Full-Screen and Windowed and Widescreen, oh my.
November 24th, 2006 by dinahFrom the Suggestion Box
GameTap defaults to 800×600 running in full-screen mode — full-screen for that immersive gaming experience, and 800×600 for maximum performance. But, what if you want to multitask between games? Or you’ve got a new widescreen monitor?
Every month, the suggestion box contains a few questions just like that. Here’s a how to:
To toggle between full-screen and windowed mode at GameTap’s current resolution, the quickest way to use the button in the top toolbar:
If your windowed mode button is disabled, it means your desktop isn’t running in 32-bit color. To change that, right click on your Windows desktop, choose the Settings tab, and set your color depth to 32 bit.
Okay, so that’s toggling. But, to get the most out of GameTap’s display options, go to My GameTap, choose Account Settings, and then Display.
Select the radio button for windowed or full-screen mode. If you choose windowed mode, you can select from a dropdown or roll-your-own by entering custom dimensions. If you choose full-screen, the dropdown will populate with all the display sizes your video card can support.
Personally, I like running in a widescreen window, just because I like the way the space opens up. Click a thumbnail, make it grow. See what I mean? Ahhh.
My GameTap
The GameTap Vault (Warrior Within!)
And GameTap TV.
And that’s it. Just about whatever display mode you desire (and that your video card can handle), we’ve got it.
We check the suggestion box regularly, so if you have a question or a suggestion about how the GameTap UI works, post it there, or send it to us here.
December 4th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Actually I had a thought on the display. I like that it is such a flexible thing, but one thing I wouldn’t mind seeing is a dynamic setting option. In other words, say you want to load up arcade games that are in a usual different resolution (vertical screens or what have you). An option to toggle certain games to another display mode on boot would be an excellent, exellent thing. Especially if you guys ever reign in some of those multi-screen Taito arcade games.
December 4th, 2006 at 8:08 pm
I want to make sure I understand what you mean. (Since we can’t change your actual display, like physically turn your monitor on its side
)
In either windowed or fs mode, we retain the original aspect ratio of the game and give it as much screen real estate as we can. So, do you mean we should (in fs) stretch the orignal aspect to some other size? Or do you mean switch the window size to a ‘game-friendly’ window on play? Or switch from windowed to fs on play?
December 7th, 2006 at 9:25 am
I’m generally playing windowed mode, so when I load up, say Galaga (which, in arcades is displayed on vertically centered monitors) I see the vertical display (of the game itself, not of my screen) in my 1024×768 window, but I have black bars surrounding either side. What I’d like to see is a video option to where, when I launch these older games and overhead shooters with originally vertical monitors, I can have my window auto-rescale to a particular setting (say, 640×800 or 800×1000).
I think folks that have pivoting flatpanels would probably benefit greatly from having a setting like this too, by the way.
December 7th, 2006 at 11:42 am
Excellent idea and one I will add to the list. No promises on when or even if it will make it into the product, but it’s definitely in the roster now. Thanks!