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Lighting If you're impressed by the realism afforded
by these new consoles, it's probably the improvements to lighting effects that are making the biggest
difference. Our eyes are very accustomed to the way multiple light sources fill a three-dimensional
space, reflect off of different types of objects, and cast shadows. To put it simply, these
details haven't been close to accurate on older consoles — they lack the horsepower
required to handle all of these effects. With the jump to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One,
however, light plays a far more convincing role.
Resolution The jump from the PlayStation 2 to the PlayStation
3 and from the Xbox to the Xbox 360 was one of the most impressive generational leaps
ever because the new consoles brought high-definition gaming to the living room. While this year's
new consoles don't offer such a noticeable resolution increase, they do offer a marked
improvement. The truth is that the vast majority of Xbox 360 and PS3 games are rendered at
720p (or sometimes lower) and then upscaled to play on your 1080p TV. The Xbox One and
PlayStation 4, meanwhile, can handle games that run natively at 1080p — or close to
it.
Performance Upgraded graphics don't mean much if the gameplay
is ruined as a result. Fortunately, this isn't yet a problem for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox
One. Developers are managing to reach at least 30 frames per second, which is the standard
for most gameplay, while certain titles are running at a buttery 60fps. After spending
time with multi-platform games on the next-gen consoles, it's difficult to imagine going
back to the inconsistent and middling performance of the older consoles. Battlefield 4 feels
entirely different across the generations thanks to the jump from 30 to 60fps, and Assassin's
Creed 4 on next-gen consoles largely does away with the troublesome frame-rate drops
prevalent on the Xbox 360 and PS3. We just wish more games ran at 60fps on the new consoles
— many suffice for a reasonable but unimpressive 30fps.
PS4 vs. Xbox One If the graphics upgrades between the two console
generations fail to impress you, the distinction between the visuals on the Xbox One and PlayStation
4 will seem downright miniscule. For this first batch of launch games, however, Sony's
console undoubtedly has the upper hand. Across the multi-platform titles, the improvement
comes down to one factor: higher resolutions. In the early running, most developers have
been more successful at running 1080p at reasonable frame rates on the PlayStation 4 than on the
Xbox One. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and Call of Duty: Ghosts, for example, run at
1080p on Sony's console versus 900p and 720p, respectively, on the Xbox One. Battlefield
4, meanwhile, runs at 900p on the PlayStation 4 compared to 720p on the Xbox One.
Wrap Up These multi-platform launch games, then, have
tangible and noticeable improvements on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. But there's no
doubt that the majority of these games simply do not amaze. These titles don't offer a moment
that makes you say "now this is next gen." Appreciated graphical upgrades aside, these
experiences don't feel that much different than what the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have
offered for years. In this way, the next generation has not yet defined itself. But truthfully,
that shouldn't be surprising. It takes time for developers to grow comfortable with new
hardware and eke out everything a platform has to offer. Launch titles in particular
are not usually very pretty (or very good). Compressed development schedules and brand-new
consoles aren't a good match for high-quality games. And, perhaps most importantly, console
gaming is now in a transitional period between the two generations, and developers won't
do their best work for these new consoles until they're free to leave the limitations
of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 behind. If we want a true look at the future of what
these brand-new consoles can offer, we must look at games designed solely for the next
generation.