4K TVs need 4K games
With the introduction of 4K resolution televisions, 4K gaming isn’t too far behind. The appeal of a 4K TV is the incredible graphics, making you feel like what is the screen is actually in the room with you. Also known as Ultra High Definition Television, 4K has a resolution of 3840 x 720p, so massive and crisp.
Now that so many new televisions are coming out with the new technology, console developers are having to make new tech that fits the bill. So far, only the Xbox One X, releasing later this year, has the 4K capabilities in full, with Xbox One S and PlayStation 4 Pro supporting in part. Gizmodo gives an in-depth breakdown of what you need to know about gaming in 4K.
Consoles aren’t up to scratch
Right now, the Xbox One S is capable of showing games and videos in 4k, however most of these games have been scaled up behind the scenes to look good, basically they are 1080p games beefed up to 4k. This looks pretty good, and is a nice in-between option if you’re hesitant to get any new tech, but it’s only available for streaming and for a limited number of games.
The hardware capabilities of a console are pretty static when considering 4K technology
The PlayStation4 Pro has many of the same capabilities of the Xbox One S, however their games don’t give them the option of upscaling behind the scenes. It also doesn’t have a built in UHD blu-ray drive. Still, select games and streaming services have the ability to look pretty decent on a 4k tv.
Even the Xbox One X isn’t going to live up to full 4K standards as it is going to take quite a while before all game developers are producing content in full 4k resolution.
High-Spec PCs are the only way to go for 4K
Really, the only option if you are serious about gaming in 4K is to invest in a PC with NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards. The appeal of PC gaming is that it is so much easier to upgrade your system to support all the new tech that is coming out. So as we learn and develop more about 4k technology, we can reach those same heights when gaming with some small, but probably costly, tweaks to our systems.
So it looks like, unless you are going to spend thousands on a gaming PC that you can customise and continually update (maybe even tens of thousands!), it is not necessarily worth joining in the hype of 4K gaming yet. And it’s certainly not worthwhile throwing money into new consoles while the technology is still in development, because you’ll be left without the most powerful console in another year’s time.
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