GTA HD experience

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Flying Rat - 14 Apr 2008 00:11 GMT

I want to enjoy GTA IV in full. So it's time to ditch the old set
and upgrade to a high definition television. Nothing huge. 23"
or so.

Can anyone in the UK recommend a reasonably priced HDTV
and is there anything first time buyers like myself should know?

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Remo Shiva - 14 Apr 2008 03:45 GMT

> I want to enjoy GTA IV in full. So it's time to ditch the old set
> and upgrade to a high definition television. Nothing huge. 23"
> or so.
>
> Can anyone in the UK recommend a reasonably priced HDTV
> and is there anything first time buyers like myself should know?

Look for high contrast ratio, 1080p & make sure the screen handles
blacks well.

The Bravia we got last year (KDL40W3000U) has a high contrast ratio
(16000:1), but it's not great at handling blacks, when you have a dark
scene where there's not much difference between the darker colours, you
get some banding and pixeling occurs.

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Andrew - 14 Apr 2008 05:58 GMT

>Look for high contrast ratio, 1080p & make sure the screen handles
>blacks well.

GTA4 won't run in 1080p, and you won't be able to distinguish the
difference over 720p on a 23" set. Contrast ratio (higher the better)
and response time (lower the better) are the key factors.

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Remo Shiva - 14 Apr 2008 16:57 GMT

>> Look for high contrast ratio, 1080p & make sure the screen handles
>> blacks well.
>
> GTA4 won't run in 1080p, and you won't be able to distinguish the
> difference over 720p on a 23" set. Contrast ratio (higher the better)
> and response time (lower the better) are the key factors.

If you're spending money on a high def set it makes no sense to go for a
720p just because gta4 doesn't display at that res, get a 1080p because
there are games in 1080 native plus you have the option of high def
1080p movies etc..

On sets 32" and less though I agree with you, you will not see a
difference between the 2 resolutions.

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GMpartsguy - 15 Apr 2008 00:00 GMT

An alternative for those on a budget:

I took the plunge and bought a new XBOX 360 pretty much just for GTA4. No
way i was buying a new HDTV just to take advantage of the output from the
360 (i don't watch much TV).

So, i bought the VGA adapter and plugged it into the unused connector on my
Samsung 204b 20" LCD monitor i use for PC gaming. The PC uses the digital
side, and switching between the two is easy as pushing a button on the
monitor.
BioShock, Burnout Paradise, and Mass Effect all look just as good as what
my PC pumps out for gaming. If it looks a little better on an HDTV, i'm
unconcerned. Plus a 20" or bigger monitor is way cheaper than the equivalent
TV for obvious reasons.

My only complaint with the XBOX so far is trying to undo almost 14 years of
mouse/keyboard gaming. How you guys kill stuff so easily with these frippin
joysticks is still beyond me. Driving is a breeze, Burnout was a great ride.
Targeting with the right stick is a royal hump. I'll be the first person in
line when they do make a mouse/keypad pair for us crossovers. I'll get 2
months of training in before GTA arrives.
The previous GTA's were easy on the mouse/keyboard combo. The Hydra being
the only exception. I think #4 is gonna take me a little longer. ;)

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phexitol - 15 Apr 2008 06:05 GMT

"GMpartsguy" <kb1cih@cPoImScSaOsFtF.net> uttered the following before
passing out drunk in a downtown flophouse:

> My only complaint with the XBOX so far is trying to undo almost 14
> years of mouse/keyboard gaming. How you guys kill stuff so easily with
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> being
> the only exception. I think #4 is gonna take me a little longer. ;)

I actually refuse to buy any shooter for a console that lacks
mouse/keyboard support, unless there is some form of lock-on/auto-aim.
I prefer to play games like GTA on consoles, but Half-Life/Quake/etc are
a PC-only deal for me.

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Remo Shiva - 15 Apr 2008 16:01 GMT

> "GMpartsguy" <kb1cih@cPoImScSaOsFtF.net> uttered the following before
> passing out drunk in a downtown flophouse:
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> I prefer to play games like GTA on consoles, but Half-Life/Quake/etc are
> a PC-only deal for me.

I thought that too, never been a fan of FPS or 3PS on consoles myself,
until I bought the orange box for the 360. They got the controls spot on
with that game imo. The only other FPS game I've played with controls
that could match it on a console was Goldeneye on the 64. So it can be
done, it's just it's not done very often.

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GMpartsguy - 16 Apr 2008 01:58 GMT

Since the GTA series involves plenty of multiple targeting during gameplay,
i don't see the difference between it and a FPS. Learning to drive and pilot
everything besides the Hydra wasn't hard either. Keyboard control assignment
was something i has to fiddle with most to get helicopter control tight.
The GTA console crowd gives up some FPS shooting capabilities for better
vehicle control. But thats old news.

"I actually refuse to buy any shooter for a console that lacks
mouse/keyboard support"

I know somebody makes a keyboard/mouse adapter for the 360, but the mouse
lag and compatibility issues seem far worse than any benefit it actually
provides. I can't believe the same company that made controllers for PC
gaming (my bulletproof Sidewinder FFB2 gathers dust these days), cannot make
a mouse/keypad setup for their own gaming system. I don't want a whole
keyboard. Just a joystick for movement, and 8-10 buttons for assignment.
And on that same quote phexitol, while i'll never enjoy shooters 1/2 as
much as i do with the PC setup, i'm not going to let it stop me from jumping
into a single player bout. A good game is still a good game. BioShock is a
blast with lights out and 5.1 going. Mass Effect is easier, but not what i
was looking for. Anyone want a soap opera drink coaster ???

The truth is more and more PC gamers are adding/switching to the PS3 or XBOX
scene. Time to accomodate us and pave the way for more console gamers from
the dark side.

Gimme one of those really old Atari joysticks and i'll run rings around you
kids. ;)

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G Hardy - 16 Apr 2008 03:47 GMT

"GMpartsguy" wrote...

> ...Learning to drive and pilot everything besides the Hydra wasn't hard
> either...

You think? The hydra was a helicopter or a jet plane depending on the angle
of the thrusters. Not difficult to learn at all.

There's even a noticeable transition between the two flight modes.

> The truth is more and more PC gamers are adding/switching to the PS3 or
> XBOX scene. Time to accomodate us and pave the way for more console gamers
> from the dark side.

I'd consider Wii just for its unique controllers - but there's not really
anything that inspires me in the way of games. Mario Kart Wii is arriving
for the kids in the next few days, though... In the meantime, it's PC all
the way. Sexy graphics by themselves do not make a good game, so because I'm
patient enough to wait for the bugs to be fixed in the PC port, I see no
reason to add console hardware the the junk sitting near my TV.

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