‘Halo 5’ Needs To Be 1080p, 60 FPS, For Microsoft’s Sake
With reports that Halo 5: Guardians‘ resolution hasn’t been completely set, many fans are taking this to mean the game won’t run at the industry-standard HD resolution. While it’s normal for game developers to claim the final resolution hasn’t been set because the game is still being developed, if this means that 343 Industries will sacrifice visual quality in order to get the game to run in the end, it’ll be a bad sign for Microsoft moving forward.
While many gamers who claim that the difference between 900p (which seems to be the standard native resolution for most games on Xbox One) and 1080p (the widely accepted industry HD standard) are negligible, the fact of the matter is there is a difference. This difference has been something Playstation and PC players have used against Microsoft since the first time a cross-platform game wasn’t on parity with other versions across platforms.
For Halo 5: Guardians to not run at a consistent, native 1080p resolution, it would be yet another setback for Microsoft’s console, which has had to fight an uphill battle with Sony’s Playstation 4 since the two launched. Xbox One owners justify the purchase claiming that resolution doesn’t matter, while Sony players use this resolution advantage as proof they made the better buying decision. It’s important to note as an aside that the PC can do higher resolutions and framerates than what both consoles could only dream of achieving.
GameSpot reported earlier this year that the number one reason why consumers bought a PS4 was for resolution, while Xbox owners polled heavily for the brand. But what happens when the largest console seller can’t even hit the standard 1080p, 60 FPS benchmarks we expect out of “next-generation” gaming? How does that hurt both Halo, which has had a rough start on Xbox One thanks to the broken Master Chief Collection release, and Microsoft as a whole, especially with reports of the Xbox One not selling in, well, basically any other region except North America? Sony owns a 90 percent market share in Europe and Xbox One’s foray into Japan has been borderline comical.
By releasing your top brand on your console at sub 1080p, or utilizing the dynamic scaling to hide the fact that your console can’t consistently pump out 1080p, 60 FPS without compromises, Halo 5 would be yet another example of Microsoft’s inability to keep up with their competitors. While the gameplay itself wouldn’t change (or maybe it would if the game dips as low as 40 FPS, as evidenced by Digital Foundry’s analysis) the perception that Microsoft can’t produce “next-gen” quality content will continue to permeate around the industry. While many players won’t see this as an issue, buying into the Halo 5: Guardians hype or claiming graphics don’t matter when it comes to your platform of choice, Microsoft won’t be able to spin this positively. They will have yet another Halo game that shows gamers that Microsoft is committed to reviving old IP, but not committed to making sure their platform pushes the boundaries of modern gaming.
Microsoft needs Halo 5: Guardians to perform at 1080p60, if for no other reason to have one of it’s flagship titles finally be able to truly compete head-on with Sony’s. The Forza series may be able to claim 1080p60 as a benchmark, but few people buy into Microsoft’s ecosystem for that game compared to Halo. If Halo 5: Guardians under-performs in the resolution or consistent frame rate department, expect a long train of Microsoft detractors to continue getting the ammo they need to show the Xbox One for what it is: an under-powered TV box that can’t play the biggest blockbusters at the same fidelity as its competitors.
Hopefully, for Microsoft’s sake, 343 Industries can deliver on Halo 5: Guardians. Do you care if Halo 5: Guardians ships at sub-1080p? Sound off below.
[Images via Microsoft]
