14 DAY TRIAL // Assassin's Creed 3 is finally out across all of its platforms and many owners, from the PC, PS3, or Xbox 360 to the Nintendo Wii U, are now arguing about which delivers the best performance.
As such, we decided to try and compare two of the versions we already own, one on the PlayStation 3 and one on the PC, which is running an Nvidia GTX 680 as well as the latest beta drivers that give a boost in performance for Assassin's Creed 3 and unlock the option of running TXAA for the game.
Does the PC version of the game manage to deliver the smoother experience or should PS3 owners rejoice? Let's find out.
The first thing you notice when comparing Assassin's Creed 3 on the PC and on the PS3 is the much faster loading time. After the CG cutscene that introduces players to the role of protagonist Desmond, you're treated to a small loading sequence that shows off Desmond, his father, and their fellow assassins riding in a van.
While on the PC this sequence quickly appears and then disappears, on the PS3 it lasts a much longer time, and I wondered if I should press a button to progress to the actual gameplay.
After the loading is complete, the actual cutscenes rendered by the game's new AnvilNext engine take over.
Here, you'll notice a rather big difference in terms of visual quality, particularly when it comes to the shadows given by Desmond's hood, for example. Textures also appear more detailed, both during gameplay and in the cutscenes.
On the tutorial mission in the theater, there's also an obvious difference, as several NPCs popped in from nowhere on the PS3 while everything was much smoother on the PC.
Overall, the shorter loading times, the better graphics as well as the smoother anti-aliasing and the lack texture or NPC pop-in do make the PC version of Assassin's Creed 3 the best one.
Check out the PC and PS3 editions of the game in action in the comparison video above.