February 20th, 2012
Posted in 
“The Mass Effect 3 demo… Analysed”
Welcome back for another exciting Head2Head! We’ve received many questions and read many of your comments wondering about the performance numbers of the Mass Effect 3 demo released just last week on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Well, we’ve got those numbers for you. Have a look below to see how each demo version of Mass Effect 3 performed.
Mass Effect 3 Demo Analysis Video
| Xbox 360 Frame Analysis | PlayStation 3 Frame Analysis |
| Clip 1 info: Length of clip: 1787 frames Average FPS of clip: 30.00 Percent of torn frames: 0.00 |
Clip 1 info: Length of clip: 1787 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.98 Percent of torn frames: 0.00 |
| Clip 2 info: Length of clip: 10633 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.69 Percent of torn frames: 0.58 |
Clip 2 info: Length of clip: 10633 frames Average FPS of clip: 22.51 Percent of torn frames: 0.00 |
| Clip 3 info: Length of clip: 8178 frames Average FPS of clip: 28.51 Percent of torn frames: 0.77 |
Clip 3 info: Length of clip: 8178 frames Average FPS of clip: 21.49 Percent of torn frames: 0.00 |
| Clip 4 info: Length of clip: 2238 frames Average FPS of clip: 28.23 Percent of torn frames: 0.09 |
Clip 4 info: Length of clip: 2238 frames Average FPS of clip: 22.90 Percent of torn frames: 0.00 |
| Clip 5 info: Length of clip: 5044 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.95 Percent of torn frames: 0.01 |
Clip 5 info: Length of clip: 5044 frames Average FPS of clip: 26.04 Percent of torn frames: 0.00 |
| Clip 6 info: Length of clip: 6797 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.99 Percent of torn frames: 0.01 |
Clip 6 info: Length of clip: 6797 frames Average FPS of clip: 28.30 Percent of torn frames: 0.00 |
| Global percent of torn frames:0.74 Global average FPS: 29.43 |
Global percent of torn frames: 0.00 Global average FPS: 24.33 |
The video and analysis numbers pretty much speak for themselves. Keep in mind, and we can’t say this enough, BioWare is a developer known to make noticeable changes from demo codes to final builds. Take for instance the analysis numbers between the Mass Effect 2 demo and final retail build. Mass Effect 3 will be released March 6th (unless you can catch one from space earlier), so be sure to check back then for our full in-depth retail analysis on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. Until then, enjoy the demo.
Tags: *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.*
The 360 looks way darker. And yeah it seems a bit sharper. But i think in the final build release that will change.
thats because the PS3 didnt get its gamma changed
Well here you have it. Yet ANOTHER victory for the SUPERIOR Xbox 360. Man, it must really suck to be a Sony Defense Force member. I mean to use play after play from the sony defense force playbook and still see the INFERIOR over priced internet ready blu ray player get it’s azz kicked over and over and over and over again on this very site. ROFL.
The over priced internet ready blu ray player’s performance is terrible when compaired to the SUPERIOR Xbox 360. The over priced internet ready blu ray player also is blurry, as usual, and washed out (again as usual). Busniess as usual for the SUPERIOR Xbox 360.
The over priced internet ready blu ray player is INFERIOR. FACT BANG! Deal with it. Time to disband the Sony Defense Force. LOL. Give up. I mean really. LOL
“The Xbox 360 is the BEST console EVER made.” –John Carmack
SUPERIOR WIN FOR PS3 THE GREATEST CONSOLE EVER!
0.74 TEARS FOR XBOX… STEP UP YOUR GAME!
I’M VOTING FOR PS3 BECAUSE IT HAS A SUPERIOR D-PAD. I ONLY PLAY GAMES WITH A D-PAD.
Buying1999, you really are one sad individual!!!
I wonder if Crying1999 and FartWarden have a social life. Oh, wait! The answer is no, obviously!
@SilentJoe68za and D4NG3RZz
Well here you have it. Sony Defense Force play N0.2 from the Sony Defense Force playbook, which states..”If the over priced internet ready blu ray player’s INFERIORITY has been exposed and there’s no defense then resort to personal attacks.” Great job guys. You have this play down pat. You should try to learn the rest of them. You know the one where you blame the developers and the other one where you are required to bring up the ONE game that even gives the SUPERIOR Xbox 360 any competition at all, UC3. You’ll get promoted for your efforts.
But that doesnt change the fact that the Xbox 360 is vastly SUPERIOR to the over priced internet ready blu ray player and Kicks the over priced internet ready blu ray player’s azz on this very site over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. I mean you do read the head to heads don’t you? ROFL
“Xbox 360 is the BEST console EVER made.” –John Carmack
LOL! Another copy and paste response! I own both consoles and enjoy them both. I don’t favour one over the other! You do realise you just sound like a complete tool! Nobody else on this forum talks about “Sony Defense Force” this and “Playbook No. whatever” that! You are the only one and it sounds downright pathetic dude! I mean seriously make an effort to come up with something new instead of posting the same crap over and over and over and over again! FACT BANG! LOL! You assume im part of your precious “Sony Defense Force” bollocks, yet in my previous post i made no mention of favouring Sony or Microsoft or how the game runs on either console for that matter! I simply saying your obssession with your precious Xbox is just sad!
Buying1999, I always wondered… How can the X360 be superior if it has an inferior optical drive, an inferior HDD when present, an inferior CPU? Oh, it has shared video memory instead of a split one? Still the PS3 video memory is MUCH faster. An the slight advantage of the X360 for the GPU can be covered fully using the Cell CPU. Like the real developers do anyway.
Technically the PS3 is superior to the X360, if only for the Blu Ray drive alone. I am getting pretty sick of SE massacring the Final Fantasy games because they must fit on that DVD drive not good even for movies you’ve got.
In any case the X360 has been the lead console of ME3, at least for the demo. It’s not a matter of HW it is a matter of development. All games made for PS3 ported to the junkbox has inferior performances.
if one wants to have an intelligent conversation to which version is better, please stick around. IF you’re an ignorant fanboy (buying1999 and chadwarren) please gtfo.
kkthxbai!
Maybe because I’ve got too used with Skyrim but when the FPS dropped to 19-20 I couldn’t notice any difference…
WTF? 24 thumbs down only because I said that after getting used to Skylag anything above 20 fps looks like a dream to me?
Downvoters on this site are like piranhas. They come in great numbers and are cold blooded. Also, they don’t look at a post as a whole, if one part of it bothers them then it’s downvote city.
Bah.. no worries. This is a fan boys site anyhow. That’s why we all subscribed!!!
LoT needs to fix the voting because you can vote on something as many times as you want.
So.. there are more average frames for the 360, but less tear on the PS3.
Still very excited for ME3… still time for the game to improve
All the analyses I’ve seen thus far all shares one thing in common: The performance of the PS3 version is INTOLERABLY HORRIBLE. You better make sure to take your time and fix that in the final build BioWare, not rushing it just so EA can launch them into space. Here’s a hint that could potentially ease up the problem: use SOFT V-sync! I don’t need a game to be completely V-sync if the performance is just going get an elbow strike to the brachial plexus origin because of it.
@Bloodios
Relax kid, you dont know jack shit when it comes to programming games nor graphics. Comprende??
And I certainly don’t need to know as much as a programmer to realize that it is meaningless to have a game maintaining V-sync the whole time if it only ends up hurting the frame rate.
I think it’s normal for me as a consumer to want the product I will be buying to be worth what I will be paying for, and demo clearly doesn’t give off that impression, so I’m upset (after all, this is game I’m interested in.)
But I’ll listen to your good advice and try to relax a bit, as further discussion about this faulty demo will just be meaningless. I’ll wait and see what the retail version of the game has to offer.
On a side note, are you trying to flaunt the fact that you’re bilingual or something?
The PS3 demo has pretty bad frame rate issues and if it is an old build one has to wonder why Bioware didn’t have a newer build ready to demo. It’s not exactly leaving a good impression is it?
Simple. Its a lazy port of the PC version.
@Redblack Are you shitting me? The PC version is a horrible console port. You don’t even have much graphical settings to play around with, this is pathetic!
I own both systems but no matter which platform comes out on top I have to get the Xbox version cos thats what I played ME1 & 2 on. Even if I hadn’t I think the 360 version would be the one for me just because of the Kinect features.
This is such an epic game I hope it performs well on both consoles and everyone can enjoy it.
less than 1% torn frames on 360 plus a solid 30 fps? definitely better than 0% torn an 20 fps.
hopefully the full version fixes the PS3 version…
Its weird the PS3 version goes from 30 frames to 20 and then 30 to 20 hopefully bioware can fix that.
That’s what happens when developers use double buffered V sync. If the engine simply cannot render the next frame in time, it will actually stall and wait for the next refresh. Halo Reach does the same thing.
Triple buffered v sync could have probably been a better alternative. It will render the next frame whenever it can instead of waiting.
God I have no idea what I’m talking about.
Yeah the framerate is horrible on the PS3 demo but the AA is better than 360.Look at 2:40 on the buildings at the back of Shepard,jaggies on 360 and not PS3 but it’s only a demo! The final build will be much better than this,it cant be like this! Bioware are professionals with great devs! Look ME2,Dragon age 1 and 2 on PS3,almost identical on both platforms.Likely an old build demo like ME2 and BF3 was on PS3.I’ll put my hand in fire that the retail version will be more than alright
Bioware said that the PS3 version of the demo was not worked basically at all. They pretty much ported the demo from the 360 to PS3. They also said that the final retail version of ME3 on PS3 will perform much better and be just as good as the 360 version, hopefully this is true.
uhhhhhh….source?
or torrent it.
Its already been released for 360 and ps3 but not pc.
And people still think PC piracy is the worst
Torrent what for PS3? The demo? In TPB i only see the demo for X360 and PC. Then it isn’t just the PC piracy. Is the MS piracy the worst generally speaking. Sony patched the security holes. MS instead is banning the honest players from XBL by mistake!!
Couldnt care less for the banning policies of a 7 year old PC wannabe run by screaming 12yo cod fans.
If Bioware have said this ASTEROC1138,i’ll believe them for sure cuz they have said the truth about ME2! Thanks for the info bro.Cheers
I don’t think the final build will change the fact that the Xbox is going to take out the win on this one, just like the others. The PS3 will be a very playable version obviously, but under close examination, I predict the Xbox version to be best. Having said that, the differences between the two will be relatively impossible to notice during gameplay. We’ll see…….
Any tearing below 1.0 is imperceptible , but between 24.33 and 29.43
there is a big difference.
Bioware have said nothing on the ps3s framerate the game is dun and dusted i mean theres copies in space you think thay will land with a better framrate if its old code why does the xbox version not slow down as well
@oblivion34 because:
xbox: soft v-sync.
ps3: full v-sync.
Actually if you go to 6:39 on the video you’ll see a noticeable difference on smoke effects and water textures .
Good thing I don’t like the series.
Oblivion, the frame rate.wouldn’t slow down on.360, if the demo is straight port onto ps3, as the 360 version is running based on.its architecture and thus most efficient it can be. If, they’re telling truth and this isn’t a demo made from ground up on ps3, then it would be not very efficient, as there’s big differences between two architectures. It would make lot of sense, as the demo will be couple months old code anyway, and ps3 requires more coding to make it efficient, and most companies haven’t got manpower or time, to work on demos for both.formats , whilst finishing off the game. Demos aren’t simple, as chopping out a level from.a game.
Long time no see! Your Suarez really needs to learn to shake hands……..
@Lens of Truth
Just out of curiosity, but what happened to the analyzer from 8:02 onward? It seems like it just… froze or something. I’m a little concerned that it might pose some problem for future Head2Heads.
By the way, any plan for a Syndicate (out tomorrow) Head2Head?
OBLIVION34,did you have seen the demo of ME2 on PS3???? It was choppy as f..k! But the retail version was by a hair better than the 360 version! Old build demo.I dont know why they release some shitty demos on PS3? I really dont know why damn.And i dont think it’s good for them cuz they’re giving worries to the PS3 owners and maybe they’re losing sales! Better not releasing a demo in my book is it’s like this! Microsoft is “Protecting an Inferior Technology” – Rob Dyer
yes i did play me2 demo on ps3 i own one the vsync was turned of so it was up and down like a fiddler elbow when it got a full release it was back on but it killed the frame rate it even scored lower in some sites for this so what are you saying there going to turn it of in me3 ps3 to try and keep the framerate up but then its going to be up and down again like the me2 demo 6o 30 20 massive tear all that crap and protecting an inferior technology catch a grip will you your just kidding yourself every thing thats worng with the ps3 is ms fault and there was me thinking it was the xbox haveing more available ram and nere 2x the screen fill rate ????
SUAREZ07 have the answer to our questions about the crappy demos on PS3
PS3 sucks! Hahaha! I feel sorry for you poor PS3 owners who think they have the most powerful console because one game is pretty good on it.
It’s no wonder the 360 version is the best. The PS3 has half the ram (LOL!) and it just can’t keep up with cutting edge graphics like Gears and ME3. Heck, even Portal 2 looked 10x better on the 360!
I’m not going to play this game, but if I were, it would be on PC or 360 because the PS3 is the worst console ever made.
Ergh another ignorant fanboy. Ps3 does NOT have HALF the ram of the 360. in fact it has MORE.
The Xbox 360 has a specialized 10MB EDRAM chip, which does all AA calculations, and an unified 512MB of GDDR3 RAM architecture running @700MHz,
Now the PS3 has 256MB XDR RAM running @3,2GHz, which is main system RAM, and another 256MB GDDR3 VRAM running @700MHz for graphics
Here’s an example out of PC world: The Radeon HD 4870 has 512mb of memory. The Geforce GTS 250 has 1GB of memory. Which one do you think is faster?
If you guessed the GTS 250, you’d be wrong. The HD 4870 is the faster card, regardless of the fact that it has 1/2 the memory.
the Xbox’s total amount of RAM is slightly misleading, as the system RAM and video RAM are shared. The PS3′s XDR RAM is also far more fast and efficient than the Xbox’s GDDR3 RAM, running at a speed of 3.2 GHz compared to 700 MHz.
So you say Portal 2 looks “10x” better on the 360? then why did Ps3 win that game on lensoftruth by a longshot??
Do some research fanboy.
Justspaztik is either kidding or has just switched sides cause he used to prefer the PS3.
About the RAM thing you forgot to mention framebuffer data and OS.
360 uses 32MB for OS and the frambuffer is stored in the EDRAM. So developers always have 480MB of RAM to use.
The PS3 uses 50MB for the OS of which 43MB is used up by the Main RAM and 7MB used up by the VRAM. Now the framebuffer must be deducted from the VRAM and this of course depends on the game.
I’m not arguing one version has a better allocation of memory than the other as both have pros and cons, I’m just stating the differences but generally speaking and especially for multi platform games which are developed on 360 first, the 360 memory allocation is easier to get grips with.
I thought the “Portal 2 looked 10x better on the 360″ part was a dead give-away that he was being sarcastic.
“cutting edge graphics like Gears and ME3″
wow you a an imbecile. Since when ue3 forward rendering engine with baked static lightning is cutting edge? No shadows from dynamic light sources, static environments that what all ue3 games look like. In other words – inferior technology. Why even try to explain to idiotic xbots…
Hey justspaztik!
Are you butthurt much??
since when it’s funny to talk about our consoles like we were fanboys of the other console?
Should i say xbox is an inferior tecnology and stuff?
so devs are lieing when thay complain about the ps3 lack of ram and its all in there heads when it has more and its faster and more effective so tell me what is the problem then is it ms again
i think people shoud just wait and see i cant see it being much better me2 run a lot worse on ps3 than xbox thats a fact and me3 wont be much different its unreal 3 after all and the ps3 dont like it simple its going to be a great game just better on xbox the kinect stuff alone adds something new and only on that version if you have a ps3 get it on that but if all this talk of framerate bugs you just blame ms and you will feel better
In the other news, apparently there will be a specially designed Mass Effect costume for Final Fantasy XIII-2.
Source:
bioware and bethesda are truly the masters of ****ing over ps3 owners with lazy ports.
You forgot Codeamateurs..
dammit, so he was actually sarcastic? so hard to tell these days with buying1999 around.
I’m pretty sure the final build will be much more polish and the parity will be close. I expect a tie but this is indeed a modified Unreal Engine 3 and those tend to favor XBOX 360 from what I’ve seen in previous head-to-heads. Nonetheless I got Mass Effect 2 on PS3 so I’m sticking with PS3 obviously.
Knowing Bioware, would be better to wait the final builds to be released
By the way I hope console parity to protect the hearts and mental sanity of both ps3 and xbox fanboys
I played the demo on the PC and had steady 60fps with motion blur. Suffice to say I’m a little disappointed the frame rate doesn’t hold up on the PS3 because the game is not very hardware intensive. Oh well, I just hope that the retail version will be slightly better because consoles are supposed to have rock solid performance. Hopefully there will be soft v-sync or triple buffering because slight input lag or tearing is at least a little better than 20 fps. Hell, 20 fps increases input lag on its own anyway. Cutscenes can lag but aiming gets tedious at such low fps.
I have played all 3 versions of the demo now and was surprised by how inconsistent the framerate on the PS3 version is. It runs buttery smooth on a modest gaming rig but doesn’t fare as well under scrutiny at 1080p with a monitor close to your face. The little civilians running around the roads in the distance of the first scene? Ouch! Those are 16bit era sprites!
This is old code, no doubt, this is what was leaked ages upon ages ago. The problem with the notion that it’ll be fixed on the retail version is that a DEMO is meant to, erm, DEMO the product. So unless you read up on it and Bioware fixing stuff then why would Joe Bloggs think that the retail PS3 version is going to be any better when it plays like crud in the demo?
To who it may concern, The LOT voting system has holes in it allowing infinite votes.
-Google chrome
-3rd party cookies not allowed
(1. clear cache), (2. log in to LOT), (3. vote) then repeat
Hurr durr derp derp derp
Looks like you exposed MrXbot’s secret! LOL
Well if bioware don’t fix it I’ll pass this game, I think is intolerable have sush poor performance in this game, I rather see a downgrade in graphics than a downgrade in performance.
XBOX 360 Mass Effect Series.
Mass Effect 1 (only xbox or pc gamers can play it)
Mass Effect 2 (One year before and still have the best graphics and you can import your saved game from me1)
Mass Effect 3 (Best graphics and framerate and you CAN IMPORT YOUR MASS EFFECT 1 save game)
Ya… I fell sorry for ps3 only gamers
To be honest they both look pretty much the same.
No major differences in textures or anything, just the same out slight PS3 bluring. Let’s just hope that they can sort out that framerate on PS3!
Bioware managed to get rid of the major tearing from the mass effect 2 demo in the final PS3 build.
I think the tearing that ME2 suffered on PS3 may be the reason this build is so framey. The only reason you’d implement full V-Sync is to get rid of tearing. So what’s happened is they’ve traded one problem for another. I don’t understand the difference though. As mentioned by someone else, we’re not talking about a nubile high tech engine here, we’re talking UE3 which is as old as god’s dog now. Yes, there are architecture differences between the two platforms but not to the tune of a 33% performance degradation.
I love Bioware and I think ME3 is going to kick ass, I’m stoked about it. It’s going to look proper sloppy though if they don’t polish the crap out of the PS3 version though.
It’s got to be an old build. There’s nothing on the demo that makes me think the PS3 would struggle if coded properly.
Btw UE3 maybe old but like all game engines it’s always being improved upon. Compare say Gears 1 to Gears 3. Big improvement.
Tested the demo on both X360 and PS3, both look stunning. But the fps on the PS3 was realy bad….
I realy hope they fix this becaus it could be a gamebreaker for people that realy hate jerky framerates…below 30fps is a big no no.
looks awesome on either console to me
This is the stupidest argument ever. If you have been following Mass Effect series and want to keep your characters progression you have no choice, but to stick to the console you first bought it for.
I started with ME1 on 360 and continued with ME2 and of course I will continue with ME3.
I have just played the Mass Effect 3 Demo on both, the 360 and PS3. Both on the same 1080p Capable monitor, through the HDMI cable.
I have to say that if u had to choose one I’d pick the Xbox 360 version immediately. It lags a little during cutscenes but nothing compared to the the very poor performance on my PS3.
I did not see any effects of the tearing recorded by Lens of Truth.
I don’t think I am an Xbox 360 fanboy. The exclusive games made for PS3 as well as some multiplatform titles do look and run well on the PS3. One game I remember having better framerate on ps3 is is Bulletstorm. Exclusives speak for themselves. I also tried many times to watch regular DVD quality movies on both PS3 and 360. They always look better on PS3 due to better post processing and upscaling, while on 360 I often see squares where colors change.
That said, in case of Mass Effect 3 demo, Xbox 360 by a large margin. Maybe because the original mass effect was a 360 exclusive and the engine just works best on 360. I think people saw this and that’s why Amazon was sold out for collector’s edition ME3 for 360 but not for ps3.
SOOOOO disappointed in PS3 framerate…. what a terrible port. I thought they would spend more time with the PS3 version, I mean the system is pretty powerful, it just needs more work because of the different system structure.
Definitely bioware is not trying to leave a good first impression, hope they fix this for the PS3, because it’s noticeable the loss of FPS and it’s harming the gameplay as a whole
I’ve played the demoes both on my sonic toaster as well as on my internet ready bluray player and I must say they were not bad at all in MP but completely a piece of junk on SP. I really hope it’s a bad joke from two very old crappy builds. At this point btw we’ll see it soon.