The SDTV Dilemma

Article investigating why game developers make games that alienate at least 10% of their potential market by making the game text completely illegible on a SDTV.

[Droid Control]

Tell them to dig deep and buy a HDTV!

[evilmonkey501]

they have their own sdtv video game system though....the wii.

[HBK619]

A fair amount of these 'cheapskates' are kids though, and when there is a relatively high amount of games aimed at kids(Banjo Kazooie for an example) and they have un-readable text with SDTV in their games then you can only expect that the majority of these kids aren't going to be able to read it.

You can't expect everyone to pay $500+ just so they can read text on a screen, it's the developers who need to make it legible on both SD and HD versions.

[HolyOrangeCows]

....how hard is it to include a 480p supported resolution along with the 720p and 1080i, and some consideration (at least with text) for those stuck between a rock and a hard place in SDTV?

However, it'd WOULD be kind of a bother for those of us WITH HD.

Some of you are over-estimating the price of HD. I'm getting a nice 19' HDTV for my room for $200.

[NewZealander]

some people just havnt seen the need to upgrade yet, like my mum, she tuns 50 this year but still loves playing her 360, with any luck ill be able to get her a HDTV for christmas tho, she has no idea what shes missing out on.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

It's SO HARD to play Fallout 3 on an SDTV. I have to though. I don't have 1000 bucks lying around...and I'm not gonna spend 400 on a small 720p. I'm waiting until I can afford a large 1080p.

[TrenchaunT]

I'm surprised to hear that Fallout 3 is bad--I only have it on the PC, and I've always thought that most of the text was oddly oversized for the PC (same in Oblivion).

But Dead Rising was terrible...eventually I got a CRT HDTV for only $500, but before that I had a tiny <20" TV and I basically had to guess what the text in Dead Rising meant. I can understand moving toward the future, but some of the text is small even on an HDTV. Some text in Gears 2 can be difficult in 720p, until you switch to 1080i.

But at the same time, I think by the next gen they should drop SDTV support and focus on HDTV.

[kingboy]

You can always get a full HD monitor(at least 24inch) for that price..i game on a samsung T240HD monitor in my bedroom for roughly 375 Bucks and it`s amazing

[OOG]

yeah ive never heard of fallout having bad text

[badz149]

it's not all that bad and MGS4 still looks awesome! then I bought myself a 37" Sony HDTV nearly a year after I bought my PS3. even though it's not the top of the line model, I have to admit that things are different! HDTV with HDMI connection is awesome! I even hook my PC also via HDMI to my tv and it's awesome as well but I think I need a newer graphic card because my 8600GT is not powerful enough! I'm going to buy a 1080p acer monitor sometime next month and for those who still sticking to SDTV...my advice is, it's time to upgrade, people!

[rockleex]

Just give us gamers the options to increase/decrease text size. ^_^

[Mindboggle]

It really depends on the TV, if you have an old massive glass tv then its really hard to see. But we have a newer 32" SD tv, made just before hd ready became mainstream and I can read it fine...However HD is definetly better...

I also have a 720p plasma and a 1080p plasma and the difference between the 2 is barely noticable on games, in fact there is no difference due to most games only go to 720p max. However blu ray movies look alot better in 1080p.

[Alcohog]

People still have SDTV's? I don't even have a single one in my house anymore.

Finance it, brotha'!

[FamilyGuy]

You wanna a decent size, 1080p and for under $1000? You should checkout ecost.com

http://www.ecost.com/detail...

[killax3563]

bought a 37 inch hdtv for $450 in january. the brand is Dynex (best buy generic brand) but it works great.

actually i bought it for $499 then returned it then i changed my mind and went back the next day and bought the tv i just returned as an 'open box' (10% off for open box items).

actually bought and returned something like 3 or 4 37" Dynex hdtv's until i got the one that i liked (for $450).

also, 720p is all you really need for games.

[Megaton]

Um... what? I have an SDTV and Fallout 3 looks fine. There isn't a single instance of unreadable text. Burnout Paradise and Penny Arcade Adventures are an entirely different story, but Fallout 3 works in 4:3 resolution. It's not one of the titles made only in 16:9.

[jackalman]

can you afford a PS3 or 360 and yet have a crappy T.V.???????

[Fowack]

thats kind of a stupid question, ps3+360+hdtv+extra thing = like 2 grand. i bought my ps3 followed that up with a 360 and now i'm working on my tv. Again stupid question.

[Heldrasil]

$200 - $400 investment vs. $1000+

Not hard at all to tell why. People who want HD don't want small 27" models, they want the big ones. I wouldn't drop a large amount of cash on something pricey unless it was big!

[killax3563]

bought my ps3 for $300 off of craiglist (even got my ps3 fixed free by Sony.... lets just say I did some 'creative editing' with some Amazon purchases i made).

37" hdtv for $450.

hdmi cable for $10

so ps3 + hdtv + cable + games = much less than $1000 (closer to $800 or $900).

[kevnb]

people should just buy a 32" 720p tv, it will most likely be bigger than their crt tv and can be as cheap as 400 bones. Why don't you just use a black & white tv?

[AndyA]

Dead Rising was shocking on an SDTV. Football Manager, though, would be nigh on impossible to play.

[Mariodotjpg]

times are changing, and with it, technology; people, they assume, are by this time expected to be up to date with all the latest and the greatest.

There's not much we the consumer can do about it except change. It's only inevitable.

[Roger Batch]

just wanted to add that cod world at war looks brilliant on a sdtv. they obviously made the effort..

[HBK619]

While that's true, it doesn't mean they can't have the wording for both SDTV, I play on both an SDTV and HDTV alternatively due to my living arrangements(I do plan on getting myself a 32" 1080p LCD TV very soon for my upcoming gaming room), and due to the small wording(And even squashed graphics, I'm not talking SD graphics, they are genuinely squashed down for SD) some of the games can be shocking, the worst are usually sports games, which look fantastic and great on HDTV, but make it hard to read names/numbers on SDTV, taking away from the game.

It is simply not THAT hard to have legible text on both SDTV and HDTV versions of the game.

[cyrus228]

its really annoying, same thing happens with star ocean 4, i luv the game but u can barley read the text, i switched to another standard tv but still it hurts my eyes. i almost bought i hdtv, but i dont have that kinda money and i dont want a crap one either

[Skynetone]

because i coundnt see the long distance guys, and they would shot me like i was standing next to them

i went for a samsung series 5 {37"} 1080p tv which cost 800 euros, actually 4 of my friends have the same tv in various sizes

i didnt even shop around i just bought it in the first shop, because i wasnt in the mood, im sure you could pick up this tv for a lot less in a sale or of the net, see you online folks, MC-KOOL-K on the ps3 network

[ambientFLIER]

I upgraded from a 27-inch SDTV to a 42-inch 720p HDTV for COD4 as well, however, I had no problems shooting long distance on my old set. I guess it was a pretty good quality digital Sharp model.

[davidj88]

jackalman, you forget that a lot of the console's bought were as presents and not for themselves. thus most kids cared more about the console and less about what they were playing on. on topic, i feel bad that SD gamers are being alienated by games companies and hope other companies take note that not everyone is willing/have the money to buy a HDTV. I myself however have a 32" 1080p HDTV and couldn't be happier :D

[Tee7soo]

i have 21 sd tv
and i love it ..

[Vip3r]

GTA is the worst for this. Just about all other games are fine though.

[ionicmoose]

"why game developers make games that alienate at least 10% of their potential market"

It's the same as saying Crytek or other PC developers are alienating their audience for not catering for people who only have 512mb RAM. HDTV's can be picked up dirt cheap now, and like many people have said, if you can afford a 360 or PS3 then surely you can afford a decent TV

[HBK619]

Your sort of on the right track, but not really.

Simply put, Crytek wanted to put the BEST looking game out there, with outstanding graphics that are right now arguably the best ever, this isn't something that could be edited with a simple change that any developer could do, they wanted the best, that's it.

Text size isn't a matter of being the best or whatever, just make it easy to read on an SDTV and a HDTV and everyone is happy, it really isn't that hard and isn't a matter of having the best of the best, nothing is compromised is making the text legible for both SDTV and HDTV it is just that companies cater more for the HD audience, but they shouldn't be forgetting that there are still a fair amount with SDTV's that game and enjoy it just as much as anyone else.

BTW Just for your information, plenty of people have pleaded the argument that PC gaming alienates a fair amount of an audience due to the insane amount of money needed to A) Buy the super computer and B) Keep it up to date to run with the best games out there, but that's a whole different story and article. :)

[Raoh]

you can get a vizio tv at a good price. great bang for your buck for under 37 in models. i had a 37" before it was stolen. now i have a 32" vizio in the bed room and a 40" sony bravia in the living room.

a friend bought a few refurbished hdtv's from macmall.com and tigerdirect.com and he said they were in excellent condition and look great. he paid just about over $400 for each 37"

[ambientFLIER]

I bought a 42-inch Vizio 720P Plasma in Walmart for $750. I think now they're even cheaper. Great TV.

[killzone2ownsallfps]

kill zone 2 still awesome in sdtv?

[HBK619]

Yes it is, it's fantastic on a SDTV, you still get all the visual and aural sensations, and the menu and subtitles aren't too hard to read with an SDTV.

I played and have played about 90% of my time on Killzone 2 on an SDTV and haven't really had any problems, the only issues has been online, but you really need a big TV because the action can get too crazy for a SDTV sometimes, however nothing to turn me off the game.

[manwich25]

When I bought my 360, I had connected it to my 40" Hitachi SDTV. After many months of unreadable text and my wife getting on my case about hogging the TV, I went to Craigslist and found a 24" WS Sony Titantron CRT PC monitor for $35. I ponied up for Bose surround sound for my gaming corner. In short, I will never go back to a SDTV.

[outlawlife]

i still play on an sdtv, i just had bought a new tv right around the time when hd was coming up and was still very expensive so i opted for a very nice sd tv

only now am i getting t the point where i want hd, its not the picture quality that is driving me though it is the fact that everything i in widescreen format now ad people are forgetting that 4:3 still exists

very often on network tv as well xbox live marketplace i have text that runs off of the screen, or games where items are flush up to the edge or cut off

it is like people have ignored the idea of conventional safe frames, the market is yet to be 100% 16:9 but it seems they ignore that fact

[imabeast48]

I think battelfield bad company is the worst game on an SD tv. its horrible and i can barely read the words

[smurfie4]

I remember having to adjust the top, left, and bottom of the screen when playing warhawk on my old tv.

[Lost-Cause]

Guy's Its hard to believe that people are still on the SDTV But they are.. Hell People are still on the Antenna hook up thats why they delayed Digital cable Transfer thingy..

[Lord Vader]

Buy an HDTV !

they r not that expensive anymore.

[glennc]

ha ha, that's how i justified a new tv to my girlfriend. until she saw the unreadable text she thought the graphics didn't warrant a new tv expense as she was always happy with our 32" crt.

[avantgarde84]

funny thing is alot of people here think that a hdtv is just an hdtv but i have to warn soon to be buyers you get what you paid for. Even though you may have a hdtv at cheap from BestBuy doesnt mean its a good one and trust me the difference is pretty big from a cheap hdtv to a great one.

[Droid Control]

Thats why the parents buy their kids 20'' HDTV's for their bedrooms.
Cheapskate parents!

[Droid Control]

Then its your JOB and RESPONSIBILITY to educate her in ther ways of HDTV...

[Firstkn1ghT]

I'm shocked that people actually bought a ps3 before a tv that can actually handle it. LMAO! Seriously....wow!