Widescreens On Handhelds

[gaterooze]

For what do you use it then? :huh:

I'm guessing... commercial games? Y'know, what it's meant for.

 

[A_SN]

Honestly though... let's keep things simple... stay with 320x240, even in 2008, you really don't need anything bigger, what good are pin-point pixels if the human eye cannot see them? Not everyone has perfect vision, and even if they did such a fine resolution in a 3.5" screen would be a WASTE.

- Alex

Actually since we hold our GP2X's about 50 cm from our eyes, that the screen is 3.5" wide and that our eye resolution is at best 28 arc seconds, the overkill size limit would be around 1300 pixels wide, or 1280x960 if you prefer, meaning that we could enjoy a 1280x960 resolution but not more. Note that at such a distance the screen appears to be about 10.2°x7.6°, and that we could only enjoy the full resolution of our eye in a circle of 2° of diameter, out of it our eye resolution progessively decreases.

In conclusion, I'd say that 640x480 for an hypothetical GP3X is not overkill, and that even then there would be room for our eyes to enjoy a higher resolution.

Edit : Orkie has just informed me that he holds his GP2X 20 cm from his eyes. In this case the overkill limit would be around 3200x2400

Edit #2 : If you want to see how 640x480 would look like on a GP2X and that you have a 17" screen, set your screen res to 640x480 and stand 190 centimeters away from your screen. Does 640x480 look like a overkill resolution?

 

[Parkydr]

If 640x480 is readable, this would be a good resolution.

The aspect ratio would keep the emulation mafia happy, but there are a lot more Linux games and applications that require this as a minimum resolution that could be ported.

As .01 % of the linux geeks, I would like to port some more X applications and more real estate for the X server would help a lot.

The GP2X/3X has so much more potential than just an emulator machine, though some people could obviously do with an emulator to emulate not being an asshole!

 

[gaterooze]

The GP2X/3X has so much more potential than just an emulator machine, though some people could obviously do with an emulator to emulate not being an asshole!

:lol:

 

[DaveC]

there are other portables out there, check those out. and lets not get rude, caps lock is not needed.

Why don't you tell DaveC the same thing - I did actually put quite a bit of work into that X server and the last time I looked, DaveC had released... nothing whatsoever.

Oh yeah you are right. You have to be a coder and release some program to have any valid points. I never knew that, silly me :rolleyes:

Being a coder makes you know everything about everything

 

[Blah]

I am a coder. And I do know everything.

 

[White Demon]

the amiga resolutions mean that when in overscan mode you can't see the whole screen, plus the amiga quite liked using around 480*220 for apps/ some games.

OK, but the monitors available back then were all still only 4:3, regardless of the resolution used (analog TVs and Commodore/Amiga monitors worked in the amount of lines that were used to draw the screen, ie 525/625, regardless of the resolution used) and I've never seen any Amiga emulator that emulates anything other than a proper Amiga 4:3 display, as anything else would not be emulating the Amiga display faithfully.

And as for the resolution used by many apps & games, these were often stretched to fill the screen display. Displaying them at their native resolution without any stretching would make them look totally distorted.

EDIT: 'stretching' is probably not the best way to describe what I'm getting at, but needless to say, most Amiga games/apps were still displayed in pretty much fullscreen on a 4:3 display regardless of the resolution they were displayed in.

 

[Mudi]

4:3 is still the best ratio for gaming, my linux laptop is 16:9 and is great for working on but gaming was unpleasant on it when I was still using windows. 640x480 would be great if affordable, otherwise 320x240 is still fine for a large number of applications.

 

[Fishbong]

That is you.

You are in the minority.

O RLY?
*Looks at the poll results* :rolleyes:

 

[gaterooze]

You are in the minority.

O RLY?
*Looks at the poll results* :rolleyes:

Hmm, actually it's currently 43% for widescreen, 57% for 320x240 (option 2 + 3)...

Not that any of it really matters.

 

[andyB911]

Widescreen looks, for want of a better word 'bling'. I bought a widescreen laptop, and to be honest, having never watched a film on it (and the screen not being large enough really to have 2 docs side by side), its no better if not worse than normal 4:3.

But it does look nice.

I'd certainly vote for 640 x 480. But for marketing purposes widescreen will be easier to sell - no doubt. Try and buy a non-widescreen tv these days - pretty much impossible, so by 2008 non-widescreen will be very 80s. So I suspect the decision comes down to who is the market?

If trying to head a little more mainstream - then widescreen. If content to sell to 'us', then 640 x 480.

 

[Alvin]

there are other portables out there, check those out. and lets not get rude, caps lock is not needed.

Why don't you tell DaveC the same thing - I did actually put quite a bit of work into that X server and the last time I looked, DaveC had released... nothing whatsoever.

Oh yeah you are right. You have to be a coder and release some program to have any valid points. I never knew that, silly me :rolleyes:

Being a coder makes you know everything about everything

It sure beats being like you.

 

[A_SN]

there are other portables out there, check those out. and lets not get rude, caps lock is not needed.

Why don't you tell DaveC the same thing - I did actually put quite a bit of work into that X server and the last time I looked, DaveC had released... nothing whatsoever.

Oh yeah you are right. You have to be a coder and release some program to have any valid points. I never knew that, silly me :rolleyes:

Being a coder makes you know everything about everything

Release an emulator in order to reach the semi-god status and thus make anyone heed your word as if it came from the Bible

 

[Julius]

So what about a touch-screen?

*flame*

Seriously, didn't we have this discussion about one hundred billion times already???

The GP3X will have what is cheap at the time of building it, maybe influenced what what ever crazy idea someone at GPH (or what ever it will be called by then) will have. We will just have to wait and see

 

[prairiefire]

Actually since we hold our GP2X's about 50 cm from our eyes, that the screen is 3.5" wide and that our eye resolution is at best 28 arc seconds, the overkill size limit would be around 1300 pixels wide, or 1280x960 if you prefer, meaning that we could enjoy a 1280x960 resolution but not more. Note that at such a distance the screen appears to be about 10.2°x7.6°, and that we could only enjoy the full resolution of our eye in a circle of 2° of diameter, out of it our eye resolution progessively decreases.

In conclusion, I'd say that 640x480 for an hypothetical GP3X is not overkill, and that even then there would be room for our eyes to enjoy a higher resolution.

Edit : Orkie has just informed me that he holds his GP2X 20 cm from his eyes. In this case the overkill limit would be around 3200x2400

Edit #2 : If you want to see how 640x480 would look like on a GP2X and that you have a 17" screen, set your screen res to 640x480 and stand 190 centimeters away from your screen. Does 640x480 look like a overkill resolution?

Fantastic stuff. Usually these threads end up being a big flame war, or an opinion war (with no basis of fact or example). Cheers for the useful info and, i might say, a wicked optics lesson!

 

[markiej]

I am a huge advocate of a 4-5" 640x480 screen. 4:3 all the way. I have my pc plugged into my 1366x768 lcd htdv. There is very little gaming advantage to it. an xbox 360 would be a different story (please santa!!!!). But gp2x is kind of a handheld pc-type experience. Also, I would guess that lots of you folks watch anime on your gp2x. 4:3 mostly.

yup definitely 4:3. 320x240 is adequate, but 640x480 would be pretty word if possible.

 

[DaveC]

I am a huge advocate of a 4-5" 640x480 screen. 4:3 all the way. I have my pc plugged into my 1366x768 lcd htdv. There is very little gaming advantage to it. an xbox 360 would be a different story (please santa!!!!). But gp2x is kind of a handheld pc-type experience. Also, I would guess that lots of you folks watch anime on your gp2x. 4:3 mostly.

yup definitely 4:3. 320x240 is adequate, but 640x480 would be pretty word if possible.

The only problem I can see with the VGA res is cost. But if they wait awhile to release anything costs should come down. Pocket PCs use both 320 x 240 and 640 x 480 screens so there should be volume there.

Along with the fact that 640 x 480 is a good multiple to do even doubling of older systems without the fractional scaling is the fact that alot of PC stuff could run full resolution on it. Alot of those PC "sim" games use 640 x 480. High res mode on the Amiga and Atari ST was 640 x 400 too. I can see alot of benifits for 640 x 480. I would pay extra for that over the non standard 480 x 272 res.

 

[Shikkers]

The only problem I can see with the VGA res is cost. But if they wait awhile to release anything costs should come down. Pocket PCs use both 320 x 240 and 640 x 480 screens so there should be volume there.

Along with the fact that 640 x 480 is a good multiple to do even doubling of older systems without the fractional scaling is the fact that alot of PC stuff could run full resolution on it. Alot of those PC "sim" games use 640 x 480. High res mode on the Amiga and Atari ST was 640 x 400 too. I can see alot of benifits for 640 x 480. I would pay extra for that over the non standard 480 x 272 res.

qft

 

[saboteur]

640 * 480 for my two peneth.

And if u can assemble it all into a clamshell design with a built in keyboard ( like a psion 5mx) and make the screen swivel like a sharp zaurus then nobody would need a laptop then would they.

 

[gmiller1018]

The higher res would be nice but form factor and button placement would have to be just right. The current form factor of the GP2X happens to work great for my hands so anything bigger might not feel right.

My opinion, which can be safely ignored.