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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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 Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 5:55 pm Post subject: |
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err, how big is that actually supposed to be? |
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Walter Mitty
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Tokyo! ^.^
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Swiss James wrote: |
| err, how big is that actually supposed to be? |
From Engadget:
Dimensions: 4 inches wide by 2 inches tall and 0.7 inches thick.
Weight: 2.8 ounces (80 paper clips�� worth of weight).
I'd say that's pretty darned "micro!"  |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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My 2 "big things" with consoles are the low-res and the fact that one needs to drop a bomb on a groovy TV to even half remedy that problem.
I have played on 3 "TV" systems....my personal 29" piece of bad, my school projection TV and a huge HD TV....still, they don't compare to my monitor. Yes, the size is nice and one can sit far enough away not to see the dot pitch, but then, what's the point? I would rather sit closer to my 21" and enjoy crisp, sharp and crystal clear gaming anyday. The HD was very cool, but my word! The COST!!!
For less than the cost of the TV that would satisfy me and a console, I could get an incredible computer with a kicking plasma monitor.
I have a couple of questions for those in-the-know about consoles:
1. Can this thing be hooked up to a computer monitor?
2. If yes to #1, then will the console even support high-res gaiming?
With 512 MB of video RAM, I suppose it wouldn't be a slouch, (does anyone know the framebuffer size?) but what about the software? Games specifically written for XBOX wouldn't support 1600x1200...the XBOX could never deal with large texture sizes without a pagefile write/read, reducing the performance to a slideshow, I'm sure. Therefore, the software wouldn't be written with that resolution in mind, and thus, unavaliable in high res format. Even if it were able to stretch those tiny textures to that res, they would look awful. Huge textures would mean ugly load times as well...something people wouldn't put up with for long.
Or does one actually install games on this machine, as they would a computer? I was under the impression that the software kind of runs from the DVD/CD.....?
Anyhow, if this beast (and it is a beast indeed) can be connected to a CRT and run at at least 1024x768 (higher is better), then it may well be worth looking into.
Last edited by Demophobe on Tue May 17, 2005 6:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Swiss James
Joined: 26 Nov 2003
Location: Shanghai
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| on the micro-gadget gameboy: I reckon it looks boss! |
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Walter Mitty
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Tokyo! ^.^
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Demophobe wrote: |
| My 2 "big things" with consoles are the low-res and the fact that one needs to drop a bomb on a groovy TV to even half remedy that problem. |
That's probably not likely to change anytime soon. I doubt HD sets are going to get cheaper in a hurry. If you're looking to spend that much money, check out projectors as they give (IMO) a much better bang for the buck than HDTVs do.
| Demophobe wrote: |
I have a couple of questions for those in-the-know about consoles:
1. Can this thing be hooked up to a computer monitor?
2. If yes to #1, then will the console even support high-res gaiming? |
1. Maybe. It'll depend on the video outputs and what sort of cables you can get. The Xbox 360 has a proprietary MS port (looks kinda like the one on the original Xbox), so who knows what it's capable of. The PS3 is coming stock with HDMI outputs, and HDMI->DVI isn't a big hassle.
2. The Xbox 360 is claiming 720p (1280x720) and 1080i (1920x1080 - but interlaced, so it's really only got 540 vertical lines of resolution).
The PS3 claims to output 1080p (true 1920x1080, non-interlaced) which a lot of sets don't even support yet.
No word yet on whether or not there will be native DVI support on the next round, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it - if not from the manufacturers then as third-party add-ons.
There have been VGA boxes and coverters for recent consoles. I remember having one for the Dreamcast, and it made a huge difference, even though it was only running in 640x480. (I still say Soul Calibur on the DC in VGA looks better than any PS2 game ever put out, but that's just me.  ) |
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Demophobe
Joined: 17 May 2004
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks Walter...I was hoping you could give me the skinny on that.
Projection? Yes, I am inclined to agree, but they have some contrast issues that send me. |
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Walter Mitty
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Location: Tokyo! ^.^
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Demophobe wrote: |
Thanks Walter...I was hoping you could give me the skinny on that.
Projection? Yes, I am inclined to agree, but they have some contrast issues that send me. |
No prob. I'm here to help.
Have you checked out any recent models of projectors? (Is there even any place in Korea to do this? Hmmm.) The big electronics shops in Tokyo (Bic Camera and Laox, for example) have rooms set up in their shops with a heap of projectors running off the same feed (99% of the time it's a DVD and they're all getting the video via component cables) so you can see how they look. I was originally going to get a lower-end model than the one I went with, but seeing it firsthand steered me higher. For the extra money I spent I got a native resolution of 720p, a heap of inputs and a sharper picture.
By going with the model I did, I knew it'd be able to handle the next round of consoles admirably. Will it do 1080p? No, but a projector to do that will run you about $10,000 or so.
True, you can't run one in a room with full daylight streaming in through the windows, but even a regular TV set won't look so hot under those conditions. Everything I've played on mine (from games, to DVDs to downloaded Divx movies and TV shows) looks great. Even broadcast TV looks good, and that's with using a VCR as a tuner outputting standard composite video. (That is one thing about projectors - no built-in TV tuner.) |
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mack the knife
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: standing right behind you...
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| Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| ....reasons for modding.... |
$3.00 games, baby!! |
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Thunndarr
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