(01-01-2013, 02:47 AM)devina40 Wrote: [ -> ]I've never really understood the point of Eyefinity.
The fact that there are big black bars separating the image is an instant turn-off for me. It seems better to just use a single big widescreen HDTV rather than 3 widescreen monitors taped together side-by-side.
How is it better to have the image just stop at the 16:9 marker? That's like having an infinite black bar on either side of your screen that prevents you from seeing anything else (like putting blinders on a horse)
I'll take a couple of small black bars over having nothing at all...
And that's kinda the point of running three screens in Eyefinity rather than two. The center screen sees exactly what you'd normally see in games (no more, no less). The side screens add additional field of view. There's nothing lost, only gained.
Edit: Also, using a single massive TV and letter-boxing the image down to 48:10 results in pitifully poor resolution. My current setup runs at 5760x1200, but that same aspect ratio on a 1080p TV would only be 1920x400 (that's worse than PS2 native resolution on the vertical axis).
Also, to get the same physical width out of a single 16:9 screen, it would have to be a 70" panel... and even the brand new 4K screens they're demoing at CES this year only reach 3840×2160, which still falls massively short of the horizontal resolution Eyefinity offers.
Basically... there's simply no way to get an image this wide and this sharp out of a single panel at this time.
(01-01-2013, 02:47 AM)devina40 Wrote: [ -> ]I don't see it working with PCSX2, especially with stretched 2D graphics and art to the point that they're ruined. For example, look at Roxas's poor face in the KH2 screen... I'd imagine most menus and text are unreadable. At least in 16:9, the 2D graphics are passable.
Works fine for me, and not all games have that problem. Crash Bandicoot, for instance, has a perfect HUD and menu screen. No stretching at all.
I honestly don't mind the HUD stretch (even some PC games have that problem). The 3D graphics are what's important, and those have been corrected perfectly. Exactly the same thing you're dealing with in 16:9, so I don't see the issue here...
Also, all you have to do is tap the F6 key to instantly bring the image to 4:3 temporarily, which works fine for pause-screen menus and such. hit F6 again to return to full eyefinity-glory.
(01-01-2013, 02:47 AM)devina40 Wrote: [ -> ]Another reason why extreme widescreen for PS2 games is a bad idea is because the games were never intended to be that wide, so you'll see lots of incomplete environments (which would ruin the artistic integrity, imo). In that FFX screenshot, you can even see the edge of the game world in the bottom corners.
Actually, that's not as big a problem as you might think. There's absolutely no missing geometry in Crash Bandicoot or Kingdom Hearts 2, and Final Fantasy X is fixable (I managed to partially fix it since my last post. It doesn't cull out as much geometry now. Just need to push it a bit farther).
So far, everything has worked great. I'm seeing a great deal more of the environment, which the developers put hard work into. How is that ruining the art direction any more than enabling 16:9 modes?
(01-01-2013, 02:47 AM)devina40 Wrote: [ -> ]Because of this, I don't see a future for PS2 Eyefinity patches... Sorry.
Why not, exactly? I've show it's possible, and I know it works fine. You can't exactly stop me (and others) from patching games
I was just asking for a little help with some problem titles. That's all...
(01-01-2013, 03:03 AM)pgert Wrote: [ -> ]Maybe the coders can apply a "Strech 2D Yes\No" option in "Emulation Settings".
I'd love to see this implemented in PCSX2. But is it a feature for PCSX2 itself to support, or is it a feature that needs to be implemented within the graphics plugin?
(01-01-2013, 03:14 AM)devina40 Wrote: [ -> ]That would be awesome! I know Dolphin doesn't stretch the 2D graphics when you apply the widescreen hack.
Unless it can be implemented, I wouldn't go any further than 16:9 for now.
Well, again, not all games have a stretched HUD. Those that do, it might not be a problem for a lot of people (isn't for me, I'm just glad they work).
There's also the matter of just hitting F6 if you need to make 2D elements the correct aspect ratio for a moment. This works fine for in-game menus, weather they're stretched to 16:9 or 48:10.
(01-01-2013, 07:08 AM)synce Wrote: [ -> ]Those 40:10 screens are insane, me likey... post more lol
Hehe, yup. I'll snap some more shots. I'd really like to patch Shadow of the Colossus, but I have no 16:9 hack to start from
Here are another few shots of Kingdom Hearts 2, from one of the cut-scenes. This entire cut-scene plays perfectly in 48:10, with no missing geometry. There's a huge amount of set that sits outside the normal 4:3 (or 16:9) frame that you normally miss out on. I honestly haven't seen a single flaw with this game at this aspect ratio, aside from the HUD.
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Also, partially-fixed Final Fantasy X. Looking very good here:
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And Crash Bandicoot, running in all its flawless glory with no missing geometry (and though it isn't pictured here, the HUD is not stretched) :
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(01-01-2013, 07:08 AM)synce Wrote: [ -> ]@devina For me the main reason to hook up multiple monitors would be productivity, and ultra-widescreen gaming is just icing on the cake
yeah, that's exactly why built this setup. I had used two monitors for years, and when Eyefinity came around I upgraded to three in order to take advantage.
It really is massively more immersive, having the game fill up so much of your filed of vision. The monitor bezels really don't matter when you sit down in the middle of one of these display configurations. It also gives you a massive boost in situational awareness, allowing you to actually use your peripheral vision in-game for once.
Basically, what I'm saying is, don't knock it till you've tried it. There's a large community of gamers who have Eyefinity rigs now, I see no reason to snub them.
I've gone ahead and attached my patch files for Kingdom Hearts 2 and Crash Bandicoot if anyone wants to try them out. They're the two best-supported games so far
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