This is a comparison page Wipeout for the Saturn and Playstation 1. All written comparisons, movies, and JPGs were made while playing the games on the actual console and taken from the actual console through an S-Video connection.

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Comparison Comments

Wipeout is somewhat of a notorious game on both the Playstation 1 and Saturn. Fans of both games prefer one over the other for various reasons. The PS1 game can seem smoother and easier on the eyes because it consistently runs at 30 frames per second (FPS). The Saturn game seems to be faster on average even though the framerate is locked into 20FPS. With that said, the games are virtually identical in graphical detail, controls, and audio. Significant differences in load times, and minor differences in graphical display and resolution are the only areas where the Saturn and PS1 version differ.

Graphics

Wipeout runs at a similar low resolution on both systems. Like most other early titles the PS1 game runs at 320x240 and the Saturn version is at 320x224. Similar texture mapping quality is used in both titles, while Wipeout on the Playstation is is much darker and uses the common workaround of full screen dithering, the Saturn version has dithered transparency. It is a very difficult call to say which one is technically doing more, as both feature plenty of polygon break up and pop-in, along with framerate issues. The Playstation version does run at a slightly higher framerate as can be seen in the "High Speed Tunnel, Missle Fire" comparison video.

Sound

Both games use digital voice samples and CD Audio.

Gameplay

Both games feature very similar gameplay, physics and AI. The Saturn game takes 15 seconds to load from the menu screen to the track while Wipeout on the Playstation features a whopping 22 seconds wait from the same.

Conclusion

What this comparison demonstrates is how the Saturn handles a port from the Playstation. In that comparison, there is no support for the portrayal game magazines gave the Saturn in 1995 and 1996. The Saturn game is doing everything that the PS1 was doing but at a slightly lower framerate. With the exception of transparency in the special effects and background dithering, the two games are so close one could easily be mistaken for the other.

This disparity between what could be seen on either system in gameplay, and what magazines, and subsequently their subscribers, were touting about the comparison is easily demonstrated. Since the Saturn game came out eight months after the PS1 launch game the conclusiveness of this comparison might be questioned. The other 1995 comparisons on this site, including the Wing Arms and War Hawk comparison, High Velocity and Ridge Racer 1, as well as Cyber Speedway and Wipeout all compare as roughly equal.