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Do Gamers Really Need HDTV?
Gamasutra has up an article, their latest in the 'Analyze This' series, exploring whether gamers are really clamoring for the HD era ... or if the only people looking forward to HD gaming are the game makers. All three analysts seem to think HD is very important, but with varying levels of fervency. From the article: "On the Nintendo front, Nintendo has sacrificed graphics that can be viewed by the minority for a price that can benefit the majority. So, no, I don't think that they've made a mistake in the short run. Over the long run, we'll have to see: If HDTV adoption rates accelerate, the differences between the Wii and the Xbox 360 and PS3 may become more important, and it may end up that sell-through of the Wii begins to decline. That's a couple of years away, and my crystal ball isn't quite that clear."
Um, no. They are commonplace enough. HDTV sales will outpace SD sales for the first time this year. Morgan Stanley estimates that approximately 26% of households will have at least one set by the end of the year. That number rises to ~68% in 2010.
You can say that 26% this year and 33+% next year isn't wide spread enough, but I beg to differ. Those are also the households with the disposable income to afford not only the console, but the real expense of accessories and games for it.
Nintendo is making a mistake. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean the games won't be fun, but based on perception alone they are missing a major marketing 'checkmark'.
Actually, Nintendo is probably safe. If I remember correctly, they are supporting 480p TV in 16:9 aspect ratio. That, realistically, will support the vast majority of gamers just fine.
IMHO, HDTV provides 4 major video improvements over "Standard Def" TV, or more precisely, over standard NTSC TV. These are:
1: Improved color model and accuracy. NTSC color is hideous (people say NTSC stands for Never The Same Color). HD's color system allows more accurate color, and more precise changes in the color from pixel to pixel.
2: Progressive Scan
3: Widescreen aspect ratio
4: More scan lines.
Of these, more scan lines is actually the least important. Unless your TV is huge, you really don't see a huge difference between 480p and 1080p until you're far closer than you would be for watching TV or gaming. Even still, motion covers a plethora of sins. It's hard to discern fine detail at all in a moving image. Static images, sure, but not moving ones.
Wii, with a 16x9 progressive scan 480p image will be just fine once people sit down and play it. It may not look as sexy on the spec sheet, but in reality, it will work great. The guys with 108 inch TV's might be able to say "My PS3 looks so much better", but the vast majority of the population, with 42" TV's and smaller, will really say "looks fine to me".