Are Xbox 360 games True HD?

MattB

MattB

MattB

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I have an Xbox 360 and have played on ps3 and 360 and prefer the Xbox.
Something that does puzzle me is how Microsoft only need a standard DVD to fit their games on whereas Sony need a blu-ray disc for the same game.
Does this mean that the Xbox games are not true HD?

If you could shed any light on this subject it would be much appreciated.

Cheers

Matt
 

Abooie

Abooie

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Where to begin :)

HD refers to the screen resolution not the size of the storage method and both are equally capable of stunning HD graphics. (720p, 1080i and 1080p to a lesser extent).

Blu-Ray is bigger than DVD but slower.

Sony claim that Blu-Ray and the extra space is needed for next gen games and MS claim that DVD is adequate and point to games like Mass Effect as evidence.
As the Blu-Drive is much slower than the DVD drive in the 360, data has to either be duplicated on Blu-Ray discs (Oblivion is a prime example) or there needs to be an install for the games to run as fast as the 360 counter parts which somewhat negates the space benefit, but games like Blue Dragon (3 discs) and Lost Odyssey (4 discs) from MS demonstrate that size and space is, or could become more of a factor than they'd like to admit.

This is a hotly contested discussion if I'm frank. If Sony had waited for 4 speed Blu-Ray drives (PS3 is 2x) then it would be a non issue and blu-ray would clearly be the more advantageous proposition but as it is I think both sides have compelling pros and cons that ultimately stop either from claiming a clear victory.
 

Psyk

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I understand the confusion. You don't necessarily need the storage space of a Blu-ray or HD DVD for an HD game, because HD just refers to the resolution the game is rendered at. A PS2 game could be made to render at HD resolutions without taking up any more storage space. But when it comes to video you actually need extra data to make use of the extra pixels.

Ok so the discussion isn't about video, but my point is that just because a game is HD doesn't necessarily mean it needs more space.
 

Tunney

Tunney

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Does a standards body define want HD means (in the same way that GSM-A defines '3G') or is it purely a marketing term that could mean anything?
 

Xenoxide

Xenoxide

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HD is an industry standard, which has been defined as 480, 720 and 1080. There is no "full HD", or "half HD", or whatever, regardless of what's printed on the side of the TV!

Regardless, Microsoft has mandated that ALL XBOX360 games must be capable of HD resolutions at 720 or above. If you have a 720 TV, then it outputs at the native resolution of 720. If your TV is 1080, then it upscales the 720 signal to 1080 to display on your TV, unless the game has a native 1080 mode (Very rare).
 
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