At their pre-Tokyo Game Show press briefing in Tokyo today, Kotaku reports, Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 will support 1080p content (games AND movies) through the fall update. Shane Kim, corporate VP of Microsoft Game Studios, says that the update will allow the Xbox 360 to upscale current 720p games to 1080p (much like original Xbox games are upscaled from 480p to 720p/1080i). He also stated that while third party developers may choose to develop games at 1080p, Microsoft currently has no plans to release any games which support this resolution. This is consistent with Microsoft's statements all along that 720p is truly the "sweet spot" of HD gaming.
This has to be Sony's worst nightmare come true. Now they no longer have the ability to claim they are the only "true HD" system, they are now merely doing what Microsoft is doing at a much higher price. While I find it hard to believe that anyone but a video professional has the ability to actually see the difference between 720p and 1080p, I think that this is a tremendous move by Microsoft to cut off Sony before they can even use that slight "advantage" in the numbers. Consoles have very often been marketed by their numbers (8bit vs. 16bit vs. 32bit) and gimmicks (anyone remember blast processing?); this is both. It's important because most consumers are relatively uneducated about the ins and outs of HDTV and will more than likely fall back on the winning answer of "more is better." This makes that decision that much harder for anyone simply comparing stats between the PS3 and Xbox 360. Hopefully it will take the emphasis off of the numbers and back on the quality of the games and experience, where it belongs.
This is a very exciting announcement because it will put the two systems on a more even footing and shows Microsoft's ability to adapt to the challenges other console makers present to them. This type of competition benfits gamers as they push each other.
Does this make any difference in your next-gen gaming plans? Do you think it will make any appreciable difference in this edition of the console wars?
A brutal reset, a smarter story, and a return to what made it great—Mortal Kombat (2011) revived the series.
Underrated comment. I used to hate that game so much that any time my siblings asked me to play it, I just picked Hom and shut myself down mid-match.
15 years went by so fast. I remember playing through the story mode at launch.
The name "Hewson" carries a special weight for anyone who grew up during the golden age of British computing. As the son of Andrew Hewson—the man behind legendary publisher Hewson Consultants—Rob Hewson didn't just grow up playing video games; he learned to spell his name from their title screens. However, Rob didn't just rest on his family's 8-bit laurels. From leading major LEGO franchises at TT Games to tackling the high-stakes world of technical porting at Huey Games, Rob has carved out a unique path in an ever-evolving industry. In this candid interview Rob to discussed the burden and beauty of a family legacy, the technical "scar tissue" left by the ambitious Hydrophobia, and why porting a masterpiece like Inscryption to consoles is far more than a simple copy-paste job.
To celebrate Tomb Raider: Legend's 20th anniversary, the official channels have shared an early in-development gameplay demo.
