# Video Games on Different Platforms.. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881 "2002-10-18T19:52:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gephydrophobia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Gephydrophobia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gephydrophobia)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/1 "2002-10-18T19:52:37Z")
One can buy certain video games that are available for different platforms. For example Exile:Myst 3 or Grand Theft Auto 3. These games can be purchased for the Play Station 2, the X-Box or for PCs. How do the quality and peformance of these games differ on the various machines? Do they have better graphics quality and sound quality on a PC than any of the other platforms? Or vice-versa? Please pray tell. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/2 "2002-10-18T20:19:58Z")
Generally they’re the same on each platform. Go to websites that review multiple platforms ([ign.com](http://ign.com), [gamespot.com](http://gamespot.com)). For popular games they’ll do a head to head comparison sometimes, but they’ll always mention what platform’s best in the review of the game itself. The games almost always have better graphics on a PC. At the very least a higher resolution usually with higher resolution textures as well. Most games that go from a console to a pc have control issues since they were designed to be played with a gamepad. The only game off the top of my head that doesn’t is GTA3 since they redesigned the control scheme to take advantage of a mouse. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/3 "2002-10-18T21:12:26Z")
Silentgoldfish is pretty much right on. The systems all virtually look identical, though the PS2 is slightly weaker than either the Xbox or GameCube, thus its textures may not be quite as sharp and the frame rate may be slightly less stable. It really depends on how much effort the development house puts into each version. For example, the recently released Need for Speed 2 looks, plays and controls better on the PS2 because it has the most development time; the GC and Xbox versions were literally thrown together and suffer as a result. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/4 "2002-10-19T00:42:46Z")
I play them alot, they look the same to me. Only thing is the ps2 has a better controller for my hands. As a matter of fact, they make a gizmo so you can use that controller on the other consoles, so I bet its the best one. ---
**Author:** ![MarkyDeSade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@MarkyDeSade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkyDeSade)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/5 "2002-10-19T21:31:02Z")
[hijack] **Handy** , have you tried the new Xbox controllers? They’re much more comfortable than the old ones, and fit the hand much like a PS controller. They’re called “Controller S” (or something like that. I think it stands for “Small”) and came out for the Japanese release of the Xbox. Much better, IMHO. [/hijack] Anyway, you could rank the graphics like this: 1\>PC 2\>Xbox 3\>GameCube 4\>PS2 ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2002, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/6 "2002-10-19T23:33:23Z")
MarkyDeSade, no I bought one by Interact though, a little smaller but a lot cheaper. ``` Mario Sunshine's graphics suck, I just completed playing it but Luigis Mansion is nice. Of course, you can only play that on the GC... ``` ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/7 "2002-10-20T00:57:44Z")
The difference would also depend whether the game was originally intended for one platform and merely ported to the other or whether the game was developed seperately for both platforms. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/8 "2002-10-20T01:54:46Z")
The thing about console–\>PC interfaces also works for PC–\>console. Most strategy games, for example, are awful on consoles due to interface limitations. The only console I can think of at the moment where this could have been overcome was the Dreamcast, with the mouse and keyboard. Ports to other platforms, such as old SNES games to either Game Boy Advance or the Playstation also seem to suffer. There’s not really enough buttons on a GBA to mimic an SNES controller, although I’ve seen some pretty good adaptations. Games like Chrono Trigger lost some of the intuitiveness when ported to Playstation, where things like the LARA password don’t transfer over to the strange marking system of the Sony controllers. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/9 "2002-10-20T04:44:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*MarkyDeSade, no I bought one by Interact though, a little smaller but a lot cheaper. > > ``` > Mario Sunshine's graphics suck** > > ``` Are you kidding? Are you unable to appreciate the level of detail that went into the water? It is without a doubt, the most amazing looking water in any video game thus far. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/10 "2002-10-20T05:01:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*MarkyDeSade, no I bought one by Interact though, a little smaller but a lot cheaper. > > ``` > Mario Sunshine's graphics suck** > > ``` Are you kidding? Are you unable to appreciate the level of detail that went into the water? It is without a doubt, the most amazing looking water in any video game thus far. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/11 "2002-10-20T06:16:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duderdude2 \* > \*\* > > Are you kidding? Are you unable to appreciate the level of detail that went into the water? It is without a doubt, the most amazing looking water in any video game thus far. \*\* Have you played No One Lives Forever 2? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/12 "2002-10-20T07:42:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by asterion \* > **The only console I can think of at the moment where this could have been overcome was the Dreamcast, with the mouse and keyboard.** The Dreamcast isn’t the only system with a mouse and keyboard. The PS2 has two USB ports, so you can use the very same mouse and keyboard you use on your PC, for example. Even the SNES had a mouse. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2002, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/video-games-on-different-platforms/132881/13 "2002-10-20T14:59:09Z")
“It is without a doubt, the most amazing looking water in any video game thus far.” Naw, try the surfing games for the PS2, they show the ocean water very very nice .