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1. #QUAKE II CONSOLE SET DIFFICULTY 720P#
2. #QUAKE II CONSOLE SET DIFFICULTY 1080P#
3. #QUAKE II CONSOLE SET DIFFICULTY FULL#
4. #QUAKE II CONSOLE SET DIFFICULTY SOFTWARE#
5. #QUAKE II CONSOLE SET DIFFICULTY PC#

This curious set-up harkens back to a time where there was no firmly established HD standard, with Microsoft offering support for all manner of high resolution displays, and developers often following suit.īeyond that, Quake 2 seemingly uses full 16x anisotropic filtering to further refine the clarity of its textures at oblique angles. However, the oddball 16:10 resolutions available on Xbox 360 clearly upscale from a lower resolution, complete with borders. Likewise, when you select 1024x768, the game switches to a 4:3 image, offering 1:1 pixel-mapping at that particular resolution.

#QUAKE II CONSOLE SET DIFFICULTY 720P#

For example, when 720p is selected, the game renders at 1280x720 with 4x MSAA. What's curious about the way image quality is handled is that Quake 2 doesn't seem to downsample from its maximum internal resolution as you might expect.

#QUAKE II CONSOLE SET DIFFICULTY 1080P#

Depending on the set-up of the internal rendering, a full 1080p frame-buffer with 4x MSAA requires enough memory that the programmer would be required to use anything up to seven eDRAM tiles - an impressive feat considering its early release time frame. It doesn't stop there - the game's core image quality is exceptionally impressive as well, thanks to full support for 4x multi-sampling anti-aliasing (MSAA).

#QUAKE II CONSOLE SET DIFFICULTY PC#

John Linneman's DF Retro episode on Quake 2, centring on the original PC version, performance on original Voodoo Graphics hardware, plus analysis of all the console ports - including the Xbox 360 'HD remaster'. However, our tests confirm that the id game had the capability to render at full HD right from launch, presumably in order to offer superior image quality to those using 1080i displays. However, by the time this was introduced, it's fair to say that most 360 owners had long since forgotten about Quake 2 - and 1080p televisions were still relatively rare too.

In the case of Quake 2, id was able to achieve things that few other games on the system would ever manage, including support for 1080p output - a hardware feature that would elude the console until September 2006, when support was added via a firmware update.

However, as we've seen time and again, reproducing an original game on a different architecture can reveal unforeseen challenges, resulting in a poor conversion. Of course, by the time the Xbox 360 launched, Quake 2 was already eight years old and not exactly an impressive technical showcase, so the undoubted quality of the console port may not seem like a huge achievement. The Xbox 360 conversion of Quake 2 was released exclusively as a bonus disc packaged with the horrific Quake 4, and we were impressed by what we found: an optimised 1080p, 60 frames per second rendition of the classic id shooter, released at a time when the console itself was physically incapable of producing a full HD output - which may explain why its charms were overlooked at the time.Ĭoded predominantly by id (now Nvidia) programmer Brian Harris, Quake 2 for Xbox 360 started life as a simple conversion, more than likely a minor project that allowed id to test the waters on what was then 'next-gen' console development. The game? Quake 2.ĭuring a recent binge on retro games, we found ourselves marvelling at various console conversions of classic id shooters.

#QUAKE II CONSOLE SET DIFFICULTY SOFTWARE#

Looking back, Sony Santa Monica's brilliant God of War Collection in 2009 was clearly the catalyst for this new trend, but the reality is that id Software produced a remarkable 1080p60 HD remaster that shipped at launch alongside the Xbox 360 four years prior. Over the past few years the high-definition remaster has become a popular way to enjoy classic games, using more powerful hardware to deliver an enhanced, higher performance experience. The new DF Retro episode is embedded below and it offers a nice opportunity to revisit the story of the first console HD remaster - a 1080p60 presentation designed for a console that initially couldn't even output a full HD 60Hz signal. Editor's note: We originally published this story in February 2015, but today, Digital Foundry Retro rolls out a new Quake 2 episode, featuring an extended look at the PC original, along with analysis of the original PlayStation, N64 and unofficial Dreamcast versions - in addition to the Xbox 360 port this article focuses on.