4:3 gaming on a widescreen laptop?

[butch84]

My friend just got a new emachines laptop with an A64 3000+ and a radeon mobility 9600. It performs quite well, but the problem is that it stretches standard gaming resolutions like 1024x768 (4:3) to fit the widescreen. Is there any way to force it to put black bars on the side, displaying the game without stretching it horizontally like that? Gaming on it is kinda pointless if all the characters look all fat and whatnot ....

anybody have any ideas?
Thanks-
butch

 

[0roo0roo]

many new games have a wide screen option in graphics settings. wide is good.

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
many new games have a wide screen option in graphics settings. wide is good.

Wide is good...but *only* if the aspect ratio of the content is also wide.

Stretching/distortion is BAD.

Edit: !@#! My brother (Ichinisan) posted with my account AGAIN.

 

[calam63]

in some games - they allow for a different resolution - you just need a longer width resolution

 

[butch84]

yea, i know some games allow for widescreen, but a lot dont. Is there some option or program that will allow you to simply "center" the game content rather than stretching it?

 

[Ichinisan]

I don't have one of these displays, but I think you might find some controls under Control Panel>Display Options>Settings>Advanced

Look for some tabs that have been customized by the manufacturer's video chipset drivers. Most laptops have *some* control over scaling (pretty much only 'on' or 'off'). Hopefully, these 16:9 laptops have greater control. It would be optimal to use virtical stretching/scaling, and only scale horizontally to match the aspect ratio correctly.

 

[WobbleWobble]

Usually in the BIOS there's an option for screen expansion. Disable it.

 

[MDE]

For an easy fix, if the game allows it set the resolution to 1280x800 (the screen's native resolution).

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
Usually in the driver configuration there's an option for screen expansion. Disable it.

Fixed

Linked are the steps for turning it off with ATI hardware. I've seen some laptops that give no such option either there or in the BIOS making it appear to be part of the screen's technology and it operates independantly. I'm sure there are some lappys that set this in the BIOS but the majority will have an option somewhere else

 

[Abhi]

In my dell inspiron 8500 with Ti 4200 Go... I simply select the "Fixed Aspect Ratio Scaling" from the advanced display properties....

Try and see if u find such an option...

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: CZroe

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
many new games have a wide screen option in graphics settings. wide is good.

Wide is good...but *only* if the aspect ratio of the content is also wide.

Stretching/distortion is BAD.

Edit: !@#! My brother (Ichinisan) posted with my account AGAIN.

well yea, but new games really do have wide settings. i'm pretty sure ut2k4 and bfvietnam have em. i'm sure farcry does. some others i'm forgetting

 

[Abhi]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo

Originally posted by: CZroe

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
many new games have a wide screen option in graphics settings. wide is good.

Wide is good...but *only* if the aspect ratio of the content is also wide.

Stretching/distortion is BAD.

Edit: !@#! My brother (Ichinisan) posted with my account AGAIN.

well yea, but new games really do have wide settings. i'm pretty sure ut2k4 and bfvietnam have em. i'm sure farcry does. some others i'm forgetting

GTA: Vice City

NFSU too i think..