Watch Dogs will not run @60fps and 1080p
A lot of things have been heard since the early days of Watch Dogs’ announcement, most of them being about why the game’s release date will be pushed back (plus an entertaining advertisement campaign). And only 2 weeks before its release (27th of May), more depressing news are about to be heard - at least for the hardcore gamers and fans.
1080p @60fps No More
In the Playstation.com entry for Watch Dogs Sony clearly stated that the game would run at 60 frames per second and 1080p in the PS4 console, something that was quite expected from the game’s fans. But this statement was recently removed from the blog post, with the reason being that Ubisoft simply prefers to focus more on other aspects of the game rather the resolution. So consequently, the PS4 version of the game will not run at 60fps in 1080p, but at a steady 30fps in 900p instead.
If you think that’s bad, think again
If you were eagerly waiting to play the game in your PS4 console in 1080p, then think about the fellow Xbox One owner whose version of the game will run in 729p… makes you feel better, doesn’t it? (unless you’re the Xbox One owner who’s reading this… in that case, well, sorry but I can’t make you feel better).
Any More Details?
This change was confirmed only a couple of days ago by Ubisoft, where it was explained that it’s much more important to deliver an amazing next-gen experience than it is to push a few more pixels onto a screen. Creative Director Jonathan Morin said:
“Resolution is a number, just like framerate is a number. (…) In our case, dynamism is everything. Exploration and expression are everything. You want to have a steady framerate, but you want to have dynamism at the core of the experience.”
This sums up the feelings in Ubisoft about the game. 1080p HD quality was never the goal; it was an optional objective that, given enough time, could be implemented too. And I’m actually feeling quite relieved having heard that, since nowadays most companies in the video game industry have an ultimate goal of providing fans with the highest level of visual pleasure possible- ignoring other, essential aspects that make a game unique and successful (*cough* Square Enix *cough*).
The Truth Is Only Two Weeks Away
Don’t get too sentimental and kindhearted now though... Watch Dogs has been in the making for about 6 years now and we’ve heard many promises since then. Ubisoft better have a lot of surprises in there for us.
