Head2Head

“…both games had their fair share of performance problems…”

 
     
EA EA
BioWare
 1 1
BioWare
RPG
2669  mb  n/a
RPG
Release: 11/03/09 20  sec 25 sec Release: 11/03/09
ESRB: Mature
0.0% 0.39% ESRB: Mature
   
 

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Head2Head – Dragon Age – Origins Analysis
Length: 00:06:48

We go Head2Head with Dragon Age – Origins for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.


Welcome back for yet another exciting Head2Head brought to you by Play N Trade (Oviedo)! This week we finally had a chance to sit down and tackle the highly-anticipated and often requested Head2Head of Bioware’s latest epic adventure, Dragon Age: Origins for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. So which version of Dragon Age: Origins deserves Grey Warden status and which one should have stayed in the dungeon? Keep reading to find out!


h2h_dragon_age_05


Graphics: Dragon Age: Origins opens with the option of allowing the player to create a unique avatar by flipping through a slew of preset character templates, selecting the skin color from a rather exhaustive palette, and eventually ending it all off with a more personal approach:  choosing an origin of descent for you character. There are six different races that you can choose from; we decided to choose the Human Noble for this Head2Head to expedite the process.

Usually, we tend to avoid going into to depth about the color differences between versions in our Head2Head, but due to recent controversy over the color differences that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 had, we decided to address the issue up front. Amazingly, the colors on with both versions matched up identically to one another without changing any of the default settings on the in-game menus. The only conclusion here is that developers are fully aware and capable of matching frame buffers and color schemes on both platforms to ensure color consistency across versions.

Additionally, we did notice some small differences between versions that need to be noted. The PlayStation 3 version had a much more visible draw distance than the Xbox 360 version. Objects in the distance were rendering more clearly and less popping making areas easier to distinguish before plotting your next course. While the texture resolution we equal between both versions, the Xbox 360 had very aggressive mipmapping at glancing angles which resulted in blurry surfaces whereas the PlayStation 3 employed anisotropic filtering to keep surface textures crisp and clean.  Aside from these differences, both versions looked almost identical to one another, especially with lighting and character animations.


h2h_dragon_age_20


Performance: While the graphics were extremely close, our frame analyzer was able to capture major differences. The main and most obvious performance issue with both versions of Dragon Age: Origins was the frame rate. While the PlayStation 3 had absolutely no frame tearing, it did however run at a lower frame rate, sometimes slumping down to 15fps. The Xbox 360 had a more steady frame rate overall, but had a small amount of frame tearing (usually localized to the top 1/4th of the screen). In contrast, the lower frame rate of the PlayStation 3 was very noticeable during camera manipulation and heavy action sequences which further bogged down this experience, giving the Xbox 360 a significant advantage with regards to performance.


PlayStation 3 Frame Analysis Xbox 360 Frame Analysis
Clip 1:
Length of clip: 1518 frames
Average FPS of clip: 28.85
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 1:
Length of clip: 1518 frames
Average FPS of clip: 28.95
Percent of torn frames: 0.24
Clip 2:
Length of clip: 2922 frames
Average FPS of clip: 22.30
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 2:
Length of clip: 2922 frames
Average FPS of clip: 29.15
Percent of torn frames: 0.04
Clip 3:
Length of clip: 1102 frames
Average FPS of clip: 26.99
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 3:
Length of clip: 1102 frames
Average FPS of clip: 29.57
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 4:
Length of clip: 888 frames
Average FPS of clip: 29.40
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 4:
Length of clip: 888 frames
Average FPS of clip: 29.12
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 5:
Length of clip: 1390 frames
Average FPS of clip: 28.71
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 5:
Length of clip: 1390 frames
Average FPS of clip: 29.78
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 6:
Length of clip: 1180 frames
Average FPS of clip: 28.97
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 6:
Length of clip: 1180 frames
Average FPS of clip: 30
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 7:
Length of clip: 531 frames
Average FPS of clip: 22.75
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 7:
Length of clip: 531 frames
Average FPS of clip: 30
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 8:
Length of clip: 688 frames
Average FPS of clip: 24.51
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 8:
Length of clip: 688 frames
Average FPS of clip: 30
Percent of torn frames: 0.03
Clip 9:
Length of clip: 889 frames
Average FPS of clip: 29.43
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 9:
Length of clip: 889 frames
Average FPS of clip: 30
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 10:
Length of clip: 1421 frames
Average FPS of clip: 21.66
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 10:
Length of clip: 1421 frames
Average FPS of clip: 25.01
Percent of torn frames: 0.13
Clip 11:
Length of clip: 2049 frames
Average FPS of clip: 21.04
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 11:
Length of clip: 2049 frames
Average FPS of clip: 27.83
Percent of torn frames: 0.09
Clip 12:
Length of clip: 1727 frames
Average FPS of clip: 17.42
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 12:
Length of clip: 1727 frames
Average FPS of clip: 28.65
Percent of torn frames: 0.25
Clip 13:
Length of clip: 1384 frames
Average FPS of clip: 20.02
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 13:
Length of clip: 1384 frames
Average FPS of clip: 29.88
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 14:
Length of clip: 2038 frames
Average FPS of clip: 28.09
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Clip 14:
Length of clip: 2038 frames
Average FPS of clip: 29.97
Percent of torn frames: 0.0
Global percent of torn frames: 0.0
Global average FPS: 24.49
Global percent of torn frames: 0.39
Global average FPS: 29.00


h2h_dragon_age_23


Loading: Both systems had very close load times. In our samples, the PlayStation 3 averaged at 20 seconds whereas the Xbox 360 averaged at 25 seconds. The PlayStation 3 did require a mandatory install weighing in around 2669 mb, and took around 11 minutes and 30 seconds to complete. Regardless, the load times were fairly quick and it’s well masked with the interactive “dialog” screen.


Roll over to see the differences. Here we compare the different HDMI settings between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.



Roll over to see the differences.


Roll over to see the differences. Notice the difference in texture filtering.

 

Roll over to see the differences.

 

Roll over to see the differences.


Roll over to see the differences.

 

Roll over to see the differences. Notice the differences in reflections on the water surface.

 

Conclusion: While the Xbox 360 performed better overall, the Playstation 3 version had faster loading times and sharper visuals due to its filtering method. Based on our score system the PlayStation 3 wins this Head2Head. In the end it will be up to the consumer, is sacrificing frame rate worth the slight visual boost and faster load times? Either way, whatever console origin you take, Dragon Age: Origins will be an epic adventure that will keep you hunting Darkspawn for days on end.

 

  G R A P H I C S  
PS3 - Win Visually, both versions of Dragon Age: Origins look good, but the PlayStation 3 looked slightly more polished with its anisotropic filtering and further draw distance. Bioware did a great job of matching default colors and contrast across both consoles.
Xbox 360 - Win
  P E R F O R M A N C E  
PS3 - Win While neither version of Dragon Age: Origins performed perfectly, the Xbox 360 version had far better frame rate throughout.
Xbox 360 - Win
  L O A D I N G  
PS3 - Win Load times in Dragon Age: Origins were slightly faster on the PlayStation 3 version coming in an average of 20 seconds and the Xbox 360 in 25 seconds. The PlayStation 3 version did have a 11 minute install weighing in at 2669 mb. Xbox 360 - Win
  O U T C O M E  
PS3 - Win The Playstation 3 version of Dragon Age: Origins is our Head2Head version of choice by having faster load times and a more visually appealing experience.  Bioware has done an excellent job with the porting process ensuring an epic adventure on either system.
Xbox 360 - Win


  C O M M E N T S C H O I C E
Although the Xbox 360 version did out perform the PlayStation 3 version, I’d rather play the version that is more visually appealing to the eye. Furthermore, having quicker load times sealed the deal for me.
Xbox 360 - Win
Shawn “I’d rather play the version that is more visually appealing …”  
 I have to disagree with Shawn on this one. It doesn’t matter how good a game looks if it doesn’t perform well. The visual differences were so minor that the trade off isn’t worth it. Our score system the PlayStation 3 wins, but for me it will be Dragon Age on the Xbox 360.
Xbox 360 - Win
Corey “…the trade off isn’t worth it  
At first glance, I was unimpressed with the game. It looked like it was getting a lot of hype for what seemed like no good reason. Then the story kicked in! Seriously, this game has a great story, and who could expect less from the makers of Baldur’s Gate? The platform decision was really tough, but I had to go with the Xbox 360 and steadier frame rate in the end. Although the PS3 looked better at some points, the action-oriented frame rate drops to 10-11 fps were worse for me than the 360′s ever-so-slight screen tearing and slightly inferior graphics. I can’t stand “chugging” through a massive battle.
Xbox 360 - Win
Drew “…the platform decision was really tough…  

Which version of Dragon Age - Origins do you think is better?

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*To ensure color accuracy from the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii U output, the PlayStation 3 has RGB Full Range set to "Full" and Super White "On", and the Xbox 360 has Reference Level set to "Expanded" and HDMI Color Space set to "RGB". Our capture card we have captured segments from the AVS HD 709 . Blu-ray, HD DVD, & MP4 Calibration suite.

As you will see, each system matches each other at the SOURCE LEVEL. No contrast or gamma settings are manipulated before or after capturing our images/videos. We strongly believe that these types of corrections are done on a individuals preference and should not be adjusted by us. Finally, washed out looking images that are due to contrast or gamma differences will not have any influence on our final verdicts. Please Read through our F.A.Q page if you have any questions or concerns.*