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Former Harmonix developer tackles PS3 'misconceptions'
And "spin," as the blog entry either suggests or commands at the outset. Jason Booth, a Harmonix alum who lists Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II and Rock Band as projects he's worked on, has posted a lengthy and vaguely technical discussion about the difficulties developers may face when making games for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Apparently it's not all sunshine and roses! Booth suggests that PS3 games are often disadvantaged when ported, as developers have to jump through extra hoops in order to get Sony's system to do what the Xbox 360 can with more ease and less time. It's a fair observation from an insider, certainly, but hardly the blast of searing truth meant to burn away our many "misconceptions." With developers expressing discontent, PS3 publishers being sweet-talked and games stumbling over multiple, noted delays, it's been fairly obvious that the system has been getting a raw deal due to its technical composition and accompanying challenges. It's bad news for the struggling PS3, but it's also not an unusual situation to arise during multiplatform development. When a developer chooses to develop the same game across different sets of technology, compromises and hardships are likely to rear their hideous, misshapen heads. If you don't think it's all business as usual though, feel free to read all the technical nitty-gritty yourself and respond with an eloquent comment (example: "what would you know about it? all of harmoniax games looks like shit").[Via PS3 Fanboy]
SCEA aware of porting difficulties, requiring "re-engineering"
We have a love-hate relationship with these kind of articles, lest they deter into all-too-familiar fanboy territory (wink wink). Regardless, they still are fascinating reads on technology and where our beloved full-time job hobby is headed. Gamepro recently questioned a developer tasked with high-profile PS3 ports from Xbox 360 code and the response was unsurprisingly, "nobody wants to touch that issue right now." Can't say we blame them. It's becoming increasingly complex a situation, with console exclusives falling by the wayside as publishers strive to get the most out of their investment. Professing love for one platform over another just doesn't seem like it would make things easier for anyone. An article by Dr. Dobbs Portal that ran in March, delivers an in-depth dissection about how much longer the learning curve is when it comes to developing for the Cell and how much more fruit the Cell can bear once established and competent developers get through the crux of utilizing its potential.
Give thanks and praise: native OpenOffice arriving next month
No, you aren't hallucinating: Macworld UK is reporting that a truly native version of OpenOffice (not the java-powered NeoOffice port) will be shipping next month. OpenOffice's journey to running on Mac OS X in a native format has been a rollercoaster ride over the years, with a post on their site in January of '05 basically nixing a native port altogether.However, the stars have realigned and the port will see light of day after all. If you need visual proof, one of OO's developers posted some native screenshots on his blog. As far as when we can get our hands on a non-X11 OpenOffice package, we're tossing our chips in with Macworld UK's that we'll most likely see this release at September's OOoCon. Stay tuned.
