It looks like Microsoft has had about enough of this resolution gate nonsense. Xbox Head Phil Spencer came forward in a talk with CVG saying that 1080p resolution just isn’t as important as people are making it out to be.
“Reaching parity with our partners has been important,” Spencer said. “But in the end I don’t want it to be about a number, because 1080p isn’t some mythical, perfect resolution. Frame rate to me is significantly more important to gameplay than resolution and the mix of those two which brings the right art style and freedom, whether it’s on PlayStation or our platform.”
“Clearly some genres like with racing sims like Forza, hitting 1080p/60fps is important,” he added. “So there are certain genres where there’s an expectation, but there are also other genres where I’d rather use the cycles to put more effects on screen or better lighting. I’ve got to put the tools in the hands of developers.”
Spencer went on to say that certain games can make different resolutions and frame rates work for them. Lower framerates can make games look film like.
He is right in that 1080p isn’t some magic resolution number. Many PC games are already venturing into the world of 4K resolution, but on small enough monitors it’s barely even noticeable.
Source: CVG