PS3 and 360 offer "pretty much the same" opportunities, says Sega Rally dev

PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 afford developers "pretty much the same" opportunities at the moment, according to Sega Racing Studio boss Guy Wilday.

"Sony always create very technically innovative hardware and always have. PlayStation 3 is no different in that respect," Wilday told GamesIndustry.biz in an exclusive interview published today.

But Xbox 360 development is "simpler", according to the veteran developer, whose previous experience includes stints on Codemasters' Colin McRae Rally series.

"The flipside of very innovative hardware is that it takes you a while to get up to speed with it. The learning curve is steeper in that you have to get into it and understand exactly what the benefits are, and understand exactly how to do certain things to get the most out of the platform," Wilday says of PlayStation 3.

"With Xbox 360 obviously development is simpler. The development tools and support you have are obviously excellent. So that really is the trade-off."

But Wilday admits that, for the moment, Sega Rally - due for release on both formats in September - "looks identical" across the pair.

"We've sat them side by side and you're really hard-pushed to tell the difference. I think that's a testament to where you are with both platforms."

For more from Wilday, including his views on the possibility of a unified console format, and the changing shape of the games market, read the full interview elsewhere on GamesIndustry.biz today.