Getting the full experience with your next gen console

bakes0310

bakes0310

bakes0310

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22 Oct 2004
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Right like many of us we are planning or got a next gen console but now it doesnt seem that straight forward of just getting a console.
So what do we need to get the most out of are consoles this is all i can think of:
HDTV

This of course is an expensive option but you can notice the difference but is there a cheaper option.
 
bakes0310 said:
This of course is an expensive option but you can notice the difference but is there a cheaper option.
Click to expand...

A pc moniter could also be used. I'd suggest that a decent 5.1 setup is neccessary in getting the full experience. ;)
 
I bought an HD TV to go along with my 360, and the truth of the matter is that it doesnt make a huge difference. You only really notice the difference in the dashboard and XBOX live games. Most other games look only slightly better and then only when you are really looking.
 
One thing I could never go back on now is:

Dolby Digital Amplifier and decent speakers. Without good sound, you're wasting the potential of the 360. Yay for £1500 worth of speakers and amp :p
 
I purchased a Panasonic AE700 Projector just for some HD gaming, and in my opinion, it's well worth it; you can't beat a bit of 75" gaming! For a start, it makes multiplayer much more enjoyable if you're playing split screen, but in some instances, it blows SD out of the water. My brother has his 360 set up on a 32" SD TV - even when I had mine set up on my 32" HD LCD TV, the differences were definitely there. Text (in any game - especially CoD2) was much nicer in HD, and you find small details look nicer. An example of that is where there's an indentation in the wall; if the cameras moving, the edges will look horrible, but in HD, they're much smoother (not perfect, but definitely an improvement).

At the end of the day, HD is not an necessity. Some people are still happy playing in 1024x768 even if their monitor can go up to 1600x1200 - but the higher the resolution, the better it looks. And from 480 lines to 720 lines isn't the biggest difference in the world, but it is quite significant.

Disclaimer: In my opinion :p

-RaZ
 
WEll since getting my samsung 32" HDTV LCD i have to admit im more hooked on the 360 than i ever was, even more so when i first bought the 360 back in dec. Plsu the fact that im now on xbox live makes it all worthwhile imho, been d/ling demos and trailers etc but only problem is im running out of hd space.

Actually one question i wanted to ask is if i buy another spare hd for the 360...could i still use that as a backup unit etc...ie save more demo's/trailers then just swap and change when i want to. Or is it a case of the hds being particular to each 360??. Although i highly doubt thats the case as you can buy hds for the core system if i remember correctly.
 
A big screen is important (more important than a HD screen IMO) but big sound actually adds more to the game. eg, COD2 on a big plasma running through built in speakers is not as good an experience as COD2 running through a 32" TV but a 5.1 amp, decent sub etc.

Of course you're laughing if you have both ;)
 
thats why im currently after a 5.1 setup it just adds so much more to the game! Ill probs get some for my PC and use the monitor so best of both for me til i get a HDTV altho a projector does sound cool i cant get away with 1 in the bedroom :(
 
I already had a 5.1 setup before the 360 so it was hooked up to that. I bought an LCD TV in anticipation for the 360 too so I was pretty much set already.

I'll cry when we finally find a house though as my 360 will be in the spare bedroom so I'll be relegated to a 17" CRT monitor and cheap 2.1 speakers *sobs*
 
lordrobs said:
I already had a 5.1 setup before the 360 so it was hooked up to that. I bought an LCD TV in anticipation for the 360 too so I was pretty much set already.

I'll cry when we finally find a house though as my 360 will be in the spare bedroom so I'll be relegated to a 17" CRT monitor and cheap 2.1 speakers *sobs*
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Don't allow it!!!
My 360 sits next to my TV and it is not moving :)

While we are on the subject of TV's etc are the samsung still considered the best 26/27" LCD TV's (thinking of a bedroom upgrade) ?
 
My house aint big enough for a decent HDTV (my current 20" takes too much space), but I am planning on investing in a widescreen monitor to replace my existing one.

One thing is for sure, I noticed a MASSIVE increase in sound when I converted from standard audio to the optical. Crystal clear.
 
I agree that surround sound makes a big different. It makes the game so much more immersive and really helps pin-point the location of the enemy in games like GRAW. :)
 
Tunney said:
I agree that surround sound makes a big different. It makes the game so much more immersive and really helps pin-point the location of the enemy in games like GRAW. :)
Click to expand...


Agreed, running BF2:MC through my tv's built in speakers makes the game sound *flat* however stick it through my 5.1 setup and it in a way brings it to life.
 
condemned in dolby digital is just plain awesome! :) cant imagine having the same kind of atmosphere with only standard telly speakers or somethin
 
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