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googe
09-20-2006, 03:12 PM
More nails in PS3's coffin...

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/20/tgs-xbox-360-to-add-1080p-support-ps3-to-lose-bullet-point/



At their pre-TGS press briefing in Tokyo today, Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 will support 1080p content through a software upgrade. The "p" stands for parity.

Microsoft's announcement -- which effectively parries Sony's bold claims regarding the merits of 1080p high definition content or, as Sony calls it, True HD -- is their latest move seeking to blunt the impact of the oncoming Sony PS3 hype-train. With the True HD cat de-clawed, Microsoft's mantra of choice will appear even more appealing. It's another bullet point taken out of the next-gen console war equation.

Joystiq spoke briefly with Shane Kim, General Manager of Microsoft Game Studios, about their announcements in Tokyo today. First off, Kim clarified that, while the software patch would upscale all content to resolutions as high as 1080p, Microsoft themselves had no plans to produce gaming content taking advantage of this ability. He was similarly convinced that very few other developers would see the value in producing 1080p games, with the singular exception of Sony's first-party studios, eager to validate the value of the capability.

Similar to the way the Xbox 360 upscales original Xbox games from 480p to 720p/1080i, you'll be able to enjoy your existing Xbox 360 games at the new resolution. As if you needed more proof that Microsoft's adoption of high definition HD-DVD is little more than a strategic move to limit Blu-ray's potential sphere of influence, Microsoft's 1080p software upgrade will also remove some of the value of their upcoming HD-DVD add-on by upscaling your existing DVD movies to HD resolutions, including 1080p.

So, Microsoft just announced that the Xbox 360 will play your existing DVDs back in high-definition -- in addition to being able to play back legitimate HD-DVD content if you're interested -- and they're gonna do it in 1080p. In the bullet point war, Sony better hope that extra Blu-ray disc space is worth it; they'll have a chance to prove it at TGS this week.

rage2
09-20-2006, 03:16 PM
The p stands for parity? :D

DepTrotter
09-20-2006, 03:20 PM
who wants to explain why this matters?

(honestly.. im not following)

Foreign1
09-20-2006, 03:24 PM
i happen to own one of those 1080p tv's and its a 72inch.. cant waiiiit to upgrade for hd-dvd capability!!

blue-ray = gone soon. haha

rage2
09-20-2006, 03:26 PM
Originally posted by DepTrotter
who wants to explain why this matters?

(honestly.. im not following)
In reality, even if you DO own a 1080p TV that accepts 1080p inputs via component (that's how xbox360 will do it no HDMI or DVI still) it wont make much of a difference on a TV with a good deinterlacer (which pretty much all 1080p TVs today come with).

Basically, this whole deal is a marketing ploy to trick ppl that don't understand.

googe
09-20-2006, 03:38 PM
Originally posted by rage2
The p stands for parity? :D

yeah, that was the first thing i thought too, wtf...must be a nonfunny joke or something.


Originally posted by rage2

In reality, even if you DO own a 1080p TV that accepts 1080p inputs via component (that's how xbox360 will do it no HDMI or DVI still) it wont make much of a difference on a TV with a good deinterlacer (which pretty much all 1080p TVs today come with).

Basically, this whole deal is a marketing ploy to trick ppl that don't understand.

actually i would think 1080p would be even worse, because it will take more processing power and wont offer an improvement for this reason. its being redundant and will be expensive.

unfortunately 99% of the buyers dont realize this and MS has to do this to give the PS3 less selling points :)

benyl
09-20-2006, 03:41 PM
fawk, they are going to release a HD-DVD external drive soon. I just ordered my XBOX360. Should have waited for the package.