The Richter Scale^®

Over the last few days, I’ve done a bit more in the realm of comparing current generation console output (e.g. PS2 and Xbox) with nexgen Xbox 360 output, and I must say, although in some games it’s subtle, the Xbox 360 does win hands down.

But I think that’s only because I am taking full advantage of the output quality potential of the Xbox 360 on my HD-ready TV, a 62” Samsung DLP.

My Xbox and PS2 are connected to my TV via component video (my GameCube uses S-Video), and are set to be aware of 16:9 format output.

But in planning for the arrival of my Xbox 360 I went and bought an Xbox 360 VGA cable, which outputs analog video at potentially high resolutions via a 15-pin VGA connector to any type of monitor which can support such a connection. I did not use DVI because my Samsung progressive scan DVD player is already connected to the DVI port on my TV, and I didn’t want to have to deal with a DVI switch box. The VGA cable worked great.

After organizing my Xbox 360 into my entertainment center (it sits on top of my PS2) I configured the Xbox 360 to output 1360 x 768, which is higher than the DVI connector to my TV supports. This does produce a very crisp picture compared to what I see on the Xbox or PS2. My wife even commented that the fog and snow effects in Call of Duty 2 looked realistic (high praise from her).

That said, I think a real HD-capable TV or monitor is a necessity to make an Xbox 360 useful. It’s a waste to use an Xbox 360 via composite, S-Video, or even component connections as you are still basically resolution limited, at least in comparison to the resolution potential available via the VGA cable.

But an HD ready TV with PC inputs will run you at least $999, plus another $40 for the VGA cable. Makes the Xbox 360 a pretty pricey toy.