There’s been a lot of focus on resolutions and framerates since the PS4 and Xbox One were announced, particularly in those cases where Xbox One versions of titles ran at a lower resolution than their PS4 counterparts.
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer has argued that this focus on 1080p is unwarranted and that there are cases when other resolutions are more appropriate and that framerate is more important.
“We announced that Destiny will have the same resolution and frame rate on Xbox One as PS4. Reaching parity with our partners has been important,” Spencer told CVG.
“But in the end I don’t want it to be about a number, because 1080p isn’t some mythical, perfect resolution,” Spencer continued.
“Frame rate to me is significantly more important to gameplay than resolution and the mix of those two which brings the right art style and freedom, whether it’s on PlayStation or our platform.”
Spencer pointed out that Sony has picked a resolution other than 1080p for PS4 exclusive The Order 1886, a decision that the developers say is intended to make the game look more cinematic.
“I look at games like The Order on Sony’s platform and they picked a different resolution – I like the resolution that they picked, I think it’s interesting,” said Spencer.
“I want to put the tools in the hands of the artists and not try to math it that there’s some sort of [mathematical] answer for what the right resolution and frame rate is for a game – because there isn’t.”
Spencer explained that decisions on what resolution to hit should be made on a game by game basis.
“Clearly some genres like with racing sims like Forza, hitting 1080p/60fps is important. So there are certain genres where there’s an expectation, but there are also other genres where I’d rather use the cycles to put more effects on screen or better lighting.
“I’ve got to put the tools in the hands of developers,” Spencer said.