In an interview with Stevivor, Titanfall 2’s executive producer Drew McCoy told the publication that the PlayStation 4 Pro wasn’t powerful enough to handle native 4k graphics for modern AAA games. That’s why Titanfall 2 doesn’t run at native 4K on the console. The interview reads:
Even so, McCoy noted that Titanfall 2 won’t run at native 4K resolution on a PS4 Pro. “I would be surprised if anyone saw native 4K with AAA level games any time soon,” he said. “It just takes so much processing power. It’s unbelievable amounts of just GPU grunt to do that.”
If you look at comments made by individuals like Rod Fergusson at E3, 6 TFLOPS of computing power are required to deliver native 4K for current-generation AAA games. I believe that’s the minimum. This is why he promised that games like Gears of War 4 would run at native 4K on Xbox Scorpio when it launched. Instead of misleading gamers about 16-bit computing which no advanced AAA engine uses, they should’ve put more power in the box. If you want a native 4K experience on consoles, then get the Xbox Scorpio.
In order for these advanced games to get to native 4K on PlayStation 4 Pro, developers would have to optimize their titles considerably and cut corners like they do now when it comes to certain titles on current-generation devices. This is what McCoy hinted at in that interview. Imagine going closer to an obscure part of the map to see a really low-resolution texture. Hey, at least it’s in 4K? If you want to deliver a proper, uncompromising experience, you should have ample power. The Xbox Scorpio is as powerful as a PlayStation 4 Pro and another PlayStation 4 combined! That’s what’s needed to make sure native 4K can be achieved. Microsoft made the right decision by going with raw power.
Source: Polygon
Xian was a regular ICXM contributor between 2015–2017, publishing 162 articles across game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative.