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SvennoJ on 26 December 2013
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d21lewis said:
OdinHades said:
If resolution doesn't matter, we can keep playing at 256 x 240 pixels on our NES Systems until all eternity. After all, its gameplay that matters, right?


Somebody says something similar in every thread about resolution.  Of course resolution matters!  And of course 1080p is definitely better than 720p!  The argument is that 720p is HD and 1080p is HD.  1080p is better but to many people, it's not as big a deal.

I was happy to have my PS3 and Xbox 360 upscale PS2 and Xbox games.  I was disappointed when the Wii U didn't upscale Wii games.  Sharper is better than the alternative. There comes a point where it doesn't matter, though.  My PC has a billion different resolution settings and I don't even know which one is best.  I just chose one that looked sharp enough for my TV and left it at that.  

1080p looks better but when the game is actually in motion, does it matter?  My TV is 42 inch LED 1080p, active 3D capable, w/ Picture in Picture, Smart apps, 5 HDMI (one on the side I just found), and 4 USBs and 240 Hz, btw. I can't give you the refresh rate since I'm at work.  

Really? You don't notice a clear difference between choosing the native display resolution or anything else? If not then there is something wrong with the tv. (no rgb, native or dot by dot mode perhaps?) Input refresh rate is 60hz, tvs don't accept more. 240hz is motion interpolated adding lag and softness to moving objects.

The whole 720p is HD is an empty argument, HD doesn't mean much, it's a moving goalpost, just a marketing term. The first high definition tvs had 405 scan lines...

The WiiU does upscale Wii games, same way the bc ps3 upscales ps2 games. It scales it slightly differently then my HD tv does with the Wii, I get a different amount of overscan throught the WiiU. It doesn't render in a higher resolution, neither does a bc ps3 playing ps2 discs.

Resolution matters more when in motion. Sub pixel detail and aliasing artifacts become less of a problem the higher the render resolution. Resolution limits the amount of detail that a game can have. We're still stuck with glowing items to make them stand out in low res heavily anti aliased 3D worlds.