Sep 28
Halo 3 Runs on Non-HD 640p Resolution; Bungie Now 80p in Deep Debt
Many gamers this week have scurried around the rumor mill regarding the startling discovery by “internet Matlocks” that Halo 3 runs at a “640p” graphic resolution (Pro tip: technically, that’s not a resolution). Interweb investigators noticed that Halo 3’s vertical resolution, when captured from a frame buffer, is indeed 640 pixels.
So what’s the point here, you ask? Were we shortchanged high-definition since Halo 3 is not at a 720p resolution? Is there really such a noticeable difference in the overall visual experience?
Luke Smith, the former 1UP journalist who’s now part of Bungie, confirmed the Halo 3 640p accusation earlier today. However, on the same token, Smith explains how it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between 640p and 720p in regards to Halo 3. Hit the jump pad for highlights quoted from the Bungie.net news post addressing these gaming graphic concerns.
Naturally it’s more complicated than that. In fact, you could argue we gave you 1280 pixels of vertical resolution, since Halo 3 uses not one, but two frame buffers – both of which render at 1152×640 pixels. The reason we chose this slightly unorthodox resolution and this very complex use of two buffers is simple enough to see – lighting. We wanted to preserve as much dynamic range as possible – so we use one for the high dynamic range and one for the low dynamic range values. Both are combined to create the finished on screen image.
Categories: Microsoft, Xbox 360This ability to display a full range of HDR, combined with our advanced lighting, material and postprocessing engine, gives our scenes, large and small, a compelling, convincing and ultimately “real” feeling, and at a steady and smooth frame rate, which in the end was far more important to us than the ability to display a few extra pixels. Making this decision simpler still is the fact that the 360 scales the
“almost-720p” image effortlessly all the way up to 1080p if you so desire.In fact, if you do a comparison shot between the native 1152×640 image and the scaled 1280×720, it’s practically impossible to discern the difference. We would ignore it entirely were it not for the internet’s propensity for drama where none exists. In fact the reason we haven’t mentioned this before in weekly updates, is the simple fact that it would have distracted conversation away from more important aspects of the game, and given tinfoil hats some new gristle to chew on as they catalogued their toenail clippings.
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WHERE’S MY 80 PIXELS?