A little bit of behind-the-scenes info has come to light about Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade certification process via OXM.
Now we all know XBLA game have to have a certain number of achievements and be under a certain size, but did you know that they have to be playable on a 14-inch CRT television? If you did, stop reading now. There's nothing more for you here.
Introversion Software MD Mark Morris (currently working on Darwinia+ for XBLA) told OXM, "Microsoft has extremely strict technical certification requirements that you have to get right. One of the biggest challenges is that your game has got to be playable on a 14-inch CRT television.
"So you have to do all this visibility work in case someone is playing it on a composite cable through a TV, to make sure they can still read all of the text and tell exactly what's going on."
If anyone can remember playing Capcom's Dead Rising on an old-skool TV, and bursting blood vessels in their eyeballs trying to read the tiny text, then you'll know what he's talking about.
Read more about how games get onto Xbox Live over on OXM. It's well worth a look.
That's a ridiculous comment. After spending hundreds of pounds on a console, games and a joypad, you reckon people should also be made to spend hundreds more on a hi-def TV?
I don't really see why this is a news piece - any developer worth its salt will realise that their game might be played on a tiny TV and will account for it accordingly. A simple option to make the text bigger will solve most problems anyway.
I think this is actually very welcome. I don't have a high def TV and I am sick of some PS3 games being virtually unreadable on my TV because of its shoddy SCART support and poor optimisation for standard definition. At least most of my 360 games are perfectly playable and readable on it.
I seriously don't think I could play a 360 or PS3 on Standard Def TV now. I tried with my PS3 when I took it over to my parents' one weekend and I just found it frustrating to see the visible difference between one TV set and the other. It's frustrating knowing that your console is ready to pump out crisp clear graphics, but all you have is a standard def TV.
Saying that, if you haven't played it in Hi-def then there is no issue - and the graphics are still good - just not as clear.
What's the point in having a current gen console (that isn't a Wii) if you haven't got a decent screen to play on?
Standard def fails hard. Upgrade or be left behind, that's what I say. Bah.
Snob!
There are many people who can't afford a High def set especially as there are hardly any HD channels to watch anyway (many channels are still in 4:3 format). Plus a cheap CRT will give a better picture than a cheap LCD.
There are many people who can't afford a High def set
You don't need a new HDTV necessarily. I know plenty of people who have their 360s plugged into computer monitors.
And, I'm sorry but complaints about the cost of a TV when people have already spent the best part of £300 on their consoles, for which the software is £40 a pop, seem a little invalid.
especially as there are hardly any HD channels to watch anyway (many channels are still in 4:3 format).
This will change, and this is hardly a reason to forgo the main benefits of one of the few ubiquitous hi-def sources.
Plus a cheap CRT will give a better picture than a cheap LCD.
Despite all that, surely you can see that not everyone can justify spending hundreds of pounds just to make the games look prettier? After all gaming is essentially a hobby, and bills/mortgages/rent and food shopping will always take priority.
Also, I use my TV for watching, well, TV. And until HD becomes the norm' and is cheaper and more widely available, I doubt I'll be investing in one soon.
Your defence of your initial comment is slightly embarrassing - admitting you were hasty in what you wrote won't make anyone think any less of you!
HDTVs are only hugely expensive if you feel you need a brand name. I got my 37" for £300 a year ago. It's a store brand but made with Samsung parts. Only 720p but for the amount of stuff that's actually in "full" HD it's more than enough right now. And the 2-5ms response made it a good gamer set.
I heartily recommend Aria for TVs.
I got mine because I couldn't see what I was doing properly in 360 games We were a bit better off back then though, so I'm glad I picked it up when I did.
There are many people who can't afford a High def set
You don't need a new HDTV necessarily. I know plenty of people who have their 360s plugged into computer monitors.
And, I'm sorry but complaints about the cost of a TV when people have already spent the best part of £300 on their consoles, for which the software is £40 a pop, seem a little invalid.
especially as there are hardly any HD channels to watch anyway (many channels are still in 4:3 format).
This will change, and this is hardly a reason to forgo the main benefits of one of the few ubiquitous hi-def sources.
Plus a cheap CRT will give a better picture than a cheap LCD.
Not at native resolution.
No you are a snob and a complete ar$e.
People do get bought consoles as presents you know. So they could feasibly have a 360 and not be able to afford a new TV. Little jonny may have been bought a 360 as a joint present and then may get a better tv next year. In the meantime he needs to be able to play on his current tv.
Also Cheap LCDs are truly poor. Colour banding, poor colour reproduction, narrow viewing angles and 400:1 contrast ratios!
Compare that to a cheap CRT with reasonable colour reproduction, wide viewing angles and enormous contrast ratio and I know which I would prefer.
A realist would be realistic and realise that not everyone either can or wants to upgrade their tv just to play games.
Despite all that, surely you can see that not everyone can justify spending hundreds of pounds just to make the games look prettier?
Not everyone can justify buying a new console to play prettier games on. And guess what? The industry leaves those people behind in 5 year intervals.
After all gaming is essentially a hobby, and bills/mortgages/rent and food shopping will always take priority.
Tell me about it. But if people are struggling to pay their bills, what the hell are they doing buying consoles in the first place?
Also, I use my TV for watching, well, TV. And until HD becomes the norm' and is cheaper and more widely available, I doubt I'll be investing in one soon.
Good for you.
Your defence of your initial comment is slightly embarrassing - admitting you were hasty in what you wrote won't make anyone think any less of you!
I'm wondering how long it's going to take before people realise it was a blatant troll.
I'm not the one resorting to namecalling, but do carry on.
People do get bought consoles as presents you know. So they could feasibly have a 360 and not be able to afford a new TV. Little jonny may have been bought a 360 as a joint present and then may get a better tv next year. In the meantime he needs to be able to play on his current tv.
Little Jonny gaming on daddy's money is not my concern.
Also Cheap LCDs are truly poor. Colour banding, poor colour reproduction, narrow viewing angles and 400:1 contrast ratios!
There's cheap, and there's dirt cheap.
Compare that to a cheap CRT with reasonable colour reproduction, wide viewing angles and enormous contrast ratio and I know which I would prefer.
Image warping, colour bleeding, inferior resolution... yeah, boy do I feel like an idiot for upgrading.
A realist would be realistic and realise that not everyone either can or wants to upgrade their tv just to play games.
I understand that. I just don't think those people should be pandered to. Or at least I wouldn't if this persona wasn't entirely the fabrication of someone bored at work.
Also, I use my TV for watching, well, TV. And until HD becomes the norm' and is cheaper and more widely available, I doubt I'll be investing in one soon.
Good for you.
The day Hollyoaks goes hi-def is the day I get a hi-def telly.
Also, I use my TV for watching, well, TV. And until HD becomes the norm' and is cheaper and more widely available, I doubt I'll be investing in one soon.
Good for you.
The day Hollyoaks goes hi-def is the day I get a hi-def telly.
What do you use in your fabrication process? reconstituted upper class toffs?
A quick swig of Tory Essence makes a right wing bigot of even the most die hard socialists.
I see the points you're trying to make, try them with a bit of jam on next time and you might not get so many people's backs up.
I must apologise for being a douche, I can't keep it up any more.
Being a student I know as well as anyone that money doesn't go on trees but at the beginning of the year I blew my student loan on a HDTV and have NEVER looked back! It was the smartest decision I've ever made! The picture quality is amazing and to go back to my crappy old TV would be like going back to a black and white screen.
At the price you can pick up 32" HDTVs now a days I reckon every serious gamer already has one...but then developers still have to make sure your average joe can still read the screen.
Whilst I can appreciate that many of us on here are working adults, or at least adults, there are still a great many gamers that are living at home and gaming on a small portable TV in their bedroom. Microsoft have clearly not forgotten that & nor have Nintendo (I seem to remember reading a while ago that one of Nintendo's reasons for not going HD was the small proportion of households (even in the States) that had an HDTV)
Supporting the lowest common denominator is a neccessary bugbear - and if Microsoft are to be successful in targetting the casual market, it's an issue that they need to make people aware that they're actively supporting (Can't help thinking that it's not a coincidence that this information has come out in the run up to Christmas - the Christmas that Microsoft just happen to be running a marketing campaign aimed at casual users...)
For a console that's touted as an HD console, it's important that in these financially difficult times, potential buyers know that while an HDTV is nice, it's not a requirement for a 360...
i dont think hd makes as much difference as people say.
i have a Toshiba crt and currently i wouldn't swap for an lcd or plasma, let alone PAY for a new screen.
i have a projector if i want hidef. whats wrong with a 14 inch tv, this whole idea of leaning i need a 42" or 50" tv is stupid. its a permanent fixture in the room and i find a 42/50" screen dominating in the room, and not a little tacky.
i find a decent NORMAL sized tv which doesnt dominate my living space, and a projector which DOES (when its set up) is better than any "big screened" lcd/plasma.
Also, I use my TV for watching, well, TV. And until HD becomes the norm' and is cheaper and more widely available, I doubt I'll be investing in one soon.
Good for you.
The day Hollyoaks goes hi-def is the day I get a hi-def telly.
Better get your wallet out, Hollyoaks has been in HD for quite a while on Channel 4 HD...
i dont think hd makes as much difference as people say.
i have a Toshiba crt and currently i wouldn't swap for an lcd or plasma, let alone PAY for a new screen.
i have a projector if i want hidef. whats wrong with a 14 inch tv, this whole idea of leaning i need a 42" or 50" tv is stupid. its a permanent fixture in the room and i find a 42/50" screen dominating in the room, and not a little tacky.
i find a decent NORMAL sized tv which doesnt dominate my living space, and a projector which DOES (when its set up) is better than any "big screened" lcd/plasma.
Its also depends on your room size and how far you sit from it. TBH 40" isnt that big in a decent sized room.
i have to admit, i couldnt see the point in a hd tv really, nor see the difference at first, but its one of those "cant go back things" when i see games on an older tv it just looks AWFUL! i couldnt imagine going back now.
So its definatly size doesnt matter, but its what it does (HD)
Also, I use my TV for watching, well, TV. And until HD becomes the norm' and is cheaper and more widely available, I doubt I'll be investing in one soon.
Good for you.
The day Hollyoaks goes hi-def is the day I get a hi-def telly.
i have to admit, i couldnt see the point in a hd tv really, nor see the difference at first, but its one of those "cant go back things" when i see games on an older tv it just looks AWFUL! i couldnt imagine going back now.
So its definatly size doesnt matter, but its what it does (HD)
Yes and seeing as a lot of posters here are using a PC right now wouldn't the 360/PS3 be better through the monitor anyway?
Heh heh. When I first got my 360 I was playing on a 14" crt standard def Tv for a couple of months. I could not see the roads on the map in Tdu, and could barly make out the text in most games. Glad I got a decent HdTv now.
How anybody can say they would RATHER stick with there CRT tv than swap to an HDTV (even if it was free), is quite frankly absurd. The sharpness of the picture is so much better on an HDTV. If you are not playing your PS3/XBOX360 on an HDTV then in effect youre shooting yourself in the foot. Youre paying for a console which can produce 1080i/p output, yet playing in 420i or whatever it is on a crt. Thats like paying for the most powerful PC graphics card, and toning down the screen to show only black and white and saying you prefer to play it that way. My hdtv was £300 and from a good manufacturer - Hitachi.
What I had serious issue with was that this gen it felt like you might as well be buying a pc.
It's funny that Microsoft should be indirectly touting the fact you don't need a HDtv especially as when it first came out you really did need one.
Dead Rising was infuriating. After buying a 300 quid console I did not want to pay 500 quid for a bloody tv just to play games on it.
I'll agree that games look sharper in HD but for a lot of games I've played sharper doesn't make better. Halo 3 and Gears both benefit from the softness of a CRT for me. The problem with HD is it shows up graphical mishaps and limitations very clearly aswell.
My housemate recently bought a 46inch bravia and although cool, it really does dominate the room, you find that no matter where you're sat you just stare at the screen regardless.
If instead of playing games so much on your precious CRT, you went out and worked some more, you could have earnt enough to buy a HDTV already and we wouldn't be subjected to this endless bitching.
to the guy who's housemate bought a 46" TV and says it's too big: if you want to complain, you can buy a 32" yourself.
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We were a bit better off back then though, so I'm glad I picked it up when I did.
