Are things like “Resolution-gate” over going forward? If so, what changed that made people start forgiving power differences?

[BAD]

There was a lot of animosity in threads early this gen, in particular when unlike most multiplatform releases, AC Unity devs revealed they were moving toward visual parity for that game. Many had happily been documenting games that had a lower resolution on base Xbox One up to this point, so there was an outcry by some when for no clear reason, resolution of PS4's Unity would be no better than the less powerful Xbox One.

This topic around the resolution differences in the early gen was so pervasive it was given a nickname and reported on.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8qxabv/resolutiongate-video-games-mainstream-respect

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-resolutiongate-the-fallout

But then I noticed a weird halt to this discussion by the time Xbox One X hit. Despite it becoming the best system for multiplatform games, I didn't see much of a response anymore when it became clear that PS4 Pro was quickly outrun and has had the worse looking versions of many big games, from Red Dead Redemption 2 to Battlefront 2. But ok, maybe people at this point had spent enough this gen and were ok that Xbox One X had more power a year after PS4 Pro.

But when polled about next gen, people still seem to be ready to forgive the potentially weaker PS5 up against a seemingly confirmed powerhouse Series X. No longer am I seeing people so invested in their best version of multiplatform releases. It almost feels like the resolution doesn't matter to people now. Is this a maturing of gamers? Or is it tied to their favorite brand being the one that fell behind in power?

 

[Dest]

It's just tiring for most people to complain about the resolution of a game. Most people just want the game to work and for the game to be good. This is why reports moved more away from resolution and graphics to things being broken or bad like Anthem and Fallout 76.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

But when polled about next gen, people still seem to be ready to forgive the potentially weaker PS5 up against a seemingly confirmed powerhouse Series X. No longer am I seeing people so invested in their best version of multiplatform releases. It almost feels like the resolution doesn't matter to people now. Is this a maturing of gamers? Or is it tied to their favorite brand being the one that fell behind in power?

Click to shrink...

The fact that going forward, we'll probably get more powerful version of the same console obviously plays a part. It mattered that much because at launch that dynamic was supposed to stay the same. Now every day 1 buyer will get outpaced by the console upgrade mid gen.

Also I don't know where you're getting which next gen console is going to be more powerful than the other.

 

[TechnicPuppet]

XB1 coming out stopped it basically. As you said in OP.

 

[rusty chrome]

Performance is more important than resolution, always.

 

[TheRaidenPT]

Consoles always been about the exclusives I wanna play, that's why I already picked the PS5.

I wanna play the future God of War, Spider-Man, VR games and etc

 

[digitalrelic]

It's because Era is a Playstation centric forum. if Xbox Series X was projected to be the weaker console, you can bet your ass that it would a huge deal to people here.

 

[Swift_Gamer]

People don't care about power, they care about games. That's all there is to it. Everything else is platform warring.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

720p vs 1080p was sort of an argument between what should be accepted as the minimum for "next gen" resolution. 720p was "last gen", 1080p (and higher) was "next gen", so people balked at the idea of a 720p next gen console. Once 1080p became the standard there was nothing to protest anymore.

This is how I remember it, anyway.

 

[Zaa2fly]

There was a lot of animosity in threads early this gen, in particular when unlike most multiplatform releases, AC Unity devs revealed they were moving toward visual parity for that game. Many had happily been documenting games that had a lower resolution on base Xbox One up to this point, so there was an outcry by some when for no clear reason, resolution of PS4's Unity would be no better than the less powerful Xbox One.

This topic around the resolution differences in the early gen was so pervasive it was given a nickname and reported on.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8qxabv/resolutiongate-video-games-mainstream-respect

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-resolutiongate-the-fallout

But then I noticed a weird halt to this discussion by the time Xbox One X hit. Despite it becoming the best system for multiplatform games, I didn't see much of a response anymore when it became clear that PS4 Pro was quickly outrun and has had the worse looking versions of many big games, from Red Dead Redemption 2 to Battlefront 2. But ok, maybe people at this point had spent enough this gen and were ok that Xbox One X had more power a year after PS4 Pro.

But when polled about next gen, people still seem to be ready to forgive the potentially weaker PS5 up against a seemingly confirmed powerhouse Series X. No longer am I seeing people so invested in their best version of multiplatform releases. It almost feels like the resolution doesn't matter to people now. Is this a maturing of gamers? Or is it tied to their favorite brand being the one that fell behind in power?

Click to shrink...

You pretty much answered the question. there are more Sony guys in the media so power tends to only be a big deal when Sony has it.

 

[Titanpaul]

It was just platform warring bullshit - low hanging fruit. It doesn't matter what it is. Once the troll's argument has no ground anymore" (Regarding resolution -Microsoft with 1X), the trolls move onto the next thing (service X will kill games, system has no games, etc).

This forum still deals with a large amount of trolls.

 

[Azerth]

people stopped caring once ms had the power crown
granted i hope it stay gone and we move past console war crap

 

[RestEerie]

It's because Era is a Playstation centric forum. if Xbox Series X was projected to be the weaker console, you can bet your ass that it would a huge deal to people here.

Click to shrink...

Oh boy, u r gonna die on this hill, huh?

Er.....Good luck, mate.

 

[TronLight]

It stops getting clicks, so outlet stop making such articles. Outside a niche of interested people, no one really cares or even know the resolution a game runs at. It was somewhat newsworthy because the Xbox One and PS4 were next gen consoles and the One was getting consistently worse versions of games, but now it's the norm, even with the Pro and X, so it's just a thing that faded away.

 

[Evildeadhead]

This forum is going downhill rapidly.

 

[Inuhanyou]

It mattered because xbox one was 100 dollars more expensive and weaker. In addition to xbox brand being in toilet until they reversd course with better messaging and actions.

Power alone means less to the console war than all of that combined. Much less

Just like how ps3 having less impressive games..more difficult to program for meaning worse performing multiplats and more expensive made it butt of jokes for years.

 

[formasymphonic]

when unlike most multiplatform releases, AC Unity devs revealed they were moving toward visual parity for that game.

Click to shrink...

off topic but that event gave us one of the best |OT| titles I'd ever seen on GAF (and probably my favourite)

Assassin's Creed Unity |OT| Liberté, égalité, parité

 

[Jakenbakin]

People don't care about power, they care about games. That's all there is to it. Everything else is platform warring.

Click to shrink...

This. I'll let the nerds battle it out online for their tech talk, I just invest in a platform that has the games I want. Others invest in a platform their friends are on. I imagine a relatively tiny amount of people actually bother researching and investing into the relatively miniscule differences. I still hear people casually talk about the PS2 being there most powerful system, or how the XB1 was more powerful than the base PS4.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

This forum is going downhill rapidly.

Click to shrink...

So many console war thread lately...

 

[Deleted member 426]

720p vs 1080p was sort of an argument between what should be accepted as the minimum for "next gen" resolution. 720p was "last gen", 1080p (and higher) was "next gen", so people balked at the idea of a 720p next gen console. Once 1080p became the standard there was nothing to protest anymore.

This is how I remember it, anyway.

Click to shrink...

Yeah this basically. It could well come back as we move to 4K but at the moment most games on PS4/XB1 do hit 1080p so there's no issue.

 

[Flame Lord]

I mean it sounds like you know: now that the Xbox is more powerful, power doesn't matter. It's funny, because as far as I know there hasn't really been a confirmation of that yet, so I wonder what will happen if the PS5 is indeed more powerful. Nah, I know what will happen.

 

[Yearsoflurking]

Of course power still matter it's always mattered , however it probably doesn't to hardcore brand loyalist. DF and NX gamer will do well this generation.

 

[TronLight]

It's because Era is a Playstation centric forum. if Xbox Series X was projected to be the weaker console, you can bet your ass that it would a huge deal to people here.

Click to shrink...

I mean, the X came out a year later and was 100$ more expensive, of course people don't have anything to say about the resolution, it was a given it was going to be more powerful and have higher resolutions.

 

[Psamtik]

It's only ever been a cudgel with which to beat the opposing team.

 

[reminiscingLemon]

Or is it tied to their favorite brand being the one that fell behind in power?

Click to shrink...

This does seem to be the inference right? I waited for the one X to come out after finding out the Pro was no meaningful upgrade over the stock PS4. All my third party stuff is on Xbox now unless its like a roguelike or something indie i get those on switch.

But now im really perplexed where to go from here, tbh neither Xbox or PS have enough interesting exclusives to tide me either way. Sony have Insomniac who are easilly my favourite Sony 2nd party but Microsoft has Forza Horizon plus the ori games are pretty great.

My mind is telling me go PS5 next gen because well i already have a one X and the PS5 will likely be a bigger upgrade over the PS4 Pro than the Series X will be to the One X, not to mention 2 years of cross gen exclusives is a very pretty consumer minded strategy that really takes the urgency out of upgrading my One X.

My heart lies with MS right now, the PS4 has probably been my least favourite playstation home console. I want a Series X as i want the raw power plus im quite happy with my One X. But my mind says get a PS5 as the one X will tide you over for 2 years and this way you get to play all the exclusives.

Im very conflicted right now to say the least, resolution and power absolutely still matter to me hence why im stanning for MS so hard right now but does it matter to me more than exclusives? i just dont know i feel stuck between a rock and hard place. Just gonna have to wait and see what the exclusives are like and how big a difference in power between the 2 consoles there really is.

 

[gogosox82]

It only mattered because the xbox was more expensive but weaker than the ps4 similar to last gen where the ps3 was more expensive but games performed better on the xbox.

 

[SteveWinwood]

This forum is going downhill rapidly.

Click to shrink...

at least you can tell the thread quality by the username

 

[Karlinel]

To be fair, anything that gives 1440p smoothly deserves a "good enough" seal of approval. 4k is nice but not as big of a deal as being sub HD.

 

[BAD]

The fact that going forward, we'll probably get more powerful version of the same console obviously plays a part. It mattered that much because at launch that dynamic was supposed to stay the same. Now every day 1 buyer will get outpaced by the console upgrade mid gen.

Also I don't know where you're getting which next gen console is going to be more powerful than the other.

Click to shrink...

Maybe I've misunderstood. I thought I've read on here that Xbox Series X is practically confirmed 12 TF (Phil has said it is double the power of X, a 6 TF system). While some here have said the PS5 whispers don't suggest it hits that level. To clarify, I didn't say anyone has announced official TF numbers, I said "potentially."

 

[Rosebud]

People outside this forum never cared. Look at 3DS and Switch.

I would never change my console because of something like that.

 

[Kemono]

Outside of huge differences i'm going to play most of my game (exclusives and 3rd-party stuff) on my PS5, exclusives on my XSX and a few gems here and there on my 2080ti (maybe 3080TI this year).

But these things get more rare every gen imo. PS3/360 had a few of those. One/PS4 also wasn't great. X/Pro was better. So i'm hoping for the best.

 

[Mass_Pincup]

Maybe I've misunderstood. I thought I've read on here that Xbox Series X is practically confirmed 12 TF (Phil has said it is double the power of X, a 6 TF system). While some here have said the PS5 whispers don't suggest it hits that level. To clarify, I didn't say anyone has announced official TF numbers, I said "potentially."

Click to shrink...

I don't know personally, haven't followed the rumors.

 

[Exist 2 Inspire]

I never cared about power, resolution, fps or whatever in my life and i think it worked out pretty well for me.

 

[Rosebud]

people stopped caring once ms had the power crown
granted i hope it stay gone and we move past console war crap

Click to shrink...

So why so many people bought OG Xbox One?

 

[Eoin]

I'm not really sure I understand the point of this topic.

At the start of this generation resolution (and performance in general) came up a lot because people wanted to understand the power differential between the machines - it was clear from well before the launch of the machines that the PS4 would produce better results in almost every circumstance, but it took a little while to establish the exact degree to which that was true.

There was interest in Unity for a few reasons - it was one of the first big next-generation-only games, there was seemingly an aim for parity between systems (which didn't really make sense, because the systems weren't in parity), and when it released, it was pretty clear that release performance was unacceptable in several different ways.

For the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X there wasn't really any reason for anyone to doubt, initially, that PS4 Pro was a substantial improvement over the PS4, and later, that the Xbox One X was a substantial improvement over the PS4 Pro. We still get occasional discussions when those machines produce results that seem out of whack with expectations - like the occasional Xbox One X game that performs really close to the PS4 Pro version.

As for PS5 and Xbox Series X, I expect that they'll be heavily compared to each other at launch in much the same way as the PS4 and Xbox One, though this time I don't think the difference will be as noteworthy. Back in 2013 it was common for a game to be 1080p on PS4 versus 900p or sometimes lower on Xbox One - that wasn't just a matter of PS4 having a higher resolution, it was also a matter of a native unscaled image versus a scaled image (with the OG Xbox One sharpening filter plastered on top of it). Next generation the difference shouldn't be quite that dramatic (and if it is, someone's fucked up).

 

[Lant_War]

Xbox One was $499 and noticeably weaker. Xbox One X being noticeably more powerful when it launched a year later and at $100 more than the Pro is no shit news.

 

[Tomacco]

This does seem to be the inference right? I waited for the one X to come out after finding out the Pro was no meaningful upgrade over the stock PS4. All my third party stuff is on Xbox now unless its like a roguelike or something indie i get those on switch.

But now im really perplexed where to go from here, tbh neither Xbox or PS have enough interesting exclusives to tide me either way. Sony have Insomniac who are easilly my favourite Sony 2nd party but Microsoft has Forza Horizon plus the ori games are pretty great.

My mind is telling me go PS5 next gen because well i already have a one X and the PS5 will likely be a bigger upgrade over the PS4 Pro than the Series X will be to the One X, not to mention 2 years of cross gen exclusives is a very pretty consumer minded strategy that really takes the urgency out of upgrading my One X.

My heart lies with MS right now, the PS4 has probably been my least favourite playstation home console. I want a Series X as i want the raw power plus im quite happy with my One X. But my mind says get a PS5 as the one X will tide you over for 2 years and this way you get to play all the exclusives.

Im very conflicted right now to say the least, resolution and power absolutely still matter to me hence why im stanning for MS so hard right now but does it matter to me more than exclusives? i just dont know i feel stuck between a rock and hard place. Just gonna have to wait and see what the exclusives are like and how big a difference in power between the 2 consoles there really is.

Click to shrink...

Great write up!

I think it's people like yourself that MS risks loosing with the cross gen platform, however I also believe there will be more that stick with last gen and continue to purchase games rather than spending it on new hardware. Guess we'll see.

More on topic however, given that you purchased a One X, I'm going to assume you've got a 4k TV, and further assume that you're an early adopter, if the PS5 has the lesser specs, are you really going to be happy with it?

 

[Inuhanyou]

Its not a pheomenon that just started this gen op. Are you aware of the variables that shift public opinion? Its more than just one element

Thats also why xbox one x didnt really get the reaction you thought. A year later more expensive and more powerful? In addition to the competition firing on all cylinders game wise? It was a no brainer

 

[Nostremitus]

Gonna be framerate-gate going forward. Before this gen most people didn't care about resolution on consoles as long as it was some form of "HD" Then this gen hit and it was the identifier used for console warring. Next gen. if one is consistently 60fps or higher and the other isn't, suddenly all the people "fine with 30fps" are gonna be framerate aficionados the same way they suddenly started caring about resolution.

Of course, there are those of use who've always cared about resolution and framerate, but we're the minority.

 

[calibos]

I care about power, resolution and performance and am not afraid to say it. Saying you don't care if your chosen brand has power or any other advantages is silly to me.

I am mainly an X ecosystem guy both on Xbox and PC. I want that Series X to be powerful if I am going to buy it. If it's the most powerful system ever created, excellent.

But. I would never rub it in someones face about it. The beginning of this gen was fanboy insanity and looking back on it...kind of embarrassing. Even now some of the things that are said...

 

[IIFloodyII]

This does seem to be the inference right? I waited for the one X to come out after finding out the Pro was no meaningful upgrade over the stock PS4. All my third party stuff is on Xbox now unless its like a roguelike or something indie i get those on switch.

But now im really perplexed where to go from here, tbh neither Xbox or PS have enough interesting exclusives to tide me either way. Sony have Insomniac who are easilly my favourite Sony 2nd party but Microsoft has Forza Horizon plus the ori games are pretty great.

My mind is telling me go PS5 next gen because well i already have a one X and the PS5 will likely be a bigger upgrade over the PS4 Pro than the Series X will be to the One X, not to mention 2 years of cross gen exclusives is a very pretty consumer minded strategy that really takes the urgency out of upgrading my One X.

My heart lies with MS right now, the PS4 has probably been my least favourite playstation home console. I want a Series X as i want the raw power plus im quite happy with my One X. But my mind says get a PS5 as the one X will tide you over for 2 years and this way you get to play all the exclusives.

Im very conflicted right now to say the least, resolution and power absolutely still matter to me hence why im stanning for MS so hard right now but does it matter to me more than exclusives? i just dont know i feel stuck between a rock and hard place. Just gonna have to wait and see what the exclusives are like and how big a difference in power between the 2 consoles there really is.

Click to shrink...

Sounds like you should consider a PC, it's always going to win in the powe discussion and resolution and more importantly frame rate will have a lot more options to get the best personal experience. Get a PS5 later if it has a decent amount of games you are interested in.

 

[DigitalOp]

You're completely ignoring the X1 launched at 500$ and ran most games at 720p

Compared to PS4s 400$ and 1080p performance.

Of course people were going to talk about that

 

[fiendcode]

It didn't exactly go away in 2017, the microscope (and associated hyperbole) moved over to Switch.

I expect it to come back to PS/Xbox with a vengeance in 2020/2021 with the next gen launches.

 

[Secretofmateria]

There was a lot of animosity in threads early this gen, in particular when unlike most multiplatform releases, AC Unity devs revealed they were moving toward visual parity for that game. Many had happily been documenting games that had a lower resolution on base Xbox One up to this point, so there was an outcry by some when for no clear reason, resolution of PS4's Unity would be no better than the less powerful Xbox One.

This topic around the resolution differences in the early gen was so pervasive it was given a nickname and reported on.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/8qxabv/resolutiongate-video-games-mainstream-respect

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-resolutiongate-the-fallout

But then I noticed a weird halt to this discussion by the time Xbox One X hit. Despite it becoming the best system for multiplatform games, I didn't see much of a response anymore when it became clear that PS4 Pro was quickly outrun and has had the worse looking versions of many big games, from Red Dead Redemption 2 to Battlefront 2. But ok, maybe people at this point had spent enough this gen and were ok that Xbox One X had more power a year after PS4 Pro.

But when polled about next gen, people still seem to be ready to forgive the potentially weaker PS5 up against a seemingly confirmed powerhouse Series X. No longer am I seeing people so invested in their best version of multiplatform releases. It almost feels like the resolution doesn't matter to people now. Is this a maturing of gamers? Or is it tied to their favorite brand being the one that fell behind in power?

Click to shrink...

the honest truth that no one wants to admit is that the power gap complaint only goes one way on this site. It was a big deal when xbox was less powerful, but once it became more powerful exclusives suddenly seemed to matter alot more, and power really didnt anymore amongst users. I just wish that some people here would admit to just preffering playstation over xbox no matter the difference between the consoles. It would save a lot of tripping over excuses then working to quickly move a goal post. Its okay to prefer one brand over another, and to want to see it succeed. Playstation fans (xbox fans too) just need to stop being so disingenuous and become more transparent regarding their prefference.

 

[Rosebud]

I care about power, resolution and performance and am not afraid to say it. Saying you don't care if your chosen brand has power or any other advantages is silly to me.

Click to shrink...

How is silly caring about games first, resolution later?

The opposite sounds silly to me.

I doubt Xbox games fans would get a PS5 if it's more powerful, it would make no sense.

 

[Inuhanyou]

Gonna be framerate-gate going forward. Before this gen most people didn't care about resolution on consoles as long as it was some form of "HD" Then this gen hit and it was the identifier used for console warring. Next gen. if one is consistently 60fps or higher and the other isn't, suddenly all the people "fine with 30fps" are gonna be framerate aficionados the same way they suddenly started caring about resolution.

Of course, there are those of use who've always cared about resolution and framerate, but we're the minority.

Click to shrink...

Fps will always be up to devs and unlike res isnt something easily solved by dynamic res. There will be plenty of 30fps games across platforms. Nobody should be under allusions about that

 

[BAD]

Xbox One was $499 and noticeably weaker. Xbox One X being noticeably more powerful when it launched a year later and at $100 more than the Pro is no shit news.

Click to shrink...

You're completely ignoring the X1 launched at 500$ and ran most games at 720p

Compared to PS4s 400$ and 1080p performance.

Of course people were going to talk about that

Click to shrink...

Xbox One was already available for the same price as PS4 by the time Unity came out... so pricing doesn't explain why people cared so much at that game release

 

[Night Hunter]

Nah, those discussions will still happen. And a lot. But with things like >1080p resolutions checkerboarded up to 4k or temporal injection, etc I really see no need to beat this dead horse too much.

 

[TheIlliterati]

As long as both consoles output at true 4k, the warring will be minimal. To be comparable to last gen, one console would have to claim to be 4k and actually be uprezzing 1080p. Then of course you'd have the same uproar.

 

[QuantumZebra]

The jump in power wasn't enough to get me to play my Xbox One X over my PS4 Pro.

I think the Switch also proved resolution only matters *so* much. Once it's HD people (IMO) care way more in general about fun/quality.

Resolution/refresh rate geeking out is for a small percentage of gamers.