Just when we all thought we had a handle on the current gen gaming landscape, both Sony and Microsoft announced new iterations of the PS4 and Xbox One and confused us with choice all over again. The motives behind the new PS4 Pro and Xbox Scorpio are many, with notions of beating the competition and keeping up with the outpacing PC landscape being kicked around. Regardless of the decisions that went into their design, both consoles are entries into the realm of 4K resolution, the next frontier in high definition visual experiences. Now that they’re on the horizon, what do we make of them and how will they impact our gaming choices? Bear in mind this article is focused squarely on folks who are committed to the console experience. How these new consoles compare and contrast to PC’s is a matter for a different day.
Both new consoles will play every existing current gen game and will provide upscaling capabilities for these existing games and the capability to run the new 4K native games. There has been some discussion over whether the PS4 Pro can truly support full 4K, but for the purposes of this article we will refer to both consoles as a native 4K experience. For those folks not on 4K TV’s the new consoles can provide improved framerates, visual detail and other fidelity improvements.
The consoles are going to sit side by side with their older siblings but won’t replace them. One thing gamers on the original PS4 and Xbox One do not have to worry about is obsolescence. There are no plans for exclusive content for either of the new high powered consoles, which is an important note. There is the possibility of developers and publishers charging for an upgrade to the 4K version although the console manufacturers have told players to not anticipate this. Overall the introduction of these new consoles is a way to cater to a tech forward portion of the gaming community but isn’t a method of leaving anyone behind. Anyone worried about the cell phone cycles of new updates that render the hardware obsolete can probably rest easy.
These are nice touches of course but the thoughts on the minds of all people interested in the new hardware are what games are going to be developed in native 4K. Upscaling is impressive tech in its own regard but it doesn’t compare to a native experience.
Sony’s PS4 Pro is coming out this November and as a result we have a much more specific list of existing titles that are receiving an upgrade to support 4K as well as new titles being developed in the higher resolution.
Current PS4 Games Receiving an Upgrade
Upcoming PS4 Pro Games
Xbox Project Scorpio
The Xbox Project Scorpio is in a bit of a different position because it releases next holiday season 2017. The immediacy of what will and won’t be available for it isn’t there and as a result there isn’t a lot of buzz around specific titles. However, Xbox has said that all first party titles will be developed in native 4K for the console, such as any Gears of War and Halo properties. We can anticipate the same for major releases. Just a look at the upcoming PS4 Pro titles should be a clue. Those are big AAA titles from big developer/publisher teams. We can anticipate the Call of Duties and Final Fantasies of the world to get the shiny treatment going forward as well as some plucky AA and indie titles. There are a handful of confirmed titles for Scorpio and they are as follows:
Upcoming Xbox Project Scorpio Games
With this in mind, outside of the power differential where the Scorpio has an advantage, it’s not so much a choice of which console to choose but whether to upgrade or stand pat. Most console players are firmly entrenched in either of the ecosystems and a hardware upgrade like this isn’t quite enough to cause mass exodus in one direction or another. For most, the consideration of whether to upgrade, provided they have the TV to make it worthwhile, is going to be how robust the game library is. Based on the aforementioned games, we can safely assume that’s every AAA title. What is a little more murky is whether smaller studios will have the resources to be able to develop a single game at 2 different specs, and whether they feel that is a worthwhile investment. It puts them in a tricky space, and there is already banter from both sides of the fence, with some developers saying it’s a difficult process, and the consoles saying it can be done without too many added production costs.
All of this means that gamers thinking about upgrading should be thinking about the games they play and the experiences they want out of them. This is a unique situation where every hardcore gamer is not necessarily going to be the target for a piece of new console tech, at least not right from the start, especially if those games they play most are not big budget AAA titles. Any players looking for a richer cinematic experience with blockbuster titles are likely to be satisfied with the upgrade, but those focused on niche genres or indie games may want to press pause and see how this all unfolds. Hardware obsolescence may not be a concern here, but one of taste certainly is.
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