| RJ_Sizzle said: Well, in the end, it sounds like a good console in specs, and better than the Pro for sure. It was overhyped to death though with all the Zen/Vega rumors. I see what Phil Spencer meant now in saying that if you don't have a 4k TV, buying this console isn't a priority. Still, definitely for those Xbox guys that wanted a more powerful Xbox One at least. I can see the very customized hardware making things more expensive production wise, but I still expect them to eat the cost and sell it at $399. Just to try and "catch up" so to speak. Mainly in the home market. |
Originally Posted by Digital Foundry
With some PS4 Pro titles, we've been vocal in our criticisms of game modes locked to specific display types. If a title has a high resolution mode, 1080p display users should get super-sampling - something that doesn't always happen, even on Sony first party games. Part of Microsoft's commitment to the 1080p user is that super-sampling is mandated - if a Scorpio title runs at a higher resolution, it must downsample for full HD screens. Similarly, in-game frame-rates must be the same or faster than standard Xbox One titles. Hopefully we'll actually see smoother performance.
At the hardware level, Microsoft is confident in the quality of the scaler built into Scorpio's display processor. It's enhanced over the Xbox One S equivalent to "handle the bandwidth and quality requirements of 4K", using a high quality six-tap vertical and horizontal Lanczos filter. Compared to a native 1080p output on Xbox One, super-sampling is a great feature to have: anti-aliasing quality is second to none, the same texture filtering quality improves with more resolution (for a given screen area, the texture is sampled more) and art is richer owing to the use of more highly detailed texture assets.
Microsoft's insistence on 1080p supersampling is actually more inclusive than it sounds, and it's good news for users of all screens. There have been instances of PS4 Pro games with higher performance 1080p modes only accessible if the front-end is set to a full HD output - No Man's Sky and The Last Guardian are two examples of this. If your Pro's set to 4K instead, you might never even know that an alternative, higher performing mode exists. With Scorpio, all game modes - resolution, performance or otherwise - must be available to all users regardless of the display the console is attached to. This philosophy reflects a long-held Digital Foundry view, and hopefully PS4 Pro titles will also follow suit.
Gaf
