Version Differences

Ratchet & Clank Version Differences

PSN = PlayStation Network (downloaded off store)
BCPS3 = Backwards Compatible PS3
PAL = European / Australian versions
NTSC-U = North American versions
NTSC-J = Japanese versions
NTSC-K = Korean versions
Emu = Emulator
SSD = Solid State Drive
HDD = Hard Disk Drive

Ratchet & Clank (2002) :
PS2 PAL, PAL Platinum, NTSC, NTSC Greatest Hits
PS3 PAL/NTSC Disc, PAL/NTSC PSN
PS Vita PAL/NTSC Cart, PAL/NTSC PSN
PSTV PAL/NTSC Cart, PAL/NTSC PSN

-PS2 PAL, NTSC, PAL Platinum and NTSC GH all have significantly slower loading times between planets and deaths. The PDA also takes significantly longer to open & close; thus losing time on each use of the PDA and making movement slower paced in general. The speedcap for the versions is also hindered if you play in 50hz, and you cannot perform the Orxon 1 Clank proxy in 50hz - however you can switch to 60hz and all tricks will work as they do on NTSC. You can not instantly skip cutscenes on PS2; therefore sliding wallopers are not possible, but standing wallopers work as normal. Between planets, the selected option in the pause menu is reset, so you need to scroll down to goodies, then to in-level movies. All movement is the same on every PS2 version, if you are playing in 60hz. Decoy clips through walls are also a lot easier on PS2, meaning setups are a lot less precise.
-If on a PAL PS3 console, the game will run in 50hz if run in standard definition; you must change to high definition output for the game to run in 60hz.
-PS3 Disc (both NTSC & PAL) have slower load times than the PSN release on the store. Drek skip (destroyer glitch/deplanetiser glitch) does not work on the NTSC disc version.
-PS3 NTSC / PAL: The Pyrocitor glitch for Drek and other bosses are NOT possible on the NTSC version, which is why you'll find Any% and AGB are, for the most part, PAL exclusive on the leaderboards. The Pyro glitch is possible on both the Disc and PSN releases.
-PS3 PAL PSN is the fastest version for Any% and All Gold Bolts, and NG+ is fastest on any PSN version of the game.
-The PS3 Japanese version has faster text fade times, (such as "Entering atmosphere of Planet Novalis"), but Drek skip doesn't work.
-PSTV/PSVita PSN is the "fastest" version for AGB and Any% due to general timesave from loads and the lack of black screens before cutscenes and gold bolt animations starting. Additionally, Pyro glitch works on both NTSC and PAL versions. However, this version has a few frames of input delay and a lack of an R2 button, which makes ILJs and Sinaflips incredibly difficult, nullifying any timesave from loads. In-level movies also load instantly, saving time in NG+, but this is irrelevant because Drek skip does not work.
-SSD saves 16 seconds in NG+, and we can assume similar numbers for both Any% and AGB as they have less PDA usage, but more planet loads in general.

General speed hierarchy: PS3 PAL PSN -> PS3 NTSC PSN -> PS3 PAL Disc -> PS3 NTSC Disc -> PSTV = PSVita -> PS2 60hz -> PS2 50hz

Going Commando/Locked & Loaded :
PS2 PAL, PAL Platinum, NTSC Black Label, NTSC Greatest Hits
BCPS3 NTSC
PS3 PAL/NTSC Disc, PAL/NTSC PSN
PS Vita PAL/NTSC Cart, PAL/NTSC PSN

-PAL and PAL Platinum are both run in 50hz, thus reducing the speedcap, and since the chargeboots hit the speedcap, they are at 5/6ths the speed of the NTSC versions. Decoy clips are harder on both PAL versions. The Insomniac Museum shortcut is not available from Aranos 1, meaning you will need to travel to Oozla to go to the museum, and then additionally death abuse to be able to travel to Boldan.
-If on a PAL PS3 console, the game will run in 50hz if run in standard definition; you must change to high definition output for the game to run in 60hz.
-NTSC Greatest Hits is a patched release of the game that changes the way the chargeboots work. Cancelling charge doesn't work the same way, so neutrals (other than with Hoverbomb), decoy jumps and wrench whip jumps are all impossible, thus making the version much slower than Black Label.
-NTSC Black Label is the fastest version because it runs at 60hz, so the chargeboot movement is the proper speed, and all the patched movement in the GH version is possible, and the IMG works as normal.
-PS3 releases (both NTSC & PAL) are the same 'patch' as NTSC Greatest Hits, but PS3 has significantly faster load times between planets, faster cutscene loads, and faster deaths. This version has other issues, such as the Boldan hyperstrike clip to the end of the level being impossible, and Ship Shack glitch not working. However, there are unique file manips that are not possible on PS2 versions, such as skipping the ending cutscene on Gorn, and storing health on some bosses as 1 hp, allowing you to 1-shot them. PS3 PSN has faster loads than the Disc version.
-PS3 PSN is the fastest version for Any% as the chargeboots are not obtained, and loads are significantly faster than PS2. However, the lack of Ship Shack glitch means raritanium RNG is a huge factor in achieving the theoretical timesave.
-PAL PS3 is technically the fastest for Any% as there are no ship landing animations compared to NTSC & JP PS3 versions. However, this version is more prone to various softlocks & hardlocks (specifically when starting Challenge Mode). This forces a game restart in Max% when entering Challenge Mode, which loses 3 minutes.
-NTSC & JP PS3 versions do not have the aforementioned hardlock issues, meaning they are faster for Max%, but will lose around 12 seconds throughout the game to ship animations in Any%. It is recommended if you don't want to restart the game each reset, you should play on these versions.
-All PS3 versions allow the Insomniac Museum glitch to be done from Aranos 1, but you still have to death abuse in the museum.
-BCPS3 is technically faster for NG+, as loads are always 2 screens, and cutscenes load slightly quicker, however the input delay makes it difficult to execute at a high level.
-PSVita is similar to the PS3 versions, but has slightly slower loads (?), a lack of useful file manip, and the lack of L2/R2 can be inconvenient for movement.
-The Japanese and Korean versions of the game are the same as the NTSC-U Greatest Hits version.
-PAL and Japanese versions of the game have slower camera speeds.

General speed hierarchy: BCPS3? -> PS2 NTSC Black Label -> PS3 PAL -> PS3 NTSC/JP PSN -> PS3 PAL/NTSC Disc -> PSVita -> PS2 NTSC Greatest Hits -> PS2 PAL

Up Your Arsenal:
PS2 PAL, PAL Platinum, NTSC, NTSC Greatest Hits
BCPS3 NTSC
PS3 PAL/NTSC Disc, PAL/NTSC PSN
PS Vita PAL/NTSC Cart, PAL/NTSC PSN

-PAL and PAL Platinum have the same chargeboot issue as RaC2 (50hz = speedcap at 5/6ths of intended) except a lot more of the tricks are harder, or even impossible. All movement works as normal, just slower than usual.
-If on a PAL PS3 console, the game will run in 50hz if run in standard definition; you must change to high definition output for the game to run in 60hz.
-NTSC & NTSC GH have no difference, and everything behaves normally (chargeboot speed, clips, etc)
-PS3 releases (both PAL & NTSC) have a lot of known differences, such as the turret on Marcadia behaving similarly to the RaC1 Hoven turret while on inverted camera controls (not stopping when input stops), no quitting out of Ranger missions when they are completed (must death abuse to cancel early), additional lag in many places, Qwark Warp which skips to the Qwark fight on Florana (see documentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHb98FOlCw4), your first triangle input on Command Center being eaten per game session (on PS2 it's the first triangle input on each visit), being able to set menu positions prior to runs, only being able to set quick select pause on/off *prior* to a file creation by entering multiplayer mode, act-tuning Klunk to have a lower HP prior to runs, missile sequences being misaligned once visiting Blackwater, and more difficult turret clips.
-PS3 is the only version which can run NG+, which relies on a technique called 'Quit Exploit' that amongst other things allows for gadgets and items to be placed in the vendor. This is used to get the Gravity Boots and Master Plan earlier than expected, saving around 15 minutes. A more in depth explanation can be seen here - https://tcrf.net/Bugs:Ratchet_%26_Clank_Collection#Game_Quit_Glitch
-PS3 PSN SSD is the fastest accessible version, and estimated to be around 40 seconds faster due to the differences above and the faster loads SSDs grant in in-level cutscenes and static loads like vid-comics.
-All PS3 Disc versions are the same as PSN, but have significantly slower loads.
-BCPS3 saves around 40 seconds compared to PS3 SSD as it can 1-segment load a majority of planets, but has numerous setbacks such as being easy to 'Yellow Light of Death', heat reducing the performance of the console, and a 3 frame input delay which makes high level movement more difficult.
-PSVita is similar to the PS3 versions, but has slightly slower loads (?), a lack of useful file manip, and the lack of L2/R2 can be inconvenient for movement.
-PSVita's Quit Exploit is little endian, which means you can activate useful Vendor QE at absurdly low bolt counts. This makes Any% faster on Vita, as you can do a route similar to PS3's NG+ category and obtain the Master Plan early, however Quit Exploit is currently banned in Any% categories.
-NTSC-K is four to five seconds faster than the English version due to the unskippable dialogue in Holostar/Draco. Korean versions are only playable on Japanese consoles, and there is no Korean version for the PS3.
-NTSC-J is nine seconds slower than Korean.
-NTSC-U is only one second slower than the Korean version if played in Spanish.
-PAL PS3 is 0.8 seconds slower than Korean if played in German.
-The PAL and Japanese versions of the game also have a slightly slower than full speed camera.
LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES COMPARED TO KOREAN
German - +0.8 sec.
Spanish - +1 sec.
English - +4 to 5 sec.
French - +2 to 3 sec.
Japanese +8-9 sec.

General speed hierarchy: BCPS3 NTSC-K -> BCPS3 NTSC-U -> PS3 PAL PSN SSD -> PS3 NTSC PSN SSD -> PS2 NTSC -> PS3 PSN HDD = PSVita -> PS2 PAL = PS3 Disc

Deadlocked/Gladiator :
PS2 PAL, PAL Platinum, NTSC, NTSC Greatest Hits
PS3 PAL/NTSC PSN

-PS2 PAL runs in 50 Hz, resulting in the same problem as RaC2/UYA, where the speedcap is 5/6ths of what it would be in 60Hz, so the chargeboots are slower as a result.
-PS2 NTSC is only slower than any PS3 version because of load times.
-PS3 is the fastest version, regardless of region, because the chargeboots are the correct speed and the loads are significantly faster than PS2.
-SSD on PS3 PSN saves an unknown amount of time, but in addition to reducing load times the main advantage is that weapon switching is a lot less laggy and the game stutters a little less.
-PS3 is the only version that can perform Load Cancelling (and therefore do NG+). This saves around 33 minutes, you can see how it is set up here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmQfcw5ep7I
-PS3 can perform Quit Exploit, however there are very little uses for it considering the game locks progression behind the medals gained from completing planet campaigns.

General speed hierarchy: PS3 PAL/NTSC PSN -> PS2 NTSC -> PS2 PAL

Size Matters :
PS2 PAL/NTSC Disc
PSP PAL/NTSC UMD, PAL/NTSC PSN
PS Vita PAL/NTSC PSN
PSTV PAL/NTSC PSN
PSP Emulator (PPSSPP)

-PS2 loads on average twice as long as PSP. Ship proxies do not work on the PS2 version. No skips on Quodrona work on PS2. eLJs are far easier to perform on PS2 than PSP, being able to be done from just about anywhere instead of just off certain edges. Label colour does not affect the game.
-Crystal clipping on PS2 is impossible, as the crystals break on contact. This also means standing on the crystals are much harder.
-In place of crystal clips, you can perform Bee Mine clips to skip things such as the endurance round prior to the Otto fights.
-Killing Otto is faster on PS2, as you can cancel the RYNO firing animation by slightly moving while shooting.
-PSP JP/KOR/PAL are all unoptimal, as some clips and OoBs are not available, and require alternate setups.
-PSVita and PSTV NTSC are the same as the PSP NTSC version, but have slower loads.
-PSP PSN/Emulator have the fastest overall loads. A 6 second time penalty is applied to emulator due to static loads (entering Metalis, Inside Clank) being faster in general.

General speed hierarchy: PSP Emulator = PSP NTSC PSN -> PSTV NTSC PSN = PSVita NTSC PSN -> PSP NTSC UMD -> PSP PAL/KOR/JP PSN -> PSTV PAL PSN = PSVita PAL PSN -> PSP PAL/KOR/JP UMD -> PS2 PAL/NTSC Disc

Tools of Destruction :
PS3 PAL/NTSC Disc, PAL/NTSC PSN

- Downloaded copies will have significantly faster loads than disc - close to 2 minutes worth of timesave. There are no known differences between NTSC and PAL copies.
- Disc copies can perform hardware manipulation with RYNO holo-plans to obtain early RYNO IV; however. this is banned in any%.
- There are no known differences between languages; JP copies should perform similarly to ENG versions.
- Running an NTSC-U/PAL copy on a JP PS3 console will result in some cutscenes being removed due to missing cutscene files with Japanese Ratchet. This includes the intro cutscene, making resets around 1:45 quicker than normal, and one cutscene on the way to Cobalia being removed, saving 25 seconds.

Quest for Booty :
PS3 PAL Disc, PAL/NTSC PSN
PSNow

- PS3 PAL has two methods of getting out of bounds patched on Hoolefar that allow early access to the magnet rail/easy out of bounds method. There is an alternate, similar speed method of climbing over the invisible wall near the left side of the magnet rail, however, and a consistent way to force a speedclip to occur because of it. With correct execution, the time differences are negligible.
- It is assumed that the disc copy only released in PAL countries is slower due to loads and has the same patched glitches.
- The scripted sequences are synced to English dialogue, therefore it is the fastest language. Other languages are slower as they take longer to finish the scripted sequence, which means Ratchet is uncontrollable for a longer period of time.
- Playstation Now is most likely the same speed as PS3 PSN, but the input delay is horrendous for this game as it requires several precise jumps and adjustments throughout the run.

A Crack in Time :
PS3 PAL/NTSC Disc, PAL/NTSC PSN
PSNow

- PSN copies will have faster loads than disc (SSD saving around 3 minutes) but since IGT is the primary timing method, this does not matter. Playstation Now most likely has faster loads, but again the input delay and use of IGT makes it inferior to play.
- In NTSC copies, a platform in Nefarious Space Station 2 moves significantly quicker than the PAL version; saving 16 seconds. This timeloss can be mitigated via scoping in and out with the Plasma Striker, and then holding quick select for 18 seconds on NTSC and 34 seconds on PAL. There are no other known version differences.
- Similarly to QfB, the scripted sequences are synced to English dialogue, therefore it is the fastest language.
- Great Clock 1 warp is only known to be possible on PS3 PSN HDD, as disc appears to not load the same way and SSD loads in the first cutscene and menus too quickly to execute.

Into the Nexus :
PS3 PAL/NTSC Disc, PAL/NTSC PSN
PSNow

- PSN copies will have faster loads than disc (SSD saving around 30 seconds).
- Version 1.00 does not have D-Pad quick select available. The out-of-bounds strat to load in Yerek basement will not work.
- The only difference between PAL and NTSC is that the loading screen for Nebulox says 'Nebulox 7' on NTSC, and 'Nebulox Seven' on PAL. This is very crucial knowledge.
- Playstation Now is apparently faster than PS3 PSN SSD, but the extent of which is not known right now.

Ratchet & Clank (2016) :
PS4 PAL/NTSC Disc, PAL/NTSC PSN

- Version 1.00 has the Batalia BSOD glitch, which teleports you across the map and allows for Batalia to be completed quickly without the Fast cheat in Any%/AGB/100%. This can only be accessed from a Disc copy and disabling updates on your PS4.
- Version 1.07 has a quicker fadeout on the Nefarious boss battle, saving minor time over 1.00 in NG+. It also contains a feature that auto-levels all of your weapons to v5 upon entering an NG+ Veldin Night area, saving a lot of time in 100%.
- The Bouncer pre-order weapon is faster for Any%, AGB and 100%. As of April 2019 any non-JP players cannot get a code, as they have all expired. The weapon is available as a DLC on the Japanese PSN store for anyone with a JP PSN account.
- Version 1.03 has Deplanetiser 1 skip patched, but this is irrelevant as 1.07 is the latest version and has it un-patched.
- Polish is the fastest language that can still consistently do Veldin garage dialogue skip. Turkish is faster, but the dialogue skip is far more difficult and inconsistent.
- SSDs are banned in the interest of fair competition, but are at least 30 seconds faster on a non-pro PS4. PS4 Pro supports SATA III compared to the original PS4's SATA II, meaning optimally runners may have to dish out ~$500usd to get marginally better loads.
- PS4 Pro's boost mode has zero effect on the speed of loads.