2K Sports: We develop primarily on Xbox 360 because it ahs a better toolset

[Zeus]

2K's VP of sports development Jeffrey Thomas has revealed that 2K Sports primarily develop on the Xbox 360 because the toolset that MS provides is better but they do also work concurrently work on the PS3. He added "but a lot of the development that can be across the board is done on a 360, and Microsoft's toolset is a lot better of a toolset than Sony's.


Do you concentrate on any platform internally?

JT: Internally, we develop on the 360, because the toolset that Microsoft provides is a better toolset, but we also concurrently work on the PS3; so the development is going on at the same time, and there are people specializing on both. But a lot of the development that can be across the board is done on a 360, and Microsoft's toolset is a lot better of a toolset than Sony's.


News Source: <A href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20128" target="_blank">Gamasutra</a>

[MaxSay]

it's no surprise microsoft is a software based company & its expected when they make better tool set than sony's one while sony is a hardware based company & its why PS3 is far superior hardware to microsoft's xbox360.

[sigma8]

Yeah, I am neither shocked nor surprised by this. I've never developed on a console, but the impression I've gotten about the "situation" is that Sony is heavily reliant on 3rd party middleware developers to provide tools to their developing comrades.

Obviously, there is middleware on MS's platform too (Unreal Engine, anyone?), but I'd expect them to be offering a very robust baseline SDK, since it's based off of DirectX, which has been evolving for over a decade.

AFAIK, Sony hasn't had any kind of equivalent API for their SDK's, so each console is basically done from scratch.

That said, API's aren't everything. Developers tend to stick with what they know. Carmack isn't going to license the Unreal Engine, he'll just make his own. I'm sure the more hardcore developers, who frequently make their own middleware, enjoy the blank slate the PS3 provides--assuming their efforts yield good results (which seems to be the case).

However, developers more focused on churning stuff out and/or employing only higher level developers who don't do enginey-type stuff, will obviously favor whichever environment has more RAD (rapid application development) tools or features.

[dgknight500]

2K's VP of sports development Jeffrey Thomas has revealed that Microsoft primarily develop on the Xbox 360


Whaaat? Microsoft develops on the 360? Really? WOW... and here I though that MS primarily develops on the PS3 or Wii...

[QrafTee]

Back in the PSX days, Sony had one of the easiest consoles to develop for, but somewhere along the way they released the PS2 with not so easy tools to develop for and now with the Cell processor, the development tools seem to be even less helpful. Sony's been trying to help developers with that problem, but it's just easier when the developers take the time to learn the architecture themselves.

[crypysmoker]

Whats better is that people complain that the PS3 is to hard to develop for, and the main fact is that they are just lazy and used to using the same exact DX components over and over to make...... first person shooters??
They are so used to useing the same thing, instead of learning what they can do with a new setup, its "oh lets blame the SDK for us being to damn slow to get with something new"

[Spnoz]

it's no surprise microsoft is a software based company & its expected when they make better tool set than sony's one while sony is a hardware based company & its why PS3 is far superior hardware to microsoft's xbox360.

That is exactly what I was going to say.


But I will also add that in my mind, the key thing is the software, not the hardware. It's the software that sells consoles and make them successful.

Rarely does anyone (except fanboys) buy a console strictly because it has "better" hardware. Hardware is no good if you don't have the games people want to play.

[Spnoz]

Whats better is that people complain that the PS3 is to hard to develop for, and the main fact is that they are just lazy and used to using the same exact DX components over and over to make...... first person shooters??
They are so used to useing the same thing, instead of learning what they can do with a new setup, its "oh lets blame the SDK for us being to damn slow to get with something new"

Again... someone complaining about "lazy devs" without understanding what it's all about...

Time=money. It all come down to this.

It's not being "lazy". It's about having business common sense. Developping a game for the PS3 costs MORE than developping the same game the 360, because you need to spend more time with the PS3.

It's very simple actually, and not in any way related to "lazy devs".

Remember that we're not in the old days where a three people in a basement could develop an entire game. Gaming has become an industry, and like in any industry, all that counts in the end, is MONEY. And nothing else.

[MadMax31]

Again... someone complaining about "lazy devs" without understanding what it's all about...

Time=money. It all come down to this.

It's not being "lazy". It's about having business common sense. Developping a game for the PS3 costs MORE than developping the same game the 360, because you need to spend more time with the PS3.

It's very simple actually, and not in any way related to "lazy devs".

Remember that we're not in the old days where a three people in a basement could develop an entire game. Gaming has become an industry, and like in any industry, all that counts in the end, is MONEY. And nothing else.

You have explain it, I have explain it, many people have explain it and still kids think game developers have a favorite console to develop and/or they take it as a challenge... Its not up to them, it up to the corporate business man just like that, they pressure the programmers/artist/project leaders, they come with valid excuses, as simple as that.

[Rotmm]

Lazy Devs :mad:

[d889]

game companies are in business to make money, they dont give a flying **** if they code games for freaking super nintendo as long as they dont have to pay the programmers more labor than they should.

[kcvfr400]

To me the fact that the developers always say harder to develop on ps3 and complain about development tools for it gives rise to the lazy developer tag. And rightly so to me.

If the games developers were saying that their publisher is restricting the money to make the game in the first place then yes they go for 360 over ps3 fairly but they never say that and always complain how the ps3 is hard to develop for instead.

They seem no longer to have the challenge in them to do it all themselves from scratch on a new os. It make me feel they are not up to the standards of the old bedroom coders who just got on with it and made the best out of what they had to work with.