Evolve Dev About PS4/Xbox One Parity, Console Wars Being 'Tedious'

"Parity" seems to be one of the more problematic issues with today's current gen consoles. When Turtle Rock Studios said it would be going with graphical parity for the Xbox One and PS4 versions, what influenced the decision especially when the PS4 is more powerful than the Xbox One?

[Fro_xoxo]

Parity should be a standard between both consoles. . Eventually the bickering will stop, and focus will shift towards the actual games.

^_^.

*Mounts flame shield*

@Rashid Sayed Consoles don't scale. The hardware is locked. Optimization is all you can deal with. The PC is an open environment. . not comparable to consoles.

@PC_2020 Despite the perks of PC. It isn't for everyone.
I refuse to spend 200 box on a GPU alone to play the same games with extra bells and whistles ^_^.

[gameseveryday]

I kinda disagree. Every system should be pushed according to their capabilities. This is the precise reason why PC games scale up and down according to the hardware the player has.

[MasterCornholio]

Yep that's the way it should be.

And parity shouldn't be used to " avoid debates and stuff" like theFro is saying.

[Pogmathoin]

In all fairness, parity is fine as long as both are pushed to there limits and achieve great things. In some cases, its simply down to the fact that is was easier to achieve on PS4, but nothing was left behind. Do you want developers adding more bells and whistles simply because the PS4 can handle it? Or do you want the game to released? This argument can go on and on, but when developers build a game, they already know what they are aiming for. Parity is wrong though, when you strip a version to keep it the same. That is what should be avoided.

[GribbleGrunger]

That's very nice of you. It's not often you get someone with the more powerful console asking for games to be dumbed down for parity's sake. Kudos to you ... Of course you'll also be including Wiiu in that, I assume because I'm sure even if you own an XB1 you wouldn't mind XB1 games being dumbed down too. Wouldn't want to be a hypocrite, would we.

[Gazondaily]

Speaking of hypocrisy, we should spare a thought for PC gamers, who have had to contend with their games being dumbed down for YEARS not only graphically/performance wise but even in scope because of the limitations of consoles.

That is still the case today. If anyone truly has a right to moan about parity, its PC gamers in general.

[GribbleGrunger]

I agree. I'm not quite as thoughtful as our friend above and ALL platforms should be pushed to their potential limits, including PC.

[MysticStrummer]

@Septic - That's not exactly the same thing in my view. Every console generation there are a few different platform options to consider. Meanwhile on the PC side of things how many different possible hardware combinations are there being used for gaming during that same console generation? Besides that, what is the percentage of PC gamers who keep their hardware up to date with the latest tech? PC gamers will look at a multi plat game and say "It will look and play much better on PC", when reality says it will look and play better on relatively few PCs. Developers don't have much incentive to cater to that bleeding edge niche.

[GribbleGrunger]

@MysticStrummer:

Yes, that's not a conversation I generally want to get involved with. A lot of PC owners like to blame consoles for games not meeting expectations but they seem to forget developers also have to cater for the lowest common denominator for PCs too. The one thing I could agree with in terms of consoles effecting PC games, is that PCs have always been a via business because of people 'having' to buy the latest graphics chips.

Now that consoles are far more popular, far fewer people upgrade their PCs and so far less developers feel it's necessary to cater for the few with the higher specs. That's not really the consoles fault, that's a flaw in the business model for PC gaming.

It's always been the same. It's just that it's coming into sharp focus now that PC gaming is not the main focus for developers. Conning people into having to upgrade (yet again) because of a game requiring better specs is an outdated business model and, for my mind, rightly so. I got out of PC gaming early on when I realised it was a racket.

[Kribwalker]

I'm just curious where all this parity uproar was when the PS2 was the least powerful of the 3 consoles and the other systems were dumbed down to that level? I was a playstation 2 owner at that time, and I never saw everyone getting mad that Xbox and GameCube were getting dragged down to the ps2 level. With the minor differences between them now, if you want to complain that you are missing a little foliage ala GTA then sure, go ahead and boycott and complain, just know how stupid you sound doing it

[gangsta_red]

@Gribble
There's a difference between being dumbed down and a dev not having the technical means to make his game.

The term "dumb down" should also be put into question. What game has been dumbed down due to the Xbox One? So far every multiplat game has the same modes, features, story, design, control and every other bell and whistle...so what exactly is dumbed down?

It's this whole blindness of 50% more power but nothing to back it up with other than a higher resolution. I would hardly say dumbed down if that is the only advantage so far your powerful console has.

[starrman1985]

This is a problem that we as "fans" have created through all the back and forth bickering this generation. It's created a HUGE amount of attention towards the resolution/fps issues - something we didn't really see a great deal last gen.

We still had the usual graphical bickering between SONY and Microsoft fans but it was nowhere near the scale it's hit this time around.

Graphical parity causes one problem and cleanses another at the same time, developers will feel strained between the choices. Personally I think it is a bad thing, you might as well use each machine to it's full potential (after all we as consumers picked our respective console for a reason) - however I also think we as a community need to stop the bickering and just let the devs got on with it, they'll then feel less pressure to deliver parity because they wont be as afraid to release one game at 900p and the other at 1080p.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

The only way the bickering is a problem is if you go online and seek it. You don't have to look in to the comments section. You can read the news and go on your day. If you are crying about fanboys bickering than you have no one to blame but yourself for constantly feeding into it.

[starrman1985]

You may not frequent here much but for the majority of last year the top stories were resolution debates or bias stories. You couldn't check N4G without having these issues right in front of you.

I'm not crying about anything, but we are the reason it has gotten so out of hand. Obviously game sites report and re-post what we as the community say, which only furthers the issue!

[XabiDaChosenOne]

If N4g was flooded with flame articles and one does not like such articles, why not give N4g a break?

[marlinfan10]

@starrman

N4g has been loaded with resolution articles because half the people on here love them. They wouldn't keep writing the same articles over and over again if they didn't get loads of clicks and comments every time.

[TheStrokes]

Parity should be standard maybe if you own the inferior console, but every single dev should be optimising the best they can to push each console as much as they are capable of.
I think the resolution debate will always be there whether people say they do or dont notice the difference... resolution, textures, frame-rate and everything else should be taken advantage of if they have the correct tools to do so.
This is partly the reason Ubisoft are coming under so much scrutiny - and rightly so!
Would you chose parity if your football team had the better side just to appease your opponents? We all already know the answer and the same should apply to gaming.

[OrangePowerz]

Nope it shouldn't. Why should the games for one console be held back because the other console is weaker? Gameplay and content wise they should have parity (no timed exclusive DLC etc.), but in the graphics department the games should be optimized for each system. There was no parity last gen when devs had issues with the PS3, there was no parity in the generation before when the PS2 was the weaker hardware.

Keep in mind that Evolve was always promoted for X1, wouldn't look good for them if the other console version would look better. Not surprising that they will downplay parity and come up with a reason for why it should be there. If the roles would be reversed for the consoles and the X1 would be more powerful I doubt they would say the same.

[Kornholic]

Spoken like a true Xbox fanboy.

Of course people want developers to push each individual console to their maximum potential. Settling for parity just to avoid some arguments sounds extremely childish.

[SonyOnly4]

No way it was fine for Xtots last Gen when we got the sloppy ports now the shoe is on the other foot you expect us to show you sympathy?

[JMyers]

Parity is only the standard when it affects the lesser console... which happens to be the one you must own right?

When 360 games performed better last gen, I didn't see these console owners clamouring for parityEach hardwarde should be used to its fullest...regardless of who the publisher has a deal with.

[MrSwankSinatra]

Console Wars are full of morons. Back in the day when the rivalry between SNES and Genesis was high, even kids I knew then were more mature than the adults I encounter now.

[WESKER2015]

I couldn't agree more.

[_LarZen_]

I agree that console wars is tedious. But not taking advantage of the hardware available because of parity is just idiotic.

[Viryu]

Meanwhile PC and PS4 versions were nerfed to the lowest denominator, Xbox One. Usually it's the PS4 version being downgraded to Xbox One's specs, but PCs? PCs are not gaming consoles, that's for one. And devs should stop being cowards and openly acknowledge that there is power disparity between the two current gen consoles.

[DougLord]

Developers are capable of determining if the extra 2 copies they will sell to N4Gers that would otherwise boycott the game, are worth the cost of adding an extra freckle to the main character.

And for all the PC elitists, PC games scale HORRIBLY. That's why a 1.8 Tflop PS4 looks as good as a PC game running on a 4 tflop card
I have a gaming PC. I have 2x5870s. That should be 4 tflops. But I bought Dragon Age and it ran like crap. Returned it and bought for my Xone and it just WORKS. And I get to play on a 50" plasma.

[XabiDaChosenOne]

My forehead split open because of me banging my head on my desk after reading this interview.

What does the console wars have to do with a game taking advantage of the hardware I bought? Why does it matter so much that everyone needs to have the same "experience" when they have not bought the same harware?

“Well…I could find alot of people that would disagree with you (laughter)." Point? That doesn't change the fact that one is Factually more powerful than the other.

[tlougotg]

Imagine if during the ps3,xbox360 era our games were dumbed down to Wii levels for sake of parity Foh man!!!! Or we couldn't have certain games on ps4 and xbone because Wiiu can't handle them and for sake of parity not being possible they just don't make the game.

Devs and publishers will just say whatever pr bs they will to save them money, time and face. They are not pushing the strongest console limits because it'll be more time consuming and costly so they develop using the lowest common denominator and tell ps4 fans to deal with it. That's why i thank god for exclusives!!!! Just like last gen with Tlou, Uncharted, Mgs, etc Sony will show they have the best games, capable of more on the stronger system.

I bet you most ppl here saying "you hardly see any difference in resolution, effects, blah blah" were same hypocrite warriors boasting about an extra fps or shadow last gen when ports would be slightly better on xbox360. The difference in ports now are greater by the way favoring ps4 and the crusade to downplay differences is disgusting on part of media and fanboys.

[TheLastColossus]

Of course, fuck this game.

[Speak_da_Truth]

Parity again?? This sucks seriously.

[Jamaicangmr]

Naaw i'm inclined to disagree. If the platform owners put in the work and money to make their platforms X powerful then i believe it is ur duty as a developer on the platform to utilize X to the best of ur abilities and not just stop at because another platform isn't as powerful. Then where is the incentive for the platform owners to push the envelope?

This just sounds like a lazy dev. This is not how an industry grows by catering to the the weakest thus under using the other platforms.

[jay2]

Parity's BS, the weaker hardware SHOULD NEVER hold back other hardware, ON ANY GAME.

[lnfiniteLoop]

devs should be making the game shine on each individual device... lowering the games resolution and fps to match because one system cannot keep up shouldnt be happening...

personally I will not buy a title that dosnt push a machines abilities because of another not being capable... if I own the lower platform then I would put up with the inferior product...

[Yetter]

“Parity” seems to be one of the more problematic issues with today’s current gen consoles. When Turtle Rock Studios said it would be going with graphical parity for the Xbox One and PS4 versions, what influenced the decision especially when the PS4 is more powerful than the Xbox One?
GamingBolt’s Kurtis Simpson recently spoke to producer Chloe Skew who said that, “Well…I could find alot of people that would disagree with you (laughter)...."

hmm...interesting.

"It’s better to talk about which characters you like more.”

Couldn't agree more. When can we start talking about games again and not specs??

[Jamaicangmr]

When the politics is removed from gaming and the game i buy is the best possible game from the developer. I do not care if one is weaker it is not my fault i want the best possible on all consoles.

Then we can shift back to primarily speaking of characters and gameplay. Until then characters and gameplay will always share the stage with resolution and frame rate.

[IGiveHugs2NakedWomen]

Let's take Assassin's Creed Unity for example. The game had horrible framerates and there is absolutely no doubt that the game was developed with an Xbox One SDK then ported to the PS4. It another example of a "beautiful" mess. No other game for the PS4 had framerates dipping into the 20s other than AC Unity. If i'm mistaken about that, please feel free to correct me.

What sense does it make to risk your company's reputation and long term financial health by releasing a "crippled" game just because the machine used as the lead development tool can't run the game you created.

Releasing "gimped" "crippled" games serves no one. Parity is the lamest excuse ever created. And that's all it is, an excuse.

[gangsta_red]

"...there is absolutely no doubt that the game was developed with an Xbox One SDK then ported to the PS4."

Please give links and proof that this is what happened...if not then how can you say ABOLUTLY NO DOUBT?

You and others act like parity with the Xbox One caused developers to downgrade, take out levels, remove characters, strip features, ax modes and replace scenes. None of that has happened, not once!

Once again it's blowing things out of proportion and pretending that one console is being held back when a game doesn't turn out the way one expected.

[Spotie]

When did we STOP talking about games?

It just so happens that we now know more about the development process than ever before, and in the absence of new "news" regarding an upcoming or already released game, coverage has moved to the minutiae.

Specs count. From game to game, console to console. There's really no reason to not talk about them. There's no reason why one console should be held back by another. If you don't wanna read about them, nobody's forcing you to read each article concerning the difference between two versions of the same game. Skip over them.

Same as with sales: it's utterly asinine to go into an article about sales and then bitch about people there talking about sales.

There are plenty of other articles out there that aren't about specs, aren't about performance issues. Limit yourself to those.

[Yetter]

The article is about the console war being tedious. I believe my comment falls right in line

[lemoncake]

Parity is the least of this games problems. This game is just boring and lacking in content, even if it was at 4k and 120fps that fact would still exist and is why I won't be getting it.

[headblackman]

i agree with no parity. id rather see developers take advantage of every option that each games camp has to offer. pc (push it to the max and make it the standard), ps4 (push the hardware to the max to showcase what the gpu with the gddr5 can do and get it as close to the pc as possible, while also taking advantage of it's exclusive features like the ds controller features and the eye toy along with project morpheus and whatever software updates they end up creating..... respectively), x1 (same with the xbox one. the pc is the standard for consoles to try to mimic as close as possible. program every game developed for the x1 to take full advantage of dx12, the azure cloud, hololense, and whatever other hardware features that are in the x1 or will be created for the x1.....respectively).

bottom line, push each system to their respective limits.

[NeoGamer232]

A good game is a good game regardless of graphical parity. There has been quite a few new games released this generation and not one is great because of its graphics only.

You look at the top selling new games (games that are not re-masters or ports) this generation. Dragon Age, Shadow of Mordor, CoD, BF, etc... Their strength is primarily in gameplay. Graphics are secondary to gameplay.

Parity simplifies development a lot. I would rather developers focus their resources on gameplay then on graphics.

[CaptainObvious878]

Congrats. Because of this parity BS you just lost a sale.

[lemoncake]

So if the best game ever created came out with parity you seriously wouldn't buy that game because of a few pixels, that to you is more important than amazing gameplay, story telling, features, etc. The fact you even have people agreeing with you is crazy if you realy think about what they are agreeing with.

[CaptainObvious878]

Of course I would just rent it or buy it used.

But it's the principle.

[bleedsoe9mm]

seems like there isn't enough difference between the consoles for parity to matter , they aim for 1080/30 . if they get there fine if they don't the xb1 version ends up being 900/30 , not a big deal for anyone that isn't a diehard soldier in the console war .

[SonyOnly4]

People even without Parity you should not buy this game it is a shallow boring game which has the nerve to charge for DLC even though it is missing the other half of the game.
It is a complete rip off and it is one thing lowing the PS4 to match the Xbox One but now the PC too?
Boycott this game don't buy it it is a disgrace to gaming buy the Witcher 3 instead at least CD Project red are offering a complete game plus giving all DLC for free this game you will play for a week and get bored of it and before you know it you have the world most expensive tea coaster.
#BoycottEvolve.

[SonyOnly4]

Another thing, isn't it funny how AC:Unity and Evolve are the games Microsoft have showed of at their E3 and Gamescom and also have marketting deals with? Isn't that a strange coincidence......

[kenwonobi]

LOL! Ok you get parity on the 3rd party games for some of the industry guys who get paid off by Microsoft. While Ps4 gets all the best looking exclusives graphically. Its fine. Most of the early 3rd party games were already in the Ps4s corner already anyways. Drive Club, Uncharted, Deep Down, The Order 1886 is enough for this graphics whore.

[cyber_daemonx]

@SonyOnly4, lol exactly. And it was the same lame excuse used by the AC Unity devs, and look how that game turned out. Obviously this will happen with any dev that prefers xbone, or gets moneyhatted by MS.’Strange coincidence' indeed...

Tbh if I was gonna get a secondary games machine it would be probably the WiiU, PC doesn't really interest me and I've yet to hear of a PC that can run The Order, Bloodborne or Uncharted etc, no matter how powerful.

And as for xbone well, why have cotton when you can have silk?

[Neo_Zeed]

As devs it's not their place to care about parity or console wars unless they are being paid to be lazy. I will not reward lazy devs. As devs it's their job to make software shine brighter wherever whenever possible to SELL their product. Debates are NOT their business. Their business IS making their games stand out so that people want to buy them.

[JMyers]

Wow.. another game with a marketing deal with MS has parity on PS4.... I wonder why? Clearly the game performing better on PS4 does not bode well when it comes to these deals.

This coupled with the ridiculously priced DLC is just dispicable.