I know you’re all constantly fretting about the resolutions and frame rates of upcoming games, so here’s another one you can stop worrying about. Thief is going to be running natively at 1080p on PlayStation 4 and 900p on Xbox One, both at 30fps. For reference, that’s the same gap between the machines as with Assassin’s Creed IV.
While confirming this to Eurogamer, Nicolas Cantin, Game Director on the title at Square Enix, put a different spin on things. He said, “You really need good eyes to see the difference,” meaning that the XBO release is effectively “as good as the PS4 version”.
It’s a good point to make and though I’m sure many would disagree, others either wouldn’t notice or would need to be actively looking for the telltale signs of a sub-1080p presentation while sitting closer to the TV. It certainly won’t affect the gameplay.
Cantin went on to say that this gap doesn’t make a difference to the developers and artists and that both PS4 and XBO make for a more immersive experience when compared to the game on last-gen machines.
I now cordially invite you to express all your thoughts on the matter in the comments below.
Via Eurogamer
bunimomike
If Kojima has their number, he should give them a ring and ask for some help with the X1 version of MGS.
Lieutenant Fatman
Square Enix did this with Tomb Raider as well as I recall. Stated it had a higher resolution on the PS4 but that the XB1 version was just as good. Seems a bit odd that they feel the need to say that each time a game comes out. They never did this before did they?
bunimomike
It’s interesting, fella. Last gen, we were more used to differences in how the game looked with regards to different texture quality, lower detail in the scenery, maybe different (or no) anti-aliasing, etc.
This gen, they’ve gone for visual parity but are taking the hit elsewhere (frames per second and/or resolution).
tactical20
Very interested in reading the TSA review of this one. It looks pretty good, but I suspect it may have ‘issues’. We will see!
tonycawley
Watched that long gameplay video they released and it really put me off. Looks like the sneaky bits of skyrim with nothing else, bit boring!
Stefan L
Well…. it is a stealth-based game franchise.
tonycawley
Yeah I get that, but it’s like a tiny bit of what was possible in skyrim, and the sneaky bits were the worst bits!
It might be good, I’ll wait for reviews, it just looks a bit tedious.
Eldur
I would suggest that this probably isn’t the game for you.
TSBonyman
Looking forward to it, hoping the reviews are positive.
JR.
If it really doesn’t matter, why bother making the PS4 version 1080p in the first place? Why not just make them all the same? Obviously there’s a difference. Especially on larger screens. I realise it’s the same game being played on both consoles but it’s like saying there’s no difference between watching a movie on dvd and watching the same movie on bluray just because it’s the same movie.
Stefan L
He’s saying that the jump from PS3/360 to PS4/XBO is the big and noticeable one (akin to going from DVD to Blu-Ray), but that the loss of pixels on the XBO version to 900p is a minor compromise that isn’t so noticeable when it still has all the other graphical improvements and still beats the resolution of last gen.
Of course, your mileage may vary, especially on large screens or if you’re sat close to the screen, but is it something that most people will pick up on? Is it something that most people care about?
stonyk
Can someone explain if this doesn’t make a difference or ‘doesn’t matter’ why do the developers bother making games in 1080p at all?
Surely resources and money could be spent elsewhere. Would it mean more ‘things’ on screen with lower resolution and if so wouldn’t that be better than making a difference that cannot be seen?
It seems like all developers are doing the equivalent of developing sounds outside the human range of hearing for no apparent reason but to waste time and money?
boeboe
You and me both!
bunimomike
Ah, he’s lying but it’s not a whopper. This sort of resolution difference is detectable but probably only if you pause the game. Also, you have to take into account whether you have a 1080p TV in the first place, let alone that your viewing distance is close enough to differentiate between 720p and 1080p.
Anything in between is usually good looking enough to fool most folk.
baggyg
Because it isn’t true that you can’t tell a difference. The reason they are highlighting this is because 900p isn’t a standard resolution step down, so the difference between 900p to 1080p is smaller than that of Standard HD (720p) to Full HD (1080p).
The push for more resolution will continue, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the goal for PS5 / XBTwo(?) would be 4K.
The analogy to sound outside of your hearing is not valid since you can see the difference.
SLUMMO316
I was going to get this but as it’s not 1080p I’m not now as it will be rubbish. Everyone knows 1080p is the most important thing in games.
bunimomike
I’d wait until it’s re-released on the PS5 in six years time.
baggyg
Needless to say the best place to play this is still a mid – to high end PC that will achieve 1080p/60fps and beyond.
plutoniumdragon
They are having a bit of a laugh with the ‘recommended’ PC specs though, as if it needs an i7 :)
Starman
Devs must hate that all gaming sites are interested in reporting is the resolution of their games rather than, you know, the actual details of the game!
Severn2j
Indeed, because there have been no details published about this game other than the resolution.. :\
Differences in the game on each format are important for people who own more than one console, so that they know which is the best version to get. Its not just territorial pissing*
*So glad I managed to use that in a sentence.. :)
Starman
My point is these details used to be mentioned halfway through a review, not have a article just for it. That’s if they were mentioned at all. Look at a few old game reviews and you’ll struggle to find much of a focus on the resolution as there is now. Its just fanboy point scoring.
Severn2j
I agree that they used to just be part of the review, but that they are now an article in their own right probably says more about how news is now drip-fed over a long period, as opposed to the older style of FirstLook -> Preview -> Review format.
With most publishers having some kind of review embargo until after the games are released (how they can get away with that, btw is just bizarre), any info released earlier that can give a heads up on quality is a good thing, imo.
As for fanboy-ism, yes there an element to that, but that’s only to be found in the comments threads – and will always be there, its just human nature. I doubt the article poster puts it up there for that reason.