Resolutiongate: Why resolution doesn't matter for now

It has been one of the most fiercely debated issue in the lead-up to this month's next-gen launch, but does the native resolution that games are running in really matter at the moment?

[NewMonday]

if yo have a 32' TV or it is limited to 720 then yes it dosent matter much.

[abzdine]

it should matter for now cause the consoles are made for the future and if resulotuin didnt matter then why buy new consoles? it's one of the important things

[Gazondaily]

Agreed. Resolution does matter- a superior resolution is part and parcel of next-gen.

Especially in the core gaming community. All those countless comparisons comparing the most minute of details and then something as big as resolution disparity is being downplayed? Pure hypocrisy really.

BUT, saying that, it doesn't completely compromise your ability have a 'next-gen' experience as a game is more than its resolution. Look at the launch line-up for the two consoles for example. 1080p won't really help you enjoy a sub-standard game. I understand thtat the resolution won't matter for now but as time goes on, it definitely will.

Think about big titles like Watchdogs, Destiny and The Division. If there is a 1080p/720p disparity for such killer apps, why pick the inferior version?

[jackanderson1985]

i buy a new console for the games that are on it not that they can input a better graphical output... i won't be able to get DR3 or Infamous Second Son on the current crop of consoles

[Army_of_Darkness]

I bought a 720p tv 8 years ago and I need an upgrade, so does it make sense that I get a new tv that is more expensive and can still only display 720p... but has this amazing feature of up-scaling to 1080 like my blu-ray player???
Hmmmm....

[The_KELRaTH]

I don't want jaggies, I don't want soft upsampled images, I don't want over compression, I don't want slow framerates where I can see 1 frame to the next so motion doesn't look silky smooth, I don't want drastically reduced draw distances so that distant landscapes look like mush.

I find it hard to understand why some of these topic posters don't get that.

The most frustrating thing I've found with consoles is:
devs go for effects 1st, game image quality / smoothness 2nd
v
PC gamers go for game image quality/ smoothness 1st as they can turn off effects till smoothness is achieved.

Maybe the real answer is for console gamers to be given the ability to turn on and off effects / features too.

[abzdine]

"Think about big titles like Watchdogs, Destiny and The Division. If there is a 1080p/720p disparity for such killer apps, why pick the inferior version?"

that's my point, or even why buy the inferior console from the start for someone who only wants one console. for those who will buy them both the problem doesn't exist.

[MRMagoo123]

rez doesnt matter to ps4 owners because we are getting 1080p , i am guessing it stings all the xbone future owners tho, knowing they are getting the lower end of the scale for every game they get. I dont feel bad for them tho i have reached out and tried to make a truce but they attack like retarded dogs on heat, i really hope every xbone dies at launch and the games give the owner testicular cancer /jk

[classic19]

yea, it do matters. 1080p should be a console standard sense last gen was running alot of games at 720p. so next gen should be next gen meaning 1080p. ppl who say that it don't matters has a screw lose, it's 2014, pretty much technology is moving so should pixels ala pc.

[TomShoe]

If you game on a TV and not on a monitor then yes it does matter. Hell, critics ragged on PS3 for YEARS about resolution and graphics, saying "PS3 Sucks! The ports look awful! Xbawks!" Now that the shoe's on the other foot now, suddenly it doesn't matter.

Don't let biased American games journalism try to brainwash you.

http://www.abload.de/img/un...

[Edsword]

What's funny is the disparity so far is greater than last gen. Yet now it doesn't matter. I think the xb1 will be a fine system, but I am very disappointed with its struggle to output in native 1080p for last gen ports even. Most first party games are sub 1080 as well. DR3, wow, the game is a stuttering mess at 720p. All of this is concerning, but it is still just launch. If second gen games still have this disparity I think the xb1 is looking at 2nd place this gen.

[dedicatedtogamers]

I remember when grass mattered, because 360 had more of it on Mafia II. I remember when water mattered, because 360 had better water in RDR. I remember all the times when pixel-counting comparison sites (like digital foundry) pointed out the tiniest of differences, highlighting a minor blip in framerate or circling the smallest of jaggy in multiplatform games. Those things sure did seem to matter back then, right?

Oh, but now? Now they don't matter. Huh. I wonder why...

What people fail to realize is that if we have a discrepancy in resolution NOW, that discrepancy will only grow in years to come.

Let's imagine (this is made up, mind you) that the PS4 version of AC4 Black Flag had a render distance of 1 in-game mile, due to the hardware superiority, but Xbox One had a render distance of 1/2 mile. Okay, so you might see some pop-in in very far-off areas, but nothing more. No big deal, right? But if it is this way at launch, then what happens when developers begin pushing these systems to their limits? The discrepancy will become far more obvious as time goes on.

[Mr-Dude]

For me it matters! I have bought a new 50 inch 3d LED, for this new generation (the other one was nearly 5 years old) so i don't wanna see 720p games anymore, or jaggies, or anything else from 2006/2013 generation. We are in a new gen of gaming and this things should matter.

[jackanderson1985]

ah well then won't be an issue for me for a while ha only have a 32inch tv

[koolaid251]

There will be a difference it doesn't matter what size tv you have.

[Philoctetes]

Somebody should keep a running list of all the sites trying to tell us that resolution doesn't matter, so that we'll know not to pay attention to them in the future. I can't believe people are seriously making this argument in 2013.

[cartman313]

Jblaze go back to nes then. The rest of us want to move forward.

[jessupj]

While I agree an xbone owner playing COD @ 720p is going to have pretty much the same experience as a PS4 owner playing said game at 1080p, it's a precursor for what's to come and immediately shows there's a significant gap.

In the future this isn't just going to affect resolution. There's a host of other visual tools that can be improved such at AA, lighting, shaders, etc.

Yes developers will get more familiar with the xbone and produce better performing games, but the same will happen for the PS4. The gap is always going to be there.

But the more important question is will developers limit their scope for the PS4 so the game engine can run on the xbone?

For example, a particular level could have 16 enemies on screen at once on the PS4, but the xbone could only handle 10 and still have a stable frame rate. Will the developers take advantage of the PS4 hardware or will they scale it back to be on par with the xbone as MS's restrictive policy required last generation?

If I had to guess I would say we're going to have to rely on Sony 1st party games for game worlds with bigger scope and more complex mechanics, but at least 3rd party developers are making it up by increasing the visuals for the PS4.

[The_KELRaTH]

They should write the games as they would for a PC. Allow the gamer to enable/disable effects, features.

I'd happily turn of dynamic building shadows or hi res particle effects in a fps game if I could then have AA, 1080p @ 60fps.

[Masterchief_KOK]

launch titles don't matter look at knack 1080p and is boring and forgettable story. look at dr3 and kI 720p both fun games

[JackVagina]

What does resolution have to do with anything other then making the game look better?

PS games would be more fun if they were 720p??? I don't even know what you are trying to imply here.

[isa_scout]

You forgot to mention Resogun and Killzone though. Both are 1080p, gorgeous, and great fun games to play.
I'd say that maybe 1080p doesn't matter to some people but I like knowing I'm playing the best possible version of COD and AC4 on any console.
While it may not be noticeable to some players playing COD for example(i can tell the difference)I think as Sonys 1st party studious push the tech forward the gap between XOne and PS4 will widen. Especially Naughty Dog, they always release games that are breathtakingly beautiful. I'm expecting The Order 1886 to impress as well.

[Masterchief_KOK]

the reason i didn't mention kzsf Im leaving that for ryse & plus because I like the game. knack i didn't even bother playing more, few level fighting the same enemy gets really boring and the story is forgettable

[obliteratorFTW]

This crap again. Alright, if resolution doesn't matter throw your HDTVs and full HDTVs out of your houses and go buy a sdtv. Since resolution doesn't matter, what is the need of even 720p. Just produce 480p games and upscale them. Why render ryse in 900p, just render it in 480p( obviously 480p= 720p=900p=1080p=1440p=4k).

[jimbobbeers]

Doesn't matter for now, but it will. So watch this space I guess.

[ufo8mycat]

The more graphic fidelity improves, the less important graphics/resolution are.

It's come to a point where graphics are great enough.

Back during the PS2 generation, graphics were still important as graphics did not reach that certain 'level' of crispness, cleaness or detail, not to mention PS2 graphics are very low-res.

PS3 generation graphically they were almost at that level where graphics didn't matter anymore, but still did.

And here comes the PS4/XBONE generation.
The graphic fidelity and resolution have reached a point where any improvements now, would not matter that much at all, compared to back during the PS2 and even PS3 generations.

The PS2 generation is like that really average looking chick - any improvement makes a big difference.

PS4 generation is like that hot gorgeous Swedish chick, where any improvements now wouldn't matter so much because she is already so extremely hot! =P

Time to focus more on gameplay innovation and ESPECIALLY AI.

[chrissx]

As long as its gaming we're talking about,resolution will always matter

[Bathyj]

I dont really care that CoD and Battlefield look better on PS4. The biggest significance for me was the fact that IW and Dice both made the effort and didnt gimp the PS4 like we all feared they would. They said yes, PS4 is stronger hardware, and were not letting MS bully us like they did last generation.

This was very encouraging and I hope we see the trend continue throughout this gen.

And those saying the actual difference doesnt matter. Well Xbone is going to get better, of course. But PS4 is going to get better too. PS4 will always be better hardware, it will always be easier to work on, and it will always be supported better and longer.

The current gap, while not a big deal to some, is going to WIDEN as the gen wears on, not shrink.

[Jury]

It doesn't matter to butt hurt xbox fanboys and biased media outlets. All last gen we heard about inferior ports on ps3... Now it doesn't matter?

[christocolus]

Nice article.really dont care about res..just get me great games.. i never cared about it last gen and i sure as hell wont next gen....that aside nov 22 is akmost upon us.....hell yeah..ryse ..getting that game no matter what.

[tontontam0]

If you like the games on both xbox one and ps4 equally
and can't decide which one to get then the resolution matters.

[Visiblemarc]

This article is terrible. It TOTALLY misses the point of "resolutiongate."

Resolution arguments of late have nothing to do with any fancy speculation. The facts are simple and indisputable. Several PS4 titles are running at a much higher resolution running THE SAME GAME. Man! What the hell?! What is so hard to understand about this?

Console wars bs doesn't matter to me...but I do not appreciate people bending reality to suit their needs. This stuff starts to look like political campaign bs...saying any lie that it takes to be "right."

Who knows what the future will bring? Maybe every single Xb1 title will look better than every single Ps4 title. I have no way of knowing, and don't care. However...the only evidence a consumer has today is current performance. Current performance tells us that Ps4 is way more powerful. YES..."way more powerful." Outputting 50-125% more pixels isn't an issue of "many can't tell" or "it depends on your tv." It is MATH. It's not opinion, it's fact.

To me, this is like two new vacuums being launched at the same time. They are both demo'ed and consumers are shown them being tested on a filthy rug. Xvacuum goes first and vacuums up 40% of the dirt. Psvacuum tackles another identical rug but vacuums up 90% percent of the dirt. (That really IS the size of the difference in performance of many multiplats) Then consumers are hounded with INSANE gibberish like: "it depends how you define clean." And "the rugs look equally clean from 20 feet away." And "just wait till we release our new cloud-vacuum bags! Performance will increase beyond your wildest expectations."

Absurd. Period.

Now before you chime in, thinking you're a clever level-headed fanboy and tell me that the difference is that a 40% clean carpet is dirty and therefore unacceptable, whereas a 720 resolution is "good enough." I say: save it, you corporate lapdog. Don't wear out your fingerprints typing that gibberish. The entire point is the massive gulf in current performance. As games get more complex the Ps4 has shown it has room to shrink resolution and still stay well beyond your "acceptible" 720p. How about Xb1, imagine a complex game driving the resolution down lower than 720p. That would bring us down to last gen resolutions all over again.

NOW bear in mind, I'm not a fanboy and I WANT Xb1 to succeed. I just can't stand corporate dummies and their indoctrinated shills telling me that up is down and black white and calling me a fanboy/newb/idiot/snob everytime I disagree.

Resolution DOES matter, not just because of how it looks but, because it's a very real indicator of processing power. Period. Will MS blow our socks off later? I hope so. However ALL we have to go on is what we see. These aren't creative issues that can be resolved easily. Devs are doing what they can to make these games the best they can be, clearly if more time could result in better xb1 titles a similar assumption would fairly be applied to ps4 titles too. In absence of a crystal ball, we don't know the future. This renders the "just you wait" argument null and void.

Please stop bending reality to suit your tastes. Just stop...and remember there are marketing scumbags in a room right now saying "how can we convince people that lower resolution is actually a good thing." Care to be one of the morons that falls for it?

[saber00005]

I feel this argument is invalid. If you have a 46" TV like I do, then you're going to notice that resolution DOES matter.

[iistuii]

What you've got to remember is that not everyone cares. I have a pal who just came from the Game store in the town & had a go on Fifa 14 on PS4 & said " it's alright, but not £400 better than the PS3 version, I don't think I'll bother".. You see not everyone buys games for graphics. Take the Wii, if it was all about graphics it wouldn't have got off the ground. Personally I think it DOES matter,.

[kingduqc]

but it does matter. Everything is just so much sharper.

[NeoTribe]

Resolution has always mattered. Back then, now, and forever. Quit damage controlling. Thank you.