‘Fallout 4’ Resolution Clarified, No Limits On PC

PC gamers looking forward to Fallout 4 can breathe a sigh of relief. Bethesda Softworks clarified earlier reports that the highly anticipated RPG would be the same resolution and framerate across the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The “PC Master Race” will be able to keep the sardonic moniker with this release.

Bethesda Softworks clarified that PC version of Fallout 4 will not be limited to 1080p and 30fps in the following Twitter post.

Fallout 4 is 1080p & 30fps on Xbox One and PS4. Resolution and FPS are not limited in any way on the PC.

— Bethesda Softworks (@Bethblog) June 22, 2015

The stir over Fallout 4 being limited to 1080p and 30fps on the PC began with a Digital Spy article that stated that in the headline. Meanwhile, the body of the article includes a quote from Game Director Todd Howard that it would be “1080p on everything” with an indirect quote that it would be locked at 30fps.

This report did not sit well with PC gamers, who have come to expect the ability to run games at higher resolutions and framerates than what the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One can offer. Others were more dismissive of the report, pointing out that it was likely an error, such as Jason Evangelho at Forbes.

So yes, PC owners with powerful hardware can try to push the boundaries of Fallout 4 by running at ultra-high resolutions (4K is not confirmed yet) and frame rates. Meanwhile, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners will be playing at 1080p and 30fps, which is the expected resolution and framerate for open world games on consoles.

This does bring up an interesting question. One of the many announcements during the Xbox E3 media briefing was the support for bringing Fallout 4 mods over from the PC to the Xbox One and eventually the PS4. Some existing mods for Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are known to affect performance. Will Bethesda be checking mods to see how they impact Fallout 4 performance on consoles before making them available? It almost seems necessary.

As previously reported, Fallout 4 is set in Boston 200 years after the nuclear apocalypse. It adds to the open world exploration and combat with an all new crafting system that goes from simple weapon mods all the way to being able to build an entire community. It’s why it could (potentially) be the most voracious time eater to be released this holiday.

[Images via Bethblog]