Street Fighter IV PS3 is sub-HD in close-up

Street Fighter IV has been getting much praise for its combination of classic gameplay and updated graphics technology, but there are differences between the console versions.

Firstly, you're going to notice more jagged edges in the PlayStation 3 game, since it doesn't feature any anti-aliasing. This is in contrast to the Xbox 360's 2xAA.

This isn't that much of a negative, since the 'jaggies' are barely noticeable when playing in the traditional gameplay view.

However, you might notice the edges in the character close-ups, a view where the PlayStation 3 suffers slightly in another area. During the close-up sequences, generally used with special moves, the PS3 game's rendering resolution drops from 720p to nearer 630p, which is then up-scaled for output.

An odd occurrence that can be best demonstrated through the following game captures. You'll notice that the PlayStation 3 screenshot is slightly blurred, where you'll also see that Ryu's headband features more obvious jagged edges.

Xbox 360

PlayStation 3
(Click on the images to enlarge)

The reason for the drop in resolution is at the moment unknown, since elsewhere the PlayStation 3 build of Street Fighter IV is in the typical high-definition resolution; 720p. This can be best seen in the following images, where you'll struggle to find any discernible differences between the two:

Xbox 360

PlayStation 3
(Click on the images to enlarge)

The problem of reduced resolution in close-ups may lie in the fact that Street Fighter IV renders at an impressive and essential 60 frames-per-second, in addition to featuring impressive particle effects.

The latter are especially visible during close-up special moves, meaning that the many hidden pixels being drawn behind the particles (known as overdraw) may cause problems for the PS3's RSX graphics card at 60fps. Or at least it might be more trouble than its worth when porting the game to the PS3. Capcom's best and easiest solution to avoid reduced performance would be to reduce the resolution.

You can watch high-definition videos of the Xbox 360 build after this link, and the
PlayStation 3 after this link. Compare for yourself and see how close the two version are, despite the PlayStation 3's shortcomings. Not worth too much fuss we're sure you'll agree.

Street Fighter IV releases in the UK this Friday, when a Guinness World Record will be attempted at its launch in London.

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Credit goes to the Japanese website diary Hatena for the game captures.