Tomb Raider Underworld Technically Superior on PS3

In a stunning reversal, multiplatform release Tomb Raider Underworld runs at a higher resolution on the PS3 console than it does on the Xbox 360. With many other multiplatform releases, the PS3 version has been the weakest of the two (for example see recent titles Grand Theft Auto IV and Fallout 3). Even more surprising is that the Xbox 360 was apparently the lead development platform for this game.

The major difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Tomb Raider: Underworld is the resolution. On the Xbox, the game is rendered at 576p with 2x anti-aliasing enabled. On the PS3, the game runs at the significantly higher resolution of 720p with the same 2x anti-aliasing present. In still screenshots of the game, the PS3 version does show a noticeably higher resolution. Check out the following two shots, comparing the “jaggies” around Lara Croft’s face.

While some viewers may not notice these differences on a normal HD television screen, true cinema buffs will be happy to know that the PS3 version is visually crisper than the 360 version.

Will 2009 see a continuation of this trend? Many observers believe that with development studios climbing the steep learning curve of PS3 development, 2009 could see some amazing graphical advances from the system. After all, the games that we saw at the end of the PS2 era were leaps and bounds ahead of the launch titles, which look crude by today’s standards.

[Source: Beyond 3D]