NBA 2K7 PS3 Info, Including Some Interesting Exclusive Features

RC Cola · Oct 3, 2006

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/737/737118p1.html
I'd bold the interesting parts, but that would be pretty much everything (IMO):

Recently, we were invited down to Los Angeles by Visual Concepts and 2K Sports to attend a motion capture session at the House of Moves. The reason was simple: along with four of the NBA's up and coming stars, we were going to be one of the first to witness NBA 2K7 make its leap onto the PS3. While JRob talked with the ballers, I managed to get some hands on time with the shiny new test unit to see just how far along the game is in development. Considering that NBA 2K7 will be the first time that Visual Concepts will have launched a title alongside a Sony console, the development team has been trying to make sure that this is the strongest version of the game yet.

While the development team hasn't had a lot of time with the final test hardware, don't simply assume that NBA 2K7 is a mere port of the 360 version of the game. The development team has spent a ton of time trying to respond to a lot of the comments from fans on their boards, and have added a lot of shot animations in the post and new gameplay upgrades, among other new features. They also put in extra time in the motion capture studios to enhance the realism on the court, so players really had a sense of being in a game situation. In fact, Greg Thomas, the president of Visual Concepts pointed out that as they've been spending more and more time with the hardware, they've started realizing that future game titles for both the 360 and PS3 will have to have different development cycles to fully take advantage of each console's power.

Speaking of taking advantage of the PS3's power, the team has been using the computational power of the system to enhance a large number of the standard features that the game is known for. For instance, the cloth physics of jerseys and shorts has been assigned to one SPU on the PS3 instead of multiple cores on the 360 so that it can move more realistically than ever without taking away processing power for the rest of the game. But you'll find that there's just as much realism off the court in the PS3 version than on the court. Instead of running cutscenes during timeout situations, the development team has created real time AI that governs the cheerleaders, mascots, floor cleaners and even the crowd. For example, during a game between Dallas and Miami at the American Airlines Arena, we noticed Burnie, the Heat mascot doing much more than simply dancing on the sideline; he would run under Dallas' basket and actively try to distract shooters at the free throw line, and he had new dance sequences during timeouts.

Of course, we wanted to take a look at some of the exclusive PS3 features, and while we couldn't get every detail out during this session, we did get a demonstration of how Visual Concepts is planning to use the tilt controller in conjunction with the game. Specifically, players will be able to shoot free throws by tilting the controller back and then leaning it forward. While you can do it with minor movements, you can also hold and tilt the controller as if you were actually shooting with a basketball. Thanks to this new system, you will need to know the particular shooting stroke of the players on your team to be successful: while Dwyane Wade's shooting was a bit easier to handle, Shaq's laborious attempts to balance the ball easily threw us off every time. Defenders also have a chance to throw off free throw shots by shaking their controller whenever the other team steps up to the line, which will shake the screen in an attempt to throw the timing of the shot off. While the system still needed some tweaking, because free throws were a little hard to make and visiting teams had way too much influence on a home team's shots, it did demonstrate how creatively the team is approaching the PS3.

Visually, the game has been taken up to a new level, particularly in how the game action is rendered. Not only have the in-game visuals been beefed up thanks to the power of the system, but according to Thomas, the way the PS3 renders pixels gives the game a richer appearance than the 360 version. It looks much more organic and lifelike, and if you thought you were watching a real game on the 360, just wait till you see it on the PS3. The only thing that is still up in the air right now is the online play: Visual Concepts has been trying to work out how online will be implemented for the PS3. It's been a challenge for them to include that feature in the game, and their testers have been working around the clock figuring out how to work the game with Sony's as yet unannounced network platform. However, as Thomas put it, Visual Concepts has been known as an online pioneer, so the overall plan is to have the game out within the launch window with the feature firmly established within the game. Interested in checking the game out for yourself? Hop over to the video page and check out the first videos of off-screen gameplay running on the PS3, as well as the free throw mechanic in action.
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Also this article, but it mostly just repeats the same info while also having interviews with Dwight Howard, Corey Maggete, and Shaun Livingston:
http://sports.ign.com/articles/737/737051p1.html

Ugh...yet another report about developers not knowing WTH to do with online play thanks to Sony's actions (or lack there of) with its online platform. It seems like developers are all over the place when it comes to the online features their games provide. Hopefully, Sony can get that straightened out soon after launch (if not at launch by some miracle). I think 360 owners know how awesome XBL and the online services these games provide, so it would be nice if PS3 owners could experience something similar.

Other than that negative tidbit, the rest of the article actually got me pretty interested in the PS3 version of the game. I thought it might be just a port of the 360 game, maybe even a bit inferior due to the lack of final tools for the PS3, but it looks like it might have several advantages over the 360 version. Using the controller to shoot free-throws seems like an interesting addition, although judging from the video, it looks like it needs a LOT of work. Might just be a gimmick that's not very fun (or realistic) to use. I give credit to VC to trying take advantage of it though, especially given the circumstances. Makes me wonder how other multiplatform games will work. Could the functionality of the PS3 controller be the deciding factor in which version to get (assuming you have both systems...you rich b*stard )?

BTW, I saw another video of NBA2K7 on another site, and it looks like it will support 7 players on the PS3 (or at least 7 controllers were visible on the controller select screen). I think some of you guys were wondering about that...I'd probably rather play with the 6 other guys online or whatever, but I guess that is another interesting feature of the PS3 version.

Also, on another PS3-related note, Sony announced prices for some accessories and games in Japan. The prices don't really matter since things could be different in America, but IIRC, the controller (officially nicknamed "Six-Axis" IIRC) was like $40, the PS1/PS2 memory card adapter was like $10-$15, the DVD/BR remote was $30, and games range from like $50 (for Genji and Resistance) to like $80 (for Armored Core 4). I'm taking those from memory, so I might be wrong. You can read about it at IGN to get specifics, but again, I wouldn't place TOO much importance on it...unless you live in Japan.

RC Cola · Oct 3, 2006

Speaking of motion-sensing being used in sports game, here's something about the Wii version of Madden:
http://wii.ign.com/articles/736/736278p1.html
http://media.wii.ign.com/media/825/825443/vids_1.html (videos of the controller in action)
Kind of old, but I forgot to post it when I saw it originally. This IGN article reminded me about it.

aaaa · Oct 4, 2006

Wow, looks really nice. Thx RC, might have to get a ps3 now

TracyMcCrazyeye · Oct 4, 2006

Forget the days of pressing a button. With the new tilt controller, you actually shoot the ball. That's right, grab a PS2 controller and practice your stroke right now. Hold the controller with one hand in the middle, bring it up to your head, pause, then act like you're shooting the ball, complete with follow through. Instructions on the screen will rate your performance, tell you if you're too fast, too slow, or if you're pushing the controller to the right or left. Meanwhile, your opponent can pull the triggers to make your hands vibrate, making life more difficult as your polygonal player steps to the line.
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wow that sounds like a lot of fun.

i was planning to sell my old xbox on ebay to buy a 360, but by the looks of this i think i'll be waiting for ps3 to drop.

RC Cola · Oct 4, 2006

To avoid confusion, I would like to point out that I'm pretty sure that the IGN author might have picked the wrong words to describe the process in that quote (or he is clueless on some things). Reading that quote, you might get the idea that the controller itself vibrates, using the rumble technology used in today's controllers and the controllers for the Wii and the 360. Unless something has changed in the last...um...week I guess, the PS3 controller does not have the ability to vibrate (no rumble). If Sony was able to get that working, it probably would have been evident in the playable builds at TGS. In fact, I believe they mentioned recently that it was possible to have both (motion and rumble), but it would make the controller too expensive (and thus, they weren't going to include rumble in the controller).

So yeah, either IGN/VC just broke the story about the PS3 controller having rumble built-in (or perhaps a special accessory controller with rumble I guess), or that quote is a little misleading. I'm guessing the screen might "vibrate" or something like that, but the controller itself won't AFAIK.

KePoW · Oct 4, 2006

RC Cola said:

To avoid confusion, I would like to point out that I'm pretty sure that the IGN author might have picked the wrong words to describe the process in that quote (or he is clueless on some things). Reading that quote, you might get the idea that the controller itself vibrates, using the rumble technology used in today's controllers and the controllers for the Wii and the 360. Unless something has changed in the last...um...week I guess, the PS3 controller does not have the ability to vibrate (no rumble). If Sony was able to get that working, it probably would have been evident in the playable builds at TGS. In fact, I believe they mentioned recently that it was possible to have both (motion and rumble), but it would make the controller too expensive (and thus, they weren't going to include rumble in the controller).

So yeah, either IGN/VC just broke the story about the PS3 controller having rumble built-in (or perhaps a special accessory controller with rumble I guess), or that quote is a little misleading. I'm guessing the screen might "vibrate" or something like that, but the controller itself won't AFAIK.
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I'm 95% sure that guy just didn't know how to write what he was talking about. there is still no rumble on the PS3 controller

and it still pisses me off, I'll really miss it for some genres of games. like racing and action games

Ziggy · Oct 4, 2006

Man... My juices are flowing. Cant wait for some PS3 action. Hopefully I can land one at launch...

RC Cola · Oct 4, 2006

In case any of you guys didn't check out the video, here's how shooting with the controller works:

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NBA 2K7 PS3 Info, Including Some Interesting Exclusive Features

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