Metal Gear Solid 5 runs at 1080p on PS4, limited to 720p on Xbox One

0
inShare

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is a hotly anticipated title that’s spanning four different platforms, and that means we’re in for some sweet console comparisons over the next month or so. The PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, and Xbox One will all receive versions of this game, and it seems as if the difference between each console is incredibly stark. It’s no surprise that the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions look comparatively blurry, but the performance gap between the PS4 and Xbox One is a bit surprising.
On its official site, Konami recently posted some juicy details regarding the performance of MGS V across its four platforms. The Tokyo company released four pairs of screenshots highlighting the graphical differences between last-gen and current-gen consoles, but more importantly, it also announced the resolution and frame rate across each version.
The PS4 will run at 1080p at 60 fps, while the Xbox One will be stuck at 720p at 60 fps. Both of the last-gen consoles will be running at 720p at 30 fps, and will be “scaling internally.” It’s unclear exactly what resolution the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are rendering in natively, and a Konami representative was not immediately available for comment.

PS3 vs. PS4

As you can tell in this head-to-head comparison, the PS4 version offers sharp details and high-res textures while the PS3 version looks muddy and pixelated. It’s also easy to see how much better the lighting is handled in the PS4 — just look at the sign’s shadow. When it comes to realistic reflections and lighting models, those seven years of hardware progress are plain to see.

Xbox 360 vs. Xbox One

With this shot, the Xbox 360 version looks like a muddy mess. The textures are blurry, Snake’s model looks less sharp, and the lighting takes a serious hit. Even though the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are $10 cheaper, you’ll definitely want to spring for the next-gen versions if at all possible.

PS4 vs. Xbox One

Unfortunately, Konami didn’t release Xbox One and PS4 comparison screenshots of the exact same scene. Instead, we’re left making judgements from disparate images, so it’s hard to tell exactly how noticeable the PS4′s superior resolution actually is. Both versions look nice, but we’ll have to wait to see an apples-to-apples comparison.

Does resolution really matter?

In the big picture, the resolution difference for this one title isn’t a big deal. Xbox One owners will get to play a nice looking version of the game, and most people won’t even know the difference. However, this is an example of a trend that should be worrisome for Redmond. Multi-platform games are consistently running better on the PS4 — the console that’s $100 cheaper than the Xbox One.
Even if your average Joe doesn’t know or care how many lines of resolution a game is rendering, the narrative that “games are better on the PS4″ is proliferating quickly, and the sales numbers seem to back that up. When the next Madden and Call of Duty roll around, this kind of performance gap is only going to hurt the Xbox One.