First 1080p Xbox 360 Games Announced

rwven writes "In the October firmware update to the Xbox 360, Microsoft added the capability for their new console to reach the coveted 1080 resolution. EA and Sega have both announced new titles that will reach that resolution, the first for the system. They're not the most visually intense games (NBA Street Homecourt, and Virtua Tennis 3), but this is another symptom of the tight race between all three consoles. Does this change the playing field at all between Sony and Microsoft?" Moreover, does the resolution of a title matter all that much to you yet? Do you have an HDTV that can even reach 1080p? If you do, does reaching 1080p make you more likely to buy a game?

Comments

1080p will end up in obscurity.

[hal2814]

HD is finally starting to pick up some popularity largely in part to the cost of mid-sized HDTVs plummeting. There are decent 720p LCD monitors out there for $500 online now. It won't be too long before that price is reflected in places like Wal-Mart, Costco, etc. That will only further fuel people's desire to jump to HD, not because of the quality as much as the price. It no longer makes much sense to buy an standard def TV when the HD isn't that much more. An LCD or plasma set is starting to become necessary to keep up with the Jonses. NONE of the decently priced LCD, Plasma, whatever support 1080p right now and right now is the beginning of any semblance of mass adoption. By the time 1080p sets catch up in price, most folks will have their HDTVs and those HDTVs will mostly be 720p/1080i sets. If you thought it was hard to get the Average Joe to upgrade his SDTV for 720p, just try to convince them to upgrade their 720p/1080i for a 1080p.

Vast majority

[GweeDo]

I think it is great that they support 1080p for the few that might be able to take advantage of it, but the issue for both the PS3 and Xbox360 in this arena is that most people just can't take advantage of it. In fact, pretty much all HDTV owners can't. The vast majority of HDTV's on the market right now are 32" and smaller. Most of these sets are 720p sets.

Re:Vast majority

[SuiteSisterMary]

Why does it always have to be the now now now? The original Xbox supported HDTV, all the way up to 1080i. When I got my Xbox, and plugged it into a small TV with composite cable, did it matter? No, not really.

But, a few years later, when I got a 16:9 HDTV, I bought the HD AV unit for the Xbox, plugged it in, changed two settings in the Xbox dashboard, and damn, suddenly the vast majority of my Xbox games are playing in at least 480p, widescreen. It was that easy. And that universal.

Over in PS2 land, some games support widescreen, some don't. Some support progressive, some don't. If they do, you have to tell each and every game if it should be widescreen or not. Some, you have to use a GD *cheat code* to flip it over correctly.

So yeah. If you program your Xbox360 game correctly, then people who upgrade their televisions over the next five years are in for a treat.

Re:1080p is excessive

[DJCacophony]

Right, the point is that the parent is asking an incredibly stupid question, which is:
"How does a product made for X benefit people who don't have X?"
And the answer is obviously that it doesn't, it benefits people who DO have X.

Minority of One

[Syncerus]

I have a 61" 1080p television, and yes, I will look more closely at games and consoles that have the ability to use 1080p technology.

Re:wont you notice lack of realism more?

[sqlrob]

More realistic as I meant it was more realistic by mathematic comparisons to a real object. Mathematically, it's been getting closer. But, the pattern detectors in the brain are magnifying the differences from expected. We're designed to detect differences from normal, it's a survival trait.