Really? Just because it isn't connected to my TV with an HDMI cable it looks like this?! The graphics appear all washed out, and low res! Does it just look underwhelming because I'm used to watching gameplay videos on my PC, or can the graphics actually look much better? Unfortunately the TV I have it connected to only has one HDMI port, and this is in use for my cable box! Is it possible to improve the quality of the graphics without connecting an HDMI cable? I'm just using the cables that came with the PS3. Are others better? Thanks.

Most developers don't correctly code for the PS3 and most of the time the system's actual power and features (like BD storage) is gone to waste. There are only a handful of games which truly make use of the PS3's powerful architecture, and the majority of that small group is either 1st party or in-house.

Its not that amazing. HDMI provides an improvement, but eh.

It looks no worse than the 360; just a tad more washed out, if you compare multiplatform games side-by-side.

Wait, did you remember to enable 1080p/widescreen? Did you mix up the component and composite cables?

Get a HDMI switch along with a 10$ hdmi cable. But to answer your question, yes that probably is the problem

If he's complaining about the visuals while using composite cables then... lol.

The washed out part is because of the video cables, the low res depends, if you mean fuzzy then thats because of your cable too, but if you mean the textures, then that could be the video cable, it could also be the game your playing.

To be fair, composite cables connected to any HDTV will produce a crappy picture.

I used one of these to hook up my PS3, 360, and PC to the same monitor (which also only had one HDMI port), before I bought a proper TV: http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-High-Performance-Switcher-Switch/dp/B0015YWKYY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326258876&sr=8-1

Get some PS3 component cables, or a HDMI switch like Dagbiker said. Then, if your TV's 720p, set your PS3 to 720p--same goes for 1080p... Didn't we all go through this stuff already in like 2006?

The prob is that you're using SD cables on an HDTV.

I think that first party titles on the PS3 are beautiful look not less than Uncharted, or Killzone. Unfortunately, most third party titles suffer from bad ports which is extremely sad on such a powerful system.

It's the audio/visual cables. They suck. When I got an HDTV and plugged in my ps3 with the a/v cables it came with it looked like garbage. But when I used an HDMI, it looked fantastic. Anything better than what you got will make it look better. Composite should look fine. Maybe try switching out the HDMI from your cable when you're playing on the PS3.

>Buying a half-decade old console

>Not using HDMI

Subtle trolling?

Can't tell if serious or troll.

@CosmicQueso said:

Can't tell if serious or troll.

@soulfulsoul: HDMI cable will improve it. And of course it doesn't look that good if you are used to PC. That's not PS3 alone, it goes the same for 360.

People say Uncharted 3 or Uncharted 2 are the best graphic on PS3 so play one of them with an HDMI cable.

Personally, I found it funny you flat out saying "PS3 looks bad!" without using HDMI cable. I'm not saying PS3 is the best on the market. But you're not even giving a fair shot without even trying.

With that said, yeah, it is a half decade old console. And like other comments said, most developers don't use 1080p despite the fact PS3 supports it(360 doesn't).

There were two games that I have seen so far that use 1080p that was Call of Duty(I guess series not just one game) and Final Fantasy, which is sad.

@Jace: Eh... plenty of people don't understand video. And it can be kinda ridiculous anyway.

If you want the best possible quality from your consoles, PS3 has HDMI, 360 has VGA D-SUB (or HDMI), and Wii has component. So using a TV/Monitor with all those options makes it easier to live without a switcher. :)

@soulfulsoul: What do you mean watching gameplay videos on your pc? If you mean that you're watching gameplay videos of a PS3 game then yes it should look like that on your tv if you have everything setup properly.

@Jace said:

>Buying a half-decade old console

>Not using HDMI

Subtle trolling?

No. This HD nonsense makes no sense to me whatsoever! It's a cable that transfers information. Why on earth does a different cable create a better picture?! I'm used to older consoles that you just plug in and go, and (for their time) they always looked great no matter what you connected tthem to! I'm playing Batman Arkham City and Rayman Origins. Rayman looks okay, but Batman just doesn't compare to the gameplay videos I've seen at all!

@soulfulsoul said:

@Jace said:

>Buying a half-decade old console

>Not using HDMI

Subtle trolling?

No. This HD nonsense makes no sense to me whatsoever! It's a cable that transfers information. Why on earth does a different cable create a better picture?! I'm used to older consoles that you just plug in and go, and (for their time) they always looked great no matter what you connected tthem to! I'm playing Batman Arkham City and Rayman Origins. Rayman looks okay, but Batman just doesn't compare to the gameplay videos I've seen at all!

Why don't you try plugging your cable's HDMI into the PS3 and see if you notice the difference.

@soulfulsoul said:

@Jace said:

>Buying a half-decade old console

>Not using HDMI

Subtle trolling?

No. This HD nonsense makes no sense to me whatsoever! It's a cable that transfers information. Why on earth does a different cable create a better picture?! I'm used to older consoles that you just plug in and go, and (for their time) they always looked great no matter what you connected tthem to! I'm playing Batman Arkham City and Rayman Origins. Rayman looks okay, but Batman just doesn't compare to the gameplay videos I've seen at all!

There's a thing called bandwidth, composite cables are not design to handle the amount of information HD needs.

@soulfulsoul said:

@Jace said:

>Buying a half-decade old console

>Not using HDMI

Subtle trolling?

No. This HD nonsense makes no sense to me whatsoever! It's a cable that transfers information. Why on earth does a different cable create a better picture?! I'm used to older consoles that you just plug in and go, and (for their time) they always looked great no matter what you connected tthem to! I'm playing Batman Arkham City and Rayman Origins. Rayman looks okay, but Batman just doesn't compare to the gameplay videos I've seen at all!

Just from your responses you show you have absolutely no idea with what you are talking about when it comes to cables. Instead of jumping onto a forum and asking why your (HD) games don't look splendid when transferred through an (SD) set of wires, why don't you Google the difference between the two? There was this old saying about a man having to catch his own fish....

Does the ps3 even come with component cables or is it just just the standard av ones? if so, there's your problem.

@ccampb89 said:

@soulfulsoul said:

@Jace said:

>Buying a half-decade old console

>Not using HDMI

Subtle trolling?

No. This HD nonsense makes no sense to me whatsoever! It's a cable that transfers information. Why on earth does a different cable create a better picture?! I'm used to older consoles that you just plug in and go, and (for their time) they always looked great no matter what you connected tthem to! I'm playing Batman Arkham City and Rayman Origins. Rayman looks okay, but Batman just doesn't compare to the gameplay videos I've seen at all!

Just from your responses you show you have absolutely no idea with what you are talking about when it comes to cables. Instead of jumping onto a forum and asking why your (HD) games don't look splendid when transferred through an (SD) set of wires, why don't you Google the difference between the two? There was this old saying about a man having to catch his own fish....

I absolutely agree I have no idea what I'm talking about! So the cables included with the ps3 are sd?! That's pretty silly when I thought the whole point of the system was HD gaming! Anyway people are taking this topic way too seriosly. I'm not that angry about it. I know the situation can be fixed. I just find it odd that Sony doesn't give you the equipment to see their impressive HD console in HD (or at least higher than SD)!

At first I thought this was a serious post. Then you said it shouldn't matter what cable you plug in. You must be still listening to all your music in mono too. Fuck those damn cable! Why should it matter! You sir are either trolling, are an idiot, or haven't used technology over the last 30 years.

@soulfulsoul said:

@ccampb89 said:

@soulfulsoul said:

@Jace said:

>Buying a half-decade old console

>Not using HDMI

Subtle trolling?

No. This HD nonsense makes no sense to me whatsoever! It's a cable that transfers information. Why on earth does a different cable create a better picture?! I'm used to older consoles that you just plug in and go, and (for their time) they always looked great no matter what you connected tthem to! I'm playing Batman Arkham City and Rayman Origins. Rayman looks okay, but Batman just doesn't compare to the gameplay videos I've seen at all!

Just from your responses you show you have absolutely no idea with what you are talking about when it comes to cables. Instead of jumping onto a forum and asking why your (HD) games don't look splendid when transferred through an (SD) set of wires, why don't you Google the difference between the two? There was this old saying about a man having to catch his own fish....

I absolutely agree I have no idea what I'm talking about! So the cables included with the ps3 are sd?! That's pretty silly when I thought the whole point of the system was HD gaming! Anyway people are taking this topic way too seriosly. I'm not that angry about it. I know the situation can be fixed. I just find it odd that Sony doesn't give you the equipment to see their impressive HD console in HD (or at least higher than SD)!

On that, you are absolutely right. It was strange when PS3 launched, and it is still strange why PS3 doesn't come with an HDMI cable.

@soulfulsoul said:

@ccampb89 said:

@soulfulsoul said:

@Jace said:

>Buying a half-decade old console

>Not using HDMI

Subtle trolling?

No. This HD nonsense makes no sense to me whatsoever! It's a cable that transfers information. Why on earth does a different cable create a better picture?! I'm used to older consoles that you just plug in and go, and (for their time) they always looked great no matter what you connected tthem to! I'm playing Batman Arkham City and Rayman Origins. Rayman looks okay, but Batman just doesn't compare to the gameplay videos I've seen at all!

Just from your responses you show you have absolutely no idea with what you are talking about when it comes to cables. Instead of jumping onto a forum and asking why your (HD) games don't look splendid when transferred through an (SD) set of wires, why don't you Google the difference between the two? There was this old saying about a man having to catch his own fish....

I absolutely agree I have no idea what I'm talking about! So the cables included with the ps3 are sd?! That's pretty silly when I thought the whole point of the system was HD gaming! Anyway people are taking this topic way too seriosly. I'm not that angry about it. I know the situation can be fixed. I just find it odd that Sony doesn't give you the equipment to see their impressive HD console in HD (or at least higher than SD)!

On that, you are absolutely right. It was strange when PS3 launched, and it is still strange why PS3 doesn't come with an HDMI cable.

I actually do find it hilarious that the PS3 does not come with at least component cables. Might have caused headaches to the not-so-tech-savvy like the OP.

@soulfulsoul: It's so unfair that you'd troll by saying things that very dumb people would actually say.

@nohthink: Do believe MGS 4 did 1080 also. But the point still stands, could have been more. Personally I am a PS 3 fan, and I do not know quite why. Iv'e just always had a good impression of the PS 3 rendition of graphics despite it's obvious and I am sure deserved reputation..if only difficult to dev. for. Very subjective, but when the Ps3 does it successfully, it does it well. Uncharted 2 and 3, Killzone 3, Dead space (D.S. 2 I got on PC) Mgs 4 all looked so very good.

I managed to get those games that didn't on it, on either the PC or if I had to, the 360. Skyrim..on PC. You learn after a while. And yet I have learned to value the PS 3

*facepalm

@soulfulsoul: Games=data, SD cable can't handle the amount of data that a HDMI can. So they lower the graphics quality in accordance with your cable so it actually fits through the cable at all.

That's why you need HDMI. I agree that not giving one with the system is plain dumb.

@soulfulsoul:

HDMI will give you a better picture. Are you using component cables? They are your next best option. The next thing I would do is make sure you're running at the highest resolution for your TV (I think component cables can do 1080P but I could be wrong). Under display settings turn the RGB setting to 'Full'. If your TV is compatible with this setting you should get deeper, more vibrant colors and darker blacks. Finally, calibrate your TV for video games by getting a calibrating tool. I use the AVSHD -709 disc (search for it in google). When you play that calibration disc, hit the 'triangle' button, go to display settings, and change the color matrix to RGB. Then calibrate. Afterward, change the color matrix back to Y Pb/Cb Pr/Cr (as this is the matrix most movies use) and calibrate.

Really? So you're using the RGB cables? Know what? Doesn't matter, the only way to go with any system this gen is HDMI cord. If you're not using an HDMI cord, you're doing it wrong. How far back are you with technology? Still using a VCR for movies and cassette tapes for music I'm guessing. Sorry, but man.

@nohthink said:

@soulfulsoul said:

@ccampb89 said:

@soulfulsoul said:

@Jace said:

>Buying a half-decade old console

>Not using HDMI

Subtle trolling?

No. This HD nonsense makes no sense to me whatsoever! It's a cable that transfers information. Why on earth does a different cable create a better picture?! I'm used to older consoles that you just plug in and go, and (for their time) they always looked great no matter what you connected tthem to! I'm playing Batman Arkham City and Rayman Origins. Rayman looks okay, but Batman just doesn't compare to the gameplay videos I've seen at all!

Just from your responses you show you have absolutely no idea with what you are talking about when it comes to cables. Instead of jumping onto a forum and asking why your (HD) games don't look splendid when transferred through an (SD) set of wires, why don't you Google the difference between the two? There was this old saying about a man having to catch his own fish....

I absolutely agree I have no idea what I'm talking about! So the cables included with the ps3 are sd?! That's pretty silly when I thought the whole point of the system was HD gaming! Anyway people are taking this topic way too seriosly. I'm not that angry about it. I know the situation can be fixed. I just find it odd that Sony doesn't give you the equipment to see their impressive HD console in HD (or at least higher than SD)!

On that, you are absolutely right. It was strange when PS3 launched, and it is still strange why PS3 doesn't come with an HDMI cable.

Specially because if you don't know about this kind of stuff, his reaction is perfectly reasonable: "this console looks like crap". And sure, right now for him it does because they wouldn't take the hit of putting a cable in it despite having HD content be the core selling point of the thing through BluRay.

@bybeach: I totally understand. PS3 is my only console and it is annoying to see what kind of treatments PS3 gets(such as Skyrim or Bayonetta). I recently got 1080p HDTV and I have not played MGS4 on that TV yet. I purchased the game when it came out and finished 3 times on my old TV. Maybe I should give it a try again just to experience 1080p.

Not using HDMI... fucking rookie.

In fairness, having recently seen both a 360 and a PS3 on an SDTV, it's striking how awful the PS3 looks via SD, while 360 looks pretty good.

Shut up and listen

Here are the games you need to get

Killzone-2 + Killzone 3

God of War 3

Uncharted 2 + Uncharted 3

Little Big Planet 1 + Little Big Planet 2

Dark Souls

The Last Guardian (when it comes out)

This can't be real, but since others may dig this up when searching for a similar question:

RCA cables are different than S-Video cables which are different from component/composite cables which are different from HDMI. If you understand why you need a television capable of 720p or 1080i/p to get the best visual fidelity instead of just using a 27" 4:3 CRT, then comprehending the different qualities of video cables shouldn't be much more of a stretch.

What are the primary differences? Well, HDMI can do 1080p (composite/component can only do 1080i - though not relevant with current consoles). More importantly, component/composite cables are analog and HDMI are digital.

By the way, you can find a two meter cable for $3.35 and free shipping, on Amazon. Not really worth getting worked-up over. If your TV or tuner (you have a tuner, right? what do you plug your audio system into?!) doesn't have enough HDMI ports, then just get an HDMI hub for like $10 on Amazon, too.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll definitely try them. I switched the display ratio to 16:9, and the quality has already improved. Batman looks a bit better, and I was surprised to find that Rayman actually looks MUCH better.

@soulfulsoul: You are doing yourself a disservice to not be using an HDMI cord for your PS3. You can get them online for under $5 and all you'd need to get is a splitter for your one HDMI connection. Rayman and Batman are two games that look outstanding on the PS3 if you've got the right setup to display them.

@OllyOxenFree said:

If he's complaining about the visuals while using composite cables then... lol.

Exactly...someone needs help. Haha.

Uh... If you hooked it up with the standard composite cables the system comes with, then, yeah, the picture will suck. I don't know what you have plugged into the HDMI, but, if it is a directv receiver or cable box, you should use component hook ups for that since NEITHER do 1080p output. The best they offer is 1080i. Use the HDMI for your PS3 with the Blu-Ray, which you will get 1080p output with, then come back and let us know what you think. There are a few titles that take advantage of 1080p, but, MOST people can't tell the difference between 1080p, 1080i, 720p, and so on. If you are into graphics, then you better get a copy of God of War 3, the Uncharted games, and maybe the new Assassin's Creed Revelations. Hook up your other components with component cables, and use the HDMI for your PS3.I am SURE you will not be disappointed.

lol ... OP is silly.

The troll is strong in this one.

@soulfulsoul said:

Really? Just because it isn't connected to my TV with an HDMI cable it looks like this?! The graphics appear all washed out, and low res! Does it just look underwhelming because I'm used to watching gameplay videos on my PC, or can the graphics actually look much better? Unfortunately the TV I have it connected to only has one HDMI port, and this is in use for my cable box! Is it possible to improve the quality of the graphics without connecting an HDMI cable? I'm just using the cables that came with the PS3. Are others better? Thanks.

I'm not sure how the PS3 handles HDCP, but until you use HDMI and the PS3 can handshake with your display, your blu-rays at least, will be horribly down sampled.

You also can't get 720p+ off those RCA cables. 480i, tops. If you used that RCA cable like a component cable, instead of video, right, left, you used it as red, green, blue, you can do 720p. But, if the PS3 needs to do HDCP handshaking, it's a no go over component.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-High-Performance-Switcher-Switch/dp/B0015YWKYY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326322278&sr=8-1

Snag one of those, it should do the trick.

@Aus_azn said:

Its not that amazing. HDMI provides an improvement, but eh.

I don't know, man. Without HDMI the text in most of the games I play is next to unreadable.

The OP couldn't be bothered to just, y'know, switch the cables and plug it into the PS3, just to check?

Pretty awful troll thread.

@soulfulsoul:

What have you been playing all these years then if you don't even know what an HDMI is for?

@nohthink said:

@soulfulsoul:

There were two games that I have seen so far that use 1080p that was Call of Duty(I guess series not just one game) and Final Fantasy, which is sad.

The latest CoD games were sub 720p. 640p or so, upscaled to 1080p.

FF13's in game stuff is 720p, upscaled to 1080p. FMV is 1080p.

Even games like MGS4 and GT5 which are "1080p" games aren't what we would think of as traditional 1080p resolution. On a wide screen display, 1920x1080p fills out a 16:9 screen. Both MGS and GT5 display at 1280x1080 which is a non-wide screen aspect ratio. The rendered image is then stretched out horizontally to fit the 16:9 aspect ratio.