With digital cameras in hand, a 1:1 pixel setting on their HD TVs and numerous posted pictures and step calculation the Beyond3D members have concluded that Halo 3 is not natively being rendered in 720p. Instead, the game is being upscaled from a native resolution of 640p to 720p (or 1080p) by the Xbox 360. Gasp! We say again, gasp!
In all seriousness though, the difference between 640p and 720p isn't all that noticeable to the average gamer (unless you are one to take digital photos of the screen and count pixels), but it's still sad to see that our Halo 3 couldn't be developed to natively render 720p. It's kind of what the Xbox 360 is all about, HD graphics and all. But we'll let this slide because the game is so damned fun, though we'd still love to hear Bungie's response to this 640p resolution claim and tell us exactly why the back of the Halo 3 box states 1080p. The last time we checked, 640p and 1080p were quite different.
[Via gamerawr!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
9-28-2007 @ 11:36AM
dunnypop said...
does this explain why the splitscreen is really crappy?
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 11:41AM
:( said...
I'm running Halo 3 on a 1280x1024 display through VGA but it sure ain't outputting at 1280x1024 - I notice this aliasing too. Bungie claims here
http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=h3avcal
that there should be a correctly-scaled high-definition picture for VGA. Except there isn't.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 11:41AM
yuppy said...
no wonder they lazily made the first few campaign lvls not very detailed and at times very dark.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 11:45AM
Big Bird said...
Just wanted to make sure you all were aware of this coming up next week on discovery channel.
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/last-one-standing/halo-sweeps/halo-sweeps.html
not sure if we will see more or this is all the footage there is.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 11:46AM
xenocidic said...
Running on SDTV =) haven't been affected by either the Bioshock or this new H3 debacle.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 11:47AM
Who Cares? said...
I am not a fanboy, far from it, but honestly.... If it looks good (which Halo3 does) and it plays well (which it does) and its fun (which it is), What does it matter what resolution its running at. Unless you are sitting extremely close to your TV you cant notice things like this anyway.
Just play the damn game.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 11:53AM
BTex said...
#1.you could be right
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 11:55AM
Ian Murray said...
@ 6:
I understand where you're coming from, but plenty of people buy their high-priced systems BECAUSE they want the best. We all know what the Xbox 360 is capable of, because look at BioShock and Gears of War for quick examples. If your game isn't going to do what the box says, or what the consumers want, then don't say it will.
I'm not calling Bungie liars, but if this is true, they should at least make an official statement.
I agree that people should play the game and enjoy it for what it is, but when you pay good money for the resolution, you kind of expect it if the box says it.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:03PM
Mauricio said...
Im with Ian Murray. Im paying $60 for a "NEXT GEN GAME". Next Gen is HD - not SD upscaled.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:06PM
Tony said...
The Gamespot graphical comparison story reveals that the graphics for Halo haven't improved much at all. This 640 crap is just another lie from one of the beasts. I'm sick and tired of being jerked around.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:06PM
MDJ2010 said...
Asides from the fact that its a bit cheeky from Bungie it honestly makes soooo little difference, I cant emphasise enough that you really wouldnt notice if you werent told. Personally I am paying off bill after bill at the moment and dont have the cash to spend on a game - so no Halo 3 for me, so my suggestion is just to enjoy it, you luckly lucky millions of people!
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:15PM
Tony said...
What do you need graphical comparisons for if you can just pop in Halo 2 and Halo 3 on one system and compare them? If you can't tell the difference there, I really don't even know what could be said. Halo 3 is far from the most beautiful game ever, but it is definitely better than Halo 2 in significant ways.
As for this problem, I had heard about that from someone the other day (in addition to the VGA problem that was brought up by a commenter here) and I can see why people are annoyed about it. If nothing else, the numbers on the box are lies.
Personally, I am running in 1080i and I'd never even notice it. I could look at it now and still not be able to notice it. I have noticed no anti-aliasing issues, particularly compared to some other 360 games I own (such as Forza 2).
Hopefully we'll hear something about it soon, but it's definitely going to be something for people who hate Halo 3 to harp on for months on end.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:16PM
Elliot J said...
Meh, looks high def to me on my 55" SXRD through hdmi.
I wasn't expecting Halo 3 to be a graphical powerhouse like Gears of Bioshock. I was expecting solid visuals mixed with amazing gameplay, which is provides in droves. Besides, there's no way you can tell me that taking out a Scarab and watching that explosion looks like crap, 640p or not it looks fricking sweet.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:17PM
Tony said...
Also, 640p is still technically a "high definition" resolution. Anything higher than 480p is. It might not be what they're claiming it is, but that's another portion of the argument.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:18PM
Elliot J said...
Meh, looks high def to me on my 55" SXRD through hdmi.
I wasn't expecting Halo 3 to be a graphical powerhouse like Gears of Bioshock. I was expecting solid visuals mixed with amazing gameplay, which is provides in droves. Besides, there's no way you can tell me that taking out a Scarab and watching that explosion looks like crap, 640p or not it looks fricking sweet.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:27PM
brownc4 said...
@9
SD is 480i
I do believe 640p is quite a bit higher than 480i.
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:34PM
brownc4 said...
@10
Are you blind?
I am assuming you are referring to the this article:
http://www.gamespot.com/features/6179901/index.html
In which the authors comment on how much a leap there is from Halo to Halo 2 and then to Halo 3
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:35PM
Bryant said...
This is the kind of reporting that makes me love this site - almost too unbiased for a fanboy site. Good job X3F!
This whole resolution thing makes me pretty sad though, at least don't go parading the game's in HD if it really isn't.. :(
Still love the game and what really matters is it's fun! And you don't even notice the notice in resolution anyway.
@14 Although it's definitely not SD, it's not quite HD. "AlmostHD" maybe?
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:36PM
JagerQ said...
Are these based on campaign images or multiplayer images?
Reply
9-28-2007 @ 12:40PM
Anonim said...
Halo 3 works in 1138x640 no AA
Why?
Halo uses (probably) their method for HDR (price for gorgeous light effects)
Bungie method: (34Mb PDF)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=995b221d-6bbd-4731-ac82-d9524237d486&displaylang=en
Still I don't like it - no AA and slightly lower resolution = more jaggies than necessary.
On X360 scaled games
Two 640p Perfect Dark and Halo3 (1138x640) (no AA)
Three 600p PGR3, Call Of Duty 3 and Tomb Raider (1024x600) (all have 2xMSAA)
RR6 is ~ 1440x810
1080p VT3 and NBA street (1920x1080)
thats all - all other games use 1280x720 (Tony Hawk on X360 is 720p))
On PS3 scaled games
540p - The Darkness (960x540)
600p - Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, Call Of Duty 3
Ninja gaiden Sigma 1280x720 (not 1080p game - software 2x scaller to 1080 from 960x720 - 1080p is more blurred than 720p!)
GTHD use 1440x1080
Rub'a'dub use 1600x1080
Stardust HD use 1280x1080
and more - mostly software scaling to 1080i (R6:Vegas - bad and blurry)
( GRAW2 in multiplater 600p ? - unconfirmed)
more info
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=43330
Reply