, 2009 | 
“What’s the dirt on DiRT 2?”
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| Racing | 3983 mb | n/a |
Racing | |||||||||
| Release: 09/08/09 | 15 sec | 17 sec | Release: 09/08/09 | |||||||||
| ESRB: T |
High | Low | ESRB: T | |||||||||
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Head2Head – DiRT 2 Analysis Watch the video to find out which version of DiRT 2 falls face first into the dirt! |
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For almost a year now, the Lens of Truth staff have been striving to be your number one website by giving the gamer an unbiased and uninfluenced video game comparison you can trust. Between the 7 staff members, we have over 70 years of accumulated experience in the video game industry. Not only have we played almost every game since the Odyssey 2, but we own almost every console ever released. One of our greatest frustrations has been in trying to encapsulate this knowledge and information into something useful that our brethren gamers can take with them to the cash register. The Lens of Truth staff is proud to introduce, for the first time, the future of the Head2Head. We hope our new analysis and score breakdown will ultimately help you determine which version is the definitive purchase. Enjoy.
We have also prepared a quick video tutorial outlining the features of our analysis system.
Graphics: DiRT 2 is a phenomenal looking game on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, utilizing the best dynamic lighting systems we’ve ever seen in a game. Every ray of light cascades realistically off of vehicles and objects that can only be appreciated in real time. Not only did the lighting system look awesome, but the dynamic fluid system intensified the experience as you drove through a puddle. Each ripple of water traversed through the puddle just as expected. Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 managed to look almost identical to each other in terms of lighting, textures and dynamic water effects resulting in a scoring deadlock. Additionally, the PlayStation 3 wouldn’t upscale to 1080p locking the game at 480p or 720p. The good news is the game seemed to be rendered at 720p.
Performance: The Xbox 360 version outperformed the PlayStation 3 version by having a steady framerate and minimal screen tearing throughout each race. Unfortunately, the PlayStation 3 version took a face plant into the dirt by screen tearing far more than the Xbox 360 version did in almost every race. And to add fuel to the fire, the screen tearing actually was bad enough to distract us from controlling the car, which directly affected gameplay. On the bright side though, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version did manage to maintain a steady framerate of 29-30fps on both consoles.
Here are the global analysis statistics: PS3 Avg FPS – 29.63 / Xbox 360 Avg FPS – 29.59 / Ps3 Avg Frame Tears – 11.45% / Xbox 360 Avg Frame Tears – 1.52%
Loading: Right off the bat the PlayStation 3 version required a mandatory install weighing in at 3983 megabytes. The PlayStation 3 version did have a faster load time averaging around 15 sec. per race, while the Xbox 360 version took just a little longer to load (around 17 sec per race). This time around the PlayStation 3 version kicks up some dirt onto the hood of the Xbox 360 version.
Roll over to see the differences. Here we compare the different HDMI settings between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
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Conclusion: DiRT 2 is one pretty game, no matter what system you choose it for. However, you will want to pick up the Xbox 360 version due to the performance. The PlayStation 3 version screen tore 7.5 times (globally) as much as the Xbox 360 version did in almost every race that included more than two cars on the screen at once. While the Xbox 360 wasn’t tear free, the tearing was minimal 1.52% (globally). The screen tearing on the PlayStation 3 version was so bad at times it actually interfered with the controls while trying to adjust for a sharp turn. The Xbox 360 version comes out on top in this Head2Head.
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| G R A P H I C S | |||
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Tie. Both games look absolutely gorgeous, rivaling the best the industry has to offer in this genre. Lighting, textures, vehicle deformation and the dynamic fluid effects never looked so good in a racing game and both versions looked almost identical. |  |
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| P E R F O R M A N C E | |||
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Xbox 360 throws some dirt into the grill of the PlayStation 3 by sporting far less screen tearing. While the Xbox 360 version wasn’t tear free, the visual impact of the screen tearing was held to a minimum creating a more enjoyable experience. | |
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| L O A D I N G | |||
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Tie. Both games loaded considerably quick which is pretty amazing considering how gorgeous this game looked. It would have been nice for both games to perform the same, especially when the PlayStation 3 version required a 4gb install. | |
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| O U T C O M E | |||
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Xbox 360 comes out with the clean victory having less screen tearing throughout races. Although both games looked almost identical, the screen tearing on the PlayStation 3 version was so bad it actually distracted us from the game and consequently lost this race. | |
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| C O M M E N T S | C H O I C E | ||
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It would be hard to find a game that looks better than DiRT 2. Everything meshes together nicely from the lighting and glare system to the fluids and soft particles. The EGO Engine really shines in this game. Both games are close visually, but far off in terms of performance. For that reason alone I would purchase the Xbox 360 version. |
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| Corey | “…close visually, but far off in terms of performance…” | ||
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The first thing that grabs my attention was the graphics, this game looks awesome on both consoles. But the PS3 version had a ton of screen tearing which distracted me when racing, and that’s unacceptable for me. |
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| Shawn | “…PS3 version had a ton of screen tearing…” | ||
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Despite this being probably one of the nicest looking racing games, the screen tearing will certainly put this game in the back of the pack. I personally don’t need a rally game so I won’t be buying this game, but IF I had to buy it, I think the amount of screen tearing obviously makes the PS3 lose. | |
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| John | “…one of the nicest looking racing games…” | ||
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OWNED!!!
Again?! —______—
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I’m really happy for you guys, finally got the hardware/software to do frame rate analysis. great work, you guys are a viable publication as the more well known sites.
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I voted tie, only because the tearing wasnt visible in the screenshots or the demo that I played. Am I the only person that thinks the 360 version looked a little better on limited than expanded range?
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Ground (dirt) textures are better resolution on 360 (especially visible on last 2 photos).
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The same could be said about the PS3 capture (with limited rgb)
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PS3 has my vote. Don;t have any of the issues like screen tearing. Also play in limited RGB, everything just looks fine. Perhaps one should check their TV setup….
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Wow, the fact that you have been shown how bad the PS3 version tears and you are still in denial about it is amazing. Not to mention you think they need to check their tv setup…learn a few things before commenting.
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Good GAME!!
i’ve the x360 version, the carrer mode is great and rarely stutters, but my friends, OnLine @ some tracks with buggies, or too much dust on the air and some xcross tracks it tear a LOT!!! maybe a patch soon for this?
but overall rating 8/10.
keep the good work!!
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I don’t think ~10% frame tearing should count as “High”. That is still very low, compared to something like Red Faction Gueriila with ~50% tears on both versions.
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Glad I could take part in helping you guys make the new analysis system.
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Good comparison. I would choose the 360 version for the less screen tearing as well.
However, I think you guys should also start adding sound comparisons. A lot of new and old PS3 games support 7.1 surround sound that makes it much more enjoyable.
For example I play CoD WaW and can hear footsteps before I even see the enemy. It’s so dynamic and really puts you in the battle.
Because people who have a 7.1 setup will likely want to know if the game supports it.
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We’ve looking into the sound debate and have consulted an audio engineer about it since by all means, sound is very important to gaming. Our biggest issue with capturing 7.1 sound would be on how to get it from the PS3 and Xbox back to the computer, without compressing it. It would possible require more hardware and software, and we’re pretty tight on our budget as it is. The other way could be if we just plug the console into a tuner/reciever via hdmi or optical and let the tuner auto detect, which would require a tuner to support 7.1 and not many people have that setup(even if it rocks!).
The biggest issue right now comes down to time spent detecting versus the amount of people with true 7.1 setups who actually come to our site just to find out if the game can support it. Although we’ve gotten a few requests for the test, our recent testers were not interested. If we find an easy way to detect 7.1 and if there are more people interested, we’ll be happy to invest more time into the matter.
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imo its probably fanboys that are requesting the sound, trying to grasp for straws.
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I put tie because the ps3 has slightly faster loading times, and on default, it is brighter.
2 things I hate for both consoles, ps3 can be too bright sometimes in games, and the 360 too dark. Here I thinkt he ps3 one is what the game brightness should be.
In this game it seems like the 360 looses some of the beauty with too much darkness on default.
Also on the mitsubishi picture, the shadows look better from the spoiler on the ps3.
All in all both look great, and at the amoutn of detail both have gorgeous graphics.
PC will stomp both with DX 11 though!
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Forgot to add great head to head thank You:)
I have the game for both consoles!
How about a grudgematch ninja gaiden 2 vs Sigma 2?
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That would be so awesome
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I’m hoping they will actually do that! Lens of Truth heed our request! Ninja Gaiden vs Sigma 2 would be awesome.
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Ninja Gaiden 2 is 2008 and runs sub HD
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is 2009 and runs 720p
Sigma 2 as the first is only on Ps3.
Comparison with what ?!
That’s not a grudgematch it’s like a head2head between Gear 1 and 2 which one do you think is gonna look better …
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its not even comparable anyways, there are just too many difference between them to fairly compare them and it would go down more towards preference instead of comparing technical aspects.
the 360 version has a much higher limit on enemy spawns so there are instances where you fight 20 enemies at once, while the ps3 version only spawns 5 enemies max. The 360 also has to deal with the extra complexity of severed limb rendering/physics and alpha on blood trails.
sigma2 has cut scenes locked at 30fps. NG2 always has 2xMSAA on. in general tho NG2 was just sloppy due to internal studio problems thus would be less about comparing technical achievement.
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You guys must have a dodgy PS3, I have played through the game entirely and completed most races more than once and have not had screen tearing once.
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Wow your an idiot Tachyon. So when you play a game you look for screen tearing right? These guys are playing a game to analyze it and I bet if they weren’t looking hard enough they probably wouldn’t see it all. What I’m getting at is I’m sure you didn’t see any screen tearing because you were trying to win a race and you weren’t sticking your face up to the screen looking to see when your PS3 and Xbox started tearing. So Stop being a baby and deal with with it!!
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Screen tearing… on a 40 HDTV you’re pretty much bound to notice it.
If Head2head guys say that the screen tearing is that bad on the ps3 then I take their word for granted.
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If anything, the Xbox 360 actually wigged out on us when we went to capture the demo. After the race, the game would replay but it would freeze every few seconds. We had to test this issue out on 3 other Xbox’s to make sure it wasn’t the game, but rather the hardware. While doing the extra testing for confirmation, the retail version came out. Although we confirmed it to be the Xbox’s hard drive in need for an optimization, we all decided to recapture the game based off the retail version. In both capture sessions, the Playstation did not have any issues.
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How are the loading times compared in these comparisons? Is the 360 version running from the disc, or is it installed?
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Yes the 360 version is running from the disc.
360 loading times 17 seconds
ps3 loading times 15 seconds
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The Xbox 360 version of the game has 4x anti aliasing. The PS3 version is 2x. It was also this way in GRID. That makes the 360 version look more sharp and crisp.
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I agree with you’re statement
Digital Foundry found the same thing …
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I noticed more jaggies on the PS3 version as well. It’s pretty clear from the screenshots. I’m surprised they didn’t comment on that. Also, the 360 version seems to use SSAO (see the second to last screenshot). Why weren’t these differences mentioned?
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“Yes the 360 version is running from the disc.
360 loading times 17 seconds
ps3 loading times 15 seconds”
Why don’t they install the 360 version? It’s not really a comprehensive test when every 360 game can be installed and it usually always improves loading times. Without doing this, they’re essentially putting an Xbox 360 Arcade up against a PS3, although the Arcade still seems to win most of the time, lol.
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because they run the games as they come out of box, on ps3 the install is mandatory, while the 360 isn’t.
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“Because they run the games as they come out of box” is not a good reason not to install them. I install all of the games that I’m currently playing through and I’m sure many others do the same. At the very least, they should compare loading times with and without an install.
Besides, if you’re comparing “out of the box” performance, as in, the first time you play a game, then the PS3’s install times should be taken into account. It’s not a fair comparison to wait x number of minutes for a PS3 game to install and then say “it loads 2 seconds faster than the 360 version, although we didn’t bother installing the 360 version just cos it’s optional”.
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Again let me say this, THEY COMPARED OUT OF BOX. NO SPECIAL FEATURES!
Not our problem that the 360 doesn’t self update.
You can buy a car and tune it yourself, but what’s convenient is a car that is already (or should already) be tuned for the purpose.
Either way I couldn’t care less bout load times if they are both within 2-3 seconds, its pretty much null.
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What are you talking about?
You can install any 360 game in full (minus a couple of exceptions such as Crackdown), so to use the loading time of the game running from disc isn’t representative of many people’s experience with that game. You press Y and the game installs, so I don’t know why you’re talking about tuning cars and the 360 not “self updating”, whatever that means.
If this site wants to be comprehensive in the way they compare games, they should compare the 360 loading times with and without an install. The same with the PS3 when the installs are optional. It would also be nice to know how long these installs take. I can see why PS3 fanboys would be annoyed though, as it gives the 360 an advantage as there are no forced installs, but you can install any game. Maybe that’s why you’re getting so upset, I dunno.
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Thanks for review, great site!
Any chance there are settings for the PS3 XMB to make tearing and lag fps less a hindrance?
Im using a g25 racing wheel, ps3 HDMI to an Optoma HD65 720p projector, and I am getting HORRIBLE tearing and lag when there are many cars, dust, or lights on screen, where its almost impossible to control the car for a few seconds…
would love to know if thers a fix considering CM arent going to patch this game (unless there is a god)
TBH, I could do without crowds, or realtime cloth sims, or even sun bloom, if it would give me 30+ (60?!) fps and no tearing…
shame you cant control things like you can on a PC…
CHEERS!
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Great comparison!
After played this game on X360, I’ve got some screen tearing (not very annoying though). Then I installed this game on HDD and the screen tearing problem gone. The loading time also reduced significantly, maybe 2 times faster than load from the disc.
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Sorry, but those pictures really have nothing to do with the graphics, its the contrast in the pictures. Their set higher in the 360 version to make it appear “better”. Bullshit info. And why would codemasters make 360 version have 1080 output and not PS3? going to check out a retail version to see if thats true
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Precisely. Also those other differences, like some missing foliage, lower res textures, blurriness and a framerate that runs at just over half the speed. All fixable through your TV settings too.
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I think your referring to the screen tearing when you mention framerate
They both seem to run at 29 fps.
Anyway I agree with what you said.
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Your laughable kid
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@grafpt
The xbox runs with 4x AA
while the Ps3 one runs only with 2x AA
This makes the 360 version look more sharper and clean texture
I don’t think your Tv can change that but anyway … You seem to not know what that means along with other things since you post the same exact crap on almost every head2head.
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PS 3 uses Quincunx resulting in an almost flickerfree image but on the other hand blurring the overall experience. I prefer this kind of anti-aliasing, but most do not.
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