The question of the day, “Do HD graphics matter to gamers?” If you’re currently rolling with a PS3 or Xbox 360 and you’ve got HDMI and or sweet component cables you’re probably saying, “duh, of course they do.” What about everyone else, those Wii consoles for instance, there are so many of those. What about gamers that do not know what HDMI means?
Let’s face it, an estimated 21-million people are still using over the air TV broadcast signal and a large portion of those think that their TV is high definition because it doesn’t have an analog dial anymore. Recent Nielson ratings are showing most gamers are still pushing PS2 hardware, which isn’t high definition.
In the US, HDTV sales only reach 25-30% of the population. Couple this with the fact that one in five HDTV owners can’t tell the difference between standard definition and high definition content and you’ve got roughly 20% of the population utilizing HD. Looking at the number of gaming consoles out there and the rate of uptake, it’s clear that a large majority of gamers are not using HD resolutions for their gaming needs. (loot-ninja)
We’d like to think 1080p looks much different than 480p but some people don’t seem to notice because, honestly, they just don’t care. We’d also like to think a PlayStation 3 buyer would be aware of the HD content and already have equipment at home to take advantage of the system. Although there are no solid facts to state otherwise, there must be a group of individuals that have purchased a PlayStation 3 and are rolling with SDTV (ghetto).
High definition graphics matter to people who want a true HD experience. Wii gamers don’t care about high definition because they’re focused on the game play environment or are just following the wave of hype and desire to own the infamous white box. The Xbox 360 gamers may go either way, a gamer wants to own the system because they can get a lot of cool new games for it secondary to the HD experience. The hot games just don’t get designed on the Xbox classic or PS2 anymore. We’d presume a PS3 gamer really wants to play a high definition game because the cost of the console is more and you’re getting a Blu-ray player all bundled into one.
HD graphics matter to us, we see the difference, respect the detail and use the HD portion of the console as an excuse for paying so much for the technology. The United States, as a whole, isn’t fully ready or equipped (mentally) for a full HD experience. When will they be prepared to experience high definition at its fullest?
My guess, five years after Nintendo makes the transition to 1080p. Nintendo is capitalizing on the “average Joe” and the average consumer is still catching up on the high definition. Hell, many gamers are still playing the dial-up game!
Maybe we need to start a new government funded orgnization: The No HD Left Behind Act. Everyone should be in HD.
Why release a single block buster game with a two week pop when you can simply lower the price of your console and boost sales by 100%? That’s a question Sony may be asking themselves right now, as Metal Gear Solid 4‘s hype may have lasted years but the sales and console unit sale boots lasted a month.
Hey guys great episode, lots to respond to, I agree with you Jonah on the perspective of those that way to hire people already working. It does make a person seem very disloyal but that doesn’t seem to be a valued thing anymore.
@Returns: I have no problem admitting to making bad choices so I don’t make up excuses either when returning something. Though most of the time it’s a faulty product for whatever reason. I think I’ve gotten myself to the point where I am very careful about impulse buying without ensuring I like or really need this. With Games I’m always trying to do the Demo or watch YouTube videos of a game, but I have had games bought that I wanted to return and now I even have some on my steam list. I may have to do some trading to clean that list up a bit.
@Gameplay versus Story: This seems a balancing act at times; there are games that had great story but painful gameplay (Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver). Then games with great game mechanic but weird story like Eternal Sonata. It’s great when a game has both, I think story is the bitch as Paul said as so many a lot of times skip or ignore to get back to playing the game.
@Valve: I am glad they are doing this to help clean out some of the crap that seems to get through, in complete games and games that just should never have been started; I’m looking at goat Simulator there. I agree that you shouldn’t have to pay to beta test something. I do feel like this whole early access and beta testing is getting abused and allowing lazy game developing to happen. Beta testing is a skill set because you need people that are not only willing but actively look for ways to break a game or do things the game designers didn’t intend to happen.
@Sony getting hacked: On one hand I do want these companies to have better security for their customers but on the other it really isn’t right for hackers to be giving out password information either. I don’t trust these hackers motives either, and I am experiencing similar password changing/managing exhaustion as you guys as well.
http://www.geek.com/news/sony-just-got-hacked-doxxed-and-shut-down-1610274/
(I like the idea of a Pastabin, let’s do a Kickstarter for it)
@Game Devaluation: I wonder if Beyond Earth is considered a AAA game or not, since I got it digitally it was $54, nowhere near 35 much less 22. I think they’ve only recently been put on sale for lower prices for Black Friday, and of course it’s priced differently US, UK, EU and Aus all have different prices for said game. I do expect digital games to be cheaper than physical copies of the game. This also reminds me of an article where we maybe don’t value games as much as we used to due to very cheap prices and how easy it is to have a collection of a 100 games on your steam list and you’ve maybe only played a handful. That when we were children it was much harder to get a game, often you’d only have one and you played it bugs and all because that was your game. I’ve gotten a few of these bundled games and I have to admit I don’t feel the huge desire to play them much if at all. I don’t feel that same desire I did as a child when I would do extra chores and save up money just to buy ONE game.
@QotW: I would have to say my favorite Game based Cartoon would be “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego”. I loved that she wasn’t a typical Villain, she seemed to encourage the kids to try and catch her and you were learning stuff about the world as well as being entertained. I also hated the way they depicted Simon in Captain N, I think I found the “Icky” Pit and “Mega” to everything very annoying, it could be that I was slightly older at the time 8-10 so I think that act was wearing thin. I did love the Zelda Cartoon but vote goes to Carmen for helping me learn more about the world around me.