Ryse Studio Boss Addresses Xbox One Resolution Controversy

One Microsoft employee has addressed the growing concern of some Xbox One owners that the console has few games capable of using full 1080p HD resolution.

While some fans feel slighted that many Xbox One games are not able to use 1080p resolution, studio manager Mike Ybarra explained that he feels the controversy surrounding this issue is overblown.

"I think the point that gets lost a lot is that it's all a game of trade-offs," Ybarra told MyXboxLive when discussing his studio's game, Ryse: Son of Rome. "Resolution alone is not the final determination regarding if a game looks great or not. It's one of many different levers and it's up to the game teams to decide what is best for their unique game experience."

Ryse has a resolution of 900p, but despite not being capable of 1080p the game is considered one of the best looking games available on the Xbox One. "We knew that the launch of a new console generation meant we needed a showcase experience that demonstrated the new visual fidelity and capabilities of the system," Ybarra said. "From the very first concept phase of Ryse, we knew making the game visually stunning was important. It's really a set of trade-offs that are made across a wide range of different topics from effects, resolution, scripted/dynamic instances, etc. that when added up brings together both the visual and emotional experience you want users to have."

While Ryse: Son of Rome may have been able to use different techniques to make up for the lack of full HD, some other games have been unable to fully realize the graphical power of the Xbox One. Recently, this issue has been drawn to the forefront thanks to several key games not being able to use 1080p resolution. Many were quick to point out that Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for the PlayStation 4 looked more visually impressive than the Xbox One version, causing a minor controversy. In addition, it was recently revealed that Titanfall, the game many consider to be the best exclusive game coming to the Xbox One, will not be able to use 1080p resolution either.

Despite the many similarities between the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, it seems as though developers are finding it easier to maximize the potential of their games on the Sony console rather than Microsoft's system.