One of the things that helps make AC great is higher resolution and it's drawing distance. It may be possible be play AC2 on a 13" black and white TV yet that would not be ideal. ( It's possible to play a PC racing sim with a keyboard and a mouse yet that also is not ideal.)
I agree with the article higher resolution is not just fluff as it adds to the viewing area and able to see more detail with distance objects even with average graphics.