"Only in HD, Please"
It's official. I'm boycotting all things not high def. E3 was the start, and last weekend's Tokyo Game Show sealed it. The high definition gaming era is upon us, and I'm not squinting at low resolution photos and postage-stamp sized movie trailers anymore. I'm going to play it in high definition, why would I try to judge a preview of it in anything less? Microsoft and Sony have taken the right steps in person, displaying their wares on glistening high definition displays at each tradeshow, but finding proper quality trailers and screens is still much like panning for gold, a few shiny nuggets every now and then, but mostly just mud.
Bus passes for the revolution after the jump, along with links to the best sources for HD resolution trailers and pictures I've found.
Not in HD? I ain't heard of that. © Slim Thug
For far too long my people have squinted and strained at inexcusably low quality pictures of tomorrows games, but all that changed this year at E3. Steve Gibson's Shacknews offered true 720p goodness, I nearly broke my mouse handing over cash to get the "you are there" quality video, and I was forever changed. As with anything, there were pretenders to the throne (shame on you Gamespot). IGN followed that up with their Masterbit theater series of videos that have been hit or miss in their resolution, but still mostly satisfied the HD hungry beast within.
Microsoft has also been good about releasing high definition videos in their WMVHD format, although you need a pretty serious PC to run them smoothly (hint: unchecking "drop frames to keep AV in sync" under advanced options can help if the video is freezing while the sound continues to play). I've had more trouble finding high resolution sources for Sony's games, like the recent Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer. I'm sure they will get better as their dual-1080p beast approaches store shelves.
For the time being, I can definitely recommend Xboxyde.com as BlimBlim and crew always come through with the 720p goodness, in various encodings sure to be playable on your computer.
You got a sure source for high definition trailers? Please let me know, and remember game makers and news sites, the fastest way to get me to ignore you is to offer me a small grainy source while the other guys show me exactly what will be coming to my TV in a few months. Just a thought.
