Face-Off: Borderlands

By Richard Leadbetter Published 5 November, 2009

Skag binge.

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With its fine fusion of stylised visuals, accomplished shooting gameplay, superb co-op elements and MMO-style character building, Borderlands should deliver developer Gearbox plenty of success. Gifted with an impressive 8/10 review score on Eurogamer, it's clearly a highly desirable game, but out of the three SKUs available, which is the most worthy of your investment?

Back in days of yore, cross-platform projects from PC-centric developers like Gearbox would follow a predictable pattern: the computer version could be seen as the "master game", from which the console versions would be derived, with varying levels of compromise attached to each of the latter. However, there has been a fundamental shift in recent times to developers concentrating mostly on the console renditions, with only minor technical improvements made on the PC side of things. This is perhaps most noteworthy in terms of texture quality; art assets that target 720p look a little lacklustre at 1080p, as the additional texture definition required to really make an impression simply isn't there.

This new approach also "works" in that the baseline enthusiast PC is likely to contain more processing muscle and, crucially, memory than the Xbox 360 and PS3. The consoles have defined the baseline, and even a relatively modest entry-spec PC with an £80 graphics card can easily surpass that general performance level, hence we see fairly basic ports with frightening regularity.

Borderlands is an interesting combination of the two philosophies, and proof that perhaps Gearbox still has a lot of love left for the PC and is willing to put a bit of extra effort into the code. The fact that the game is based on Unreal Engine 3 helps matters too: while it targets the console baseline, out of the box it offers a toybox of effects and a different selected range of them can be deployed on either console.

So, which console gets which effects? Time to deploy the comparison video for starters, before we go in-depth.

An HD comparison of Borderlands running on PS3 and Xbox 360, running at 20 per cent speed to retain quality. Hit the full-screen button for the full effect, or click through using the EGTV link for a larger window.

To check out how all three versions stack up against one another, this video is also replicated with the PC build factor in, so check out the PC/PS3 companion vid, and the PC/Xbox 360 version too. For some detailed examination, there's also a 720p triple-format comparison gallery extracted from the obligatory 24-bit RGB lossless Digital Foundry captures.

As you can see, there's not much in it. Differences are subtle, none of them are game-breaking, and similar to Batman: Arkham Asylum (another recent Unreal-powered hit), Borderlands remains highly recommended regardless of the gaming platform.

However, the spectre of Unreal Engine also seems to dictate that it is the Xbox 360 version of the game that commands visual and performance advantages over its PS3 counterpart. Similar to Batman: Arkham Asylum, the 360 version employs the use of screen-space ambient occlusion (SSAO) to give objects in the gameworld a sense of depth and "belonging" that are not present at all in the PS3 build. This was barely perceptible in Rocksteady's Dark Knight game, owing to the muted colour scheme, but in the cel-shaded world of Borderlands, it's a subtle, but pleasing addition.

Additionally, an effect called "flare out" on the PC build appears to have been added to the Xbox 360 version, producing bloom-style effects that are only really noticeable when the sky occupies a lot of the screen - which isn't going to be particularly often. It looks pretty nice though, as you can see here:

'Face-Off: Borderlands' Screenshot 360bloom
'Face-Off: Borderlands' Screenshot ps3bloom

Dubbed 'flare out' according to the PC options screen, the Xbox 360 game gives you a nice little graphical reward for staring at the sun.

It has been noted that the PS3 build of Borderlands enjoys advantages of its own though. In particular, comments have been made about the fact that the Xbox 360 game only occupies 3.3GB of hard drive space via NXE install and this has been correlated to the appearance of lower resolution textures in the game itself. Like these for example:

'Face-Off: Borderlands' Screenshot 360texture
'Face-Off: Borderlands' Screenshot ps3texture

In very rare cases, the PS3 game eclipses the 360 build with improved texture quality, but you'd need to mad keen on Wayne's World-style extreme close-ups for it to make any impact to your enjoyment of the game.

In these isolated cases, there's clear evidence that the PS3 is closer to the PC "master build" in that there's little doubt that the Xbox 360 version is running with lower-detail assets. Quite why is anyone's guess. PS3's 2.3GB mandatory install offers up plenty of extra bandwidth for smoother streaming, but it seems unlikely that these particular textures would cause the DVD drive issues.

It's equally important to point out that in producing these shots we had to go looking for them and their presence throughout the game is very rare. In the vast majority of cases, everything is like-for-like, and unless you spend your time bumping up close to every in-game object (or in the case of the doctor shot above, zooming in using ironsights), you won't be able to tell the difference. Indeed, it's obvious that each version has been given some minor cutbacks in this area. On the main view weapon, for example, you can clearly see dialled-back normal maps on the PS3 game, while the same effect is like-for-like between 360 and PC.

And in terms of that 3.3GB install? Well, the PC game may well be over the double the size when installed to hard disk (compression really isn't an issue on that platform!) but the PS3 game data is a mere 3.47GB. In an age where the storage capacity of the DVD is constantly being brought into question, a triple-A title like Borderlands would still give you change from a single-layer disc.

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Comments (68) Latest comment 10 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • beckyh #1 2 years ago

    I never had any tearing problems in the 360 version during gameplay. I had it once at the beginning during a cutscene but that was all. This was on an elite console and not installed to hard drive.

  • Simplex #2 2 years ago

    Pity that FSAA is not supported at all - I wonder if it is used on the consoles.
    Also, according reports from around the web, the multiplayer experience on PC is horribly broken. E.g.: [link url=ht tp://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=5741
    ]http://ww w.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedta...[/link]

    Not to mention terrible default FOV which zooms in the screen making you nauseous - you have to fiddle with config files to change it and actually bind fov change to forward key in order to prevent it from being reset to default zoomed-in fov.
    It's ridiculous that most of useful options (such as vsync and physx) can be changed only by editing config files - why these options were not put in the game?
    There's even a whole thread on gearbox forum with various tweaks without which the game is much less fun and less playable.
    [link url=http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t =79043
    ]http://gb xforums.gearboxsoftware.com/sho...[/link]

    All in all this is not a PC loving port.

  • byron_hinson #3 2 years ago

    If they ever fix the digital audio problems with the PS3 version I'll go back to it

  • the_dudefather #4 2 years ago

    My main problem with the PC version is the awful multiplayer implementation

    You have to enable port forwarding for a few channels on your router for it to work, even after it was done (along with a few other channels people recommended), my friends nor I could play online with each other without installing a third party program, obviously the port forwarding works fine for most players, but so many people on the forums seem to be having troubles with this

    the game is fine in SP, but we bought it for MP :(

    yeah and bloodkult says, UI is a bit rubbish at times

  • mkreku #5 2 years ago

    "However, where it makes more of a difference is in the split-screen mode. It's still very playable on both systems (and Gearbox deserve mucho kudos for incorporating a tricky feature like this when many simply don't bother) but the 360 code appears to handle the action with a more consistent smoothness."

    Huh. I tried split-screen co-op with a friend on his Xbox 360 and it wasn't even close to anything resembling "smoothness". That makes me wonder how the PS3-version would be.

  • PearOfAnguish #6 2 years ago

    Seconding the comments above, can't fault the visuals, it's runs brilliantly even at 1920x1200 on full detail, but there are a few irritating bugs and quirks. No vsync, have to port forward to play online (good luck with that if you've not got at least a vague idea of how to go about it), weird UI options (can't use mousewheel to scroll text boxes?) and yeah the old FOV spectre is back to haunt us. Simple patch could sort this all out.

  • menage #7 2 years ago

    I wonder why it's even necessary to compare the PC with consoles. Apples and pears really.

    PC will always win if th dev is up to scratch, simply because it's evolving all the time.

  • Boomerang #8 2 years ago

    PC master build for the glorious PC gaming master race.

    It's stupid comments like that that give us PC gamers a bad fucking name. We're not all twats, folks, honest.

  • PearOfAnguish #9 2 years ago

    Not sure it was meant to be taken too seriously, boomerang.
    Edited by 1 at 05/11/09 @ 15:05

  • septimus #10 2 years ago

    The textures of the PS3 version are far better than the 360, seem cleaner and more noticeable than any other difference on the system.

    But the PC version is over £10 cheaper, so that one please.

  • thebuzzard #11 2 years ago

    As mentioned in a previous post getting the PC version to work online is a pain in the arse.

  • Moonprince #12 2 years ago

    "I never had any tearing problems in the 360 version during gameplay. "

    "I had it once at the beginning during a cutscene but that was all."

    ...

  • Spekingur #13 2 years ago

    Technically cutscene != gameplay.

  • berelain #14 2 years ago

    @ mkreku

    Really? I've been playing the split-screen co-op on the 360 version almost as much as I have single player, and I barely notice any difference in performance of graphical pizzaz.

  • Darren #15 2 years ago

    This game is brilliant on the PC. Even with forced 4xAA (using the UTIII AA compatibility setting), it runs at 40-60 fps @ 1920x1200 and feels silky smooth at all times on my setup. It even plays fantastically well with the Xbox 360 controller. There's absolutely no contest whatsoever, PC version wins hands down as far as I'm concerned. Even without AA the game looks fine as the cartoonish looks kind of negate the jagginess of edges anyway.

    Wonderful game too; shallow and repetitve it might be but it more than makes up for those through its sheer addictive factor and constant urge to get more powerful weapons. My copy cost me just £15 too which makes it a bargain.

  • Darren #16 2 years ago

    @Simplex - I agree with you that the lack of an in-game v-sync option is an unforgivable oversight but sadly it's one that seems to becoming all too common with multiformat games on the PC. Thankfully it's easily forced. As for PhysX, the game doesn't support hardware PhysX anyway as the game's framerate remains the same whether I enabled it via the INI file or not. Just because there's a setting for PhysX, doesn't mean the game supports it. There's a DX10 option in there too but enabling it doesn't make the game run in DX10 mode.

  • Darren #17 2 years ago

    "The PC version of the game on the other hand omits split-screen entirely..."

    Yet the back of the PC box I have clearly states that it has a split-screen mode!!! Not that I've tried it as I've been far too addicted to the game to bother playing it co-operatively. Yeah, I'm selfish like that. :)

  • TheWretched #18 2 years ago

    Occasional higher resolution textures? Occasional? Come one...

  • jonbwfc #19 2 years ago

    The comparison about online should take into account the fact that on the PS3, the online component is a bug-ridden car crash in action.

  • groovychainsaw #20 2 years ago

    Split screen is only 2-player, btw, and you can't mix split screen and online players (like you can in halo) which is a bit of a shame, but it would stress the netcode. Still holding out for a patch to allow 2 split-screen teams to join uup online, but probably won't happen. On 360 I've not noticed any real problems in framerate, apart from standing in the middle of elemental effects (like brick's beserking with shock added) where it gets down to about 1fps, almost unplayable for 1 or 2 seconds. Textures take a bit of time to load in though, this has been helped with the recent patch and a hard drive install though...

  • FWB #21 2 years ago

    This game is good.

    That is all.

  • PearOfAnguish #22 2 years ago

    Donnie, maybe you should just duck out of any discussion to do with PCs, eh? You've repeatedly proven you have no idea what you're talking about.

    "The pc version unsurprisingly is the best BUT what happens if you dont have the tech know how to build one"

    That's irrelevant. He listed some specifications that are now very common on low-mid range PCs, doesn't matter if you build a PC yourself or buy one ready made, unless you buy some really low budget crap you'll be able to run the game.

    "This is why uncharted2/forza 3 would probably take a high end pc to match."

    Unlikely. Crysis is still arguably the best looking game on any format and that now runs very nicely on a half decent system.
    Edited by 1 at 05/11/09 @ 16:00

  • M_of_the_sys #23 2 years ago

    "Donnie, maybe you should just duck out of any discussion? You've repeatedly proven you have no idea what you're talking about."

    Fixed

  • Macross #24 2 years ago

    i own both pc and 360 verisons of this game (well i traded my 360 version in for PC after trying it at a friends). The PC version is superior in every way i agree completely.

    I havent had any issues with the PC one online either, although when i tried to host a game i did have to open a couple of ports on my router, which took about 3 minutes.

  • Sniper_007 #25 2 years ago

    Playing split screen with a friend, and the seamless online xbox live experience means I'm more than happy playing this on my 360.... even while at the moment it's connecting to an identical monitor and on the same desk as my PC.

  • Darren #26 2 years ago

    Hahaha. Donnie and intelligent non-biased PC discussions really are mutually exclusive, aren't they? ;)

  • butler` #27 2 years ago

    You can pratically lock someones screen up by spamming fire effects (rockets, bullets) in their face.

    It's funny, and curious. How hard can it be to optimise? Even patch...

  • ps3owner #28 2 years ago

    "Hahaha. Donnie and intelligence really are mutually exclusive, aren't they?"

    fixed it for ya

  • PearOfAnguish #29 2 years ago

    You weren't criticising any parts of the article, though, you were just doing your usual bleating about how PCs are dead. You've made it clear you don't know anything about PCs so if you don't like your posts being voted down stick to console discussions in future.

  • Gecks #30 2 years ago

    like i said in the L4D2 comments - i don't get how people can 'choose' between PC/360/PS3 versions of borderlands when surely the overwhelming factor is 'which version are my friends getting'?

    like L4D2, borderlands shines in co-op, and most of my friends have the 360 version, so that's the version i got. frame rates and texture detail isn't even a consideration.

    EDIT: and yes i suppose i'm not really sure why i'm even reading this!
    Edited by 1 at 05/11/09 @ 16:47

  • creepylizard #31 2 years ago

    I thought the PC master race comment was quite funny, myself.

  • Ryuken #32 2 years ago

    I enjoy it a lot on PC, it's solid from a graphical/performance point of view but the HUD, menus and multiplayer infrastructure are in dire need of serious patching.

  • TRUTH #33 2 years ago

    Online the PS3 version really has some serious issues...Hope they sort this out soon!

  • EvilBob_leeds #34 2 years ago

    ...surely the overwhelming factor is 'which version are my friends getting'?

    Indeed. All of my mates who have played it have basically said that the stellar multiplayer is really what makes it shine, so Steam for me.

    Now I don't mean to alarm anyone... but Donnies gone. I mean really gone - his posts have been expunged from topics. It looks kind of like his account got banned. Now now, dry your tears...

  • EvilBob_leeds #35 2 years ago

    @Darren

    15 quid for the PC version? Bargain! Where from?

  • miiiguel #36 2 years ago

    It looks kind of like his account got banned. Now now, dry your tears...

    You're trying to be ironic but you'll miss him. Fair play to him, at least he never (that I've seen) publicly offended anyone.

  • creepylizard #37 2 years ago

    Come on. he's just changed his name so he can continue his campaign with impunity, surely?
    Donnie, that is.
    Not that I've anything against the fellow. I have no idea why everyones complaining about him..

  • EvilBob_leeds #38 2 years ago

    @miguel

    "but you'll miss him"

    lol. Yeah. Because, on some level, he was just too tragically amusing for me to ever bring myself to click on ignore, even though he did annoy the shit out of me, and pretty much everyone else here.

  • StrayBezza #39 2 years ago

    the 360 version employs the use of screen-space ambient occlusion (SSAO) to give objects in the gameworld a sense of depth and "belonging" that are not present at all in the PS3 build.

    What?? Eurogamer please. Is this what its come down to?

    'screen space ambient occlusion' - is this a gaming site or an advert for the newest make up for women?

  • cianchristopher #40 2 years ago

    Why couldn't these geniuses include a vsync option in the in-game menu? WTF?

  • miiiguel #41 2 years ago

    lol. Yeah. Because, on some level, he was just too tragically amusing for me to ever bring myself to click on ignore, even though he did annoy the shit out of me, and pretty much everyone else here.

    We're all annoyed by diferent stuff I guess, and maybe mundane stuff like video-games take a ridicule importance in one's life, myself included, though, I need to praise the guy because he took lots of verbal abuse in public discussions and I've never seen him hiting back on a personal level - as far as I remember he seemed to just express his opinion on the issues. That's my opinion.

  • EvilBob_leeds #42 2 years ago

    @cianchristopher

    I'd imagine that there's some kind of V-Sync related bug in the PC code that they didn't get round to swatting before the game went gold.

    The fact that it's quite readily available but not in the official options suggests a kind of 'Caveat utilitor - use at your own risk' kind of situation.
    Edited by 1 at 05/11/09 @ 18:25

  • sargulesh #43 2 years ago

    I hate this "master race" shit, it makes me think of Nazism.

  • Badassbab #44 2 years ago

    Bioshock offered an option to turn V-Sync on or off on the console renditions. All games should be like this. I prefered v-sync off for Bioshock but the default was on.

  • flanker22 #45 2 years ago

    N@,

    you're probably the type that simply cant perceive screen tearing. its pretty clear that the ps3 version has it, lots of it.

  • man.the.king #46 2 years ago

    @miiiguel

    "but you'll miss him"

    Yeah, I'll miss him (as long as he doesn't come back using another avatar). His posts were always good for a few laughs - as far as I am concerned, he was the resident EG clown :)
    Edited by 1 at 05/11/09 @ 21:49

  • womble #47 2 years ago

    "The textures of the PS3 version are far better than the 360, seem cleaner and more noticeable than any other difference on the system."

    I doubt you've even seen the 360 version.

    I've tried both versions before buying, and any texture difference between the two versions is absolutely marginal. The 360 version however, feels more solid in its frame-rate, and the lighting is better.

    In this case, the 360 version got my money.

  • local_celebrity #48 2 years ago

    More importantly, where the fuck is Donnie? I want him back.

    If anyone has any knowledge about his whereabouts, please come forward. I hope he hasn't been cyberbullied into doing something stupid...

  • TheGuvernor #49 2 years ago


    Hey Peeps,

    is this game worth getting for PC multiplayer in its present form? - or should I hold off for L4D2?
    OPDR multi is like an unloved orphan at the moment & though Borderlands looks & seems awesome I don't want to plonk down more cash on a game that needs more work.

    And who the hell is Donnie??

  • Kaminari #50 2 years ago

    I hate the Unreal engine, as much as I hate most cross-platform games (under)powered by it.

  • 3william56 #51 2 years ago

    "You can enable v-sync via a file. I'll include a link below that provides a healthy list of tweaks that you can apply..."

    And that is why I can't be ar$ed with PC gaming. Insert disc. Press Start. Play game. That's how it should be done.

    Some time Richie will factor in that a PC costs 3-10 times as much as a console, and has a tonne of extra farting about required to play. No thanks.

  • M4RV #52 2 years ago

    And that is why I can't be ar$ed with PC gaming. Insert disc. Press Start. Play game. That's how it should be done.

    Well, there are others who can be ar$ed for not having available an option, such as v-sync. Either way, it's the kind of thing that takes around 5 minutes to add to a *.txt file. If you're willing to invest your time in a 10+ hour experience, I can't see how such will kill you.

  • muscleblade #53 2 years ago

    "I wonder why it's even necessary to compare the PC with consoles. Apples and pears really. "
    "PC will always win if th dev is up to scratch, simply because it's evolving all the time. "

    You can say the exact same thing about the PS3 and 360. 360 will always win over the PS3 too. No?

  • muscleblade #54 2 years ago

    "Not that I've tried it as I've been far too addicted to the game to bother playing it co-operatively. Yeah, I'm selfish like that. :)"

    Not selfish, just a loner and a unsocial being. This game is made for coop , playing it alone dont make sense to me.

    edit. Please dont take this personally. Its just my opinion.
    Edited by 2 at 06/11/09 @ 08:13

  • muscleblade #55 2 years ago

    @EvilBob_leeds

    If his comments anoyed you so much he must have had some good points. Its a weak human quality to get annoyed because other people have different opinions, espesially when the opninons is about videogames. My first thouth - insecurity.

    @miiiguel

    Agree with you. I think a lot of people on here tried the best they could to flame Donnie, but he always kept hes opinions about the consoles and never from what ive seen attacked other people like they attacked him. If Eurogamer banned him they did a big mistake imo.

  • EvilBob_leeds #56 2 years ago

    You call yourself muscleblade on internet chat boards and you see fit to call others insecure? You think you can only get annoyed by a troll if they have good points? You think Donnie had some good points?? Oh dear. My first thought - you're a whiny 360 troll and a bit of a dope. And, to back up that opinion, see your post #64, just above.
    Edited by 2 at 06/11/09 @ 09:47

  • muscleblade #57 2 years ago

    @EvilBob_leeds

    LOL!

    Making fun of my name eh. My real surname is Blade and im a bodybuilder so......
    No offense taking though. Piece.

  • EvilBob_leeds #58 2 years ago

    If you want peace then why do you consistently troll??
    Edited by 2 at 06/11/09 @ 10:27

  • local_celebrity #59 2 years ago

    Donnie may have been mentally ill, but these boards will be a lot greyer without him. I, for one, will miss him.

  • EvilBob_leeds #60 2 years ago

    Warning : Shit joke meter on overload

    Reccommended action: Don't give up your day job

    Although the irony of complaining about someone trolling whilst clagging this thread up with unrelated squabbling hasn't escaped me. As, indeed, I hope it hasn't escaped you.
    Edited by 4 at 06/11/09 @ 11:54

  • muscleblade #61 2 years ago

    " And, to back up that opinion, see your post #64, just above"

    I see your problem now. You cant handle the truth. Fine thats your problem keep it to yourself please.

  • funkateer #62 2 years ago

    "Agree with you. I think a lot of people on here tried the best they could to flame Donnie, but he always kept hes opinions about the consoles and never from what ive seen attacked other people like they attacked him. If Eurogamer banned him they did a big mistake imo."

    +1
    Agreed

  • muscleblade #63 2 years ago

    "I prefer to actually hang out with people and not play computer games with them?"

    Sure. I do both.

    I did seem a little bit offensive maybe so i applogize if i offended you or anyone else. Borderlands is a lot more fun in coop with friends from my experience that is all. Gaming can be a very social thing and i find it strange that some people prefer to play a coop game alone.

  • TRUTH #64 2 years ago

    But the PS3 does have some framerate issues that do bog the game down, also online it has serious issues too!!!.

  • womble #65 2 years ago

    "When DF says games tear I think they mean their analyzer registers tearing, Whether you see it or not is another thing. The pic showing texture difference seems striking to me."

    Way to ignore the actual article dude.

    You'll say anything to boost the PS3.

    Buy yourself a cheap 360, you'll be happy that you no longer have to be a fanboy for just one console.

  • womble #66 2 years ago

    "and you will say anything to dis the ps3 and boost the 360... "

    Utter garbage. I own all three consoles and I LIKE the PS3.

    The PS3 is a good machine, though it WAS overpriced. No longer. The only thing wrong with the PS3 (apart from the bad controllers) are idiot PS3 fanboys.

    Like you.

  • Simplex #67 2 years ago

    Darren: "As for PhysX, the game doesn't support hardware PhysX anyway as the game's framerate remains the same whether I enabled it via the INI file or not."

    I have physx indicator enabled in nVidia control panel - whenever a game uses physx a text "PHYSX: GPU" appears on top left corner of the screen, indicating GPU (hardware) accelerated physx - it is also there when I enabled physx in Batman AA. It also appeared in borderlands after I enabled physx in ini. Before turning on the physx the "logo-indicator" was not visible.
    This leads me to think that Borderlands does indeed support hardware physx. Why would it not, if UE3 supports it?
    Truth be told I also did not notice any difference after changing the setting in ini file, except for the visibility of physx indicator.

    Also, take a look at this quote:
    “The use of physics in games is highly effective in enabling new levels of interactivity and gameplay options. Gearbox is excited about these developments and we are rapidly finding new ways to use NVIDIA PhysX to improve the game’s immersive feel and overall excitement factor,” said Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox Software. “The addition of GPU acceleration allows us to add even more effects whilst maintaining great performance. Gearbox titles, including Borderlands and others, will feature increased use of PhysX and we look forward to developing more with the support of NVIDIA.”
    Edited by 1 at 07/11/09 @ 10:59

  • CreamOfWeber #68 10 months ago

    "The textures of the PS3 version are far better than the 360, seem cleaner and more noticeable than any other difference on the system."

    Did you even read the article?