HiGame

Ever since the Xbox One and PS4 launched in 2013, it’s been clear that both consoles have problems maintaining a steady 30 FPS at 1920×1080 (1080p). Microsoft’s Xbox One has particular trouble with these settings and often runs at a lower resolution than its PS4 equivalent. Quantum Break was supposed to break this trend. The game was developed by Remedy Entertainment, the same studio behind Max Payne 1 & 2 and the critically acclaimed Alan Wake. Last year, Remedy went out of its way to state that Quantum Break on the Xbox One would run at 1080p native resolution, with some effects rendered at a lower resolution to maintain a steady 30 FPS.

Independent testing by Eurogamer suggests this isn’t what actually happened. The company spent hours with what appears to be the final game code. Eurogamer writes:

Curiously, the [SIGGRAPH 2015] paper also states Xbox One’s final output is 1920×1080, and that’s where there is some confusion — as we’ve yet to see evidence of full HD 1080p gameplay in close analysis — barring the title’s HUD elements and menus. In every scene tested so far, a native resolution of 720p is the consistent result found in each pixel count test — so while there’s every possibility of individual render targets operating at higher resolutions, basic geometry that we’re able to measure hands in a 720p result as things stand.

There are two versions of the SIGGRAPH paper in question — the smaller annotated version is available here, while the full version with embedded images is here.



Quantum Break is visually stunning in many respects.

According to Eurogamer, Quantum Break on the Xbox One is often visually stunning, with smart use of materials, lighting effects, and antialiasing. The game makes some use of dynamic resolution scaling to adjust GPU load depending on what’s happening on-screen, but Quantum Break pushes the envelope of what the Xbox One can handle in terms of outdoor environments. Again, here’s Eurogamer: “More open locations combined with continued use of advanced effects work can impact performance to a certain extent. Tearing and frame-rate drops result in judder and reduced controller response here, with this having a knock-on effect to gameplay. Performance suffers just as we take aim at surrounding enemies, and the variable levels of latency and visible stutter make it harder to take accurate shots. Once the engine catches its breath and frame rates stabilize these issues are fully resolved.”



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