If there is one thing that has been at the forefront during this latest battle between Sony and Microsoft, it has been the issue of Resolution Gate. Yep, that new term that has been designated to describe the inconsistencies of pixel count/resolution between the PS4 and the Xbox One. It’s something that fanboys and critics alike have been focusing on. I just thought I would throw my two cents into the hat about this issue. For reference sake, I am not including the Wii U at this point given it is well over a year old and is being overshadowed by the PS4 and Xbox One at this time.
Before the PS4 and Xbox One were released it seemed the lines in the sand were drawn, with CPU, GPU, memory and other specs released. On paper the PS4 seemed to be winning the battle and it wasn’t long until Resolution Gate reared its ugly head, specifically for multiplatform titles. Call of Duty: Ghosts was rumoured to be running natively at 1080p on the PS4 and only 720p natively on the Xbox One but upscaled to 1080p. And so it began. Fans and critics took to the interwebz, forums, magazines, and any other communication avenue and started to rant. I was even concerned in the beginning. Then this continued, with news of Battlefield 4 running at 900p native on the PS4 and 720p native on the Xbox One, and then it was discovered that Assassin’s Creed 4 was 1080p native on the PS4 (after a patch) and 900p native on the Xbox One (upscaled to 1080p). Even the Xbox One exclusive Killer Instinct was locked in at 720p natively while the high profile MS exclusive Ryse: Son of Rome was locked in at 900p natively, a decision Microsoft stated was for “artistic” purposes. See a pattern here?
Fans of the Xbox One pointed out that games on the console did indeed have the ability to run at 1080p/60fps, and they looked to the Xbox One Exclusive Forza 5 as a prime example. But pundits were quick to point out that sacrifices were made on Forza 5 to attain this resolution and framerate and they directed people to the video of the E3 demo of the Prague Track, and the final track in the retail game. There were some strikingly noticeable downgrades (e.g. 2D static sprite spectators, lighting differences, etc.) that questioned the power of Microsoft’s new console. Again, Xbox fans pointed to multiplatform games like NBA 2K14 and Fifa 14, both locked in at 1080p native and 60fps, and the multiplatform title NFS: Rivals is 1080p native and 30fps on both consoles. Of course those critics out there stated that sports games don’t tax systems like other games do and that Need for Speed was not a true indicator of what the PS4 could do.
If you read the interwebz as much as any gamer out there, there are many reasons quoted for why the disparity of resolution. Everything from the Xbox One’s CPU, GPU and slower DDR3 Ram to the need to use 32mb eSRAM to buffer the slower Ram and help the GPU. Of course there is also talk about the need to assign memory resources on the Xbox One to the OS’s (three in total) and the Kinect 2. All the reports indicate that the PS4’s CPU and GPU is better, of course their GDDR5 ram is faster, and there is a lot of talk that the PS4 is easier to program for and there is no need to assign valuable resources to other features like the Xbox One. Most recently Microsoft has stated it will enable an extra 8% of power to the GPU to help with the processing side of things in an effort to quell some of the concerns. This will take resources away from the Kinect 2, something that people have been saying is a hindrance more then a positive feature. This is something that developers have been asking for, as evident from insider information pointing to Infinity Ward asking for more resources during the build of COD: Ghosts for the Xbox One and being turned down, something they said handcuffed them to having to run in 720p natively.
So, where do things lie now? Well, there are still seems to be some issues with some upcoming, or just released games. For example, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition was 1080p on each console, but the PS4 was 60fps and the Xbox One was 30fps. The recently released Thief is native 1080p on the PS4 and 900p on the Xbox One. Microsoft’s long anticipated Titanfall has been said to be running at 792p and Ubisoft’s high profile Watch Dogs is said to be releasing on the PS4 at a native 1080p/30fps while the Xbox One version is said to be running at 900p/30fps. Finally, Konami’s upcoming MGS V: Ground Zeroes is releasing at 1080p native 60 FPS on the PS4 and 720p 60FPS on the Xbox One. The latter can said to be somewhat expected though, as it’s clear that Hideo Kojima and his development house have always favoured PlayStation platforms. On a more positive note, EA Sports UFC, when released, is said to be running at 1080p/30fps on both consoles and the upcoming Wolfenstien: The New Order has been announced to be running at 1080p/60fps on both consoles.
I ask all of you, does resolution really matter? I know that the camps for this question are clearly divided. On one hand you have a group that state next-gen gaming should be minimum 1080p, given that it’s a natural progression and the new consoles are supposed to be powerful. I can say that I have been on this side of the fence in many discussions, as it seems logical. The other main camp in this ongoing discussion states that resolution shouldn’t matter and that gameplay is more important. I have also been on this side of the fence too, given that gameplay is very important. Finally, we cannot forget the third camp in this whole thing, the PC gamers who say consoles don’t matter as PC’s have the power to handle most anything you throw at it and it is the true mecca for those gamers out there. Personally I am not a PC gamer, so I am far from arguing this point.
Ok, where am I going here? Well I have to say that it’s time to put this whole Resolution Gate aside and just enjoy the games. There is no doubt there are some issues at this time for the Xbox One, and that the PS4 does indeed seem to be more powerful and easier to program for. But does that stop from developers from making good games on both platforms that look good? Absolutely not. Heck, if you look at Assassins Creed 4 on the PS4 and Xbox One they are virtually identical and you have to look extremely hard to see the difference. Thief looks great too on each platform, and once again you’d be hard pressed to clearly show major differences. While the PS4 exclusive Killzone: Shadowfall was a stunning looking game, so was the Xbox One exclusive Ryse: Son of Rome, the latter being a different and lower resolution.
For those that truly believe that graphics are SO important that you must stay away from the Xbox One, lets take a look at three well known games that were great in their day, but when remade and given the HD treatment, gameplay pretty much intact for modern standards, they didn’t fare that well. First off is the NES platformer DuckTales. When this was announced at San Diego Comic Con last year fans went crazy that it was getting the HD treatment. Well, that HD gloss of paint couldn’t make it a good game in today’s era. It’s Metacritic score is 66, which is far from great. Next game is one that got lots of positive buzz on the Sega Genesis, and that was Disney Castle of Illusion. The HD remake scored 67, far from the great scores and great impressions when on the 16-bit Genesis. Finally, the N64 game Goldeneye was remade for the PS3 and Xbox 360, and although a re-imagining, the HD graphics could not bring back the classic gameplay and campy feel of the original. Sure, there have been successes too, such as Beyond Good and Evil HD, MGS Solid HD Collection, and The ICO & Shadow of Colossus Collection, but in the end great visuals don’t always make a great game.
I guess in the end I am just tired of people continually criticizing Microsoft’s console regarding this issue. Both the PS4 and the Xbox One are great, there is no doubt about that, and both systems are going to have some great games when this generation really starts to take off. For those that are so focused on the pixels, open your eyes and see that there is more. Don’t get me wrong, I know that 1080p is a better quality image then 720p or 900p, but if games like Ryse, Thief, and Assassins Creed 4 are any indication of what the “lower” resolution can look like on the Xbox One, it looks damn good as the quality per pixel is still strong and the lower resolution doesn’t affect the gameplay when compared to the 1080p equivalent on the PS4. And of course both systems will continue to improve their programming ability, and the Xbox One will continue to get better, as will the PS4, so games will look even better as a whole. So in the end, even if you know a game is a lower resolution on one console versus the other, play the game, and if you enjoy it, then enjoy it, it’s not that big of a deal. People need to stop getting so caught up in the resolution debate and hammering each others console for the sake of just hammering it.