Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs will run at 30FPS on next-gen consoles, the game’s Creative Director, Jonathan Morin, has confirmed. Talking to VideoGamer at this week’s Eurogamer Expo, Morin has said “the frame-rate we’re focussing on [is] a steady 30”.
Whilst confirming a stable frame rate is priority at the moment, Morin wouldn’t talk about the game’s resolution, claiming that he simply didn’t know whether the game would run at 720p or 1080p on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. “I think for where we are, the most important thing is the steadiness and [ensuring] that it’s always capped the same so when you play it it feels right”.
During the same interview Morin also discussed current generation release plans, revealing that the Xbox 360 version of the game will ship on two discs – one being for installation and the other required for the gameplay. “It’s the same thing as GTA” he said.
This is believed to be an issue created by the Xbox 360’s lower capacity DVD drive, and although the game’s exact storage requirements are unknown, the PlayStation 3 version of Watch Dogs is expected to release via a single high-capacity Blu-ray Disc.
Watch Dogs is expected to launch on current generation machines, and Xbox One, on that console’s launch date – November 22nd – before finding its way to PlayStation 4 a week later, on November 29th.
We’ll have our own Watch Dogs EGX interview live on the site soon.
Source: Videogamer
Avenger
can’t help thinking this is because the game was designed for current gen systems. That said, why can’t they set it at 1080p @ 30fps when next gen consoles are so more powerful. is it just laziness?
Erroneus
1080p60 will be the standard, but this is not surprising for the first games, to not achieve that. New platforms and all.
Stefan L
I don’t think it will, I’m afraid. I think developers will be more willing and able to target 1080p60 when it’s a reflex-based competitive online game, but the rest of the time a locked 1080p30 is more than good enough.
You don’t need absolute reflexes to play something like AC4 or Watch Dogs, but predictable consistency, you do.
Killzone: Shadow Fall is a good example, where it’s 30Hz for the single player, and then they’re going for 60Hz in the multiplayer, where it really counts.
Erroneus
Good point, 30p is defiantly enough for many games, but I really hope they can keep the games at a stable 30 and not like now, where many dips in the low 20’s or worse.
TSBonyman
Also releasing on PS4 Nov 15th in north America i believe.
I’m not too worried about the resolution and fps, what i’ve seen so far looks great and i’m sure they are erring on the side of caution at this early stage in the next-gen lifecycle.
DJ Judas
I’m not too fussed by FPS in a game like this but 1080p should definitely be achieved. I mean crikey, they really shouldn’t be struggling to hit that at 30fps, and if they are then something is wrong.
gazzagb
Disappointing to hear that yet another next gen game won’t be running at 60fps, but I’ll be playing it on PC so I’m not too fussed!
cam the man
I thought this game was designed with next gen in mind so surprised it not running at 60fps 1080p. Unless I’ve misread something.
bunimomike
The fact that it’s one of those games that’s bridging generations, means that there’ll be some sort of compromise somewhere along the line. Mind you, I think the media are kicking up WAY too much of a fuss about 60 frames per second in genres that hardly benefit from them – when we look at time critical actions, etc.
There are people on here that are close to pissing their pants when they see something not running at 60 FPS which is pretty laughable at times. Other times it makes more sense but the furore is still a smidge insane. :-\
KeRaSh
I agree. Unless your game is a fighting game, a racing simulation, a first person shooter or a platformer, 30 fps is perfectly fine as long as those 30 fps are locked tight. I’d say arcade style racers can also get away with 30 fps.
blarty
The problem is that people are obsessed with the need for 60FPS as some kind of shangri-La in gaming when in actual fact you’re focusing on a single variable rather than the whole equation.
COD has been the poster boy for 60fps this generation to the extent that they sacrificed both resolution and graphical fidelity to achieve it – but the game is laggy and frustrating as hell, so 60fps whilst it might look smoother, and you have some input lag, isn’t the be all and end all.
Consistent framerates are more important than 60fps, for me.
rama26285
I’m so bored about reading about 30/60FPS and 720/1080Resolution. This next gen (even though it hasn’t even started yet) is obsessed with it!
knight_spg
I think Jonathan Morin is being political with his answer.
XOne are reportedly struggling to achieve 1080p on any game besides Forza- all others are now being revealed as max 900p.
Whereas PS4 games have all been announced as running at 1080p, with the exception of Battlefield4 (although Dice says the resolution is a work in progress, and probably will achieve 1080p).
Jonathan Morin, as a project lead would know the exact resolutions but couldn’t come out and say PS4 – 1080p, XOne – 900p/720p, it would create a shitstorm in the gaming press. So he announced a feature which he can claim parity – 30 FPS.