14 DAY TRIAL // Ever thought how hard it is for developers to port a title to a different console, other than the one it was originally designed for? You have? Well, I must say that's very thoughtful of you. OK, if so, today we're going to try and answer that question together. To get started, here's senior producer for Splinter Cell: Conviction, Mathieu Ferland telling GamesRadar his impressions on the matter:
"Developing a game for multiple consoles is not so difficult but it requires certain compromises, usually quality compromises. [...] Not having to worry about other consoles for development is an important benefit [...] because you can simply focus and develop following a technical design that fits perfectly with the console. For all these reasons, we'll end up with better performances ... [and it allows] content that would most likely not make it into the game if development was also done for other consoles."
Yes, I agree. However, there is a little difference between some games being ported from one console and go miltiplatform. I'm no game developer or a computer know-it-all, but I'm going to try and explain something here and I hope it makes sense.
Mathieu Ferland's statement is logical, but it only stands if a game has been developed for a great console, a next-gen console if you will, only to be ported later to a low-end piece of hardware from the same generation, or even from a previous generation of gaming platforms.
However, it works the same even if the game in question was developed for a worse console, as there are the control issues and graphics to be taken care of. But generally, it's harder to port a game to a console low on horsepower, when it was originally designed for a very powerful one, such as the PS3. This is where compromise starts to kick in.
In order to make that great PS3 title shine on a console such as the Wii (no offense to Nintendo fans but everyone agrees that it's a better GameCube), developing studios will have to first cut some of the visual detail, then work on loading time, as the Wii is a far less powerful processing machine than the PS3 is, and finally adjust that game's control scheme. I know, I don't want to go there either, but one thing is for sure though: once a game is scheduled for a Wii port, you know that game's control scheme will be simplified with as much as 50%.
But hey, the Wii stands for fun and if there's anything I learned in this lifetime, is that all things that are simple to do are fun.