You've probably heard by now that there's some controversy surrounding the resolution of certain upcoming games on the new consoles. Of course, wherever there is discussion of the differences between cross platform games, the fanboys come out strong and it is hard to discuss whether there is actually an issue to talk about or just the usual flaming when it comes to these kind of things. If this is completely news to you then let me give you a quick update on this all and what it could mean if you are still undecided on which new console to pick up in the coming weeks.
The main point of contention seems to be Call of Duty: Ghosts and the resolution it runs at on both Xbox One and Playstation 4. The game is already out on current gen (You can read our review of the game here) and Infinity Ward Executive Producer Mark Rubin has confirmed the game runs at native 1080p on PS4, but will be upscaled from 720p to 1080p on Xbox One. But what does this actually mean? Well until we see both versions alongside each other there is no way of telling exactly what it means but ultimately the PS4 ‘should’ look better. How much better is up for debate and may be so unnoticeable unless you really go looking for the differences.
This then leads to people already claiming the PS4 is ‘more powerful’ and therefore the way to go. But there is more to how powerful a machine is and how well a game runs than just the resolution. Both games will run at 60FPS, which is far more important. Also if the Xbox One is able to upscale to 1080p with no noticeable difference this could potentially leave more processing power to make the games look even better than on PS4. Again currently this is all speculation and until the games are out we are just guessing.
The most interesting part of the whole debate is how strongly people feel about this subject and inherently brings out an intriguing side of why ‘fanboys’ exist. I hate that phrase but it is an easy way to describe someone who loves everything one company does and tries at all times to criticize its competitors. Really, this isn't an issue of resolution or power... if those things meant a huge amount to you then you would be a PC gamer. It is clear that’s where the best technical capabilities are when it comes to resolution, frames, textures, etc so this is more of an issue, once again, of picking sides.
If you are buying a new console this year it is definitely a big investment and most people will feel the need to justify their purchase at any given time. This is why I believe ‘resolution gate’ started, not because the difference actually matters but because it is just another reason for people to justify which side they are on. In the end I believe the outcome will end up exactly like the current consoles. Cross platform games look almost identical with few exceptions and even if one console is more powerful, it is up to the individual developers to make the games look better. Not just a case of it will be better because it exists on a specific console.
If you are still undecided on the new consoles my advice would be like always. These consoles will share a vast majority of the same games and have very similar architecture over the next 5-10 years and all comes to personal preference. In the end I highly doubt anyone will actually base their decision on a brand new consoles on whether a cross platform game is upscaled to 1080p or not.
