Joystiq

MasterImage 3D to debut glasses-free 720p 3D tablet and smartphone at CES

David Hinkle — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:40:00 EST

Glasses-free 3D is hardly anything new (how are you guys digging the 3DS?) but how about high-def 3D without the frames for your peepers? That's a bit more impressive, especially considering this isn't an expensive television set we're talking about. It's an expensive phone and tablet line from MasterImage 3D.

The company's 4.3 inch smartphone and 10.1 inch tablet will be on display at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a representative told Joystiq earlier today. Each device will showcase full 720p high definition in 3D and utilizes MasterImage 3D's Cell-Matrix Parallax Barrier Technology to produce "brighter images, reduced moiré effects (or rippled appearance) and the ability to work in any orientation -- portrait or landscape." We imagine it'll also play Angry Birds.

We've contacted MasterImage 3d for more information on the company's new tablet and smartphone.

MasterImage 3D to debut glasses-free 720p 3D tablet and smartphone at CES originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony limiting use of 1080p 3D in PS3 games

Kyle Orland — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Sony's official guidelines for 3D gaming on PS3 limit the displayed image to a resolution of 720p, a Sony representative confirmed at the Develop conference this week.

Even games that run natively at 1080p resolution, like Super Stardust HD, are downscaled in 3D mode to two 720p images (one for each eye), Sony's Simon Benson explained during a demo of the technology at the conference. While the PS3 is capable of displaying a 1080p 3D image -- indeed, it will support 3D Blu-Ray movies at that resolution later this year -- Benson said upping the resolution comes at the expense of the silky-smooth 60 frames per second available at 720p (Blu-Ray movies run at 24 frames per second). Benson said that a "more cinematic game" might be well-suited for the lower frame rate and higher resolution, but that Sony's current guidelines for 3D games wouldn't allow for such a setting.

The effects of this policy are probably unnoticeable to most gamers. Benson said that, in 3D, even trained computer graphics artists could barely tell the difference between the resolutions. Still, for all you pixel counters out there who obsess over "full HD 1080p," here's another bit of technical trivia for you to argue over.

Sony limiting use of 1080p 3D in PS3 games originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft lifts Xbox 360 minimum 720p, anti-aliasing mandate for devs

Randy Nelson — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:45:00 EST

In a column published today on Develop, Black Rock Studio (Pure, Split/Second) technical director David Jeffrries revealed that Microsoft has removed an item from its TCRs (Technical Certification Requirements) that stated all Xbox 360 games must run at a minimum of 1280x720 (720p) resolution if the system is in HD mode. According to Jeffries, this was done earlier this year so that developers could be "free to make the trade-off between resolution and image quality as we see fit."

TCRs are technical "rules" that all games developed for a given platform must adhere to in order to be certified for release. Of course, some games that have skirted this specific TCR have still been allowed on the system; the most notable being Microsoft's own Halo 3, which runs at 1152x640 (progressive).

Joystiq has confirmed with a trusted source familiar with Microsoft's TCRs that Jeffries' claim is legit. Not only that, but, as of March 2009, Xbox 360 developers are no longer required to utilize full-screen anti-aliasing in their games. The elimination of both requirements is especially noteworthy since the console maker had touted that all 360 games would run at a minimum of 720p with at least 2x FSAA since before the hardware launched.

As Jeffries points out in his column, 1280x720 isn't necessarily the "starting point" for HD on many displays and that it's not nearly as crucial as anti-aliasing. It's not clear if the back-tracking on Microsoft's part was due to pressure from the development community or not, but we can probably all agree that, as long as a game looks great, it doesn't really matter how its creators got there. Does it?

Microsoft lifts Xbox 360 minimum 720p, anti-aliasing mandate for devs originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii emulator boosts visuals to 720p HD

Griffin McElroy — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:30:00 EST

Lamentably, in the current console generation, Nintendo decided to turn away from the popular strategy of juicing the visual capabilities of its hardware to eye-searing levels. YouTube user renebarahona recently gave us a taste of what HD Wii would have been like by cranking up the visuals of a few titles to 720p using the Dolphin emulator on PC. We've got two examples, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, posted after the break (be sure to turn on HD mode).

We're not advocating the shameless emularceny of Wii titles, though it is interesting to see how these games look with a bit extra graphical endowment. To use a standard rate of exchange, it's about the visual equivalent of three GameCubes duct-taped together -- maybe even three-and-a-half. We're not quite certain.

[Via IGN]

Continue reading Wii emulator boosts visuals to 720p HD

Wii emulator boosts visuals to 720p HD originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Counting pixels: GTA IV runs at 640p

Andrew Yoon — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:45:00 EST

Filed under: News

Picking up the PS3 version of GTA IV, so you can get as many pixels onto your TV as possible? Well, that's apparently not what's happening. According to the pixel counters at the Beyond 3D forums, the PS3 version doesn't run at 1080p. Heck, it doesn't run at 720p. Rather, it runs at 640p -- still enough to be "HD," but far from the "full HD" experience Sony usually touts.

Pixel hunters were enraged when it was discovered Halo 3 ran at a lower resolution on Xbox 360 than advertised. However, should people stay away from the PS3 version? Probably not. Many Beyond 3D users note that in spite of the lesser resolution, the superior effects of the PS3 version gives it the visual edge: "the PS3 version looks nicer IMO. Everything just blends in nicely and makes a seamless contrast between front objects and background objects," noted forum user Nebula.

[Thanks, ClarkyCat!]

[Update: PS3 runs at 640p. Xbox 360 does run at a higher resolution: 720p.]

Counting pixels: GTA IV runs at 640p originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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God of War II 'not' in HD on PS3, just 480p

James Ransom-Wiley — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:45:00 EST

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Action, Adventure

IGN's God of War II review is so ahead of its time that it (admittedly) fails to provide feedback on two key features of the retail edition of the game -- neither of which apparently would affect the review's overall score (9.7/10). The first is simply a bonus disc bloated with fanboy fluff (behind-the-scenes doc, etc.). The second, and more significant, is that God of War II will run in 720p (HD) resolution when played on PlayStation 3. The question for PS3 owners with HD displays, who are still holding onto their PS2s, becomes: is now the time I trade rumble for a sharper image? (PS2 owners wondering if this is the reason to upgrade to PS3 should know that it's not.)

Update: Doh, IGN got mixed up: "we've gotten word from an SCEA representative that the game will support 480p on the PlayStation 3 but not 720p. Our error was due to crossed information and we're sorry for the confusion." So when does Sony announce PS3 is packing its own 'Ana' chip? We want upscaling!

[Thanks, jonathan]

Gallery: God of War 2

God of War II 'not' in HD on PS3, just 480p originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Feb 2007 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PS3 scaling functionality unearthed

Ludwig Kietzmann — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Hacks, Sony PlayStation 3

Warning: a truly awful pun awaits you at the end of this post.

In updating the software development kit for PS3 developers, Sony has enabled scaling functionality that was previously thought to be non-existent in the base hardware. An interesting and rather technical article at Beyond3D explains how Sony has enabled developers to combat the image downscaling issues that has been known to affect owners of certain HD televisions. If you recall, the PS3 had previously been unable to upscale resolutions (like the Xbox 360's Ana chip) from 720p to display on 1080i-only televisions, instead downscaling images to a less impressive 480p.

Though Sony's solution is far from complete, Beyond3D notes that the latest SDK implements hardware accelerated horizontal scaling. It's still up to developers to take the feature all the way, but the enhancement already decreases the memory footprint left by less elegant upscaling techniques. It might appear that a secret piece of hardware is slowly being "unlocked" here, but a more likely explanation is simply that Sony is slowly but surely tweaking their development software (and the way it utilizes the existing PS3 hardware) to enable proper scaling functionality in lieu of an obvious and dedicated scaler chip.

It will likely become mandatory for upcoming games to support this new hardware scaling solution; older games like Resistance may eventually see a patch implementing better scaling. More information will surface as tech sites analyze and contribute to this report, but it's nonetheless reassuring to see Sony being mindful of the problem and taking action to brush off that chip on their solder.

[Thanks, Jonah.]

PS3 scaling functionality unearthed originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MotorStorm 720p, 30fps (not True HD)

James Ransom-Wiley — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 23:33:00 EST

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Driving

The 'True HD' concept is certainly off to a rocky start on Sony's console that could. Despite confirmation from SCEA senior VP of marketing Peter Dille that MotorStorm would rocket to the US at 60fps in glorious 1080p, Sony today rescinded that remark. MotorStorm, alas, will be presented in lowly 720p, chugging along at 30fps.

Seriously though, those numbers will keep MotorStorm competitive -- and in HD. We just couldn't miss out on an opportunity to muffle the True HD buzz.

[Thanks, Jonah]

MotorStorm 720p, 30fps (not True HD) originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Jan 2007 23:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PS3 firmware 1.30 "fixes" 1080i problem

Christopher Grant — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 10:25:00 EST

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3

There is an outstanding 1080i problem on the PlayStation 3. This problem has not been fixed by today's 1.30 firmware update.

What has been fixed: the system has given a higher priority to 1080i signals so, if available, the console will default to 1080i over 720p. This means that if your HDTV supports 720p, and a game's native resolution (like Resistance: Fall of Man) is 720p, it should display fine in that resolution. If the native resolution is 1080p (NBA07, the XMB interface, Blu-ray movies) and your set supports 1080i and 720p, the console will automatically default to 1080i due to the higher preference, regardless of what your preference is. If you disable the 1080i output so everything will play in your preferred 720p, your Blu-ray movies will drop down to 480p. We're not really sure what problem this update was intended to fix or why the resolution hierarchy isn't user selectable.

Luckily, most new HDTVs support both 720p and 1080i making these issues moot for many gamers, but we're hoping (really, it's on our Xmas list) that the eggheads at Sony are working on a holiday-themed upgrade to support downscaling Blu-ray movies to 720p and upscaling some games (like Resistance) to 1080i. Oh, and maybe some of that DVD-upscaling we're hearing about while they're at it.

Also included in the update:

RGB and Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr output selection over HDMI
A backup utility to get your removable media data -- that's SD, Compact Flash, and Memory Stick -- to the HDD
HDD formatting option
Support for a Bluetooth remote control

[Thanks, Matt]

Read -- AVS Forums on why 720p owners should not upgrade to 1.30
Read -- Machine translated list of updates from jp.playstation.com

PS3 firmware 1.30 "fixes" 1080i problem originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Dec 2006 10:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PS3 not all that upscale after all

Ken Weeks — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 01:30:00 EST

Filed under: Console wars

I hated to have to break this disappointing news to the shivering PS3 fanboys camped out in the cold and wet at my local Best Buy, but somebody had to do it:

As it turns out, gamers who own older HD sets that feature only 480i, 480p, and 1080i resolution input capabilities will have to settle for the display quality being downsized as the game boots in its 480p mode rather than upscaling the image from its more desirable 720p mode to the TV's 1080i. We tested this development on older HDTV sets with games designed for 720p but not 1080i -- Resistance: Fall of Man, NHL 2K7, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, and Need for Speed Carbon. Sure enough, the system downshifted all four titles to 480p rather than moving up to 1080i.

The PlayStation 3's competitor, Microsoft's Xbox 360, does upscale 720p games to 1080i if the HD set supports the latter resolution but not the in-between and commonly-employed 720p resolution.

One guy countered (illogically) that he didn't care because 360 controllers are too big for Japanese hands. Apparently he still thinks we're wrasslin' with the Duke, although it might have been the hypothermia talking.

[Thanks Nathan]

PS3 not all that upscale after all originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 16 Nov 2006 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is there really a 1080p advantage?

Justin Murray — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 15:25:00 EST

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360

Everyone is hearing a lot about 1080p resolution these days. Sony is promoting the resolution as a primary feature in the PlayStation 3 and Microsoft recently added the functionality to the Xbox 360. All of these big resolution numbers are nice and all, but is 1080p really all that it's cracked up to be?

According to the Imaging Science Foundation -- a professional organization that trains TV calibration techniques to technicians -- the three most important factors of a television's image quality are contrast ratio, color saturation, and color accuracy. Resolution ranks fourth and we're surprised that other important factors such as response time didn't rank above resolution. Tests done at CNET confirm the relative non-importance of 1080p over 720p; they state they find only minor differences in the two HD resolutions -- and only in very specific scenarios.

If professionals who spend much of their time reviewing HDTV sets have difficulties telling the difference between 720p and 1080p, will the general public have any reason to spend the extra dough on a 1080p set? Even if a person could notice the difference, would they care if they can see individual nose hairs when they are when being shot at in Resistance: Fall of Man or Gears of War? With the near zero difference the additional pixels make, Microsoft and Sony are sure spending a lot of money -- and driving up development costs -- for a feature few will truly appreciate.

Is there really a 1080p advantage? originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 Nov 2006 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Clarifying thoughts on hi-def game rendering

Ken Weeks — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: News, Console wars

Microsoft Director of Technical Strategy for Xbox Live Andre Vrignaud asked MS Senior Software Engineer Bruce Dawson for his thoughts on the trade-offs of 1080p game rendering vs. 720p. Here's his response:

2.25x: that's how many more pixels there are in 1920x1080 compared to 1280x720
55.5%: that's how much less time you have to spend on each pixel when rendering 1920x1080 compared to 1280x720-the point being that at higher resolutions you have more pixels, but they necessarily can't look as good
1.0x: that's how much harder it is for a game engine to render a game in 1080p as compared to 1080i-the number of pixels is identical so the cost is identical
There is no such thing as a 1080p frame buffer. The frame buffer is 1080 pixels tall (and presumably 1920 wide) regardless of whether it is ultimately sent to the TV as an interlaced or as a progressive signal.
1280x720 with 4x AA will generally look better than 1920x1080 with no anti-aliasing (there are more total samples).

Follow the link for more analysis from Andre and an interesting comment thread. Is all this 1080p babble making your head hurt yet?

Clarifying thoughts on hi-def game rendering originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 22 Oct 2006 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft's 1080p lets you read the fine print

Ludwig Kietzmann — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 15:25:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

Much like looking both ways before crossing the road, remembering to read the fine print is a valuable life skill that will inevitably save your existence at one point or another. Some even consider HD resolution to be a matter of life and death, especially when the money spent on a 1080p television could have been used to purchase New Zealand instead. When Microsoft announced earlier this week that an update would automagically enable 1080p resolution ("true" or "full" HD if you believe in such things) for the Xbox 360, they neglected to mention any specifics regarding component output and that pesky issue of copyright.

A Microsoft insider (with handle "amirm") provides some clarity on the AVS forums, explaining what types of content are allowed over a component connection. If you insist on watching your HD-DVDs at full resolution, it appears you'll have to invest in a VGA cable (and not an HDMI cable).

If your 360 is hooked up via component cables:

Xbox 360 games can be upscaled to 1080p. Titles that run in 1080p natively (none of which currently exist) will also display without a problem.
HD-DVDs will display at 1080i maximum -- you can thank AACS for that.
Normal DVDs will play at 480p. CSS prevents anything higher (though some upscaling DVD players conveniently ignore it).

If your 360 is hooked up via VGA cable:

HD-DVDs, Upscaled DVDs and games can all display at 1080p with no copyright hassles.

If your 360 is hooked up via RF Adapter:

You have bigger problems.

[Via Engadget HD]

Microsoft's 1080p lets you read the fine print originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 23 Sep 2006 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumorang: Xbox 360 HDMI cable officially yanked

Ludwig Kietzmann — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 19:25:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

A newly discovered Gamestop and EB Games listing reveals an Xbox 360 HDMI cable, a rather ponderous product considering the fact that the console does not have the necessary port to accomodate such a miraculous transmissive device. Is it an expensive adapter that automagically goes from the bulky 360 AV connector to an HDMI output? Feel free to entertain such a possibility, so long as you remember that Microsoft wants nothing to do with it. After constantly pestering them for a comment, they informed us that the product was not one of theirs and that "Microsoft has not announced any additional support beyond component video for HD output. MS is watching the market closely and they will continue to evaluate any options in the face of consumer demand."

Unless the face of consumer demand becomes crumpled in a furious frown regarding the lack of HDMI support, don't expect this retail listing (and they're usually so reliable!) to signify a change in Microsoft's strategy. Back in July, when handed the rumor of a new Xbox 360 equipped with an HDMI port, Microsoft promptly tossed it away and insisted that "you don't need HDMI for HD gaming." We fully expect the HDMI rumorang to return again sometime in the future -- catch it here when it does.

[Via Digg, Xbox Evolved. Thanks Jayman16]

See also: High-end PS3 shipping without HDMI cable

Rumorang: Xbox 360 HDMI cable officially yanked originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Sep 2006 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Xbox 360 getting an HDMI port

Ludwig Kietzmann — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

It simply wouldn't be a normal weekend if a drenched rumor didn't wash up on the internet's binary beach, gasping for air and haphazardly telling you about anonymous sources and secretly snapped pictures. Still picking seaweed out of its hair, the latest washout professes to know all about another forthcoming Xbox 360 ~~SDK~~ SKU, one featuring a newfangled HDMI port. The picture on the right is meant to be confirmation, an Xbox 360 motherboard stripped naked and bearing the port that's considered by many to be the standard for true HD content. Note the positioning of the ports in relation to the heatsink in the background. Is it upside-down, and if so, why did the ethernet and USB ports switch places?

It's not that we don't trust things that have just recently been tossed out of the ocean, but signs point to this rumor in particular having been in a tussle with a remarkably violent manatee. In other, less ridiculously analogous words, previous comments from Microsoft don't quite support it. Just last month, Microsoft rubbished claims of an Xbox 360 with built-in HD-DVD drive and before that, they remarked that "you don't need HDMI for HD gaming."

With a seperate HD-DVD drive and the format's Image Constraint Token supposedly delayed until 2010, reasons for an HDMI-capable Xbox 360 (instead of first-party converter cable) become quite nebulous, at least if Microsoft doesn't plan on annoying early adopters of its spinning system. We've contacted Microsoft and, barring the usual "we don't comment on rumors or speculation" reply, we'll be sure to let you know whether or not you can believe some things spurned from the sea.

[Via Engadget, thanks to everyone who sent this in.]

See also:

Rumor: Xbox 360 getting an HDMI port originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Jul 2006 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virtua Fighter 5 only for PS3 next spring

Dan Choi — Mon, 08 May 2006 19:56:00 EST

Filed under: News

There was a time when Virtua Fighter 5 was considered a strong candidate for an arcade port to the Xbox 360, but that multiplatform hope's been dashed with the official announcement that VF5 will appear only on PS3 in the spring of 2007. Sega's technical fighter is a Sony exclusive once more.

While home-console online play remains doubtful at this point, next-gen PlayStation owners can now securely look forward to facing off as El Blaze and Eileen (the new luchador and monkey kung-fu artist, respectively) along with the other 15 fighters, decked out in all sorts of items purchased in the in-game store with prize money earned through in-game matches.

VF5 will support up to 720p HD resolution and will be featured in game footage in the SEGA booth at E3 (South Hall, Booth #946) later this week.

[Thanks, Matt; also via Joystiq]

Virtua Fighter 5 only for PS3 next spring originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 May 2006 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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