Ridge Racer 7: The 1080p Dream

Digital Foundry writes:

"While the 1080p dream is all but dead in the here and now, things were very different back in 2006 when the PlayStation 3 launched. Sony luminaries were keen to use the so-called "Full HD" resolution as a point of differentiation against its competition and when the system hit retail, Namco Bandai's Ridge Racer 7 seemed to vindicate the claims: full 1080p resolution running at 60 frames per second. Almost three years later, it remains probably the best example of true, native 1080p we have on any of the current generation consoles... although Geometry Wars 2 on 360 clearly has it own charms."

[Real Gambler]

For me, if I want racing in 1080p at 60fps, it's still WipeOut HD... Love the 5.1 soundtrack too. Sure it's not shinny typical cars, but, wow, does it make my HDTV look good.

[SaiyanFury]

Yep, Sony Liverpool, formerly Psygnosis did a fantastic job of making WipeOut HD. It runs in true 1080p as well as 60FPS. It's so fast and retains the quality that we associate with the series. Ridge Racer 7 was indeed cool, but WipeOut HD is the definitive arcade racing game in HD. If you want the best simulation experience, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue gives the best experience. It really does look amasing in 1080p.

[Event Horizon]

It is about time that Sony and developers started producing more 1080P games. But I have come to the sad reality that the PS3 will never produce 1080P games with high poly counts. RR 7 and Wipeout HD look good, but the Poly counts of these games suck.

RR 7 looks like a launch title, jaggies everywhere and the car models are quite frankly, horrid. Why can't developers get the performance out of the PS3 like Sony promised?

[OGharryjoysticks]

although Geometry Wars 2 on 360 clearly has it own charms."

Looking for an honest well thought out answer here - What's up with Eurogamer? Why do they always go pro 360 regardless of the info or situation? Even here, this article is for a PS3 game but they have to be assh*les and shoehorn in a 360 title even though the game they throw in is essentially an 8-bit style game and shouldn't be compared. I have never checked the background of the site but does anybody know if this is an offical Microsoft site, or just one of the many well sponsored sub sites?

[starchild]

I guess you weren't there back around E3 2005 when there was a huge sh*t storm and accusations were flying left and right about Eurogamer being biased IN FAVOR of the PS3. Read this editorial http://www.eurogamer.net/ar... and the comments at the bottom and then you might realize how funny it seems to me when PS3 fans try to say Eurogamer are biased in favor of the 360.

Oh and read these two articles where Eurogamer editors are falling all over themselves about the PS3. They sure bought into Sony's hype, hook line and sinker. http://www.eurogamer.net/ar... http://www.eurogamer.net/ar... It's also funny to see how off base most of their predictions and assumptions were.

[Kushan]

That quip about Geometry wars is called "Sarcasm".

[Mo0eY]

@starchild

Please re-read that article you posted.

"We're not passing final judgement. Who knows, we might change our minds - it's been known. We're just reacting to what we've seen thus far. "

"If you honestly think we've sat down and concocted some sort of agenda designed to promote one console over the other, then by all means hit the close button and never come back."

"This is simply a reaction to some quite stern criticism. Our editorial is not influenced by any external factors."

Need I say more?

(P.S. Eurogamer is STILL biased to Xbox 360 - I truly believe that this hyped reaction above is one of the main reasons PS3 games score so low at Eurogamer. They overhyped themselves into believing something, and now they have to put themselves back into reality by bashing PS3 games. Plus it equals hits so yeah.)

[AAACE5]

These companies always feed us BS!

MS promised IPTV a couple years ago, and it never showed up!

Sony said the Ps3 would show games over 1080p and over 120 Fps, but that never showed up either!

Both of them need to get their sh*t together.

[Montrealien]

you know, there are articles past the N4G quote....

[Sonyslave3]

that sony for yall they always using lies to hype up their product i'm still waiting for the ps3 to do 4D and 120fps.

[starchild]

Sony always try to sell their consoles with massive amounts of hype. They did it with the PS2 and people bought into it and they did it with the PS3 and people still bought into it. All those CGI videos and talk of 1080p being the true HD resolution that only their console would provide were all a bunch of lies and hype. When will people ever learn?

[PirateThom]

Do you even know what 4D is?

[SaberEdge]

4D is just more Sony marketing hype. It supposedly refers to the way a game changes over time, but that should never be called 4D in the first place. Second of all, lots of games on both consoles have elements of that.

[talltony]

that ps3 has more 1080p 60fps games than 360. its ok though.

[TomMcBaum]

Not for us Gran Turismo 5 (Prologue and otherwise) fans.

[360 man]

gt5 prologue was 1280*1080

it wasnt true 1080p (1920*1080)

[Perkel]

but it is 1080p tehy never mentioned full hd ;)

[starchild]

True 1080p is 1920 x 1080, nothing else.

[Rhythmattic]

Maybe...

1080P is 1080P, However Full HD is 1920 x 1080p.

I read somewhere the reason they went with less horizontal lines for GT5P is to make the aspect more real. Things move from centre to side, almost like peripheral vision.

Probably Bollocks, but it still looks Fantastic.

As for everything else like replays (with any view) , but not in Race, is all 1920 x 1080p, albeit @ 30FPS.

So the question is, could they do it at 1920 x 1080p @ 30 FPS ?

just thinking out aloud.

[Mu5afir]

The game is running at 1080p.. it isn't running at "FULL 1080p".
The replays run at 720p. Why do people instantly assume 1080p = 1920x1080? HD, and FULL HD are two different things.

[Rhythmattic]

found on Beyond3D
GT5 Prologue (demo) = 1080p mode is 1280x1080 (2xAA) in-game
garage/pit/showrooms are 1920x1080 with no AA.

Now I just need to find the info regarding Replay....

[likedamaster]

Prologue is 1280 x 1080p(=720p upscaled). Simple, it can't and it won't run in full 1080p(1920 x 1080p).

FYI, Wipeout HD lowers resolution on-the-fly when it drops frame-rates. Read up on it. Nonetheless, how they manage to do that and not have ridiculous screen tearing is nothing short of genius.

[St0]

God of War 3 will probably be 1080p/60fps

[Perkel]

i think it won't, Graphic is simply too good to render it in 1080p.

But Hey GT HD had 1440x1080 in 2006 ! Year later GT5P 1280x1080 and 16 cars on track. full GT5 can have very polished engine till now !

full 1080p / 60 fps anyone ?

[DevastationEve]

god of war 3 will most likely be 720p with some form of AA. maybe none at all, judging from some of the trailers. of course nothing is known until it's finally out.

but i seriously doubt it being 1080p.

[OgTheClever]

GOW3 is currently running at 720p but their ultimate aim is to achieve 1080p (heard that from E3).

[Mu5afir]

Read the developer interview that has been confirmed.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

A lot of people confuse native 1080p with upscaled 1080p. Big difference. A lot of people believe that Ninja Gaiden Sigma is native 1080p. Not true. People need to realize that 1080p only matters when your playing at least a 50 inch screen. Anything less and 720p is the perfect resolution. No difference between both resolutions in lower than 50 inch screens. Plus with 720p you usually get a much higher and stable framerate than 1080p which is much more important. Do yourself a favor and stick with 720p.

[Traveler]

My tv only does 720p so I am perfectly happy that the two consoles mainly stick to 720p. You are right though, the difference between 720p and 1080p on smaller screen sizes is basically imperceptible.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

Since most games are 720p, a 720p set is the perfect gaming tv. Playing 720p games in a 1080p set would result in gaming lag. Very small lag but noticeable in games like Guitar Hero or Madden.

[Perkel]

@ MLG

Actually Ninja Gaiden Sigma 1 is in ful hd resolution. When i change from 720p to 1080p menus are much more crisper and there isn't any jaggies on models.

Ninja gaiden sigma 2 will have also 1080p it's same engine...

and there is a diffrence even when you have 40' TV or less...

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

Last time I'm going to say this...

NINJA GAIDEN SIGMA IS NOT NATIVE 1080P

Their is no difference dude. Unless you have vision like Superman.

Do yourself a favor and educate yourself about this subject since you have no idea.

[Perkel]

@ MLG

it is.

"People need to realize that 1080p only matters when your playing at least a 50 inch screen."

If you don't see a diffrence on 40' tv between 720p and 1080p You are blind not I. Geez people even use 2560x1800 on smaller screens..

Menus are waaay better in Sigma on 1080p and they aren't streethed as in 1080 upscaled games..

maybe educate yourself first ? ...

I have this game i have 40 inch TV with 1920x1080 and i see diffrence am I superman ? No, but i reeealy want to be sometimes ;)

[DevastationEve]

no ninja gaiden game this gen has been 1080p, not sigma, nor sigma 2.

1080p is just too much to ask for with how much graphics wizardry devs wanna work up this gen, so i'll excuse for now. but next gen it's gonna be a whole different ball game.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

http://www.totalvideogames....

A simple google search and you would of had the answer to your confusion.

[Real Gambler]

Why today's PC video cards are selling with resolution 2560x1600 and more then???? Why do most monitors today come in 1920X1080 or 1920X1200 native resolution? Instead of buying a very expensive GTX 295, why not buying a $35 card capable of doing 1280 X 720 for your PC and save $300 to $500. Simply because you're sitting only 18 inchs away from your monitor. With HDTVs, it's the same thing. If you bought a 32" HDTV, then you should be sitting less than 6 feet away from it! Almost nobody does so that's why some people claim 1080p is not better than 720p! Since most living room are larger than 6 feet, then sure enough a 720p resolution is great because pixels are bigger so you can sit farther away from the tv. But hey, if you can afford a 1080p and you sit at the right distance, trust me, 1080p is the way to go. People who cannot see the difference are simply sitting too far away, or blind. They likely also have PCs running in 640X400 on a 12 inch analog monitor. So, sit at the right distance from your HDTV (and that depend on the size of your HDTV) and trust me, you'll be amazed by it!

[Mo0eY]

People need to realize that 1080p only matters when your playing at least a 50 inch screen.

This statement is not true. 1080p can be enjoyed at a 40 inch screen or higher. Anything less does not matter.*

*This mostly depends on where you are sitting. Some people say they can see the difference if they have a 30 inch screen, and they are sitting closer.

[Rob0g0rilla]

I have a 46" 1080p tv and I can definitely see huge difference between 720p and 1080p on my tv with PS3. Everything looks sharper like XMB, the PS store, Wipeout, and other games. It really depends on how far and close you are to your tv with smaller tvs. If you're a pc gamer, then you would know there's a huge difference between playing a PC game on a 23" at 720p versus 1080p. Especially if your computer is at 1080p. You have a lot more room to work with then if it was set at 720p. The difference is huge.

[Perkel]

@ MLG

you posted articcle that was before ninja gaiden sigma out.
IGN in their hands-on asked Tecmo if games runs 720p or 1080p. :

"Tecmo said that it has just recently managed to implement full 1080p support into the game, and at a full 60fps to boot. Yes, this is one slick-looking title."

http://ps3.ign.com/articles...

something more to add ?

I have sigma i see it, you clearly don't have a) sigma or b) 1080p tv.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

"Tecmo said that it has just recently managed to implement full 1080p support into the game, and at a full 60fps to boot."

Sorry, but saying "support" isn't the same as saying native. I'm pretty sure that NG Sigma has been confirmed to be running at 720p. Impressive none the less....

[ULTIMATE_REVENGE]

This article just showed that the game stayed at native 1080p 60fps without any drops apart from 1?

and I can't believe I never bought R7, the game looks stunning so thanks to this article I will now get my copy of R7.

But anyway's the reason why most games on the PS3 still haven't pushed that real 1080p 60 fps bar is because the graphics of the games it produces are just too high to be played in 1080p. What developers need to do is design a 1080p/60fps engine for their games just like the Devs who are working on WarDevli, the games going to run in Native 1080p/60fps because the engine they're working on has been specifically made for that purpose.

[ULTIMATE_REVENGE]

on my 40inch Samsung HDTV the difference between 720p and 1080p is huge, the difference can be clearly seen. Everything in 720p looks slightly fuzzy but in 1080p the XMB icons are solid seriously and the colour is so much brighter and everything is so sharp and crisp.

[Perkel]

lol @ dissagrees...

You talk true, but colors don't have to do with 1080p. Crisper and sharper picture surely YES

[DevastationEve]

Full 1920x1080p is 2.25x 1280x720p total pixels, or a 125% increase in pixels. So there's a BIG effing difference!

[ULTIMATE_REVENGE]

By the way WipEoutHD is Native 1080p/60fps and the game just looks and feels so great.

The Graphics are just stunning.

[teh-panda]

must..... resist...saying............... .

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDGGGGGGGG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEE RACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEER RRRRRRRRRRRR

[Nihilism]

i don;t know how people can say "you can't notice 720p not being as good as 1080p on anything less than 50 inch".....take a look at a computer monitor, and lcd monitor has a native res same as an lcd tv....and anything less than native looks terrible...even on a small screen

[Pekka]

People forget that distance is most important about quality. For example 20 inch screen from 3 feet distance looks exactly as big as 40 inch screen from 6 feet distance. If you are watching TV from 7-8 feet distance you need at least 40" TV to even in theory recognize between 720p and 1080p.

[DragonWarrior46534]

I care about 1080p because I game on my 120 inch projector screen and my projector is native 1080p.

[siyrobbo]

the reason the 1080p dream isn't a reality? because it doesn't really make a difference. Metal gear solid 4 isnt even 720p, and look at the technical achievement of that, had it been a 1080p game i think the quality would have suffered. Same goes for unchartered 2, i dont think that game will be 1080p. I'd rather have a lower res game with greater graphical quality than a 1080p game with lower quality.

[DelbertGrady]

If I was a resolution whore I would do my gaming on PC.

[xg-ei8ht]

Real Gambler -

You are correct, but it depends on the screen your using, Alot of Plasma(like mine)are actually 1024x768, they downscale from hd. And the picture is awesome.

I've seen the same games in 720p and 1080p on LCD, and so far the game looks better on the plasma, my tv say 720p, but i'm sure it's really 1024x768.

Higher rez is better, jaggies don't appear as much and geometry looks better, but on a LCD, still does not look as good. i'm not talking about your 22-30inch lcd, i'm talking 42+ lcd.

I have a 19inch Samsung and the picture is nice, but the colour is still not as good as my plasma, no matter how much adjustments u do. You don't get the rich deepness with LCD.

R.I.P M.J

[ikral]

HD, Full HD, Not Full HD, 1080p, 720p, 1920x1080, 1280x1080, 1366, 768, wtf...does anybody talks about game quality at all any more? Stop that sh!t and press start on your controllers. God.

[Zinny]

Except on PC where I play 1080p @ 60+fps

[i3eyond the Circle]

1080p isn't an obstacle.

FULL 1080p is.

And I highly doubt there will ever be a Full 1080p retail game on the market this generation.

All this hoopla and BS 1080p crap developers feed you give you the thought that it is FullHD but really it isn't.

[dogmeat eater]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

[mario888]

Bottom Line if you have a 1080P TV the closer to your Native resolution the Better.

GT 5 Prologue is not native 1080P but the the closest racing game to native 1080p out there you can get for a racing game. What does this mean?

I means your 1080p TV has less pixels to fill in so you will get a better picture then if you were to feed it a 720 native signal.

So as far as gaming goes, I'll take and signal that better than 720 any days because it will look better on my tv than a 720 signal.

So to all who think that because the signal is not native 1080P so it will not look any better than a 720 signal on a 1080P TV.

You are wrong.