Suggestion for an article: 32-bit Hi-Res games

[JJJ]

I've been researching a bit on this topic lately... But its hard to find info. So maybe some of you can help me out, and maybe it can be a racketboy article later.

I'm looking for 32-bit (Saturn, Playstation, N64) games which run in Hi-Res interlaced modes, like 640x240 etc. These are pretty rare. Here is an example of some that I'm aware of:

Playstation:
Internal Section (flat-shaded polygons mostly, but looks AMAZING!)
Wipeout 3 (unconfirmed)
Tekken 3 (unconfirmed)
Tobal 1 and 2
more ???

Saturn:
Virtua Fighter 2
Sega Rally
more ???

N64:
A variety of games use the 4mb card for hi-res, but I'm unsure whether this just raises texture quality or actually runs the entire game in hi-res. More testing/info required.

I think this is a cool topic because most people don't even know these systems could output hi-res. The developers who pulled this off really knew their stuff...

[durkada]

I heard that Wipeout 3 used a special mode -- but, having bought that at opening day, I'd scarce believe it was hi-res.

However, I can add Necronomicon to the Saturn list. Its a pinball game. I think Panzer Dragoon Saga intro sreen is hi-res -- the game itself, not. Pretty intro

I've been researching a bit on this topic lately... But its hard to find info. So maybe some of you can help me out, and maybe it can be a racketboy article later.

I'm looking for 32-bit (Saturn, Playstation, N64) games which run in Hi-Res interlaced modes, like 640x240 etc. These are pretty rare. Here is an example of some that I'm aware of:

Playstation:
Internal Section (flat-shaded polygons mostly, but looks AMAZING!)
Wipeout 3 (unconfirmed)
Tekken 3 (unconfirmed)
Tobal 1 and 2
more ???

Saturn:
Virtua Fighter 2
Sega Rally
more ???

N64:
A variety of games use the 4mb card for hi-res, but I'm unsure whether this just raises texture quality or actually runs the entire game in hi-res. More testing/info required.

I think this is a cool topic because most people don't even know these systems could output hi-res. The developers who pulled this off really knew their stuff...

[Mozgus]

Ehrgeiz for PS1 is another, built on the Tobal engine I think. 640x480

[metaleggman]

Is 640x240 really Hi-Rez? I thought 640x480 was the only thing to qualify it as high res. Lol, I do love how game developers have struggled getting only standard resolution games, and only just recently we got consoles with native SD output. 3-4 years later, now we have systems capable of doing 1080p.

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is at 640x480 on the N64. I think most of the games that allow for or require the use of the expansion pack can be played at that resolution.

Also, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron and NFL Quarterback Club '99 run in Hi-res too.

[JJJ]

640x240 is hi-res. Its interlaced (240 lines every other frame). So another name for it is 480i, which is what most PS2 games are. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm 99% sure on that.

Is 640x240 really Hi-Rez? I thought 640x480 was the only thing to qualify it as high res. Lol, I do love how game developers have struggled getting only standard resolution games, and only just recently we got consoles with native SD output. 3-4 years later, now we have systems capable of doing 1080p.

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is at 640x480 on the N64. I think most of the games that allow for or require the use of the expansion pack can be played at that resolution.

Also, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron and NFL Quarterback Club '99 run in Hi-res too.

[gradualmeltdown]

Virtua Athlete ran in a crazy hi-res mode on Saturn. Called Athlete Kings in the UK I think.

[Yackom]

640x240 is hi-res. Its interlaced (240 lines every other frame). So another name for it is 480i, which is what most PS2 games are. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm 99% sure on that.

Is 640x240 really Hi-Rez? I thought 640x480 was the only thing to qualify it as high res. Lol, I do love how game developers have struggled getting only standard resolution games, and only just recently we got consoles with native SD output. 3-4 years later, now we have systems capable of doing 1080p.

Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is at 640x480 on the N64. I think most of the games that allow for or require the use of the expansion pack can be played at that resolution.

Also, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron and NFL Quarterback Club '99 run in Hi-res too.

There is a subtle difference between true 640x240p and 640x480i, excuse me for the nerdy notation, as with all XXXxYYYi XXXxYYY/2p. Though to the output device, they are they same, internally to machine producing the video the true image size for the 640x240p is 640x240, and 640x480i is 640x480. In more contemporary machines things are rendered to a buffer(video memory) then another device scans the buffer pixel by pixel and outputs the video signal. In older systems that didn't have the memory for a frame buffer, the rastering engine will go through its object memory and construct the final image pixel by pixel which each pixel is directly converted to video signal, so the rastering engine runs at the same frequency of the tv/monitor. The Nintendo DS is probably the newest system I know of that still renders without a frame buffer, and that is to save on the cost of the device, so the rastering engine talks directly to the LCD controller.

Visually 240p and 480i are pretty similar, except for the obvious loss in vertical clarity in x240p making horizontal lines slightly thicker from pixels that are effectively twice as high as they are wide. The one benefit to this is the flickering effect which is kind of common in text or other fine details on an interlaced CRT system goes away, which gives the image a more stable feeling.

For earlier the machines that render via a frame buffer, they could try boosting the standard graphics from something like the once common 256×224 to 640x240p or pseudo 640x480i , by taking letting the frame buffer be 2.5ish the size as usual, but at the cost of other texture memory. On the other hand for machine that could typically render at 640x480 they could save on video memory and put it to better use (more textures, better colors, ect) if they cut the vertical resolution in 1/2.

These are the kind of limitations and work-a-rounds you have with small amounts of video memory to work with.

edit:fixed grammer

[d123456]

240p and 480i are not similar at all. As a matter of fact they have nothing common at all.
480i is at a much higher res, but interlaced, which results in a blurry mess.
Also, Sega Rally is 240p and Last Bronx and Dead or Alive also have the high res mode.
Also Sega Bomberman (97) uses high res when the 10 player erena is selected.
This is a great thread and I'd love to see an official Racketboy article made out of it.
More request for articles:
-true low res games on 480i and up systems
-light gun games
-multi player games
-negcon games

[GagaMan]

Saturn Bomberman runs at 640 X 240.

[marurun]

Here are the Saturn's supported resolutions, for anyone who cares:

352 x 240, 640 x 240, and 704 x 480

I think only Virtua Fighter 2 and Dead or Alive used the 704 x 480 mode.