14 DAY TRIAL // Well of course it's going to be slower on the PlayStation 3. It's the same with Halo and other titles that see both a PC and a console port. And if you don't want to take our word for it, then take Mark Rein's. He's the Vice President of Epic Games, surely you won't have any trouble believing him, as it's all for your benefit as a PS3 owner.
Comparisons are starting to be made only because the PC version is already out, with the PS3 UT3 due out next week (on Monday). Now, exactly why do you think that the console version of a FPS will almost always be overall slower than the PC version? It all comes down to the control. With a joypad, aiming is done using only the right thumb (with the right analog stick on the SIXAXIS), while mouse-and-keyboard controls will enable you to aim and move around using your whole arm. Here's Mark Rein confirming it:
"When you play Halo on PC, you notice the difference too, yeah? This is also the reason why we don't have cross-platform play, between PC and PS3, because you have got to make some compromises for each platform. But you play Halo on console and you find that it's slower too, right?they have to be slower, because your fingers are just not as precise as your whole arm, right? To me the movement and speed as a console gamer is just right," Rein told SPOnG in a recent interview, according to Advanced Media Network.
He added that it wasn't very easy to deliver an Unreal Tournament 3 that would appeal to a broader audience. Compromises had to be made in this sector too, but it all came out great and Rein is happy with their work:
"[Epic] simplified the game [...] in the last game, we had like seven game types [...] this time, we said instead of having 'onslaught' and 'assault' lets meld them together into this 'warfare' mode, let's just do the things that we do really well and make them work on console. It's the single player game that, even though you're playing through all the different levels, feels more like a ladder with a story. It's just a much better introduction to the game."
Of course, since UT is best known for the fast-paced gameplay it delivers, some may not like a slower console version. Epic's implementing a mod system via PlayStation Network may convince PS3 owners that their UT3 version is still a good choice:
"When Sony originally said, 'Ours is an open network', we said, 'Oh yeah? Well, we'll see how open you are really willing to be'. To their credit, they have been fully supportive of this. There's no question that this kind of modding ability has never happened on console before," said Rein.
So remember, UT3 for PS3 is due out next Monday with the game's PC version already being available for purchase. But you can have a go with the PC demo version right now if you wish. Download it right HERE.