HD-influenced question

[Cuddly Knife]

First off, let me say that Motorstorm is pissing me off to the point where I just might dump the game for something else if I don't find some redeeming qualities that'll make me want to keep it, and that could only be online play, because the opponent AI is stupid and hogs the road and makes me crash like retards because their vehicles are so damn huge it's impossible to get out of the way. I think I'll enjoy it more with less vehicles on the screen to get in my way and make me crash, hence the need to go online exclusive.

Now, onto my question...

... if a game says 1080p on the box, does that mean it won't show good in 720p? I ask this because someone offered me a TV that only goes up to 720p/1080i for dirt cheap, but I won't want it if my games that run higher than 720 look like gaming on an SDTV. I saw on Sigma's box that it runs in everything from 480i to 1080p, but for games like NBA2K7(which I just bought), it only says 1080p on the box. So do I need a 1080p capable set to play 1080p games in high-def, or will it still work with 720p?

[PapaSmurf]

That's a great question. Never dawned on me. However if a game supports 1080p I don't see why it wouldn't support 720p. If it's anything like PC gaming that game will just adjust to your video sets native resolution and in your case a TV, if it doesn't support 1080p I assume it would just go down to 720p....HOWEVER

I bought NCAA 2008 and my dad has a TV that only supports 1080i. When I play it on the TV I can only get SDTV for the game. If I play the game on my computer monitor which supports up to 1080p, the game actually starts differently with a whole EA HD screen that isn't seen when playing on a SDTV. So with that in mind maybe it only supports only so many feeds.

[Aylmer]

Your PS3 settings will determine it ok if it's set up right. My TV is 1080i, and it displays 1080p games just fine in 720p (Virtua Tennis 3 is the only 1080p game I have and it looks great, especially Sharapova). So, be sure to set up your max Display Settings on the PS3 for what your tv can do, and the firmware will take care of the rest.

As an aside, you might want to check to see if the tv has a built in off-the-air tuner. There is a lot of HD free programming available, but you need a tv tuner that can pull in those sidebands. I know that most of the newer Samsung models have it.

Interestingly, the free HD is also free of static, ghosts, and other stuff you normally get with a plain vanilla set of rabbit ears.

[Fivespot]

The PS3 scaling capabilities were updated some time ago via a system update and the console now seems to be able to easily change HD images to meet the standards of your television appropriately and does so rather effectively.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Don't worry, Cud. After hooking up your systems up to a HDTV, they won't look like they are on a SDTV. Some may look a little better, like Gears of War (only because, but some will look a whole lot better, like Motorstorm (IMO). Speaking of Motorstorm, I like the AI. I like the fact that they are wreckless as hell and don't care who's in their way, especially the Big Rigs. To me, that's where most of the fun is for the game, where as online (for me anyway) was boring. It felt like I was playing something like Gran Turismo-offroad, because no one wanted to take a chance while driving. They were all in a pack, and no one wanted to make an aggressive move. If the AI was like that, this game would be a dud.

Back to the TV. My tv has a max of 1080i, and I have my PS3 hooked up via HDMI (epsecially since the 360 is using the component cable input). Most of the games are either 720p or 1080i on my screen, and to me it doesn't matter which one. They'll look good depending on how well the developers can get the most out of their graphics engines.

I did notice one thing. College Hoops 2k7 on PS3 (probably at 720p) didn't look too much better than NBA 2k7 on 360 hooked up to a standard tv. That's not the fault of the tv or the game system, it's the devs and their old, modified too much graphics engine.

[Cuddly Knife]

Thanks, dudes. That's enough to convince me, since I will be getting it at a steal. The TV has HDMI connections for my PS3, and it also has the VGA connection for my 360. What kind of wires do I need to connect my Wii to that TV to make it as HD as possible?

Speaking of Motorstorm, I like the AI. I like the fact that they are wreckless as hell and don't care who's in their way, especially the Big Rigs.
I could deal with them being wreckless, but they(especially the Big Rigs) always seem to get stuck in my lines, and it gets really cluttered in narrow spaces. They're more stupid than rwreckless.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

I can't even answer the Wii question.

As far as Motorstorm, I think the Big Rigs could have been left out of the game. They aren't bad to race against, especially when I'm on an ATV and one tries to knock me off a cliff or something. Overall, though, they don't add a lot of fun to the game, especially when it's a race where you have to use a Big Rig.

[Cuddly Knife]

I thought the same about them in DiRT. They just seem like a waste of a vehicle, because they're more boring to cruise than anything.

Maybe my problem is I'm comparing Motorstorm too much to DiRT. DiRT was just such a better driving experience in every way.

[Gadfly2317]

First off, let me say that Motorstorm is pissing me off to the point where I just might dump the game for something else if I don't find some redeeming qualities that'll make me want to keep it, and that could only be online play, because the opponent AI is stupid and hogs the road and makes me crash like retards because their vehicles are so damn huge it's impossible to get out of the way. I think I'll enjoy it more with less vehicles on the screen to get in my way and make me crash, hence the need to go online exclusive.
The opponents are one of the things I like about the game; I don't care for driving the big rigs that much, but it cracks me up how they try to ram you into stuff or crush you between two of them. If you don't like the game at this point, you probably aren't going to discover any hidden redeaming qualities.

Now, onto my question...

... if a game says 1080p on the box, does that mean it won't show good in 720p? I ask this because someone offered me a TV that only goes up to 720p/1080i for dirt cheap, but I won't want it if my games that run higher than 720 look like gaming on an SDTV. I saw on Sigma's box that it runs in everything from 480i to 1080p, but for games like NBA2K7(which I just bought), it only says 1080p on the box. So do I need a 1080p capable set to play 1080p games in high-def, or will it still work with 720p?
My sharp aquos does 720p/1080i and both resolutions run great. It's only a 32 inch. My living room is small and I game close to the TV. I considered upgrading to 1080p, but everyone, including people who sell the things, say that at 32' the difference between 1080p and 1080i is not really noticeable, and I don't need a set bigger than 32" right now.

Your other question about the Wii, get the component cables--I don't know if you still have to order them directly from Nintendo or not. Those are the same type you'd use on the 360. . . 5 connectorss, not the 3 connectors (R,Y,W). Do you have an HD swithbox yet? Most of the game stores are carrying multisystem connectors--at about $150--that let you run all connection types except DVI (HDMI, Composite, Component) and optical audio and then into your television through HDMI or Component. I went ahead and got it because I figure at some point I'll have the 360 to hook to the TV too, and there's only so many inputs, and I've got them all filled!

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

My tv is a 27", with one HDMI, one component, one s-video, one composite, and a couple more inputs (including for PC) that I probably will not use. If or when I get a second one (a few years from now), I doubt I'll go higher than 40".

I finally hopped back on Motorstorm, and the ATV are by far my favorite vehicles. It's fun to race against 14 other ATVs, or against a variety of vehicles. Are the devs still trying to release a new track on PSN?

[Cuddly Knife]

So I got the TV(it's a Westinghouse 32", I never heard of it), and set up everything I could to it. I have my PS2 and Xbox connected via a/v jacks, my PS3 connected with the hdmi cable, and my 360 connected using my VGA cable. I'll connect my Wii to it once I get the component cable(thanks Gad), and my nephew is using it also, so I'm really in no rush(till Corruption comes out anyways). So yeah, there's really no reason for me to get the switchbox, when I have the ability to connect everything at once to the tv, and I don't even have to change the input with the remote, it'll go to whatever system I turn on automatically.

RBH was right, Motorstorm is graphically a different game when playing in hd vs sd. I might have to take back my comment about DiRT looking better, but I think it still has the edge... just barely.

Bioshock looks freaking amazing on this TV, man.

I'm so happy.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Congrats on the TV, Cud. I've seen a couple of Westinghouse TVs at Best Buy.

It's a cool feature that you have where your tv will switch to whatever input is being used. I'm not sure if mine has that. Probably not, but it will be hard to find out since my manual is on a disc. A freaking disc. I already don't care for much reading on the CPU (probably why I still prefer mags over reading websites most of the time).

The first game I had where I could just flat out tell the difference in visual quality on my tv was MLB 2K7. It looks good on a standard tv, but looks freaking amazing on hdtv.

[Gadfly2317]

RBH was right, Motorstorm is graphically a different game when playing in hd vs sd. I might have to take back my comment about DiRT looking better, but I think it still has the edge... just barely.

Bioshock looks freaking amazing on this TV, man.

I'm so happy.

Whole new world, isn't it? Congrats on the new TV.

Looking forward to the Ps3 version of DiRT. I've had a helluva an itch for racing lately. Played the GTHD download recently, and I'm even stoked about that franchise again; racing games are the one genre where I'm really a graphics whore (could care less about any Wii racing game, except Mario Kart).

Again, congrats on the TV. Love to hear more impressions of how it enhances your consoles.

[Cuddly Knife]

Whole new world, isn't it?
Definitely. It was a nice shock when I first plugged in my 360 to my tiny monitor and saw the image, and I got the same feeling when I saw HD gaming on a bigger tv. Eternal Sonata looks the friggin bomb, and I've now got renewed interest in Viva Pinata, because of the shweet 'phics. I might even pick up Dead Rising again, so I could finally read the text.:D I now seem to be having a little bit of trouble with Burnout Revenge, because of the widescreen maybe making it so where I'm gonna have to re-adjust my spacing. That, or Motorstorm is killing my BR sKills.

I'm tempted to get FNR3 for the PS3 with its updated visuals and stuff, since I've only played in on an sdtv. Moreso now that I saw some of the detail in NBA2K7. The players drip sweat.

So far though, I'm way more impressed by the HD stylings on the 360 vs the PS3. I played the demo of Kameo(launch) on my TV, and it can hang graphically and stylistically with any PS3 game, same with VP. DiRT demo convinced me that it is graphically more impressive than Motorstorm, and that doesn't take in the variety of track locations. DOA4 is comparable to Ninja Gaiden Sigma.

I also picked up a Blue Ray movie, in the form of TMNT. Goddamn. Sick-looking. I can't wait to see Citizen Siege from Lorne Lanning and crew in HD.

It's a cool feature that you have where your tv will switch to whatever input is being used. Hells yeah! I was amazed when I saw that go down for the first time. Tripped me out, I thought I had messed something up.