NEWS - Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Virtua Tennis 3 To Be 360’s First 1080p Title
When Microsoft released its Fall dashboard update last year for the Xbox 360, the company boasted that its console, like Sony’s PlayStation 3, would be able to support 1080p, the highest resolution currently available on an increasing number of high-end HDTV sets. While the 360 is able to upscale games developed in 720p or 1080i resolution to 1080p, true 1080p games have been nowhere to be found as of yet. Even on the PS3, there are very few 1080p games currently because the resolution takes up a lot of system resources and developers often choose to go with locked-in frame rates at 720p over the higher resolution. Resistance: Fall of Man for example was originally intended to be a 1080p title, but Ted Price and Insomniac Games decided to drop that down to 720p during development. Now, for the first time, Xbox 360 owners will be able to experience a native 1080p title, as Sega announced today that its upcoming Virtua Tennis 3 will indeed support 1080p. "With the highest digital video standard enabled on the Xbox 360, each of the 20 tennis pros featured in Virtua Tennis 3 appear even more realistic, while the court environments deliver a newfound richness in color and texture," boasted Sega. "The increased levels of detail can be picked out in the spectators and backgrounds, and despite the increased number of pixels on screen, the smooth gameplay mechanics and movements of the players are just as fluid as ever." "With the implementation of 1080p capabilities on the Xbox 360, players will experience a new level of visual intensity and athletic drama played out on the court through a wide range of varied and realistic animations and dynamic cloth physics," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, Sega of America, Inc. "Virtua Tennis 3 is a must-have for fans and newcomers to the series due to its great pick-up-and-play ability, life-like details, and incredible physics. Now with unique Xbox Live play, Virtua Tennis 3 has once again pushed the boundaries to redefine what a great multiplayer video game should be." "We’re thrilled to be able to say that Virtua Tennis 3 will be coming to Xbox 360, showcasing an online experience with Xbox Live that you won’t find on any other systems and spectacular 1080p graphics," added George Peckham, general manager, global third party publishing for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. "Fun and easy to pick up and play, Sega is hitting another ace with Virtua Tennis 3." Featuring Ranked and Player Modes for top scores on the Leaderboard via Xbox Live and a new VT:TV live spectator mode, Virtua Tennis 3 will be served to Xbox 360 gamers on March 20.Source: http://biz.gamedaily.com/
