The Revolution Will Not Be HD

Gamecube Advanced has the news that the Revolution will not support HD signals. From the article: "Nintendo doesn't plan for the system to be HD compatible as with that comes a higher price for both the consumer and also the developer creating the game. Will it make the game better to play? With the technology being built into the Revolution, we believe the games will look brilliant and play brilliantly. This can all be done without HD." Sony and Microsoft are hanging the moon on the HD phenomenon, with both consoles supporting at least 720p or 1080i. Press the Buttons has commentary on the announcement.

Comments

Re:No HD. Boo-hoo

[Keeper]

He probably hasn't, but I doubt he's interested in buying new VHS tapes when a better alternative is available...

Re:Wow. They're shooting themselves in the foot.

[TiredGamer]

Wrong.

Broadcast TV in the U.S. is only required to move to digital, not HDTV. Digital signals can carry both standard and HDTV. The confusion exists only because the proponents of HDTV want the general public confused enough to pay upwards of $800 more for their HDTV sets.

Re:No HD. Boo-hoo

[MooseMuffin]

No longer have a VCR or tapes. I have dvd's cause its the best we've got, and an xbox with the proper hd cables. I dont see why I would take a step back.

Re:This seems like a dumb move.

[UserChrisCanter4]

What digital signal? All of the info I've seen on the next-gen devices indicates that they'll be using component video for HD feeds in addition to optional HDMI/DVI. None of them will be converting to a DTV signal (which would involve pointlessly compressing video generated on the fly into an MPEG-2 transport stream). Assuming there's a normal analog TV involved, you'll hook it up the same way you always did: just use the best analog connection your TV supports. Assuming it's an HD-compatible TV or HDTV, you'll hook it up via component video or HDMI/DVI if those connections are present.

HD-compatible refers to television that are capable of displaying HD content but not tuning into Over-the-air digital feeds. Essentially, they're like monitors without a computer - all the resolution capability is there.

If you have an HD compatible TV and hook up an XBox 360 or PS3 to it, you'll get HD resolution without the need for a converter box. Additionally, if you have HD content being distributed via digital cable or satellite and you hook those devices up (using a component or DVI or Firewire connection, of course), you'll get HD content.

A converter allows an HD-compabitle TV to tune into telelvision shows being broadcast over the airwaves and being picked up with rabbit ears (or some similar antenna). This is one of the reasons (besides) confusion that consumers have been willing to purchase HD-compatible TVs; most of them already use digital cable or satellite and thus already have a converter box of sorts.

Re:What about the N64 Hi-Res cartridge?

[skyman8081]

If you are referring to the expansion pack, it was an additional 4MB of RDRAM that games could use to allow games to run at resolutions closer to LaserDisc(400 Lines) than VHS(240 Lines) oft he standard output.

Factor 5 and LucasArt's game Rogue Squadron was the first game to use it, and only one game, Donkey Kong 64, required it to run. Every other game could run without it, albeit with some features disabled.

Re:Wow. They're shooting themselves in the foot.

[wheany]

Because Xbox 360 and PS3 don't play Nintendo games?

Both good and bad implications

[LKM]

Let's assume that the whole thing is legit. What are the pros and cons of this decision?

Pros:

• The Revolution can achieve better graphics using lesser hardware than the other two consoles. It needs less memory since, for example, textures can have a lower resolution, so the console itself will be cheaper to manufacture.
• Development will be cheaper, although I guess the difference won't be vast. And if you have games appearing on all consoles, you will have to spend the money either way, but Revolution version will look worse.
• Also, most people won't benefit from HD resolution anyway. I'm living in europe, and I don't know even one single person with an HD TV. Most people who have better equipment have bought 800x600 beamers, and the current cube looks simply gorgeous on these. If this generation lasts for 5 years, then I would assume that at the end of the generation, there will still be a majority of people without HD TVs.

Cons:

• Game mags will report that Revolution versions of games look worse than the versions for the other two consoles. That it won't make a difference for most consumers won't matter, the Revo will look bad next to the other two.
• Sales clerks will try to sell the other two consoles to people as the commission on those will be higher, and they will have one more checkbox to show that the Revolution is worse than the other two consoles.
• For people with HD TVs, the Revolution actually will look worse than the other two.

Technically, it might be the right choice at this time, but it could hurt Nintendo.

Re:Bogus Article

[DarKnyht]

Possibly since IGN and Nintendo inked a partnership. This would also be why IGN has the Nintendo Minute with the CEOs of the company.

Re:No HD. Boo-hoo

[LocalH]

720p and 1080i are a lot closer in terms of pixel count per second than you might think. Let's lay out some facts, then use those facts to do the math:

720p = 1280x720x60fps
1080i = 1920x1080x30fps

720p = 921600 pixels per frame
1080i = 2073600 pixels per frame

720p = 55296000 pixels per second
1080i = 62208000 pixels per second

Sure, within a single frame, 1080i has shitloads more pixels, at half the frame rate it almost evens out, but not quite.

Also, with 720p, you have more vertical resolution with 60fps games (as 1080i only has 540 lines per 1/60th of a second). And you won't notice the difference in horizontal resolution. And as 720p has no interlacing, you'll get optimal quality in both high motion and still scenes, whereas with 1080i high motion instantly drops the vertical resolution by a factor of two, and you only realize the full resolution on still shots (or extremely low motion).

Also, I was under the impression that 480p ran at 60fps, which make it twice the bandwidth of 480i, which runs at 30fps interlaced.