What is this netting effect?

[Dogg Thang]

http://media.psp.ign.com/media/788/788130/img_3476240.html

This is a shot from Outrun 2006 on PSP. If you look at the road, you'll see a dotty thing going on that looks like some sort of netting effect. It's all over Outrun for PSP. But it's also something that seems to all over PS2 games - FFX, the Silent Hill games and even the Metal Gear Solid games (including the PS1 one) seem to have this going on - often most evident in the greys.

I haven't noticed this on XBox or Dreamcast or pretty much any other console, but it's on every Sony console so far. Anyone know what this is and why it seems (I can't be certain) to be Sony-specific?

[Commander Marklar]

not sure what effect you're seeing, the aliasing perhaps?

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antialiasing (albeit it for anti-aliasing but you get the idea).

[Silvergun X]

I've been wondering this aswell - It's most noticeable along the bay area or deep lake areas on Outrun. Don't think it's aliasing.

[Dogg Thang]

Hmmm...not sure if it's the aliasing. Sometimes it almost seems to be a level above the image. If you have SH1 on PS1, you'll really see it during the outdoor light sections - move around so the camera swings and you'll see a faint net effect that doesn't seem to move with the camera. It's also quite visible in the early stages of FFX, and many other PS2 games.

I had often wondered what it was but never got around to asking until I saw it again on PSP Outrun...

In that image, look to the right of the driver's level on the car - the grey section of road between the two white lines there. If you look closely, you'll see a dot pattern. When in motion, that dot pattern does not move with the road. It just stays there as if over the image.

[Commander Marklar]

Maybe quantisation (I think?) or perhaps the use of a 16bit colour palette, like seen in RE4 and PN03? Do you mean like the grainy-filtered look in, say, Killzone? It's probably just graphical effect.

I can't see the picture to examine it from work but don't recall seeing anything obvious like that; just the aliasing (i.e. the white lines in the distance). I've not played any of the games you mention

Maybe you're seeing an artifact of an LCD?

[Dogg Thang]

I'm not sure what quantisation is so it may well be that - unfortunately I haven't played RE4 or PN03, so I don't know about those. It's not LCD as the PS1 and PS2 games I've seen it on have been on a plain old telly.

Edit: Here's a screenshot of SH1 with it. This image has been softened so you'll have to imagine it sharper but you're still able to see it - it's all over just about everything grey.

http://members.aye.net/~gharris/blog/SilentHill06.jpg

[Commander Marklar]

Whoa, that's a lot of grey

I see scanlines in the picture so maybe it's an effect of how the game is drawing the screen, perhaps? Low-res textures? Only thing I can think of is like in Ace Combat 3 during the replays, there are often 'ghosts' left behind that appear grainy in contrast to the blue skies.

I'm still not sure Anyone else?

[mid]

The Silent Hill thing looks like dither grain to me; caused by the palette limitations Marklar mentioned before.