The $91 billion gaming industry is making a huge push for 4K rendered content
IF you are wondering if your home entertainment needs an upgrade, one of the world’s largest entertainment industries has a very simple answer.
IF YOU’RE an enthusiastic gamer and have been on the fence about upgrading to a 4K screen, this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) should convince you the answer is an emphatic “Yes”.
So named because of its resolution of approximately 4000 pixels by 2160 pixels, 4K resolution is the current best available resolution for consumer home entertainment, offering unsurpassed graphics, effects, clarity, sharpness and quality.
4K optimisation was a key feature of the eagerly awaited Microsoft Xbox One X announcement, with Xbox head Phil Spencer telling E3 event attendees that every new game from Microsoft’s own studios would run natively at 4K resolution.
Despite the buzz around the console, the Xbox One X is not the first 4K console on the market, with its predecessor the Xbox One S and Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro also supporting the format — albeit with the One X confirming it’s now becoming the industry standard resolution capability.
One of the flagship titles for the 4K format on Xbox One X was Forza 7, breathtakingly rendering more than 700 cars along with real-world geographic locations from Dubai to the Nurburgring in Germany. When combined with a 4K screen, the results could almost be called lifelike, with stunning detail in everything from the rippling of leather on steering wheels through to water and sand.
Even Minecraft, Microsoft’s blockbuster building and creation game, is getting in on the 4K act with a “Super Duper Graphics Pack”, upgrading the title to the latest in ultra high-definition quality.
Given the deliberately retro style of the graphics, a 4K version might seem an odd choice for the format, but Minecraft is a phenomenally popular game and the hires graphics do add a number of subtle but enhancing effects to the game, including sophisticated lighting effects, some additional 3D modelling, and a much longer draw distance.
Microsoft weren’t the only ones pushing 4K at E3 this year, with most AAA titles announced by most publishers including Bethesda, Sony and Ubisoft all being 4K compatible, capitalising on the opportunities the format offers.
Bethesda titles Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and The Evil Within 2 are both understood to make full use of the format, while Ubisoft showed off tames including Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Far Cry 5, The Crew 2 and Skull & Bones with extraordinary and detailed hi-definition graphics during their E3 conference.
A raft of titles from Sony including treasure hunting adventure Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and zombie apocalypse game Days Gon e also are expected to use all the resources available from 4K to add to lush and detailed environments.
While PC gamers have understandably been mildly amused by the excitement console owners show toward getting hi-definition remasters of older games, it’s quite a big deal that there are so many 4K games on the market now and console gamers are able to enjoy the sort of graphics previously only available to comparatively deep-pocketed PC owners.
Traditionally, high-def gaming was the preserve of the PC gaming enthusiast with a suitably padded wallet with which to buy a decent graphics card. Now, between the PS4 Pro and the Xbox One X, 4K gaming is available at an attainable but still admittedly not cheap price point for those looking to get in on the trend.
It wasn’t just the games themselves showing off 4K capabilities either, with huge screens in the resolution gracing the major` developer announcement conferences. Huge screens at the major conferences bought the action to excited spectators, with sharp and vibrant colours, impeccable detail and excellent high-range dynamic effects.
Sony’s impressive E3 conference, supported with special effects including fireworks, a band of subcontinental musicians, dead zombies, cranes, and snow, took advantage of a large hi-def screen to show off the detail in some of its announced AAA games.
PlayStation US head Shawn Layden said the company’s gaming consoles were more powerful than ever, thanks to 4K and virtual reality (VR).
“PlayStation is at the forefront of bringing these technologies to the world,” he said.
Of course, having a latest generation console or a computer which could be used for cracking encrypted foreign spy communications is only half the journey to 4K gaming — you need a suitable screen, and surprisingly, they’re not nearly as expensive as you’d think, with 4K TVs available from around $1000.
Obviously that’s not pocket change, but if you’re serious about your gaming and experiencing your entertainment in the best possible resolution, this year’s E3 line-up should be the nudge you need to open the piggy bank and upgrade to the cutting edge of home entertainment visual capabilities.
Even if your budget doesn’t stretch to a 4K screen, don’t panic — the games optimised for it will still look fantastic a much cheaper and commonly found 1080p resolution as well.
After all, a $91 billion industry can’t be wrong.
Royce Wilson is attending E3 as a guest of Ubisoft.
Originally published as The $91 billion gaming industry is making a huge push for 4K rendered content
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