10 Amazing Hidden Console Details You Didn't Know
2. The PS2 Could Run At 1080i
You might think the PS3 ushered in the HD age of gaming (yes, PC gamers, we know), and owing to the fact it was the first console to offer HDMI output straight from the box, it's a fair assumption. But in actuality - based on the modern definition of 'HD', and not the sort of (contemporaneously accurate) marketing spiel which saw 'High Definition Graphics' printed on the SEGA Genesis - it was its predecessor which first delivered games with such glorious visual fidelity.
After a fashion, anyway. Though it doesn't have an HDMI adapter, a handful of PS2 games allow the option to be played in 1080i. The most notable is Gran Turismo 4 - although resolution will revert for menus. Tourist Trophy, Valkyrie Profile 2 and, bizarrely, Jackass 2 also had options for outputting at the system stretching resolution too.
In a similar vein, the PS2 had a console-level feature which allowed the majority of its widescreen games to display via slightly clearer progressive scan. Holding Triangle and X after the startup logo brings up the option - though in PAL territories, switching it on would result in a drop in resolution. Thanks for nothing, bureaucrats from Brussels!