MS cagey on HD commitment

Microsoft has refused to confirm rumours that flagship title Project Gotham Racing 3 won't run at 720p - but they're not exactly denying it, either.

"The only performance number a gamer should care about is the output, as that is what is actually viewed and enjoyed," a Microsoft spokesperson told Eurogamer.

"Xbox 360 gives developers incredible flexibility to create the stunning hi-def images that gamers are currently enjoying. Different developers select different combinations of techniques to produce those amazing graphics, but it’s only the output that matters."

Microsoft has previously stated that all Xbox 360 games will run in high definition - according to a statement on Xbox.com, "Games are required to be authored for 720p and 1080i."

But a poster on the Bizarre Creations forum, going under the name of MoonFace, claimed that this wasn't the case with PGR3.

"I have a review build of PGR3 and every time we capture a screenshot (which takes directly from the graphics buffer inside the machine) it punts out at 1024x600," the poster wrote.

"This is unlike any of the other Xbox 360 games we have so far screegrabbed, which have all given screenshots of 1280x720... The signal is outputting at 720p and it fills the screen like anything else, but the fact is, the source is a 1024x600 display."

MoonFace went on to note that this "isn't exactly a reason to go and cancel a pre-order," saying he wouldn't have noticed unless capturing screenshots and that PGR3 "does look better than any other game I've ever seen."

Bizarre has declined to comment on MoonFace's claims, despite repeated requests from other posters - which is unusual, since PGR3 staff regularly post on the forum. Nor did Bizarre respond to Eurogamer's request for comment.

Microsoft did, however - and the spokesperson told us that this isn't an issue for gamers: "What is going on behind the scenes in the code or the HW to get the incredible visuals for Xbox 360 is not what gamers care about.

"They just care about playing great looking and innovative games, and that is exactly what Xbox 360 and the launch lineup has provided."