Is an HDtv TRULY needed for gaming?

IAmTheCheapestGamer

IAmTheCheapestGamer

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I mean, I know the answers I'll definitely get on this board will include alot of 'you can't play a PS3 without an hdtv', but truly, IS it neccessary?

I guess I'm in the minority of cheapasses on this site who feel that paying a grand or MORE for a tv and another $400-600 for a next gen system is a bit outrageous.

So, do you really NEED an HDtv for PS3 or 360 gaming? My answer is NO. What's yours?
 
No, but it certainly doesn't hurt. I bought my PS3 in January and my X360 at launch. I didn't get an HDTV until mid June. It makes a WORLD of difference, but necessary? Nah. Playing em both in regular def though did make me appreciate the HDTV all the more when I did get it (and the jump from a 27" to a 37" screen didn't hurt either)
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']My answer is NO.[/QUOTE]

Try playing Dead Rising on an SDTV. It's pretty much like trying to play an import RPG without ever having learned a lick of Japanese - you'll be able to play it, but the frequent stops for 4 minutes of flipping through a walkthrough take away anything resembling fun in the game.

You can get away with a majority of the games on SDTV, I suppose, though I'd hate to do that.
 
Depends. Do you like your games to look the best or do you like them to look just a little better then the older generation? You dont have to spend 1k on an hdtv. Decent ones can be had for much much less.

Mods: Take this thing to General Gaming.
 
I enjoyed the Folkore demo, but I had such a hard time reading the text on my 27" CRT SDTV that I decided not to buy the game until I get an HD set (which will hopefully be in the next couple of months).
 
[quote name='InuFaye']Depends. Do you like your games to look the best or do you like them to look just a little better then the older generation? You dont have to spend 1k on an hdtv. Decent ones can be had for much much less.

Mods: Take this thing to General Gaming.[/quote]

To me, as long as the visuals are viewable and not blurry or otherwise screwed up looking, then that's fine for me.

Oh and I just figured I'd ask on the PS3 board, since I always see people mentioning about 'getting an hdtv to truly enjoy the games'. Sorry if it is in the wrong spot.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']To me, as long as the visuals are viewable and not blurry or otherwise screwed up looking, then that's fine for me.

Oh and I just figured I'd ask on the PS3 board, since I always see people mentioning about 'getting an hdtv to truly enjoy the games'. Sorry if it is in the wrong spot.[/quote]

I just thought that more people might see it on general gaming since more then the ps3 has hi-def capabilties.

I mean technically you can play it. But some games like dead rising and such make it so hard to play the game without high def that you might as well forget it.
 
I play on a SD tv.

High LOD textures appear similar to Xbox. But I find that the low LOD textures (i.e., things in distance) appear much nicer. I imagine this would be improved drastically on a HD TV, as the effect really High Res textures is lost on a SD tv.

Probably the thing I notice most about 'this-gen', as opposed to last-gen, is the animations. Models have so many more bones this time around, that everything looks so much more fluid. The animations can be appreciated equally on an SD TV.

Sometimes text can be hard to read, though most devs have learned from Dead Rising's mistakes.

I guess to answer you question:
Do you need it? no
Will it improve your experience? yes.

I have seen 32", 720p Westy's for $550 shipped, from Dell (deal of the day). It doesn't have to be a $2000 sammy/sony/sharp.

~S
 
Spend your money on an HDTV first. It's worth it just for the bump it gives to your DVDs (especially if you've got an upscaling player). As everyone here has noted you certainly can play next-gen systems on an SDTV but you're missing out on a majority of the graphical upgrade, so why not get the HDTV first?
 
Yes. Well, it's needed for PS3/Xbox360 gaming. If you don't have an HDTV I really don't see the point in owning one of these systems. There are more than enough great games to play on other non-HD systems - especially the PS2 and especially if graphics don't matter to you.
 
I would have to say no...

I had a 360 and was playing on an 36" SDTV that was like 10 years old and to me you could tell the graphics looked way better than previous systems..

Sure games like Gears sure as hell gets the "pretty" advantage on an HD TV but I thought Lost Planet looked excellent on a regular TV along with other games like DOA4,PGR3,N3...

Some games do look better on HD but thats just the next Gen thing and it is putting graphics over gameplay..

I have noticed some things that got that extra shiny look to them which to me is what developers seem to think is HD is "Shiny"

Honestly does a brick wall have to be shiny? lol...

I dont think people really have to go over and fork out an additional $500-1000 on an HDTV to enjoy the games...
 
No.

I go back and forth between the two without even noticing. Id rather a good surround sound set up then HD (for games) any day.

HDTV is a must if youre a sports fan though. Football on SDTV sucks now.
 
Needed? No. Will it vastly improve your gaming experience (assuming you have PS3 or 360). Yes.


Personally, I wouldn't go without one now after enjoying HDTV programming, gaming, upscaled DVDs etc. on a clear, 50" screen.

But one can definitely enjoy games on a non-HDTV, but having them bigger and looking much better definitely adds to the experience.
 
Pretty much what everyone else said.

It's not necessary, but if you want the "full package" you should go with it. All the people I know who got a PS3 either got a new HDTV with their PS3 or already had one.
 
As it's been said, it's definitely not needed but it's definitely welcomed. I wouldn't even go as far as saying it vastly improves it. Before buying an HDTV I'd always heard that it's a night and day difference and it's so great but I never had a tv bigger than 21" so my launch 360 and launch PS3 didn't have the chance to look so horrible in SD, because they were too small to see the minor details.

That said, there's no way I'm trading back down.
 
if you can see the picture than it is not "NEEDED"

most ridiculous thing I have ever read was someone telling another that dont even bother buying an XBOX 360 or a PS3 because he does not have an HDTV.
 
[quote name='Jewelz23']
most ridiculous thing I have ever read was someone telling another that dont even bother buying an XBOX 360 or a PS3 because he does not have an HDTV.[/QUOTE]

While I think it is ridiculous to ever give someone that advice, I dont' think it is ridiculous to decide to not buy a PS3/360 until you have an HDTV if you have a tight budget.

I made just that decision this summer, as I was wanting a 360, but decided I wanted an HDTV much more. Both because I've played the 360 on both and it's a huge difference on an HDTV, and becasue I spend more time watching TV, Sports and DVDs than I do on gaming, so I just get more enjoyment out of having a big, new HDTV than I would out of adding another console to the mix.

But I'd never tell someone a 360 or PS3 is useless without an HDTV. Games are fun, graphics are secondary. So to someone who has games as there number 1 hobby, they'd probably get more out of a new console now and HDTV later, rather than vice versa.
 
[quote name='dfo']Spend your money on an HDTV first. It's worth it just for the bump it gives to your DVDs (especially if you've got an upscaling player). As everyone here has noted you certainly can play next-gen systems on an SDTV but you're missing out on a majority of the graphical upgrade, so why not get the HDTV first?[/quote]

Because if I'm lucky, I watch maybe 6 hours of TV a week and rarely watch DVDs? THAT right there is probably the REAL reason I don't seem to want an hdtv yet, since for what I use my current tv for, it's not cost effective.

Oh and if I haven't mentioned it before dfo, nice avatar. "The Dude"....Big Lebowski was one of my favorite movies back in the day, along with Kingpin.
 
[quote name='javeryh']Yes. Well, it's needed for PS3/Xbox360 gaming. If you don't have an HDTV I really don't see the point in owning one of these systems. There are more than enough great games to play on other non-HD systems - especially the PS2 and especially if graphics don't matter to you.[/quote]

I have an SDTV. My choice was a small and crappy HDTV or a nice and decent sized SDTV. I got the nice SDTV with component inputs.

Games look very nice. Not HDTV drooling oh my god nice, but nice. I can definitely see and appreciate the vastly improved graphics. It's actually a little hard now to go back to PS2 games after seeing what the PS3 can do, even on a TV like mine. You really notice the PS2 textures and chunky figures, draw distance, and a host of other things.

I have to hook up my PS3 to a composite hookup to use the PSN store, though, and I might feel differently if I had to play on that. Much more blurry and nasty.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Because if I'm lucky, I watch maybe 6 hours of TV a week and rarely watch DVDs? THAT right there is probably the REAL reason I don't seem to want an hdtv yet, since for what I use my current tv for, it's not cost effective.
[/QUOTE]

Yep, in that case it's not so crucial for you.

I watch a ton of sports in HDTV, and a few network shows a week, and a lot of DVDs both from my collection or from Netflix, and also play some games (maybe 5-10 hours on a busy week when I have a new game, sometimes 0 hours other weeks like now when there's nothign on the Wii or PS2 I really want to play, or when I'm sucked into a DS game).

So my TV gets a lot of use, and I don't really game that much, so it made a lot more sense for me to get an HDTV now, and wait for further price drops (and the TV to be paid off) before buying a 360 or PS3.
 
[quote name='blandstalker']I have an SDTV. My choice was a small and crappy HDTV or a nice and decent sized SDTV. I got the nice SDTV with component inputs.
[/QUOTE]

People always say that, but it's pretty easy to get a nice HDTV. Even on my tight grad student budget, I was able to get a nice 50" Sony LCD RPTV HDTV.

It was on sale for $999.99 and they were offering 2 years with no interest. Comes out to $41.xx a month if you actually take the whole two years. I'll pay it off well before then.

So where there's a will, there's a way. :D
 
HDTV is necessary for BD and HD DVD.
The Cowboys game last night was fan-freakin-tastic in HD as well.
I could never go back.

drool drool drool
 
As someone else said, I'd rather have surround sound than a HD set up. It's not harmful if you've got the cash to burn on a set, but the "game will just look last gen" excuse doesn't hold water to me. A game that really looks gorgeous will look like that no matter what -- Gears of War and Bioshock are plenty beautiful on my standard def set. If you need a HD set to enjoy the graphics of current gen games, you're just paying to subsidize sub-par development.
 
I have both Surround and HD, but I think I'd put the HD/widescreen/50" screen over the surround sound.

Though Surround AND HDTV are things I bought before a next gen console, and thing's I'd give a lot of priority to over consoles since they add so much to DVDs, Sports, and TV, which again I devote much more time to than gaming.
 
Personally I use a computer monitor for all of my gaming needs.
(the 24 inch wide screen from gateway) I don't even own a traditional television anymore. IT does 1080p with my ps3 through the dvi port, supports the wii in progressive with the component ports, and is a great computer monitor that does not take up any extra room in my computer room.

Will probably someday buy a 40-50 inch hdtv for the living room, but for the time being, this will do, quite wonderfully.
 
[quote name='Thomas96']No you don't NEED it... but damn once you go HD you won't want to go back[/QUOTE]QFT. Looking on an SDTV is just nasty IMO, because some games just won't display right. The only thing I prefer an SDTV for is for non-HD consoles. The PS3 especially looks great on an HDTV.
 
It's definitely not required, but highly reccomended. There's nothing that strictly indicates that, without an HDTV, a PS3 is garbage. Sure, the image quality looks a lot sharper when played on an HDTV as compared to a SDTV, however, it is NOT required. If you want the image detail to look beautiful, then get one. If you just want STANDARD quality, stick with the SDTV.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I mean, I know the answers I'll definitely get on this board will include alot of 'you can't play a PS3 without an hdtv', but truly, IS it neccessary?

I guess I'm in the minority of cheapasses on this site who feel that paying a grand or MORE for a tv and another $400-600 for a next gen system is a bit outrageous.

So, do you really NEED an HDtv for PS3 or 360 gaming? My answer is NO. What's yours?[/quote]

But monitors can be had for 200-250 and they maybe 22 inches big. That is much better than any SDTV.
 
My only issue is the only 1080p TVs are 40" or higher. The bigger the screen, the shittier the picture quality, unless you sit like 100 feet back and don't see the visual artifacts. Plus LCDs blur with really fast motion, right?

I was thinking of getting a Samsung LNT4071F, but I can't find any decent videophile sites with photographs of it with games being played. And no videos to illustrate how fast movement can be before blurring (as well as the "triple football" effect). Apparently the 120Hz and frame interpolation on the new Samsungs and Sony Bravias is shitty and can cause more problems than they solve.
 
[quote name='musha666']No.

I go back and forth between the two without even noticing. Id rather a good surround sound set up then HD (for games) any day.

HDTV is a must if youre a sports fan though. Football on SDTV sucks now.[/quote]

Same for me. It's nice but not must have. I view stuff in HD and SD and I couldn't care less. Depending on what size screen you want, there are various alts to spending $1000. I use my computer moniter for my PS3/Cable TV/and computer, it's not 32" or anything, but it's perfect for me.
 
[quote name='crunchb3rry']My only issue is the only 1080p TVs are 40" or higher. The bigger the screen, the shittier the picture quality, unless you sit like 100 feet back and don't see the visual artifacts.
[/QUOTE]

That's really not true at all. Unless by 100 feet back you mean 8-10 feet.

I sit about 10 feet from my 50" 720p Sony LCD RPTV and it looks great.

And 1080p sets look better at closer differences. In fact, you have to sit pretty close to be able to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p. There's a chart you can find by searching the AVS Forums that shows how close you need to sit at various screen sizes to be able to see the improvment in 1080p vs. 720p. For a 5" set it's in the closer than 8 to 10 feet to be able to tell the difference.

Anyway, point being you can sit pretty close to TVs in the 40-60" range with the picture still looking great. Unless you have a tiny room in your parents house, you're probably going to be able sit far enough away in your living room for a great picture on a TV in the 40-50" range if not bigger.
 
[quote name='Thongsy']Same for me. It's nice but not must have. I view stuff in HD and SD and I couldn't care less. Depending on what size screen you want, there are various alts to spending $1000. I use my computer moniter for my PS3/Cable TV/and computer, it's not 32" or anything, but it's perfect for me.[/QUOTE]


Yeah, size is the huge issue for me, even more so than picture quality.

In June I went from a 27" Sony Wega to a Sony 50" HD set. I'd never buy anything smaller than that again. Size matters. A LOT.

My next investment (assuming this TV doesn't crap out before I finish grad school and get settled down) will be a good projector and 100"+ screen.
 
After finally playing on an HDTV, YES it does make a difference. My friend was always someone who said an HDTV was a waste of money, but after playing Halo 3 on one, his mind has changed. I plan on getting one as soon as I can afford it.
 
dmaul, I've seen that chart. I actually posted it here a while ago somewhere. I know 40" is about what would be right based on my current viewing distance, so I suppose I'll ease back and not go 46" or higher.

But what worries me is the blurring more than anything. I play a lot of racing games and FPS titles where you whip the camera around. What's your experience with blurring, if any?

If I can have my fears laid to rest, I'll buy the model I want if I could haggle down the half a grand Circuit Shitty layers on top of the average price. I might even spring for a warranty if that would convince the salesman to play ball. I'd get it online, but I'm wary of the shipping stress on the LCD panel and I know it's easier to just buy from a b&m store to make replacements easier.
 
[quote name='crunchb3rry'] but I'm wary of the shipping stress on the LCD panel[/quote]

thats ridiculus, just get it wherever you can get it cheapest
 
I just prefer buying an LCD panel in-store. That's what I did (got my 32" LCD HDTV for $500, since someone took it back at Sam's Club (still in fine condition, but has one dead pixel on it)). I plan to upgrade to a 1080p Sony Bravia once I get a good job (probably 37" or whatever makes the PS3 XMB text size more readable).

My problems with playing a PS3 on an SDTV are:
-Notifications cover too much of the screen (when someone signs on/off).
-Tiny/unreadable text in some games.
-Edges are cut off in some games.
-Some games look really jaggy on a non-HDTV (Need for Speed Carbon, NBA 2k8, etc. come to mind).
-And it just doesn't look anywhere near as good oh course.

Since I have to use an SDTV at home (when I come home), it really bothers me that I seriously want to buy a monitor or something so I don't have to play on an SDTV. I mean, before getting an HDTV, I didn't care all that much about playing my PS3/360. Now I play them much more and have lots of trouble playing PS2 now.

Part of the reason I'm holding back on a Wii (although I want many of its games) has to do with not wanting to see it on an HDTV.
 
No. It's definately not needed. Everyone is pretty much saying that once you go HD, you'll never go back. Only problem is is that it's pretty hard to "go". Even the worst 32 inch TV out there is at least 500 bucks. Everyone who has one is saying that it's worth the time and research, and it seems like most of the people who say it's not worth it don't actually have an HDTV..

I see a game like Gears and am perfectly satisfied. I used to think I was missing out by not having an HDTV, but it's more of a choice really. It hurts me just as much as not having a surround sound system does. I'll buy then when they want me to, anyway ( when good HDTVs get down to reasonable prices ).
 
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