Win Phone 7 to support 320x480 on future phones
updated 03:10 pm EST, Fri March 12, 2010
Windows Phone 7 to get 320x480 resolution support
On his recent blog entry, XNA Game Studio developer Shawn Hargreaves revealed that future versions of Windows Phone 7-based smartphones will support a lower 320x480 resolution rather than the current 480x800, indicating the operating system will be preloaded onto lower-end handsets. Writing from the perspective of a man who integrates games onto mobile platforms, like with Game Studio 4.0, Hargreaves believes the smaller resolution will make it easier for phones to render 3D games at a reasonable frame rate without having a super-fast processor.
Hargreaves goes on to say a scaler was developed to adapt games to the native resolution of the handsets automatically, along with an automatic rotation feature that will also adjust touch inputs accordingly.
The company is known to be tightly controlling the requirements on launch and may have just one of three form factors ready by late fall. Most of these will be high end devices and could limit Windows Phone 7 to just a handful of devices at first, but the lower 320x480 screen resolution would allow for comparatively inexpensive designs.
