Battlefield 4 has been the center of attention this year for fans of first-person shooters. It is now available for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3, with the next-gen versions to follow within a month’s time. Given that plenty of direct feed footage from the Xbox One version was recently made available at an event (courtesy of Jack Frags’ Youtube channel), it’s now possible for us to bring you a comparison between the current and next-gen versions. We’ve chosen a selection of GIF images using like-for-like scenes from the first 15 minutes of the single-player campaign.
While these GIF images can only offer a look at the differences in visual fidelity, it would be wrong to not offer insight on the differences in image quality. The Xbox 360 version operates at a native resolution of 1280 x 688 with no scaling and borders applied across the top/bottom of the screen in order to compensate for the missing lines of pixels. Meanwhile, the Xbox One version isn’t too far off, running at a native resolution of 1280 x 720 i.e. 720p. Both versions have post-process anti-aliasing applied, although the Xbox One version’s is of higher quality. Having said that, there’s an undeniable sense of disappointment with regards to image quality on the Xbox One version; it’s hardly the significant leap we were expecting from a next-gen console.
(Above= Xbox 360, Below = Xbox One)
Texture and asset quality is by far the greatest distinguishing factor between the two versions, with the Xbox One version offering far greater environmental detail and superior texture maps. Character models also exhibit a lot more detail and better looking skin shaders on the next-gen version, as seen in the above comparison. Likewise, material shaders are also far more robust, and go a long way towards enhancing the visual makeup of the Xbox One version.
(Above= Xbox 360, Below = Xbox One)
Moving on, the above comparison does a good job of demonstrating some of the post-process effects found in the next-gen version that are absent from the Xbox 360 version. The lens flare seen in the current-gen version is of lower quality and barely visible, whereas it is an eye-catching effect in the next-gen version. Similarly, bokeh depth of field, light shafts, and motion blur are easily noticeable in the Xbox One version. On the other hand, neither of these effects is present on the Xbox 360.
(Above= Xbox 360, Below = Xbox One)
The above comparison serves to illustrate the difference in alpha effects (particles, smoke and the like). The explosion is undeniably of much higher quality on the Xbox One, with higher resolution alpha used for fire effects. The smoke is far less dense on the Xbox 360 version, and less individual debris and particles are visible as compared to the Xbox One version.
While the Xbox One version of Battlefield 4 is most certainly a step above the Xbox 360 version, based on this comparison, we can’t help shake the feeling that Microsoft’s next-gen console merely offers an incremental update over its current-gen sibling; not as significant a leap as the Xbox 360 over the original Xbox, then.
How big a difference do you see between the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of the game? Does next-gen really feel like a significant leap? Let us know in the comments below.
