It has recently been concluded that GTA IV on the PS3 runs at 640p, a resolution not considered to be hi-def. This is the same resolution that caused some console flaming by PlayStation fanboys when it was discovered that Halo 3 was not "hi-def."
The irony? GTA IV’s home is the PS3–the console that has consistantly boasted of its superior graphics.
The man who found this out was Quaz51 from Beyon3d technical forums. Announcing his news prior to receiving a reliable screenshot, he stated that the PS3 ran at 640p with no anti-aliasing while the 360 ran at 720p with 2xAA.
Eurogamer, as usual, took the information from Quaz51 and ran with it, regardless of the absence of a reliable screenshot. When the game came out, IGN had a head to head, which revealed, surprisingly, that even though the PS3 version had no anti-aliasing, the edges in the game still looked smoother than the 360 version.
IGN went on to say that the game did not suffer from pop-ins on the PS3 as much as the 360 due to the seven-minute install time, and the load times are significantly decreased for the same reason. IGN then went on to say that the PS3 version has a sharper and more vibrant look, regardless of the fact that colors are brighter on the 360.
Overall, despite the sub-HD resolution, the PS3 version apparently takes the cake in terms of graphics quality perception. But good luck distinguishing these differences in-game without a PS3 setup running next to a 360 setup. The differences between the versions are so minute that you’ll have to look hard on the IGN head-to-head to spot them.
So, what does this all mean? Resolution has little to do with visual appeal, other than giving game developers something to boast about. Perhaps this should be a message to all developers: It’s time to get off your high horse and stop screaming that your game has a resolution of 1080p. Nobody cares anymore.
If you want to see the IGN head-to-head, go here.
