EA Claims First Xbox 360 1080p Game Crown

Following yesterday's news that Sega's March 20 release of Virtua Tennis 3 would herald the first Xbox 360 game to feature native 1080p support, a representative from Electronic Arts has revealed to Gamasutra that its upcoming NBA Street Homecourt, shipping a month earlier on February 20, will also support the high end resolution on Xbox 360. While Microsoft first announced support for native 1080p games and movies in its October 2006 Xbox Live update, it heralded a number of titles competing to be the first to offer the highest-end HD resolution, and it appears that EA's title will indeed beat Sega's to retail with the hitherto not well-publicized resolution included. The fourth game in the EA's fast action basketball series, and the first for a next-gen console, NBA Street Homecourt will support multiple resolutions, including 16:9 1080p at 30fps, according to further information from EA representatives. Other features confirmed for the upcoming 3-on-3 basketball title include a new animation engine and control system, as well as the ability to create a player and play online via Xbox Live. A demo for the game, which lets players compete as either Denver Nuggets small forward Carmelo Anthony or Detroit Pistons shooting guard Richard Hamilton, is currently available for download over Xbox Live. NBA Street Homecourt is scheduled to ship for the Xbox 360 February 20, while a version for the PlayStation 3 is currently expected to arrive at retail two weeks later on March 6.