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How many console gamers here have HDTVs for use with their 360/PS3/Wii? Does playing in HD do anything apart from bump up the resolution? I'm not familiar with HD screens, because I don't have one in the house... Do they improve framerate at all, or is that something that the console itself handles?

It's mainly a resolution thing. The framerate really won't matter as the system is till crunching the graphics the same way. It's just outputting it at a higher or lower resolution. Obviously running a game at 720/1080 resolution is better than standard definition, but the game shouldn't play any slower or faster because of it. You'll just be able to see sharper and more defined graphics on a HD set.

And if you play games with small text for long lists of RPG items and stats, like Disgaea 3,
it's pretty much impossible to read unless the resolution is right.

I just changed over to a 50inch Full HD Plasma with the PS3 - it is amazing the difference in clarity. Malf is dead right with text to - it can be tough to read on the lower resolutions.

I suck a lot less at Restistance 2 than I did before (I still suck however).

PS3 in particular loves 1080p TV's as that's native resolution for Blu-ray. You really do need a 1080p tv to truly appreciate the beauty of Blu-ray.

Naturally if you can get a large [say 36"+] screen hdtv it can only improve your experience, as some of the posters above have already shown.

But if you are on a budget or have limited room I haven't found HD technology that much of an improvement for the money you can spend on an existing or budget tv.

I went from using my xbox 360 in a bedroom on a 16" portable to using a 28" 720 HDTV [pretty high spec] a year ago and whilst the differance was noticable, mainly due to the increase screen size, I couldn't say that it particularly improved my gaming experience to any great extent.

Also if you are thinking of laying down say 600 quid+ on a hdtv primarily for gaming you might want to try before you buy. I know Sony will let you hook up a console in their shops to test it out [then go and buy a cheaper one on the net!].

Sharper image, better to read text. Primary example: Dead Rising. Without HDTV it's fuzzy as feth and unreadable unless you sit right on top of it.

Most games I play are fine without an HDTV, even RPGs like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Apparently some games really suffer from it; I heard that Lair is virtually unplayable in standard definition.

I have HD for my 360 and although my TV isnt huge (37 in.) it certainly makes a hell of a difference.

I find HD in general to be more noticeable when I'm not watching a program in HD. For example, I watch a lot of sports and football in HD and I really notice the difference when I watch a match on normal fuzzy channels.

Its definitely better, I've just done the switch and noticed the change straight away, SF4 is so much better looking in HD.