The interwebs are currently abuzz with the news that Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall runs at 792p resolution in the Xbox One beta. Yes, 792p and no, that’s not a standard resolution. Nonetheless, community manager Abbie Heppe has stated that the final build’s resolution will probably be higher, most likely in the range of 900p.
Earlier this week we had reported on how Rebellion Games were facing issues with the Xbox One’s eSRAM to output 1080p. The game’s producer also confirmed that a new SDK will be released soon to correct this issue. However this does not mean that the system is not capable of running 1080p. No, the actual problem is running 1080p with all the effects and simulations turned on. Take the case of Forza Motorsport 5, a game that actually runs at native 1080p and 60 frames per second on the Xbox One. It’s a gorgeous game, do doubt, but the game’s details were cut down in the final retail version. Check out the image below.
One look at the image above and you will understand what I am talking about. The details in the background are not really next-gen. The crowds, the trees and the track look bland and blurry. This same opinion is carried by NeoGAF member and industry insider famousmortimer when he was asked whether the Xbox One is 1080p/60fps capable machine. “They can now, they just have to make serious cutbacks. Forza is 1080p/60fps and the framerate is steady even with tons of cars on screen. But when you look closely at the game the assets they use outside of the cars are really awful. The PS2-like crowds. The trees that look like they were made with a polygon budget of 4. None of that matters when you’re driving fast, but the point is that cutbacks had to be made to get it to that resolution,” he said.
“The tools will get better but developers will always have to choose between resolution/framerate/effects when making games. That’s true of the PS4 also, of course, it just has a higher ceiling. The only way to have everything no matter what is to have a beefy PC. But then you don’t get console exclusives and PCs are decidedly lacking in sports games as well.”
This is what is happening in case of Titanfall. In order to run the game at 60 frames per second, the developers have to cut down on something. In this case the resolution. But there is still hope as the final resolution might be a bit higher. famousmortimer’s sources say that the developers are working on a higher resolution due to the updated SDK. “I can’t say with any form of certainty that is what will do it. All I was told was that they think it can be done. Abbie isn’t just blowing smoke up our asses,” he said.
As it stands now Xbox One is capable of 1080p and sixty frames per second but that is without the heavy effects, a combination of higher resolution and frame rate, and intricate details…something that defines the console as a next gen console. What are your thoughts on the whole deal, including on Titanfall’s beta? Let us know in the comments below.
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