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There has been much talk on our forums about the Playstations 720p 3D gaming limitation. Many people have assumed that the issue is with the hardware but Sony have stated that it is actually the HDMI 1.4 standard which is the cause of the resolution limitation.
HDMI 1.4 is a standard which calls for the following restrictions – 720p 60fps, 720p 50fps, and 1080p 24fps. Sony have therefore taken the route of forcing all 3D game related content to 720p which means they can use the higher frame rates for a smoother gaming experience. Obviously this is not an ideal situation as the PC environment does allow for dual DVI configurations to achieve higher frame rates at 1080p but unfortunately this is not possible on a PS3.
The graphics hardware in the Playstation 3 is still quite capable, although its obviously looking rather outdated by PC standards so perhaps the HDMI 1.4 standard has worked in Sonys favour, especially when trying to power a modern gaming engine at high resolutions.
KitGuru says: KitGuru reader Mark has sent us some updated info on this subject (below).
3D requires two frames, so 1080p @ 60FPS in a normal game means 1080p @ 120FPS. Clearly unachievable even on a powerhouse like a PS3.
1080p: 30FPS in 3D would hurt the eyes in fast action games, hence the SUGGESTED route of 720p @ 60FPS (120FPS) for 3D games. They have however said non-action titles can certainly use 1080p @ 30FPS (60FPS).
mmm, this is interesting. I would think some people wouldnt mind being given the option. Dont think 24fps would be ideal in a racing game, but strategy games etc would look so much better at 1080p even at a lower frame rate.
Developers are still pushing hard to make sure all their games are 720p on the consoles (with a smooth framerate) so it really isn’t a problem. Keep in mind the millions of people who don’t actually have 1080p TVs too!
Just out of interest. Could someone point me to PC games which look better than Uncharted 2? I’m out of touch, a bit, and fancy seeing what the current PC games are looking like. Great graphics, great motion capture, great acting, great scenery, etc. Something that blows Uncharted 2 out of the water. I’d love to see.
Uncharted 2 was actually one of the finest looking games ive seen myself in the last year and I own a pretty high end PC. I feel they DO more with console games, and PC developers are lazy as they know the horsepower of modern graphics cards and processors will help them drive through the frame rate issues, if they are any.
I cant really say I have seen much better than uncharted, maybe Metro 2033 which was pretty phenomenal looking, although you need a really high end PC for that at 1080p too.
Sony are not limiting anything, reread the source article..
3D requires two frames, so 1080p @ 60FPS in a normal game means 1080p @ 120FPS. Clearly unachievable even on a powerhouse like a PS3.
1080p: 30FPS in 3D would hurt the eyes in fast action games, hence the SUGGESTED route of 720p @ 60FPS (120FPS) for 3D games. They have however said non-action titles can certainly use 1080p @ 30FPS (60FPS).
Thanks for the updated info Mark, appreciate you taking the time to let us know 🙂
Well the 3 best looking PS3 games I know of (Uncharted 1 &2, God of War 3) all ran in 720p so it doesn’t really bother me that that’s the resolution it would be limited to in 3D.
And that is why I Game with a PC.
So…people can ONLY play 3D games in HD. HD is so…been there done that I guess. Well I was considering 3D games for my PS3 but, if I can’t play 3D games in 1080p I guess I’ll just have to throw my PS3 out. In fact, most games for the 360 and ps3 are 720p. We should just all throw our 360’s and ps3’s out I guess. We’ve become spoiled brats.